Category: Best Practices
Most lawyers use NetDocuments every day to open, save, and file documents. But the platform can do a lot more than most people realize. There are features built into NetDocuments that save real time and reduce frustration, yet many users never discover them because they were not covered in their initial training or they simply never had a reason to explore.
Here are seven things every lawyer should know about NetDocuments.
1. Saved Searches Can Work Like Smart Folders #
Most lawyers search for the same types of documents repeatedly. Instead of running the same search over and over, you can save it. A saved search in NetDocuments acts like a virtual folder that automatically updates with any documents matching your criteria.
For example, you could create a saved search that shows all documents where you are the author, modified in the last 30 days. Or all correspondence for a specific client across every matter. Once saved, the search appears in your navigation and the results are always current.
You can even add saved searches directly into a workspace so they appear alongside your regular folders. This is a powerful way to surface the documents that matter most without manually navigating through folder structures. For more on search capabilities, see How to Search in NetDocuments: Basic and Advanced.
2. Favorites Give You One-Click Access to What You Use Most #
If you find yourself navigating to the same workspaces or documents every day, mark them as favorites. In the NetDocuments web interface, click the star icon next to any workspace, folder, or document to add it to your favorites list.
Your favorites appear on your Home Page and in the ndOffice Activity Center on your desktop, giving you one-click access without navigating through cabinets and folders. This is especially useful for lawyers who are actively working on a handful of matters and want to jump straight to them.
Think of favorites as your personal shortcuts. They do not affect how anyone else sees the system.
3. ndMail’s Predictive Filing Gets Smarter Over Time #
If you are using ndMail to file emails from Outlook, you may have noticed it suggests a workspace when you select an email. What you may not realize is that these suggestions improve the more you use them.
ndMail learns from your filing habits. It looks at the sender, recipients, subject line, and your previous filing history for similar emails. Over time, the suggestions become more accurate, and filing an email becomes a one-click action for most messages.
If you have been ignoring the suggestions and manually navigating to workspaces every time, try accepting the suggestion next time. You may find it is already right. For more on ndMail, see What Is ndMail? Email Management for Law Firms.
4. Version History Keeps Every Version of a Document #
Every time you use Save As to create a new version of a document, NetDocuments preserves the previous version in the document’s version history. This means you can always go back and see what the document looked like at any earlier version.
You can view the version history from the document’s properties in the web interface. From there, you can open any previous version, compare versions side by side, or restore an earlier version if needed. This is invaluable when you need to see what a contract looked like before the last round of edits, or when changes were made that need to be rolled back.
Many lawyers do not realize this history exists because they never look for it. Every version you have saved is there, and it can save you significant time and stress. For more on how versioning works with ndOffice, see Saving Documents to NetDocuments with ndOffice.
5. CollabSpaces Let You Share Securely with Clients and External Parties #
Sending documents as email attachments to clients is common but not ideal. Attachments create uncontrolled copies, can be forwarded to anyone, and there is no way to revoke access once the email is sent.
NetDocuments offers CollabSpaces as a more secure alternative. A CollabSpace is a controlled sharing area where you can grant external users (clients, co-counsel, experts) access to specific documents. They log in through a portal, and you control exactly what they can see, download, or edit. All activity is tracked with a full audit trail.
This is especially useful for transactions where multiple parties need to review and exchange documents over an extended period. Instead of managing versions through email chains, everyone works from the same set of documents in a single location.
6. You Can Access Your Documents from Your Phone #
NetDocuments has a mobile app for iOS and Android that gives you full access to your documents, workspaces, and recent files from your phone. You can view documents, check version history, and access your favorites while you are away from your desk.
There is also ndKeyboard, a mobile keyboard that lets you search your NetDocuments repository and insert document links directly into any app on your phone. If a client emails you asking for a document while you are between meetings, you can find it and share a link without opening a laptop. For more on ndKeyboard, see What Is ndKeyboard? Share NetDocuments Links from Any App on Your Phone.
For a broader look at mobile access, see Using NetDocuments on Your Phone or Tablet.
7. Keyboard Shortcuts Speed Up Everything #
If you spend your day in NetDocuments, a few keyboard shortcuts can save you a surprising amount of time. These work in the NetDocuments web interface:
- Ctrl+S (in Office with ndOffice): Saves your changes to the document in NetDocuments, just like saving any other file.
- F12 (in Office with ndOffice): Save As, to save a new version or save as a copy.
- Ctrl+D (in your browser): Bookmarks the current page. Useful for bookmarking your NetDocuments login page or a specific workspace you visit frequently.
These are small things, but they add up over a full workday. Lawyers who learn a handful of shortcuts consistently report that the system feels faster and more responsive.
The Bottom Line #
NetDocuments is more than a place to store files. The features listed above are available to every user right now and do not require any additional setup or licensing. Taking a few minutes to explore saved searches, favorites, version history, and the mobile app can meaningfully change how efficiently you work with your documents every day.
Want to make sure your team is getting the most out of NetDocuments? HFSM Technology provides training, optimization, and ongoing support for Canadian law firms. Visit hfsm.ca/contact to learn more.
