Legal Industry
Secure Data Destruction for Law Firms and Legal Offices
Law firms and legal organizations manage some of the most sensitive and confidential information entrusted to any business, making secure data destruction and accountable IT asset disposition essential to protecting client privacy and maintaining regulatory compliance. For nearly 35 years, law firms have been among our most valued industry clients. Our Safe Harbor Express (SHE) scheduled secure data destruction program was jointly developed with one of the nation’s largest law firms to address the unique data security and documentation requirements of the legal industry. Our processes are designed to provide verifiable documentation that sensitive client information remains protected throughout every stage of the IT asset disposal process. Through our Compliance Library, law firms have convenient, secure access to the supporting project records and certificates needed for internal reviews and external audits. As technology has evolved, so have our services. We have adapted our destruction processes to address the growing use of embedded solid-state storage in mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. Today, we securely destroy more cell phones and tablets for law firms than traditional hard drives. In addition, we have adopted a strict “no resale” policy reflecting our continued commitment to protecting confidential information across the full spectrum of legal technology.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 
A Secure Process from Collection Through Final Disposition
An effective data destruction program should answer several fundamental questions:
What equipment was collected?
All equipment is inventoried at pick up time by mfg serial number and/or custom bar code labels that we provide. You sign off on the inventory prior to our departure.
Who controlled the equipment?
Chain-of-custody procedures provide accountability as assets move through the disposition process.
Was the data actually destroyed?
Physical destruction provides a definitive method for rendering stored information inaccessible. Chain of custody procedures follows the data assets through the destruction.
Can the destruction be documented?
Certificates and project records provide evidence of the completed process and are storied permently in our Compliance Library record.
What happened to the remaining electronics?
All remaining electronics are demanufatured and the components sent to specialized materials recovery facilities for final recycling.
Will you pay me for my retired IT Assets?
No. We do not resell used IT Equipment. Back Thru The Future® is unique within the computer recycling industry for maintaining a strict No-Resale Policy. We believe that retired IT assets should not remain in circulation carrying residual liability.
Back Thru The Future® brings these elements together into a single, managed process.
Why Legal Services Organizations Choose Back Thru The Future®
Our ITAD disposal services are purpose-built to support regulatory compliance, our secure handling procedures, Safe Harbor Express® scheduled service program, and Compliance Library® cloud-based records management system work together to provide a fully documented chain of custody, immediate access to compliance records, and verifiable proof of secure data destruction—helping your organization meet regulatory requirements while demonstrating due diligence in protecting sensitive legal information throughout the IT asset disposition process.
Proven ITAD Experience
Back Thru The Future® specializes in providing environmentally compliant and certified secure data destruction services to businesses that face extraordinary regulatory compliance. We have extensive client experience within the accounting industry as well as:
- Healthcare. Multiple healthcare systems including two of the largest health providers in the NYC metro area.
- Financial. Over 50% of the community banks in NJ as well as several major international banks, brokerage firms and Insurance companies in the NYC metro area.
- Legal. Several of the largest law firms in the US and multiple mid and small firms in the NYC metro area.
Multiple organizations rely on us because we understand the unique compliance and operational requirements associated with regulated environments and have the handling and documentation processes in place to support audits.
Secure Chain of Custody
Every asset movement is documented and auditable.
Our chain-of-custody process provides:
- Serialized asset tracking
- Secure transportation
- Controlled processing environments
- Documented custody transfers
- Destruction verification
- Audit-ready reporting
The result is complete visibility throughout the asset disposition lifecycle.
Compliance Library™
Our proprietary Compliance Library™ gives legal organizations centralized access to critical compliance documentation and disposition records.
Documentation includes:
- Certificates of environmental compliance
- Certificates of destruction
- Asset inventories including weights
- Chain of custody documentation
- Project quotes
- Project invoices
- Copies of relevant project emails
This allows compliance teams, information security leaders, auditors, and asset managers to access documentation whenever it is needed.
ServiceNow Asset Management Integration
Legal organizations increasingly require tighter integration between asset retirement workflows and enterprise asset management platforms.
Back Thru The Future® can support ServiceNow asset tracking workflows by enabling organizations to:
- Improve asset retirement visibility
- Enhance lifecycle management reporting
- Support CMDB accuracy
- Track asset disposition activities
- Streamline audit preparation
- Improve governance over retired assets
This capability helps bridge the gap between operational asset management and compliant asset disposition.
Secure Data Destruction Services for Legal Services
Back Thru The Future® provides secure destruction services for virtually all forms of data-bearing equipment and media, including:
Data Media Destruction
- Hard drive shredding
- SSD destruction
- Backup tape destruction
- Optical media destruction
- Flash media destruction
- USB drive destruction
- Mobile phone destruction
- Tablet destruction
- Microfilm disintegration
IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)
- Server decommissioning
- Storage array deinstallation
- Network equipment disposal
- ATM and branch technology retirement
- Payment terminal destruction
- Card reader destruction
Onsite Destruction Services
For organizations requiring maximum control and visibility, our mobile destruction services perform destruction at your facility while maintaining documented chain-of-custody controls.
