No matter what the industry, ShareFile helps businesses securely transfer files with clients and colleagues. However, one industry in which ShareFile is becoming increasingly popular is the legal field. Regardless of the type of law, attorneys find ShareFile an important part of their business – from medical malpractice and personal injury to intellectual property and corporate law.

I sat down with Beth Longley, Director of ShareFile for Legal, to learn more about why ShareFile is so helpful for law firms.

Will: Why do you think ShareFile is such a big hit within the legal field?

Beth: The amount of data that attorneys work with is mind-boggling. This data is extremely sensitive, and legal documents are often very large files. Collaborating on these documents can be cumbersome and difficult to manage. Until ShareFile, there wasn’t a solution out there that really combined security and ease of use. ShareFile gives attorneys a simple, turnkey solution to manage and transfer their data, increasing overall productivity and workflow.

Think about how much time your firm spends on meaningless tasks like stocking paper in the office printer, replacing the ink, waiting for the fax machine to get a dial tone, trying to attach a large file to an email, shipping materials, etc. You get the picture. Instead of focusing on time-consuming tasks like these, instead focus on your core business. Here are two quick tips to get started on the road to efficiency:

Set up a client portal. Client portals are a great way to send documents, instead of mailing copies of important documents to your clients. With a client portal, your clients can simply log into a secure site to see what work you have done on their case and access documents that you have granted them permission to download. Some services, like ShareFile, allow your clients to receive email notifications when a new document it uploaded to the portal, making it even more convenient for your clients. Your clients have 24/7 access to their information and your firm saves time and money.

When Doyle Raizner, a Houston-based law firm, was in search of a cloud-based solution to fit its file sharing needs, the firm wanted a system that worked seamlessly with its current system. That’s when it found ShareFile. The firm practices with 13 employees, including 7 attorneys. With ShareFile, the firm saves time, money and also remains a paperless firm. The firm eliminated the need to have a videographer in the courtroom making edits on the fly; it can now instantaneously make edits back in the office and send it via ShareFile to the courtroom.

Need an easy and secure way to send files to clients and co-counsel? ShareFile for Legal helps law firms of all sizes securely exchange files with employees, clients, and experts. Encrypted, web-based transfer allows your firm to eliminate traditional file transfer methods such as courier services, unsecure email and fax. Cloud-based storage and backup reduce the burden on your existing servers. With an easy-to-use interface, ShareFile keeps set up and administrative effort to a minimum.

Is your law firm stuck in practices of the past – sending mailing pieces to clients via snail mail, utilizing costly courier services to receive documents, and putting your firm’s integrity at risk by emailing confidential files? If so, you may benefit greatly by managing your clients’ information in the cloud.
You may be wondering what it means to be “in the cloud.” Cloud computing offers your firm all of the same benefits as traditional legal services do, with the convenience of being able to send or receive your files from virtually anywhere. It also offers you piece of mind knowing that the confidential case information you are storing is locked away safe online in a password-protected portal.

With increased technology at our disposable, it’s easy to stay connected while on-the-go. Whether you’re emailing from your smart phone, using a hotel’s connection to send important documents back to the office, or enjoying WiFi on the plane to download that recently signed contract, you should be aware of security concerns. What if a legal document that you sent to your client via email got intercepted and a as result, the contents were accessed by a hacker? Or what if the flash drive that contained information regarding a case you were working on was suddenly missing? That confidential information is now at risk. What do you tell your client? This sort of breach of confidentiality can cost you your job or cause you to be the conversation (in a negative fashion) on social networks- damaging your reputation.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Harrison Sauls, ShareFile customer and Network Engineer at Susman Godfrey. Harrison gave me insight into how this law firm uses ShareFile in its day-to-day operations.

Susman Godfrey has focused its nationally recognized practice on high-stakes commercial litigation and is one of the nation’s leading litigation boutique law firms. Prior to ShareFile, the firm had no in-house means of securely administrating large files with its clients. With over 300 employees, the firm was challenged with an easy way to transfer necessary documents in a secure and professional manner.