When the relationship ends
How to Give Clients Their Documents When a Legal Matter Closes
A practical guide to closing access to an active legal client portal while making sure clients can still retain important final documents.
When a legal matter closes, the client may no longer need access to the firm's active matter portal, but they may still need important final documents. Separating matter access from long-term document access allows the firm to close the working space while giving the client a reliable way to keep documents supplied to them.
What happens to portal access when a matter closes?
Legal client portals are often designed around an active matter.
During the matter, they may be used to exchange documents, provide updates and give the client access to relevant information.
When the work is complete, the firm may want to close that active workspace.
But the client may still need documents supplied during or at the end of the matter.
Documents the client may want to retain
The exact documents depend on the matter, but examples may include:
- completed agreements
- final correspondence
- reports
- completion documents
- signed documents
- statements
- certificates
- formal notices
- other final records supplied to the client
Some of these documents may be important years after the legal work itself has finished.
Active matter access and document ownership are different
A client does not necessarily need permanent access to the firm’s active matter-management environment.
But that does not mean the client’s access to documents supplied to them should disappear at the same time.
Keeping those two ideas separate makes matter closure easier.
The firm can close the active workspace while making sure the client has a reliable place to retain important documents.
Why emailing a final bundle can fall short
Sending a final email with attachments may appear to solve the problem.
But it places the burden of long-term filing on the client’s inbox.
If the documents are important enough to retain, it is worth asking whether the client will realistically be able to find that email years later.
A customer document home gives the client a clearer long-term location for documents that were delivered to them.
A cleaner matter-closing process
A practical process can be:
- identify the final documents the client should receive
- deliver those documents clearly
- make sure the client knows where they can retrieve them later
- close the active matter workspace when appropriate
- retain the firm’s records separately
This separates the firm’s internal matter lifecycle from the client’s need to retain important documents.
Where Documentd fits
Documentd helps legal businesses deliver important documents into the client’s own document home.
That means access to the client’s copies does not have to depend on keeping an active matter portal open indefinitely.
The firm can close the working relationship, while the client retains a clearer place to access documents delivered to them.
Send important documents properly
Documentd helps businesses deliver important customer documents securely, clearly and into a customer-owned document home.
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