IT support for law firms
Matter files, confidentiality and retention measured in years, with court deadlines that don't move because a laptop failed. We support document and practice management systems, keep archives intact and reachable, and treat discretion as part of the service.
What breaks most
- Document management unavailable with a filing deadline the same day
- Archived matters that can no longer be opened by current software
- Confidential files reachable by staff who shouldn't have access
- Large client file transfers sent by email because nothing better exists
- Retention obligations nobody can evidence
What we do about it
- Document and practice management system support
- Long-retention archives that stay readable, with legal holds where needed
- Access controls and logging appropriate to confidentiality obligations
- Secure client file exchange that replaces emailing large attachments
- Priority handling around court and filing deadlines
Software we see and support: LEAP, Actionstep, Smokeball, iManage, NetDocuments and the court e-filing portals your practice areas use.
The part most providers skip
Discretion is part of the work. We keep client-matter content out of tickets and notes, limit who on our side can reach what, and can sign a confidentiality agreement before the audit rather than after it.
What working with us looks like
Every engagement starts the same way — an audit, then the fixes that carry the most risk, then a rhythm you stop having to think about.
Week one — audit under agreement
We sign a confidentiality agreement first, then audit the document and practice management systems, the archive, who can reach which matters, and how large client files currently leave the building.
Weeks two to four — access and archives
Access controls and logging brought in line with your confidentiality obligations, and archived matters checked to confirm they still open in current software rather than only in the format that created them.
Then the exchange problem
A secure client file exchange replaces emailing large attachments, because the workaround people invent when the tool is missing is always the least secure option available.
Ongoing — deadlines on the calendar
Filing and court dates go into our escalation calendar. A fault on a deadline day is handled immediately rather than queued behind routine work, and no disruptive change is scheduled near one.
A job like yours
A firm in Bundall needed a matter from 2013 for a dispute and found the archive would only open in a version of the practice software that no longer ran on any machine they owned. Recovering it took a week and a specialist. We now export their archive to a format that survives a system change and spot-check old matters annually — the check takes twenty minutes and has already caught one silent format problem.
Questions from legal
How do you handle confidentiality?
Our access is limited to what a job requires, matter content stays out of our ticket notes, and we sign confidentiality agreements before starting. Where a matter is especially sensitive we work under supervision rather than unattended.
Can you keep archived matters readable for years?
Yes, and it needs planning. Archives kept only in an application's proprietary format become unreadable when the software changes. We keep archives in a form that survives a system change, and test that old matters still open.
What about a deadline day?
Filing and court deadlines get priority handling. Tell us the dates and they go on the calendar, so a fault on a deadline day is escalated immediately rather than queued behind routine work.
How should we send large client files?
Not by email. Attachment limits push people to personal file-sharing accounts, which is where confidentiality quietly breaks down. We set up a secure exchange tied to your own systems, with links that expire and a record of who downloaded what — and it has to be easier than the workaround or nobody will use it.
Can you sign a confidentiality agreement before starting?
Yes, and we prefer to. We sign before the audit rather than after it, keep matter content out of our ticket notes, and limit which of our people can reach your systems. Where a matter is especially sensitive we work supervised rather than unattended.
The services this usually involves
Data backup and recovery
Backups that are monitored, tested and off-site — plus recovery when someone else's backup turns out to be empty.
Cybersecurity
The practical controls that stop small businesses being robbed: MFA, patching, managed antivirus and staff who know the signs.
Microsoft 365
Email, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive set up properly, licensed correctly, and secured against the obvious attacks.