DMS, Instructional, Tutorial

SharePoint for Legal Document Version Control

Posted on by Jeff Kirksey
24
Mar

Legal professionals often work with contracts, pleadings, and compliance documents that require strict version control. Microsoft SharePoint allows law firms to track document revisions, prevent unauthorized changes, and ensure compliance with legal retention policies.

This tutorial will guide you through managing legal document versions, restoring previous drafts, and securing changes in SharePoint.

Step 1: Enable Version Control for Case Files

  1. Open SharePoint and navigate to your case file document library.
  2. Click Library Settings > Versioning Settings.
  3. Enable “Create major versions” to track changes.
  4. (Optional) Enable “Require check-out before editing” for additional security.
  5. Click OK to save settings.

⚖️ Compliance Tip: Versioning ensures legal documents maintain an audit history.

Step 2: Upload & Edit Documents with Version Tracking

  1. Click Upload > Files to add case files.
  2. Select a document and click Check Out to prevent simultaneous edits.
  3. Edit the file in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
  4. Click Check In when done and add a comment summarizing changes.

📂 Best Practice: Require attorneys to annotate major revisions for clarity.

Step 3: View & Restore Previous Document Versions

  1. Right-click a document and select Version History.
  2. Review previous versions with timestamps and editor details.
  3. Click Restore to revert to an earlier draft if needed.

🔄 Security Tip: Only senior attorneys should have permissions to delete or restore versions.

  1. Click on a document and select Manage Access.
  2. Set permissions:
    • Full Control: Partners & senior attorneys
    • Edit: Associates & paralegals
    • View Only: Clients (if applicable)
  3. Click Apply to save changes.

📜 Compliance Tip: Use Microsoft Purview Sensitivity Labels to encrypt privileged case files.

Step 5: Automate Document Retention & Deletion Policies

  1. Open Microsoft Purview Compliance Center.
  2. Go to Information Governance > Retention Policies.
  3. Create a new policy:
    • Retain documents for 7+ years (based on legal requirements).
    • Auto-delete outdated drafts after a set period.
  4. Click Save to enforce the policy.

📑 Legal Tip: Retention policies help meet regulatory compliance for client records.

Conclusion

By leveraging SharePoint version control, law firms can secure legal documents, track changes, and comply with retention laws. Features like check-in/check-out, version history, and access controls improve document management efficiency.