Do You Really Need to Get Your Fax Straight?
"Old school" is not a bad thing, and sometimes it's the best thing -- like faxing documents instead of emailing them.
If fact, sometimes faxing is the only thing. For example, there are courts and government offices that require lawyers to fax documents -- no electronic filing allowed.
The problem for many attorneys, of course, is that they threw away their fax machines in the last century. Millennials never even owned one. If that's you, here's what you need to do to get your fax straight:
Old School Fax
The good news is that multi-function printers typically include fax-ability. Problem solved. And if you don't have one of those, the internet provides. Online fax services for lawyers are everywhere, and you can access them from virtually any internet-enabled device. Here are a few:
- eFax
- MetroFax
- MyFax
- Nextiva
- SRFax
They charge, of course, but rates vary. For example, SRFax is one of the least expensive, starting at $3.29 per month for 25 pages. The basic plan is $6.95 for 200 pages monthly.
But remember, we're still talking old school. Documents cannot be faxed over the internet, unless your printer or computer is connected to a hardline. That's because fax machines talk over phone lines.
New School Facts
Some computer programs include scan and fax tools, like Microsoft Windows programs. You can use them to scan documents, but they still work through phone lines to send and receive faxes.
VoIP phone systems, on the other hand, can incorporate fax services. It's complicated, however, because fax machines were designed to work in an analog age.
As technology evolves, faxes may go the way of the dinosaur or turn into something else. But for now, your digital assistant can't fax for you. Siri doesn't even understand the word.
Related Resources:
- 2019 Is a Big Year for Law Firm Mergers (FindLaw's Strategist)
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- Where Would Your Firm Land on "The Political Ideologies of American Lawyers" (FindLaw's Strategist)