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Secure File System for a Law Firm
A secure file system that keeps a law firm's client documents organized by matter and open only to the right people.
Business goals
The client is a law firm focused on intellectual property. Its files include unpublished inventions, patent applications and litigation material, and a single careless disclosure can cause serious harm to a client. Lawyers and paralegals still need to find the current draft fast, often under a filing deadline. The client needed a secure file system that keeps material organized by matter, limits access, and shows who opened or changed what.
Project overview
Hexagon built a secure file system for the client. Documents live in structured matter workspaces, with access set by matter and role. Version history keeps earlier drafts intact, and a search finds files by matter, document type or text. Files can be shared outside the firm through controlled links instead of email attachments. An audit log records activity, so the firm can answer questions about who handled a document and when.
Challenges faced and solved
A law firm has to protect client confidences while keeping documents easy to reach on a deadline.
Confidential inventions on shared drives
Unpublished invention disclosures sitting on a general network drive can be open to anyone in the office. Even without bad intent, broad access is hard to defend to a client.
We set permissions by matter and role, so people see only the matters they work on, and everything else remains hidden.
Conflict walls that rely on memory
When a firm must separate a lawyer from a matter because of a conflict, a note in an email is weak protection. People need the system to enforce that separation.
We added matter-level exclusions, so a named person can be blocked from a workspace regardless of what their role would normally allow.
Which draft is the real one
Patent applications and briefs pass through many rounds of edits. Files named final, final2 and the like create a real risk that someone files or sends the wrong version.
We added version history with check-in and check-out, so one current version stands out and earlier drafts stay available for reference.
Risky file sharing with outsiders
Clients, co-counsel and foreign associates all need documents. Email attachments get forwarded and stay in inboxes for years, with no way to pull them back or see who opened them.
We built expiring share links with access logging, so outside parties get what they need and the firm keeps control of the file.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Attorneys and paralegals | |
| 1. Matter Workspaces | Each client matter has its own structured space, so correspondence, drafts and filings stay together. |
| 2. Document Types | Files are tagged as items such as invention disclosures, office actions, assignments or prior art, which makes them easier to find later. |
| 3. Matter and Full-Text Search | Staff search by matter number, document type or text, which saves time when a deadline is close. |
| 4. Version History | Each saved revision stays available, so a team can see how a claim or argument changed. |
| 5. Check-In and Check-Out | A file being edited is marked as in use, which prevents two people overwriting each other. |
| 6. Bulk Upload | Staff can add a batch of client documents or production material at once, keeping its folder structure. |
| 7. Expiring Share Links | Files go to clients, co-counsel or foreign associates through links with an end date. |
| Outside parties | |
| 8. Secure Download Access | An approved recipient opens only the shared item, with no view of the rest of the system. |
| 9. Secure Upload Requests | Clients can return sensitive documents through a link rather than ordinary email. |
| Records and IT administrators | |
| 10. Role and Matter Permissions | Administrators set access by role and matter, so opening a new workspace does not expose it firm-wide. |
| 11. Conflict Exclusions | Named people can be blocked from particular matters, which backs up the firm's conflict screening. |
| 12. Multi-Factor Sign-In | A second verification step reduces the danger from a stolen password. |
| 13. Encryption | Files are encrypted in transit and in storage, which protects them outside the application as well as inside. |
| 14. Audit Log | Views, downloads, edits and permission changes are recorded, ready to review if a question comes up. |
| 15. Legal Hold and Retention | Material under hold cannot be deleted, while closed matters can follow the firm's retention rules. |
| 16. Backup and Restore | Regular backups let administrators recover files after an accident or a system failure. |
How the platform is put together
Each layer has one job.
The result
The client has a file system organized around legal matters, with access limited by matter and role. Activity on sensitive documents leaves a record the firm can review.
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Access to files | Broad access on shared storage | Permissions by matter and role |
| Finding the right draft | Filenames and memory | One current version with full history |
| Sharing with outsiders | Email attachments with no control | Expiring links with access logs |
| Answering who saw what | Hard to reconstruct | Audit log of views, downloads and edits |
How we took it from idea to launch
Good software follows a process. Here are the six stages, and what happens in each one.
Discovery & Requirements
Goal: Define the product vision, target audience and core business requirements.
Key activities- Stakeholder interviews
- Market and competitor research
- Defining user personas
- Drafting technical specifications or a Product Requirements Document (PRD)
Design (UX / UI)
Goal: Create an intuitive user experience and visual interface.
Key activities- UX design: information architecture, user flows and wireframes
- UI design: high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes in Figma or similar tools
- Design system: colors, typography and component libraries
Development: Frontend & Backend
Goal: Build the functional application using agile sprints.
Key activities- Backend: set up databases, design APIs (REST, GraphQL), implement server logic, and configure authentication and authorization (OAuth, RBAC)
- Frontend: build responsive interfaces and connect components to backend APIs
- Version control: manage code through Git and GitHub
Security & Optimization
Goal: Harden the application against vulnerabilities and boost performance.
Key activities- Security: address the OWASP Top 10, including injection, XSS and CSRF, enforce encryption in transit and at rest, and implement rate limiting
- Optimization: code splitting and lazy loading, database indexing, API caching and load testing
- QA and testing: unit, integration and end-to-end tests
Beta Release
Goal: Deploy to a controlled group of real users to catch edge-case bugs and gather feedback.
Key activities- Set up staging and production CI/CD pipelines
- Launch a closed or open beta with real users
- Monitor errors through observability tools
Public Release (Launch)
Goal: Roll the software out to the general public.
Key activities- Final production deployment
- DNS configuration
- Marketing and onboarding rollout
- Post-launch performance and security monitoring
Business benefits
The firm can explain how sensitive material is kept and who can reach it.
Staff work from a clear current document under deadline.
Exclusions are enforced by the system rather than remembered.
Logs show who handled a document and when.
Conclusion
Client files are the most sensitive thing a law firm holds, and for intellectual property work a leak can destroy the value of an invention. Yet the people using those files are often racing a deadline. Hexagon built this secure file system so that protection and speed do not pull against each other, with matter-based access, version control and clear records. If your firm still relies on shared drives and email attachments for confidential material, tell us how your matters are organized. We would be pleased to talk it over.
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