Back to the Office After COVID-19: Supplies You Need

Perhaps you are included in the 71% of Americans who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of whom are now slowly but surely transitioning to life back in the office. Many worrisome thoughts may enter your mind, though, as you prepare to head back. Besides the normal stressors that everyday work brings, your anxieties may be compounded by other factors such as workplace cleanliness, social distancing, and health concerns – and justifiably so!

You may also be thinking about what items you need to adapt to normal workplace routines after a couple years of working from home. To help alleviate this particular worry and get you back into your workspace with confidence, LegalSupply.com has created a list of some important legal office supplies you should consider to reacclimate yourself to office life once again.

Legal Tabs

Every lawyer knows legal tabs are crucial for keeping important documents organized. And any law office is well-stocked with them. But how is your firm’s stock of legal tabs looking? In the hustle and bustle of lockdowns, pandemic worries, and employee quarantining, your legal tab stock might be in disarray and looking pretty grim!

Begin by going through your legal tabs and taking inventory of what you currently have on-hand. You should also do some organizing as you go, if needed, by sorting the same tabs together and making sure all tabs are safely and neatly organized in a filing cabinet or storage closet for easy retrieval. Any partial packs of opened tabs can be kept together with rubber bands or binder clips.

Next, compare your findings to what you think your firm will need in the future. Decide which tabs you need to order to maintain a healthy stock of them for when they’re needed. Side tabs and bottom tabs with letters or numbers are the most popular choices, but blank tabs are ideal if customization is important.

Be sure to check out LegalSupply.com’s robust and high-quality legal tab selection.

Binders

What good are legal tabs without the all-important binder? Three-ring binders should not be overlooked because they are the sturdy housing of your precious case files and documents that must be kept safe and presentable. That being said, it’s certainly worth it to check your storage closet to make sure you are well-stocked with quality binders.

Three-ring binders come in various sizes, but most law offices opt for ones that can handle large volumes of paper. The most common binder sizes are 3” up to high-capacity binders of 4-5”, but ultimately it is your choice depending on your organizational needs and preferences.

Binders should also have a durable ring system that can hold up against constant opening and closing. Ideally binders are equipped with a press tab that operates the rings since opening and closing them by hand can bend the rings over time, causing them to malfunction and spill your valuable court documents all over the floor.

Don’t forget about stocking up on binder accessories, too. You may consider binder spine inserts, binder sheet protectors, and binder pocket inserts to add a professional flair to your portfolios.

Expanding Files

While binders are an excellent choice in terms of basic organization and presentation, the fact is that sometimes they are just too big and bulky to transport easily. When court documents have to be carried to and from the courtroom often, an expanding file might be the wisest option.

Redweld Expanding Wallets are a superb solution for your everyday portfolio needs. Their heavy-duty construction and durable closures protect your important documents on all sides and are perfect for transporting and carrying large caseloads. They are also an ideal solution for everyday organizational storage. Either way you go, you can rely on Redweld’s high-quality expanding files to get you back into the office with much confidence and a touch of elegance, too.

Stationery

When thinking of words that come to mind when you say “office,” “stationery” certainly appears at the top of the list, and for good reason. Without quality stationery and general office supplies, a law firm simply cannot function in its important day-to-day operations.

Upon returning to the office after such a long time, you will certainly want to double-check your stock of stationery and general office supplies to make sure you have what you need to continue your important work in the office setting.

The list of crucial supplies includes:
Custom stationery, letterhead, and envelopes
Legal pads and notebooks
Printing paper
Pocket folders and manila folders
Ballpoint and flair pens
Pencils
Highlighters
Permanent markers
White-out correction tape
Scissors
Hole punches
Staplers and staples
Staple removers
Tape dispensers and tape refills
Paper clips, binder clips, and rubber bands
Rubber date stamps and ink pads
Sticky notes, labels, and flags
Index cards

A New Briefcase

Are you still toting your personal belongings around in that beat-up, old briefcase? Returning to the workplace in this post-pandemic world is a new chapter, and thus a new you. So get rid of that shabby thing and get yourself a brand new briefcase! It will give you the air of confidence you need walking through those office doors again for the first time in two years.

Korchmar’s leather litigation bags, legal briefcases, and trial bags will put a smile on your face, turn heads, and add an elegant, professional touch to your everyday look. They are handcrafted from high-quality, USA-made leather and come in a variety of sizes and colors for you to choose from.

Bonus Fun (Non-Legal) Supplies

Let’s be frank for a second. Not everything you will bring to the office on your first day back will be law-related. As a matter of fact, binders might not be on your mind when you are waking up at 6:00 a.m. and sitting in rush-hour traffic. Your mug of coffee, on the other hand – now that’s a different story!

We’ve polled the LegalSupply.com team, and here is our list of recommended back-to-work items that will make your return to the grind a little easier.

Beats Fit Pro Wireless Noise-Canceling Earbuds – $199.95 from Amazon

Dimux Electric Coffee Mug Warmer – $27.99 from Amazon

Seat Cushion and Lumbar Support Pillows – $41.99 from Amazon

Copco Acadia 16 oz. Travel Mug – starting at $9.99 from Amazon

Miracase Phone Mount for Car Vent – $21.99 from Amazon

Hydro Flask Wide-Mouth Bottle with Flex Cap – starting at $32.25 from Amazon

Jan 13th 2022 Mike P.