Collecting signed engagement letters and ID from new law firm clients
To collect a signed engagement letter, photo ID, proof of address and the client's own records when a small law firm opens a matter, send the client a ShieldFive document request: one link with an upload slot for each intake document, which the client opens on a phone or computer without creating an account. Each file is encrypted in the client's browser before upload, so ShieldFive stores only ciphertext and never holds your keys.
Specs
Updated .
| Client needs an account? | No. No account, no sign-in, no app. The client needs the link and the PIN. |
|---|---|
| PIN | Required, at least 4 characters, chosen by you and sent separately from the link. |
| Max file size | 5 GB per file. |
| Max per request | About 2 GB in total by default. |
| Files per request | 25 by default, adjustable from 1 to 100. |
| File types | Any type: signed PDFs, phone photos, scans, email exports. |
| Checklist | Up to 100 requested items per request. You write the intake list; reuse it for the next client with Send this checklist to another client. |
| Link expiry | Up to 7 days on the free plan. 7, 30 or 90 days, or no expiry, on Firm seats and during the 14-day trial; 30 days by default. |
| Reminders to you | An email when files arrive, and a reminder to follow up if nothing has arrived after about 3 and 7 days. Every plan. |
| Reminders to the client | On Firm seats and during the trial, if you add the client's email: at most 2, after about 3 and 7 days, while required items are missing. One click stops them. |
| Your branding | Your firm name and logo on the upload page and the client reminder, on Firm seats and during the trial. |
| Plans | 14-day trial with everything unlocked, no card. Then free with 1 open request at a time, or a Firm seat at €29 per month (€290 per year). Clients never pay and do not use a seat. |
| Encryption | Client-side, in the client's browser, to your firm's public keys. File names and the checklist are encrypted too. ShieldFive never holds the keys. |
Steps
- Unlock your vault, open Requests and choose Request documents.
List the intake documents, one per line: "Signed engagement letter", "Photo ID, front and back", "Proof of address", "Documents about the matter (contracts, letters, notices)". End a line with "(optional)" to mark it optional.
Set a PIN and an expiry. Add the client's email if you want ShieldFive to remind them.
Select Create secure link. Send the engagement letter the way you do today, with the link in the same email, and give the PIN by phone or text.
The client signs the letter, then uploads the signed copy as a PDF or a phone photo, along with the other documents. They can send what they have and come back to the same link for the rest.
When you are emailed that something arrived, open Requests and use Download & decrypt. Pick the matter's folder when you create the request so files land there. Revoke the link once intake is complete; received files stay in your vault.
For the next new client, choose Send this checklist to another client to reuse the same intake list with a new link and PIN.
Compared with email, file-sharing links and client portals
| Email attachments | Generic file request (Dropbox, OneDrive) | Client portal | ShieldFive document request | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client needs an account? | No | No | Usually a login; some portals also accept uploads by link | No. A link and a PIN |
| List of what you need | In the email text | One upload box per request | Varies by portal | One upload slot per document, required or optional |
| Who can read stored files | Both mail providers, and anyone with mailbox access | The provider can decrypt by default | Usually the vendor holds the keys | Only your firm. ShieldFive stores ciphertext |
| Turn it off | Cannot recall a sent attachment | Close the request | Remove access | Revoke the link, or let it expire |
| Also does billing, e-signature, workflow | No | No | Usually yes | No. It only collects documents |
Limits
ShieldFive does not send the link for you. Part of the decryption key is in the
#fragment of the link and never reaches our servers, so you send the link yourself, and it has to arrive complete. The client-reminder email cannot contain the link for the same reason.It does not e-sign. The client signs the engagement letter however you already ask them to, and uploads the signed copy.
It collects documents. It does not run conflict checks, verify identity documents or bill, and it is not practice-management software.
Clients choose files, not folders. The page has to stay open while files encrypt and upload.
Nothing identifies the uploader automatically. If you need to be certain who sent a document, confirm it with the client through a channel you already trust.
The upload page is code ShieldFive serves, so the client trusts that code at the moment of upload, as with every browser-based encryption product.
Full details of every limit are in Requesting documents from a client. For the workflow in short, see Document requests for law firms, and for what to look for in file sharing at a law firm, Secure file sharing for law firms.