What we hold · Case & Legal Documents
Custody for Case Files and Original Documents
Originals do not photocopy. Executed agreements, deeds, titles, and signed instruments have to exist physically when they are needed — which may be several years after the client last touched them.
Consultations with counsel are complimentary. We can meet at the facility or at your office.
40+
Years operating since 1983
Zero
Security incidents on record
9R
Highest UL vault rating available
0
Client boxes ever drilled for non-payment
Why this matters
What goes wrong over a long term
Documents left in a home go with the home. A lease ends, a family member moves, a storm takes a roof, and the paper is gone. Documents left in a bank box face a different failure: unpaid rent triggers drilling, and the contents are surrendered to the state as unclaimed property.
How custody handles case & legal documents
- The vault is waterproof and airtight — sealed against flood and humidity for the full term.
- Counsel can be named as an authorized agent, with access documented and revocable.
- A written inventory is taken at intake and signed by both parties.
- On-site notary means originals can be executed and placed in one visit.
Coverage
How this is insured
Case files carry almost no insurable value and almost unlimited practical value, which makes them the category insurers handle worst. Valuable papers and records cover pays reconstruction cost, and for litigation files reconstruction means attorney hours, re-obtaining executed instruments and in some cases discovering that a document cannot be replaced on any terms. Most firm policies carry a modest default limit here that nobody has revisited since the policy was written.
Succession
What happens to it in an estate
Where a file contains a client's executed originals, the succession question is the client's, not the firm's. If the client dies, the personal representative needs to know the documents exist and be able to establish authority to collect them. A firm holding client originals with no documented custody arrangement puts itself in the position of adjudicating who is entitled — a position no firm wants and no engagement letter usually addresses.
Which box size fits
A full case file and a set of executed originals fits a 3×10×24. Add a size if family records and identity documents are going in with them.
Common questions
- Can I access the box on my client’s behalf?
- Yes, if you are named as an authorized agent at intake. The designation is documented and the client can revoke it.
- Is an inventory taken?
- Yes. A written inventory is prepared at intake and signed. It is not a valuation and we do not open sealed envelopes.
- What if the term runs longer than expected?
- Rental is prepaid annually. We contact the named custodian before expiry rather than acting unilaterally.
Related
Also held in custody
Family Heirlooms
One custodian, one signed inventory, one location — so nothing scatters among relatives while a household is running without its center.
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Jewelry & Watches
Portable, easy to liquidate, and hard to prove was ever there, which is the exact problem a signed intake inventory solves.
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Business & Corporate Records
The box is rented by the entity, so minute books and share ledgers stay reachable when the officers change.
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Set custody up before the date, not after.
Tours are private and by appointment. You will see the vault door, the man-trap entry, and the box sizes in person. No account relationship is required to visit.