Secure Data Destruction for Your Law Firm
Protecting client information should extend through the complete lifecycle of every device on which that information is stored.
Whether your firm is replacing computers, retiring servers, consolidating offices, closing a location, or disposing of accumulated electronic equipment, Back Thru The Future® can develop a secure data destruction and electronics recycling program appropriate for your project.
Contact Back Thru The Future® to discuss secure hard drive destruction, onsite shredding, electronics recycling, and IT asset disposition for your law firm or legal organization.
We provide secure data destruction services to 3 of the top 10 law firms in the US.
Protecting Confidential and Privileged Client Information
Attorneys have a professional responsibility to safeguard information relating to their clients. That responsibility does not end when a computer, server, hard drive, mobile device, or other piece of electronic equipment is retired.
Data can remain recoverable from storage media even after files have been deleted, drives have been reformatted, or equipment has been removed from service.
For law firms, improperly handled electronic assets can expose:
- Attorney-client privileged communications
- Personally identifiable information (PII)
- Financial and banking information
- Litigation and discovery materials
- Intellectual property and trade secrets
- Medical and employment records
- Internal firm and employee information
Secure physical destruction of data-bearing media eliminates the uncertainty associated with relying solely on software-based deletion.
Data Security Risks Continue After Equipment Is Retired
Retired technology can easily become an overlooked component of a firm’s information security program.
Computers may be placed in storage. Hard drives may remain inside unused equipment. Servers may be removed during an office renovation or technology upgrade. Laptops, phones, and other devices can accumulate while firms determine how they should be disposed of.
Every device that contains information represents a potential data security risk until the information it contains has been securely destroyed.
A comprehensive IT asset disposition process should therefore address both the physical equipment and the data stored on that equipment.
Certified Hard Drive Shredding and Data Destruction
Physical destruction provides a clear and definitive endpoint for sensitive information stored on retired media.
Back Thru The Future® provides secure destruction services for hard drives and other data-bearing devices, including onsite destruction options that allow organizations to maintain control of sensitive media through the destruction process.
Depending upon project requirements, Back Thru The Future® can securely process:
- Hard disk drives
- Solid-state drives
- Servers and storage systems
- Desktop and laptop computers
- Mobile devices and tablets
- Backup and removable storage media
- Other electronic devices containing confidential information
Physical destruction helps ensure that information cannot later be recovered, reconstructed, or exposed through the resale or reuse of retired storage devices.
Maintain a Documented Chain of Custody
For legal organizations, knowing that data was destroyed is only part of the requirement. Being able to immediatly access the project information at any time is equally as important.
Back Thru The Future® provides our unique cloud based “Compliance Library” of all project documentation which is accessible 24/7.
Project documentation can include asset inventories, chain-of-custody records, certificates of destruction, recycling documentation, and other records associated with the disposition project.
This documentation can help firms demonstrate that reasonable measures were taken to protect confidential information and properly manage retired electronic assets.
Onsite Hard Drive Shredding
For firms with particularly sensitive information or strict internal security requirements, Back Thru The Future® offers onsite hard drive shredding.
Our mobile destruction services allow hard drives and other approved media to be physically destroyed at your location, providing an additional level of control over the chain of custody.
Authorized personnel can witness the destruction process, eliminating the need for intact data-bearing drives to leave the facility before destruction.
Onsite destruction can be particularly valuable during:
- Office closures and relocations
- Technology refreshes
- Server and infrastructure upgrades
- Records-management projects
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Large-scale equipment replacement
Electronics Recycling Without the Data Security Tradeoff
Once sensitive information has been securely destroyed, the remaining electronic equipment still requires responsible disposition.
Back Thru The Future® combines secure data destruction with environmentally responsible electronics recycling, allowing law firms to address information security and environmental obligations through a coordinated process.
This approach reduces the risks associated with sending retired technology through multiple vendors or disposition channels.
A No Resale Approach to Data Security
Back Thru The Future®’s No Resale Policy provides an additional distinction for organizations concerned about where retired equipment ultimately goes.
Back Thru The Future® is a recycling company—not a used-computer reseller. Retired equipment entrusted to BTTF is handled through a process focused on secure data destruction and responsible recycling rather than maximizing the resale value of used technology.
For legal organizations handling confidential and privileged information, removing resale incentives from the disposition process can provide an important additional layer of risk reduction.
Supporting Legal Industry Compliance
Law firms may possess information governed by numerous privacy, security, contractual, and professional requirements depending upon their clients and areas of practice.
A single firm may handle healthcare information, financial records, consumer information, employment data, intellectual property, or information belonging to highly regulated corporate clients.
Secure data destruction therefore supports more than a firm’s internal security policies. It can also help firms meet obligations associated with the sensitive information entrusted to them by their clients.
Back Thru The Future®’s documented destruction and recycling processes provide legal organizations with a defensible approach to managing electronic assets at the end of their useful lives.
100%
of our client quality control survey rate both our pre-project and post-project communications as “Excellent”
92%
of our new client quality control surveys have been returned marked “Exceeded Expectations”