On the Atlas: five places a legal document can live

The document exists. Finding the right version is another matter. A file saved in one place and emailed from another can leave colleagues with different ideas about which copy is current. This week on the Atlas, five discoveries explore the places legal documents can live, from dedicated document-management platforms to more general tools already familiar to many practices.

iManage: the matter’s shared record

Logo: iManage; image used in its Atlas listing.

iManage provides document and email management for legal and other knowledge-based organisations. Its Atlas entry describes the organisation of matter content, versions and search, with related tools for sharing and governance. It is worth exploring when the practice needs a coherent record that people can find and use. During an evaluation, follow a document through several revisions and an email exchange, including the handover to someone who did not create it.

Explore iManage on the Atlas

NetDocuments: a cloud document environment

Logo: NetDocuments; image used in its Atlas listing.

NetDocuments is a cloud document and email management platform for legal organisations. Its profile covers searchable matter content, version control, collaboration, remote access and governance. This is a useful discovery for readers exploring a dedicated document environment across a team. Examine the proposed setup against how the practice works, including the organisation of matters and permissions. Additional capabilities and their commercial scope should be confirmed for the selected arrangement.

Explore NetDocuments on the Atlas

SharePoint / Microsoft 365: starting with familiar infrastructure

SharePoint and Microsoft 365 appear in the Atlas for document storage and collaboration, including use as a document-management layer by firms already working in Microsoft’s environment. The entry is worth exploring before assuming a new system is the only way to address a filing problem. Investigate the structure and configuration required for the practice’s needs, and identify who will maintain them. Familiar software still requires deliberate decisions about how it is used.

Explore SharePoint / Microsoft 365 on the Atlas

SuiteFiles: connecting with the Microsoft working day

SuiteFiles is a cloud document and practice-management offering with Microsoft 365 integration, marketed to Australian and New Zealand law firms. Its Atlas profile may interest readers whose documents already move through Microsoft tools and who want to examine a more organised workflow around them. Explore the relevant integrations using the practice’s ordinary work. Migration deserves its own attention: the usefulness of the new arrangement depends partly on what happens to existing material.

Explore SuiteFiles on the Atlas

Dropbox Business: a general-purpose place for files

Dropbox Business is listed as general-purpose cloud file storage and synchronisation. It belongs in this selection because file storage is often the first answer to a document problem. Its Atlas entry helps readers place that category beside dedicated legal document-management offerings. Define the actual requirements before comparing products, including how versions will be recognised and how access will be managed. Different kinds of tools may need different surrounding processes.

Explore Dropbox Business on the Atlas

The place a document lives shapes how colleagues find and use it. Explore the linked Atlas profiles with one ordinary matter in mind, and follow its documents from creation through revision to the point when someone else needs to pick up the file.

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