Deliver important legal documents clients can always find

A practical guide to choosing the right approach for client communications, from everyday matter updates and secure interaction to important legal documents clients may need to keep long after the matter has closed.

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A complete approach to client documents

Different documents do different jobs

Case management systems, email and messaging, client portals and Documentd each serve a different purpose. The right choice depends on the job: managing the matter, communicating with the client, supporting secure interaction, or delivering an important document the client should retain. Using each in the right way creates a better client experience and reduces avoidable requests for historic documents.

Case management Manage the matter

Manage matters, workflows, client information, correspondence and legal documents.

Email & messaging Communicate

Updates, reminders, requests and everyday client communications.

Four complementary roles The right tool for the right job

Better service · fewer document queries

Documentd Deliver, keep & find

Deliver permanent, client-owned copies that remain private, accessible and easy to find.

Client portal Access & interact

Secure access to active matters, document exchange, messages, approvals and client actions.

Email works well for everyday communication, client portals for active matters and interaction, and Documentd for important documents that should become permanent, client-owned records.

Legal services in practice

Choose the right approach for each communication

Client portals are the right place for secure interaction, document exchange and workflows while a matter is active. Email and messaging handle updates, reminders and requests. Documentd is designed for important point-in-time documents clients should retain after the immediate matter has passed. Using each appropriately keeps the active matter efficient while giving clients a clear long-term record of the documents that matter.

Email & messaging

Communicate

Best for updates, reminders and communications whose value is mainly immediate.

Appointment reminders
Matter progress updates
Requests for information
Meeting follow-ups
Portal notifications

Client portal

Access & interact

The right place for secure collaboration while a matter is active.

Matter status
Secure messages
Document exchange
Draft document review
Approvals and actions
Active matter files

Documentd

Deliver & retain

For important completed or point-in-time legal documents clients should keep.

Client care documents
Executed agreements
Completion statements
Final reports and advice
Settlement agreements
Important closing documents

Where Documentd fits

Documentd gives clients their own permanent copy, while the portal stays focused on the active matter.

Client portals are excellent for secure communication, document exchange, review, approvals and access while a legal matter is active. Email and messaging are efficient for updates, reminders and requests. Important completed documents have a different job: clients may need them long after the matter has closed, sometimes many years later.

Documentd is designed for those documents. It delivers a permanent, client-owned copy into the client's own private document home, independent of continued access to the firm's portal and easy to find again whenever it is needed. Closing the matter therefore does not have to mean losing convenient access to the client's important records.

This also creates a cleaner division of responsibility. The case management system manages the legal work, email communicates, the portal supports the active matter, and Documentd delivers the documents the client should keep.

Where an original physical document must itself be retained, transferred or delivered, or where law, court rules or the terms of an engagement require a particular method of service, Documentd can complement that process by giving the client an accessible long-term digital copy rather than replacing the required original or method of service.

Case management manages matters, workflows, client information, correspondence and legal documents.

Email & messaging communicate updates, reminders, requests and other short-lived information.

Client portals support secure exchange, review, approvals and interaction while the matter is active.

Documentd delivers permanent, client-owned copies of the important documents the client should keep.

Business Case 06

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See how Documentd can reduce portal complexity, improve customer service and phase out unnecessary post.

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