In ContactsLaw, packets are most-commonly used to model a safe custody system, where items (such as files, documents, wills and client property) can be stored in a secure location which is exempt from the usual policy regarding destruction.

 

A packet, therefore, is an envelope or container within this system. Each packet has a unique, sequential number and belongs to a contact. A contact may have multiple packets, if desired. A packet has zero or more items contained within it.

 

A packet item can be one of the following:

A permanent record of the life cycle of each packet item is kept, including the date it was added (and which member added it). When an item is recalled from a packet (or checked out), the contact responsible and circumstances under which it was removed are recorded. If the item is subsequently returned to the packet, this is also recorded.

Note: Only the most recent removal information is kept on record; prior removals and check-ins are discarded.

Documents stored in packets are moved to the long-term document archive in order to improve the performance of current documents. In most environments, they would be subject to a less frequent backup schedule.

File archival includes an option to store an entire file in a packet instead of a conventional archive box. Files archived in this manner are not subject to periodic destruction.

Packets are a flexibile mechanism in ContactsLaw and may have applications beyond safe custody. Alternative uses would include management of library/precedent material, tracking the physical location of paper-based files, etc.