How should a law firm share documents with clients?

With a link restricted to the named recipient and given an expiry, rather than an attachment. The reason is simple and specific to legal work: if a document goes to the wrong address, a link can be revoked and an attachment cannot, and for a firm that difference is the difference between a mistake and a notifiable breach.

The default habit in most firms is still the attachment, because it is two clicks and everyone understands it. It also permanently surrenders control of that copy, provides no record of who opened it, and produces version confusion as people reply with edits. A misdirected email containing a client's material is not recoverable, and misdirected email remains the most common cause of privacy incidents in professional services.

The setting that matters is the link type. Anyone-with-the-link works for whoever ends up holding it, including in a forwarded email months later, which makes it convenient and inappropriate for client material. Specific-people requires the recipient to verify who they are, which is the right default for a firm. Add an expiry so links do not outlive the matter, and set view rather than edit unless collaboration is genuinely intended. All three can be set as defaults so nobody has to remember.

Two things firms overlook. Receiving is as important as sending, and most practices have no arrangement at all, so client documents arrive as attachments and live in a mailbox forever; an upload link into the right location solves it. And guest access should be reviewed when matters close, because a client or expert added to a shared space three years ago almost certainly still has access. If you want sharing configured so the secure path is the quick one, call 1800 456 567.