![\"Digital](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/digital-binders.jpg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Table of contents<\/h2>\n\n- Three Things to Consider<\/a><\/li>\n
- 1. Digital Binder Features<\/a><\/li>\n
- 2. Selecting the Ideal Device for Digital Binder Workflow<\/a><\/li>\n
- 3. Storage for Your Files<\/a><\/li>\n
- Litigation Notebook Checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Three Things to Consider<\/h2>\n
Lawyers need to consider three things when choosing a digital binder system: features, device and file storage location.<\/strong><\/p>\nNote that I won\u2019t be recommending a specific digital binder product, and that\u2019s for a couple of reasons. First, full disclosure, I make and sell a digital binder software product for lawyers called Align, so I\u2019m biased. Second, this really is workflow-dependent. Much as it pains me to say it, one size doesn\u2019t fit all.<\/p>\n
1. Digital Binder Features<\/h2>\n
You use binders, of course. Take a moment, though, and think about what\u2019s important to you when you look at your binders. <\/p>\n
\n- Do you annotate the documents or just read them? <\/li>\n
- If you annotate, do you highlight or write on the documents, or both? Do you use sticky notes or flags, and how? <\/li>\n
- Who makes your binders\u2014you, an assistant or a paralegal? How are your binders updated? <\/li>\n
- Do you share your binders? Do you give a copy to a witness or opposing counsel or the court? <\/li>\n
- Where do you read your binders? Is it always in your office, or is it mostly on the road or in your house in a comfy chair?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As you answer these questions, make a list of which of these things are important to you and, just as importantly, which are not<\/em>. This is going to help you narrow down your search for the right tool. For example, if someone else makes binders for you, it\u2019s going to be important to have a tool that allows multiple users to access your binders. If you make them yourself, that\u2019s less important.<\/p>\n2. Selecting the Ideal Device for Digital Binder Workflow<\/h2>\n
Since you are going to go digital, ask yourself what the ideal digital device is on which you will interact with these binders. It may be a device you already have or it may be one that\u2019s on your holiday wish list. Here are a few considerations about the devices that are out there. I think of them in three categories:<\/p>\n
Laptop.<\/strong> You have one already, so in some ways that\u2019s the easiest choice. However, the ergonomics of laptops aren\u2019t always the best for reading\u2014let alone reading and taking notes. A lot of people (myself included) like to read with the documents lying flat, not upright. A laptop isn\u2019t great for that unless you have a laptop\/tablet hybrid. If you do have one of those, test out reading and writing on it. Some people love that experience; others find that the devices are too heavy or too thick.<\/p>\niPad.<\/strong> This gets its own category because it\u2019s the 800-pound gorilla of tablets\u2014and for good reason. It\u2019s light, has great battery life, is extremely well supported and, with the Apple Pencil, has great handwriting options. It\u2019s also very secure. Related to that, if you are at a law firm with tight security policies, this is almost certainly the device it supports. If you haven\u2019t tried an iPad yet, pop over to your nearest Apple Store or Best Buy and check it out.<\/p>\nOther.<\/strong> There are various other tablet options on the market. There are, of course, Android-based tablets. Also popular are tablets that specifically target paper-loving users, like the reMarkable<\/a>. There\u2019s a lot positive to say about these devices, but there are two things you need to at least consider if you are leaning in that direction. First, they are not nearly as well supported as the iPad. I\u2019m not saying it should be that way, but it\u2019s a fact. Second, you need to consider security, especially when you are looking at non-Android tablets. This is both a question of what your law firm\u2019s IT department will allow and also just common sense. What happens if you leave your tablet on the train with hundreds of client files on it? How easy is it for someone to unlock it? Is its memory encrypted?<\/p>\n3. Storage for Your Files<\/h2>\n
The last thing to think about is where the files in your digital binders will live. Specifically, the following question is going to make a big difference in terms of which digital binder product is right for you: Do your files need to live (a) only on the device, (b) on a general-purpose cloud storage service or (c) within a dedicated system?<\/p>\n
The answer to this question is going to dramatically alter your options. <\/p>\n
\n- If you don\u2019t mind getting the files onto your device manually and you don\u2019t need to be able to share them easily with other people or have your binders updated by other people, you are going to have a lot of options. <\/li>\n
