Debate: client portals vs email for file sharing in Edmonton firms

I saw a real before-and-after difference at my firm over the last 6 months after we switched from email attachments to a client portal. Before, we had clients losing documents, email size limits getting in the way, and a few privacy scares that made me sweat. After we moved to a portal from Clio, file sharing got way smoother and clients actually liked having a single spot for their stuff. But here's the debate: one partner at our firm argues portals cost too much and feel impersonal, while another says email is dead for sensitive docs after Bill C-27 changes. A lawyer I met at the Edmonton Legal Marketing meetup told me her firm stuck with encrypted email and saved $200 a month. Has anyone else seen a real difference in client trust or response times after switching to a portal, or is email still fine for your practice in Edmonton?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_wells1mo ago

Has anyone actually calculated the hidden costs of these portals though? I mean sure email has its problems but I get nervous when we offload our security to a third party vendor who could have a breach anytime. My buddy's firm in Calgary tried ShareFile for six months and their older clients flat out refused to use it, kept emailing stuff anyway and creating a mess with duplicates floating around. Plus the admin time training people and resetting passwords added up way faster than they expected. The partner who says it feels impersonal has a point too, clients send me their tax returns with casual notes in the email body and that little bit of human connection matters in a city like Edmonton where relationships drive referrals. Encrypted email might seem old school but its something clients already know how to use and you don't have to sell them on a whole new system that might not stick.

michaeltorres1mo ago

The encrypted email route the meetup lawyer mentioned - how did her clients actually respond to that? I feel like some people just see a password prompt and immediately get confused or frustrated.

karenh561mo ago

My brother's law firm in Red Deer tried this encrypted email route two years ago, and half their clients called the office the first week saying they couldn't figure out the separate password or thought it was a phishing scam. Betty Wells raised good points about older clients resisting change, but I actually think part of the problem is that lawyers expect tech to be invisible when it never is. If a client can handle online banking or booking their own flights, they can handle a password prompt - the real issue is whether they see the value, and too many firms just drop the system on them without a proper explanation.