A couple of years in the past, I wrote an article about how fax numbers are still an important tool in the legal industry in some contexts. Certainly, some authorized professionals cling to faxes regardless that e mail looks like a extra preferable methodology of communication, possible owing to behavior and the truth that fax may go away much less of a digital footprint than e mail. Though fax was seen as a technology of the future in Back to the Future II, fax has been an outdated communication methodology for years. Authorized professionals ought to take a tough look into whether or not they really want to cling to this previous expertise or embrace extra trendy strategies of communication.
Earlier this yr, I appeared in a court docket with which I had no expertise. I wanted to request some information so I known as the clerk of this court docket to inquire as to how the information might be transmitted to my workplace. The clerk knowledgeable me that the court docket solely mailed information or faxed information to events searching for such paperwork. I inquired about whether or not the court docket might ship information by e mail and was advised that fax was the one possibility except I wished to attend for the clerk to mail the information to me.
This turned out to be a tough course of. Though I maintained a fax quantity for years for the once-in-a-year time I wanted to obtain paperwork by fax, I discovered that my fax quantity had — unbeknownst to me — been disabled months in the past. I then known as round to some legislation companies and different shops that may have a fax quantity and which is perhaps keen to obtain the fax and ship me the paperwork by e mail. Even after I had a dependable fax quantity lined up, the fax from the clerk by no means arrived, both on account of an error on the clerk’s finish or an error by the outlet that was serving to me.
Faxes pose quite a few issues that e mail simply doesn’t have. Maybe most critically, faxes are far much less dependable than e mail. There are frequent points with faxes both due to person error, busy indicators, not sufficient ink within the receiving fax machine, or as a result of fax numbers have been disabled. Some fax numbers are configured in such a means that they only e mail a replica of the fax to an e mail handle on file, and that is higher than a fax machine printing one thing out. Nonetheless, it might be far simpler for events to easily e mail gadgets to a recipient moderately than depend on an outdated middleman.
As well as, faxes are impractical in a wide range of contexts. Usually, fax machines have web page limits. High quality points with the pictures which might be despatched and acquired can be an issue, since faxes work greatest with easy black-and-white paperwork. Furthermore, fax numbers might require extra subscriptions or maintenance separate from an e mail handle, and faxes is perhaps missed if a celebration doesn’t preserve their fax quantity within the applicable means.
Many applied sciences throughout the authorized occupation have turn into out of date within the 13 years (thus far) I’ve practiced legislation. I keep in mind conducting analysis with books, which may be very uncommon within the current, and I keep in mind when tape recording was a widespread technique to dictate letters and different paperwork in legislation workplaces. Once I was a summer time affiliate, I used to be thrilled to get a BlackBerry, and I felt that any severe authorized skilled ought to have one to be related to work issues always.
Fax numbers are simply one other out of date expertise that ought to be transitioned out of the authorized occupation in favor of expertise that’s undeniably extra environment friendly. Though there could also be rising pains for some, the authorized trade ought to modernize and half methods with outdated communications expertise.
Jordan Rothman is a associate of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey legislation agency. He’s additionally the founding father of Student Debt Diaries, an internet site discussing how he paid off his scholar loans. You possibly can attain Jordan via e mail at jordan@rothman.law.
