Content and technology solutions provider LexisNexis Legal & Professional has entered into an alliance with WatchDox Inc. LexisNexis will offer WatchDox’s secure file sharing, mobile productivity, and collaboration technology with LexisNexis Firm Manager, a cloud-based practice management solution for small law firms.
The alliance addresses concerns lawyers often express over the implications of sharing or storing documents subject to attorney-client privilege in the cloud. WatchDox permits users to securely store and share files in the cloud and access them on any device, with full audit and tracking controls and the ability to revoke access. The technology provides flexibility for document creators to control permissions to access, view, edit, print, share, capture screenshots, or even photograph a document presented on any computing device.
“LexisNexis Firm Manager was specifically designed to enable solo and small law firms and legal professionals on the go to change the way they operate,” said Susan Harman, vice president, small law practice management cloud solutions at LexisNexis. “Existing cloud-based document storage and sharing solutions do not instill the level of confidence that law firms need for safe and secure client collaboration. The inclusion of WatchDox with Firm Manager will provide a portable, safe, and easy way for attorneys to share documents with full control over viewing and sharing privilege – regardless of how it is shared.”
For example, litigators will have an option for sharing and controlling confidential documents with a client or third-party, such as an expert witness or opposing counsel, regardless of whether the document is shared on the Web, by email, or a removable thumb drive. In addition, the sharing policy established for a given document will continue to work whether or not a computing device has Internet connectivity and is changeable by the creator even after sharing.
The inclusion of WatchDox will also provide Firm Manager users with:
- File sharing across desktop, laptop, and mobile devices
- Control over shared confidential documents including revocation of access
- Expiration deadlines if a device goes offline for too long
- Encrypted and secure cloud storage to access content at any time and on any device
LexisNexis Firm Manager 3.0 will be free during public beta access, which begins in July 2013. The first 200 solo or small law practices to register for the Firm Manager 3.0 beta release will receive one year of the use of Firm Manager at no charge, which includes access to the WatchDox service.
