Legal Issues With Electronic Documents

In general terms, English law does not prescribe a method for the storage of information except for patent applications and bankers books. However, there are many requirements related to industry regulators that historically require paper-based original documents to be retained. This situation is fast changing, with many regulators now accepting well-managed electronic creation and storage of corporate records as normal practice. The Law Society recommends that where a document is converted electronically and the original destroyed, written evidence of the destruction must be preserved.

If paperwork is scanned in-house and there is a chance those documents may need to be presented in evidence in court or other tribunal, it is important to scan to British Standard BS 10008:2008.