Emergency support 24/7. The phone is always answered by a person.
How to Share Files Safely: a guide for law firms
Safe ways to send client files
How to share files with clients, other firms and your own lawyers, without putting client trust or the firm’s name at risk.
For partners and administrators
How should a law firm share client files safely?
Use paths that protect and track: secure links that expire, encrypted email, a client portal, or one document system with permissions by matter. One forwarded attachment can put a client and the firm’s name at risk, so we set up safe ways to share with clients, other firms and your own lawyers.
Safe paths we set up or recommend
- Secure links that expire and check who is opening them
- Encrypted email with Purview Message Encryption, included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- A client portal that records who opened what
- One source of truth in Worldox or SharePoint and Teams, with permissions set by matter
- Data loss prevention that flags sensitive information, set up if the firm needs it
- Electronic court and registry filing portals
- Secure fax that arrives as email
- Encrypted USB drives, only for large court or discovery files
- Data rooms for big deals, with tracked views
Habits to retire
- Email attachments
- Reply all or autocomplete to the wrong person
- Copier scan to email without encryption
Personal copies
- Personal Gmail or Dropbox
- Copies on a home computer or personal OneDrive
- USB sticks
Links and chat
- Public “anyone with the link” shares on WeTransfer, Drive or Dropbox
- Text or WhatsApp photos of documents or ID
- Zoom or Teams chat uploads that linger
Paper and fax
- Fax to a wrong number
- Paper or courier with no tracking
Wire or banking instructions changed? Confirm by phone using a number you already know, not one from the email.
We look at how your firm shares files today.
Which file sharing habits should a law firm retire?
Email attachments, reply all to the wrong person, personal Gmail or Dropbox, copies on home computers, USB sticks, public links and photos of documents sent by text. Each one leaves a copy the firm can’t see or take back. If wire or banking instructions change, confirm by phone on a number you already know.
File sharing questions from law firms
Is encrypted email enough on its own?
It helps. Purview Message Encryption is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and protects the message itself. It can’t stop someone sending the right file to the wrong person, so secure links and a client portal still matter.
When is a USB drive acceptable?
Only an encrypted USB drive, and only for large court or discovery files that are too big to send another way. Plain USB sticks are one of the habits to retire.
What if banking instructions change by email?
Confirm by phone, using a number you already know, not one from the email, and have a second person sign off before any money moves.
Can you review how our firm shares files today?
Yes. We look at how your firm shares files with clients, other firms and your own lawyers, and suggest safer paths that fit how you work. Call (604) 813-7881.
Talk to a person.
(604) 813-7881
24/7 emergency line
Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm MT. Emergency support 24/7 at (604) 813-7881, always answered by a person.