Document Shredding for Law Firms
Attorney-client privilege extends to document destruction. NAID-certified shredding with documented chain of custody — protecting your clients’ confidentiality and your ethical obligations.
Law Firms Have an Ethical Duty to Destroy Properly
ABA Model Rule 1.6 and state equivalents require attorneys to take reasonable measures to prevent unauthorized disclosure of client information — including when destroying old files.
Protects Client Privilege
Cross-cut industrial shredding renders attorney-client communications, work product, and case files completely unrecoverable — satisfying your ethical obligations.
Certificate of Destruction
A dated Certificate of Destruction for every shredding event. Documents the destruction for your conflict check file and state bar compliance records.
NAID Certified Vendor
Our NAID certification means independently audited security procedures — including background checks on every employee who handles your firm’s documents.
On-Site or Off-Site
High-security matters? Choose on-site mobile shredding and watch it happen. Routine client file purges? Efficient off-site service with locked transport.
What Law Firms Shred
Client files, litigation records, and internal firm documents all require compliant destruction.
Law Firm Types We Serve
Solo practitioners to large regional firms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about our shredding services.
What state bar requirements apply to law firm document destruction?
Most state bars (aligned with ABA Model Rules 1.6 and 1.15) require that client files be destroyed in a manner that protects confidentiality and that the destruction be documented. The specific retention period before destruction varies by practice area and state. OnTime Shredding provides the Certificate of Destruction that satisfies the documentation requirement — consult your state bar’s ethics guidance on retention periods.
Should law firms use on-site or off-site shredding?
For highly sensitive active-matter files (current or recently closed high-stakes litigation, M&A, estate matters), on-site shredding is the most defensible choice — the documents never leave your control until destroyed. For routine closed-file purges (5-7 year old general files past retention), off-site is more cost-effective and equally compliant.
How do we handle shredding for a law firm with multiple offices?
We service multi-office firms under a single account with consolidated invoicing and one master Certificate of Destruction log covering all locations. We have coverage across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.
Can you handle very large file room purges when converting to paperless?
Absolutely. We’ve handled large-scale law firm file room purges for firms converting to digital-first operations. We manage the volume with appropriately sized crews and equipment — contact us for a custom quote on large purge projects.
Do you provide a certificate that would satisfy a state bar audit?
Yes. Our Certificate of Destruction documents the date, volume (in boxes or lbs), method of destruction, our NAID certification number, and the attending crew member’s signature. This provides the documentation record that most state bar ethics opinions require for client file destruction.
Protect Client Privilege. Satisfy Your Ethical Obligations.
NAID-certified. Certificate of destruction included. Flexible 1-year service agreement — cancel anytime with 30 days’ notice.
