Legal work runs on documents: contracts, pleadings, case files, discovery, diligence binders, and opinion letters. Yet many teams still share these assets as email attachments or unmanaged cloud links — which makes confidentiality harder to enforce and client engagement impossible to measure.
This guide is a practical playbook for legal professionals who want stronger control (access, view-only, watermark, revocation) and clearer visibility (who opened, what they read, and where they paused) without turning every share into a data room project.
Quick takeaway
Stop sending files. Send controlled links, enforce view-only access, watermark every page, and keep an audit trail. Then use engagement signals to follow up at the right moment — especially during negotiation and time-sensitive reviews.
Why legal work needs more than file sharing
General file sharing tools optimize for convenience. Legal teams need a different default: accountability, confidentiality, and enforceable controls that stand up in the real world.
- Privilege and confidentiality: A forwarded attachment is a risk you can’t undo.
- Time-critical decisions: Closing windows are narrow. Knowing when a counterparty is reviewing can change your timing.
- Client experience: Review should be friction-light for legitimate recipients, not “password in a different email.”
Where tracking helps: 6 high-impact legal workflows
1) NDA and contract review
During negotiation, attention is a signal. If the other side spends time on limitation of liability, indemnification, or termination, you can prepare targeted responses and align internal stakeholders faster. Pair tracking with Access Control and Audit Trail for accountability.
2) Client onboarding packets
Engagement data reveals whether clients actually read your intake instructions, timelines, and responsibilities. If the “required documents” section is skipped, you can proactively clarify before delays compound.
3) Litigation and discovery collaboration
In time-sensitive matters, you need a record of access and a clean way to revoke links if recipients change. View-only sharing plus Download Controls helps keep raw files off endpoints when that’s appropriate.
4) M&A / diligence document requests
If you aren’t ready for a full virtual data room, link-based sharing can still deliver strong controls: named recipients, expirations, watermarks, and audit history. It’s often enough for smaller transactions and targeted disclosure.
5) Board and executive legal updates
Legal updates are often read under time pressure. Tracking helps you see what’s resonating (risk register, open items, decision requests) so your next update is sharper and shorter — while still being defensible.
6) Outside counsel ↔ in-house collaboration
Sharing controlled links reduces re-forwarding and makes it easier to confirm that key stakeholders actually saw the latest redlines, not a stale attachment.
The security baseline: minimum controls for legal documents
If you’re sharing contracts, case materials, or client data, these are not “nice-to-haves.” They’re table stakes.
Access control
Gate every link with a password or named recipients, set expirations, and revoke access instantly. Explore Access Control.
View-only & download controls
Keep the document in the browser and reduce uncontrolled forwarding by disabling download and printing where appropriate. See Disable Download.
Dynamic watermark
Watermark every page with viewer identity and timestamp to deter leaks and improve accountability. Learn more: Watermark.
Audit trail
Maintain an access record you can reference later: views, sessions, and activity history. Explore Audit Trail.
Engagement analytics: turn reads into action
Tracking is not about surveillance. It’s about reducing uncertainty so you can operate with better timing and clearer priorities. The most useful signals are simple:
- Open + recency: Who opened, and how recently?
- Time spent: Are they skimming or seriously reviewing?
- Page attention: Which clauses or sections are hot?
- Repeat sessions: Multiple returns often correlate with internal circulation and decision-making.
Pair this with Link Tracking and Document Analytics to decide when to follow up, whether to escalate, and which stakeholders likely need alignment.
Avoid the “single link for everyone” mistake
If you share one generic link to multiple stakeholders, you lose attribution. Use per-recipient sharing when you need a defensible engagement record and clearer follow-up signals.
A practical sharing checklist (copy/paste)
- Choose a link, not an attachment.
- Enable password protection or restrict to named recipients.
- Set an expiration date based on the review window.
- Use view-only mode and disable download for sensitive drafts.
- Turn on dynamic watermarking for external recipients.
- Monitor engagement; follow up when key recipients finish reviewing.
- Revoke access immediately when the audience changes.
Rollout guidance for firms and in-house teams
The fastest rollouts treat secure sharing as a standard operating procedure:
- Start with two templates: one for contract review, one for client onboarding.
- Define a default policy: view-only for external shares unless explicitly approved.
- Train on signals: what “high engagement” looks like and how to follow up professionally.
- Link internal resources: map controls to your security posture (watermark, audit trail, download control).