Most legal teams now have a document repository, but far fewer have connected it to the way legal work arrives. A repository defines where documents live, who can open them and which version is current. A connected legal intake process, on the other hand, determines whether a request should become a matter, where it should be routed, which tags to apply, and who will own it, before anyone in legal has to step in.
Without that connection, people must capture and triage each legal matter manually. A draft contract arrives by email, a screenshot is buried in Slack, and a spreadsheet is shared in Teams. Someone creates a folder, names it based on what they did last time, and gathers whichever files they can find. Over time, similar matters are filed in different ways, making it difficult for the next lawyer to find the latest version.
This article outlines how to connect the Legal Front Door to document repositories like SharePoint or Google Drive.
How the Connection Works
Your legal front door (LFD) and document repository serve different purposes.
In Checkbox, the legal front door is the entry point for legal requests. It captures requests from email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, forms, Jira, and Salesforce; triages them; and determines whether each request can be resolved through self-service, an automated workflow, or a lawyer. When a matter requires legal review, it reaches the right lawyer with the request type, priority, requester context, attachments, and routing history already captured.
The legal document repository is the central place where legal documents are stored, version history is maintained, and access permissions are managed.
In a typical setup, the flow from legal front door to document repository looks like this:
- An employee submits a legal request through their usual channel, with or without attachments.
- The LFD captures the request details and asks for any missing information.
- Legal AI agent (embedded in LFD) decides whether the request becomes a matter.
- When it does, the LFD creates the matter and the matching folder in your repository.
- Attachments and any documents that were generated are saved into that folder.
- The matter record in Checkbox’s matter management dashboard links to the folder, so status and files stay connected.
| What Checkbox owns | What your repository owns |
|---|---|
| The request, its intake answers and the requester’s details | The documents themselves |
| Triage, routing and the assigned owner | Version history |
| Matter status, approvals and deadlines | Access permissions on files and folders |
| Audit history of actions and decisions | Records retention |
| Reporting on demand, workload and cycle time | Search across your document library |
Step 1: Choose How Your LFD Connects to Your Repository
Start by confirming how the LFD will reach your repository. Standard integrations are enabled in Checkbox’s platform settings using API keys or OAuth. For more complex setups, Checkbox supports pre-built connectors, webhooks, and REST APIs, and many integrations sync data in both directions.
| Repository | How it typically connects |
|---|---|
| Microsoft SharePoint | Listed among Checkbox’s key integrations. Checkbox workflows can create folders, save attachments and pull files into the matter. |
| Google Drive | Listed among Checkbox’s integrations as part of Google Workspace, with the same folder and attachment patterns. |
Every repository is set up differently, so confirm the exact behavior for your environment with your IT team and the Checkbox team before you design the rest of the flow. The Checkbox integrations page explains the options in more detail.
Step 2: Capture the Details Your Folder Structure Needs
Your folder structure can only be as good as the information you collect at intake. If folders are organized by business unit and counterparty, those details have to be captured before the folder is created.
List every field your repository uses to organize, name, or secure a matter, then make sure your legal intake process or legal front door collects each one:
| Example repository need | Intake detail to capture |
|---|---|
| Top-level location | Business unit, entity or region |
| Folder name | Matter type, counterparty or project name, date |
| Folder template | Matter type, such as NDA, supplier agreement, employment or dispute |
| Permissions | Confidentiality level and the team the matter belongs to |
| Metadata | Requester, matter owner, contract value, client or matter code |
In Checkbox, you can capture these details through legal intake forms, conversational intake in Slack or Teams, and follow-up questions that only appear when they’re relevant. AI triage can classify the request and extract context from the message, so the requester doesn’t have to fill in every field by hand.
Step 3: Decide Which Requests Create a Folder
Not every legal request needs a folder in your repository. Questions resolved through legal self-service may not need to be saved at all, while a simple approval may only require a record in Checkbox. Creating a folder for every request can quickly clutter your repository with empty or unnecessary folders.
Set a clear trigger instead. Common options include:
- When a matter is created. The folder appears the moment triage decides the request needs a lawyer or a tracked workflow.
- When a document exists. The folder is created only when there’s an attachment or a generated document to save.
- When a matter reaches a stage. For example, a folder is created once a contract request moves into review or negotiation.
Many teams use a different trigger for each matter type. A dispute may need a folder straight away, while an NDA request only needs one when the signed agreement is ready to file.
Step 4: Map Folder Templates and Naming Conventions
Documents are easier to find when they follow a consistent naming pattern. Choose one before connecting anything, then let Checkbox apply it automatically.
A naming convention usually combines a few intake details in a fixed order:
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Matter type | NDA |
| Counterparty or project | Acme Supplies |
| Business unit | Procurement |
| Date or matter number | 2026-10 or the matter ID from Checkbox |
| Result | NDA - Acme Supplies - Procurement - 2026-10 |
Then map each matter type to a folder template. A supplier agreement folder might include subfolders for drafts, executed versions and correspondence, while a dispute folder follows a separate structure set by your litigation team.
If your SharePoint or Google Drive library already has a folder structure, keep it. Set up your Checkbox workflow to follow that structure, so new matters land where your lawyers already expect to find them.
Step 5: Set Permissions From the Repository
Permissions are the part of this setup that legal teams worry about most, and with good reason. A folder created in the wrong place, or with the wrong access, can expose confidential material to people who shouldn’t see it.
The safest approach is to let your repository stay the source of truth for access. Checkbox applies the permission setting you’ve mapped to each matter type when it creates the folder, and your repository’s own security controls do the rest.
Before you go live, check:
- Which matter types need restricted access, such as investigations, employment matters or disputes.
- