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I L T A W H I T E P A P E R | I N F O R M A T I O N G O V E R N E N C E 37 In a culture where "having a memory like an elephant" is prized, it can be difficult to let go of the "keep everything" mindset, even if they accept that the status quo is untenable. T H E E L E P H A N T I N T H E R O O M : T H E H I D D E N C O S T S A N D R I S K S O F E L E C T R O N I C R E C O R D S R E T E N T I O N are due for disposition, as well as a strategy for enforcing retention and disposition requirements moving forward. Identifying which electronic records to dispose of can be a mammoth task initially, particularly if your firm has not disposed of electronic records previously. Technolo can help. An advanced records management system will be able to provide you with an integrated view of all repositories across your firm—indexing all items within the DMS, file shares, e-discovery archives and even your physical archives. Legal holds related to specific client matters should be applied consistently regardless of where the information resides. Advanced information governance systems can then help you identify the exact scope of aging electronic records that are overdue for disposition. For example, if your firm's IG policies specify that all records associated with matters that have been closed for over seven years should be destroyed unless specified otherwise, you can apply search criteria to identify the relevant files and proceed with the required review and approvals to eliminate the backlog. Automating retention workflows is the key to managing and enforcing information governance policies on an ongoing basis moving forward. When documents are received or created by the firm, the correct policy for each document should be automatically assigned according to predefined rules that are applied based on practice area, document type and client or matter. Prior to the end of the retention period, your information governance system should trigger workflows for the review, approval and disposition of specific records, with notifications sent to the appropriate lawyers, paralegals, compliance team members, office of the general counsel and administrative staff as required. In other words, once the information life cycle is fully automated, your information governance system should automatically identify which documents and records are eligible for disposition and put them into the review cycle at the right time—so you no longer have to worry about manually tracking retention schedules, searching for records, chasing approvals and missing deadlines. Facing Fear, Uncertainty And Doubt Just inches from the finish line, some firms find that the biggest challenge for them is getting final sign-off on destroying the massive backlog of aging electronic records that should be destroyed. The hesitation might stem from a variety of factors, including changes in executive committee leadership during a project or lack of clarity on final sign-off authority. Lawyers are also trained to be cautious, and in a culture where "having a memory like an elephant" is prized, it can be difficult to let go of the "keep everything" mindset, even if they accept that the status quo is untenable. While every firm is different, there are several steps you can take to help your firm successfully navigate the transition to a more proactive electronic disposition program. Presenting a clear and compelling business case for disposing of aging electronic records can help in securing management buy-in. In a typical scenario, a firm that has accumulated electronic records over 25-30 years may find that 90% of these records can be deleted based on

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