I have a pretty firm opinion on network folder and file organization, and my opinion is this: network files should be organized the same way as paper files (assuming you still have paper files…).  The reason? To reduce unnecessary thinking, which should be a constant goal.  There’s just not a lot of space left in the ol’ noggin for unnecessary thoughts such as “Where is that file saved?”. Your brain has already wrapped itself around your paper file organization, why not take advantage of that with your electronic files? 

The basic approach is this:

Save ALL Documents for ONE Matter in ONE folder

When working with paper file everything is saved in one file, no matter who created it or how.  You don’t go to different places in your office to gather material for your file - why go to different places on your network to pull the whole file together?  That means everyone working on the file saves *all* documents, including email, to a single folder.  Without exception.  This may require an end-run around certain software that wants to force you to save documents in a different location – that’s what ‘Save As’ is for (assuming you can’t configure the software to force it to do what *you* want it to do).  This also means you don’t store your emails in Outlook, where no-one else can easily get at them.  If you print and file emails in your paper file, then also save them to the computer file.  It doesn’t matter if you also leave the emails in Outlook for your own use, as long as you also save them to the network file.

Paper File Brads = Computer File Subfolders

You organize your paper file in a particular manner – your electronic file should be organized the same way.  If you have brads for correspondence, court documents, drafts etc., replicate that structure in your computer file. 

For every new computer file, create a folder and sub-folder structure.  Avoid the tedium of multiple folder creation by creating a ‘template’ folder for each file type you work with.  This template folder (you can name it, say, ‘New Real Estate Matter’ or whatever) is set up once precisely the way you like, with the subfolder structure you want.  Then, when a new matter walks in the door, you *copy* this folder (and its subfolders) all at once and drop them into your network storage location and rename it appropriately.  A few clicks and a copy, paste and rename later and presto – you have your nicely organized new folder.

Files should be organized on the computer the same way as they are in your filing cabinets

If active files are segregated in filing cabinets per lawyer and each lawyer further segregates files in filing cabinet drawers by area of law, that organization should be replicated on the network. What I mean is this: 

Say lawyers A, B and C each have a Wills & Estates and a Real Estate Practice.  Lawyers A, B & C each keep their active files in their own filing cabinets.  Each of those filing cabinets are 2 drawer cabinets, one reserved for Real Estate files and the other reserved for Wills & Estates files.  On the network, this same organization should be replicated, and look like this: 

Segregate your Active Files from your Closed Files

In the paper world when you close a file you generally remove it from your filing cabinet (eventually…).  You should do the same with your network files.  When a matter is closed, move the newly closed file to a closed files storage location on your network (using a similar organizational structure).  When you browse your Active Files, you’ll only see stuff that you’re currently working on, not files that have been closed for the last decade.

Correspondence does not need to be broken down into type

In the paper world, it’s unlikely that you segregate your snail mail letters from your fax letters – they’re all (including email) correspondence and all go on the correspondence brad.  Your electronic file should be organized the same way.  If you *want* to distinguish *how* the correspondence was received, you can do that through a file naming convention.  Why inconvenience yourself by forcing a click-through to an additional set of subfolders, when a simple correspondence folder will do the trick nicely? Simplify where possible.

Name all Documents according to an agreed-upon File Naming Convention

This is the one area with no paper file equivalent - computer files need names, paper files don’t.  It makes a lot of sense to name files according to some agreed upon formula.  The exact formula isn’t as important as is everyone agreeing to, understanding and abiding by a File Naming Convention.  Anyone on the team (which may be as small as two people and as big as an entire department) should be able to dig into the electronic file and easily find sort and retrieve anything in it.  They can't do that if everyone is doing their own thing when naming files.

 Whoa.  That may not have been sexy to you, but that did get me all riled up!