Legal Reasons to Retain E-mail, Web Pages and Other Records
A "document retention policy" is a set of guidelines that a company follows to determine how long it should keep certain records, including e-mail and web pages. The policy is important for many reasons, including legal requirements that apply to some documents. This article from GigaLaw.com explains why and how long to retain important business documents, stating:
"How long to keep a document, when and how to store the document, and how to dispose of the document, will depend on the type of document. The inquiry focuses on at least six issues:
1. Is there a legal requirement for keeping the document?...
2. After the item is used for its intended purpose, what other purpose could it serve?...
3. What is the consequence of not being able to locate the document?...
4. Can the item be reliably reproduced elsewhere if needed?...
5. Once the possible use of a particular item is determined, the question becomes how long to retain the document...
6. Certainly, if the document is in any way related to pending or threatened litigation, it is wise to keep the item until the matter is finally settled or all appeals are exhausted."