- If you need to be able to share files across devices or with colleagues, but can use cloud storage like Dropbox, iCloud or OneDrive, that will limit your options, but you will still have a fair number. <\/li>\n
- Finally, if your files must be stored in an enterprise-class storage service (often the case if you work at a large firm), you are going to find that you need a binder or document solution that specifically targets enterprises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you take away one thing from this article, it\u2019s that you definitely can \u2014 and should \u2014 start moving your binders<\/a> to digital formats.<\/p>\nMake 2026 the year you finally fulfill your resolution to go paperless!<\/p>\n
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Three Things to Consider<\/h2>\n
Lawyers need to consider three things when choosing a digital binder system: features, device and file storage location.<\/strong><\/p>\n Note that I won\u2019t be recommending a specific digital binder product, and that\u2019s for a couple of reasons. First, full disclosure, I make and sell a digital binder software product for lawyers called Align, so I\u2019m biased. Second, this really is workflow-dependent. Much as it pains me to say it, one size doesn\u2019t fit all.<\/p>\n You use binders, of course. Take a moment, though, and think about what\u2019s important to you when you look at your binders. <\/p>\n As you answer these questions, make a list of which of these things are important to you and, just as importantly, which are not<\/em>. This is going to help you narrow down your search for the right tool. For example, if someone else makes binders for you, it\u2019s going to be important to have a tool that allows multiple users to access your binders. If you make them yourself, that\u2019s less important.<\/p>\n Since you are going to go digital, ask yourself what the ideal digital device is on which you will interact with these binders. It may be a device you already have or it may be one that\u2019s on your holiday wish list. Here are a few considerations about the devices that are out there. I think of them in three categories:<\/p>\n Laptop.<\/strong> You have one already, so in some ways that\u2019s the easiest choice. However, the ergonomics of laptops aren\u2019t always the best for reading\u2014let alone reading and taking notes. A lot of people (myself included) like to read with the documents lying flat, not upright. A laptop isn\u2019t great for that unless you have a laptop\/tablet hybrid. If you do have one of those, test out reading and writing on it. Some people love that experience; others find that the devices are too heavy or too thick.<\/p>\n iPad.<\/strong> This gets its own category because it\u2019s the 800-pound gorilla of tablets\u2014and for good reason. It\u2019s light, has great battery life, is extremely well supported and, with the Apple Pencil, has great handwriting options. It\u2019s also very secure. Related to that, if you are at a law firm with tight security policies, this is almost certainly the device it supports. If you haven\u2019t tried an iPad yet, pop over to your nearest Apple Store or Best Buy and check it out.<\/p>\n Other.<\/strong> There are various other tablet options on the market. There are, of course, Android-based tablets. Also popular are tablets that specifically target paper-loving users, like the reMarkable<\/a>. There\u2019s a lot positive to say about these devices, but there are two things you need to at least consider if you are leaning in that direction. First, they are not nearly as well supported as the iPad. I\u2019m not saying it should be that way, but it\u2019s a fact. Second, you need to consider security, especially when you are looking at non-Android tablets. This is both a question of what your law firm\u2019s IT department will allow and also just common sense. What happens if you leave your tablet on the train with hundreds of client files on it? How easy is it for someone to unlock it? Is its memory encrypted?<\/p>\n The last thing to think about is where the files in your digital binders will live. Specifically, the following question is going to make a big difference in terms of which digital binder product is right for you: Do your files need to live (a) only on the device, (b) on a general-purpose cloud storage service or (c) within a dedicated system?<\/p>\n The answer to this question is going to dramatically alter your options. <\/p>\n If you take away one thing from this article, it\u2019s that you definitely can \u2014 and should \u2014 start moving your binders<\/a> to digital formats.<\/p>\n Make 2026 the year you finally fulfill your resolution to go paperless!<\/p>\n1. Digital Binder Features<\/h2>\n
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2. Selecting the Ideal Device for Digital Binder Workflow<\/h2>\n
3. Storage for Your Files<\/h2>\n
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