How Can Attorneys Securely Access Client Files From Court, Home, or a Client's Office?

Attorneys can securely open client files from court, home, or a client's office without a VPN. The modern approach keeps files in the cloud and checks every sign-in: multi-factor authentication confirms it's really the attorney, and conditional access rules decide whether that sign-in, from that place and that device, should be allowed. Done right, it's simpler for the attorney and safer for the firm.

At Tomorrow's Technology Today, secure remote access is part of managed IT, which runs $175 to $350 per user per month, with our Gold plan starting at $175. For a 5-person firm, that's $875 to $1,750 a month.

Why the VPN Is Old School

A VPN was built for a world where client files lived on a server in the office. It connects a laptop back into the office network, which means another login, another thing to break, and, once someone is connected, a path into the whole network instead of just the files they need.

When a firm's files move to the cloud, that tunnel isn't needed anymore. Security moves to where it belongs: checking who is signing in and what they're allowed to open. Here's how a small law firm moves off its office server or NAS.

5 Layers of Secure Remote Access

1. Files in the cloud, organized by matter. Client files live in Microsoft 365, so an attorney opens them the same way from the courthouse as from the office, and access is set by client matter.
2. Multi-factor sign-in for every user. A stolen password alone doesn't open anything.
3. Conditional access rules. Sign-ins are checked against rules the firm sets, such as where the sign-in is coming from and what device it's on, and suspicious attempts are blocked before they get in.
4. Immediate access removal. When someone leaves the firm, their access is shut off right away, everywhere.
5. Tested, immutable backups. If something does go wrong, files can be restored. Ours are immutable as standard and restore-tested every other week. See whether your backups would survive ransomware.

Easy for the Attorney, Safe for the Firm

Security that gets in the way gets worked around. If remote access is painful, attorneys email files to personal accounts or save them to a home computer, and that's where client confidences leak. The goal is a setup where the secure way is also the easy way: sign in, approve the prompt on your phone, and get to work.

4 Questions to Ask About Your Firm's Remote Access

1. Can every attorney open client files from court without calling the office?
2. Does every account require multi-factor sign-in, with no exceptions?
3. Would a sign-in from an unfamiliar place or device be stopped?
4. If an employee left today, how long until their access is gone?

Why It Matters for a Law Firm

Ohio Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6(c) requires lawyers to make reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized access to client information, and Indiana's rules carry the same expectation in their commentary. Here's what Ohio and Indiana ethics rules require.

A Real Client Example

[PLACEHOLDER: ADD VERIFIED CLIENT STORY. An attorney working securely from court, home or a client's office; a sign-in blocked by multi-factor or conditional access; or a firm that dropped its VPN. Do not publish with this placeholder.]

Why Law Firms Work With Tomorrow's Technology Today

• More than 20 years in business, headquartered in St. Henry, Ohio, serving firms across Northwest Ohio and Northeast Indiana
• 12+ years moving businesses from on-site servers to Microsoft 365
• Woman-owned and woman-led
• Every technician is security-trained to CJIS standards and background-checked
• Microsoft Partner

See what managed IT includes in what managed IT costs for a small law firm, and how we support law firms across Ohio and Indiana.

Want remote access that's easy and safe? Book a 10-minute discovery call. Call us at (419) 678-2083 or visit www.TomTechToday.com/discoverycall to schedule yours.