Most law firms create and maintain huge volumes of litigation and transactional data in the course of their regular work. For a long time, these legal records were stored physically, in file pockets called red-wells or in storage devices like hard drives or pen drives.
Physical storage devices can compromise the integrity of important records as they are susceptible to theft, misplacement, and accidental exposure. Because of this and other reasons, the legal sector has recently started migrating to the cloud to store and manage their sensitive data.
In this blog, we’ll explore how law firms can use a cloud-based document management system like WorkDrive to organize and secure their sensitive files.
1. Create a virtual workspace
Every legal team consists of senior attorneys and associates who manage cases, litigate in court, and advise clients. They need a centralized location to store their case files to ensure everybody has access to the required information.
WorkDrive offers a shared space to store your documents and research, accommodate your lawyers, and work together in real time on specific cases. Any file in the shared space is automatically available to your team which means you don't need to share it individually.
Set granular access permissions for your attorneys and staff and control who can view, create, update, and delete documents. You can always change their role and give them a higher or lower permission level on specific case files or folders.
2. Share, control, and collaborate on case files
Many law firms have multiple departments with specific functions that need to collaborate. For instance, the litigation department may need input from the transactional department on a legal filing. With WorkDrive, the litigation department can just "share" the particular file with relevant access permission and work with them.
Sometimes you have to work with external counsel on agreements and claims. In this case, you can create a customized share link with options like password protection, enabled or disabled downloads, and even expiration dates. Track user activity on each link separately with statistics on who has viewed or downloaded your files.
Once a file is shared, users can edit it together, provide in-file comments, and "@mention" others to request attention on a particular document. This enables attorneys, secretaries, and paralegals to collaborate in real time from across the world, complete documentation faster, and take on more cases.
3. Find and retrieve client data quickly
Spend less time searching for case materials using WorkDrive's smart search. Quickly find a document with the file or folder name, associated keywords, and even with text (OCR) and objects (OD) within images.
4. Experience three-dimensional data security
WorkDrive offers multiple security features on the file, account, and data level:
File-level security: Set access permissions for users on documents based on their role and stay updated on changes made to your files with real-time notifications. You can also track changes made to a particular sensitive file or folder.
Account-level security: Set a strong password policy, enable two-factor authentication, and restrict unwanted IPs to prevent unauthorized access. Monitor connected devices and even remote wipe data from lost or stolen devices.
Data-level security: WorkDrive encrypts your files during transit and at rest. Further, WorkDrive offers present-day security features that meet industry standards like ISO 27001, SOC 2 (Service Organization Control) Type II, GDPR, and HIPAA.
5. Leverage seamless integrations and extensions
Streamline information across all your business apps by integrating WorkDrive with 1300+ web apps like DocuSign, Evernote, and Slack. Furthermore, you can create and edit files with Microsoft Office Suite and store them on WorkDrive without any extra steps.
If you are a Gmail user, you can download email attachments directly to the WorkDrive folder of your choice, as well as attach files to your email directly from WorkDrive and share them with access controls.
As a legal professional, your ethical obligation is to maintain client confidentiality while using cloud storage platforms. This means employing protective measures and choosing the right document management solution to ensure the security of your client's sensitive data.
WorkDrive gives you a single content platform to manage legal documents, drive efficiency, and comply with the strictest privacy and compliance standards so you can grow your legal business while mitigating risk.
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