One of the advantages of being a paperless lawyer is that I can work from wherever I want. Whether I’m at home, at a coffee shop between meetings, waiting in court, or sitting on the beach in San Juan, I’m never far from my client files. Although I love this flexibility, the business model also introduces a few new problems to solve. One of which is snail mailing letters.
Paperless does not mean that I have no need for printing. Although I do not keep paper files, courts and the rules of Civil Procedure sometimes require that I send printed documents. Some clients still appreciate a hard-copy over email, as well. And bills tend to get paid faster when there’s a return envelope enclosed. Unfortunately, my printer isn’t as mobile as my MacBook Air, and stays at my office.
So my problem is that I want to be able to print and mail letters and documents from wherever I am, without hauling around a printer, paper, and multiple size envelopes. I could use a virtual assistant, and explored that possibility, but found that it was expensive, and complicated to keep track of costs.
Then I found MailALetter.com. MailALetter will print, fold, and mail your correspondence for a flat rate. I only send letters by uploading a PDF, but they also have a WYSIWYG editor for composing letters. They use a color laser printer, which is great for me, because I do not have a color printer. They’ll allow you to upgrade your paper and envelope to a fancy cotton. They even support registered and certified mail. The cost for a one page, standard letter is $1.00. Each additional page is $0.35. When you consider all the little costs involved (postage, printing, paper), you’re paying under 50 cents for the labor of printing, folding, stuffing, sealing, stamping, and delivering the letter to the USPS. That’s a bargain.
My letters are sent from the Pacific Northwest. In my few trials, it’s taken anywhere from 2 to 5 days to reach an address in the New Orleans area. I have no complaints with that.
Finally, make sure that you’re aware of confidentially concerns when using MailALetter. You probably don’t want to mail confidential client information through their service. But that letter to opposing counsel, or those pleadings you need to mail to the court, or an invoice with a return envelope, those are a perfect fit.