Case Study: Maclay, Murray and Spens Law Firm Goes Electronic

“I have faith in Shred-it’s CRB-checked representatives, who are reliable and efficient, helping me get the job done...” Pat Bell, Facilities Co-ordinator Maclay, Murray and Spens

Maclay, Murray and Spens is one of Scotland’s largest commercial law firms with offices across Scotland and in London. At the firm’s Glasgow headquarters, looking after the confidential information of its many commercial and private clients is a key priority. It is the responsibility of the Facilities Department to ensure that secure information destruction is taken care of by a reliable, efficient and trusted supplier.

The challenges of moving from paper to electronic storage
Every day, our law firm deals with highly confidential information relating to both our commercial and private clients. Our clients are dealing with sensitive, business critical information and need to have absolute trust in the firm to protect their information. It is therefore vital that we take the utmost care when disposing of confidential documents. About two years ago the firm decided it was time to move our records to electronic storage from paper files. This meant that we needed to find a document destruction and information security supplier that could deal with large volumes of confidential paper, dating back 30 or so years, which needed to be properly destroyed. However as the transition was to happen on an “as and when” basis, this meant the volumes of paper would not only be inconsistent, but would ne ed to be managed in addition to the day-today confidential material we need shredded regularly.

Flexible solutions built to meet changing needs
Shred-it’s document destruction service is very flexible, helping us maintain robust information security procedures by allowing us to promptly deal with extra amounts of confidential documents to be destroyed. During this period of transition from paper to electronic records, the amount of information that requires shredding sometimes outweighs the number of secure consoles that we have on site. We cannot afford to have a single sheet of paper go astray, so knowing that Shred-it can provide additional collection and shredding services helps us to reassure our clients that their confidential information is being dealt with securely and professionally. Since the project started, Shred-it has helped us to securely dispose of over 2,000 files. Over the coming months and years, there will be many more files to be dealt with and having Shred-it’s support is an essential part of managing this.

Peace of mind with secure end-to-end chain of custody
Our reputation is our greatest asset and we constantly strive to maintain it. Shred-it destroys all of our confidential material on site and issues us with a Certificate of Destruction straight away, which confirms that the paper has been securely cross-shredded. This secure chain of custody means we can guarantee that all confidential and business-sensitive information is being securely disposed of, and not only that, Shredit also recycles our shredded paper so we know we’re doing our bit for the environment at the same time.

Confidence in Shred-it’s security-trained experts
Working in the Facilities Department means that I am dealing with a lot of contractors on a daily basis. It is absolutely imperative for me to be able to trust the companies I work with to do the job quickly and safely. I have faith in Shred-it’s CRB-checked representatives, who are reliable and efficient, helping me get the job done without the need to micro-manage or take up too much of the Department’s valuable time and resources.


The paperless office is still far from reality for most companies, however for those taking their first steps to achieve this objective it can be easy to overlook the security risks posed by unwanted paper confidential documents.

As part of their move towards becoming a paperless law office, Maclay Murray & Spens, one of Scotland’s largest commercial law firms, undertook a project to scan thirty years’ worth of documents.  This resulted in sporadic large volumes of confidential documents needing to be securely disposed of, as well as keeping on top of day to day confidential paperwork to be destroyed.  Find out how, with Shred-it’s help, they are managing the ongoing transition process, including:

• The data security challenges of becoming a paperless law office
• How securing confidential documents is key to protecting business reputation
• Where a flexible shredding services partner can help
• Why a secure chain of custody is crucial for peace of mind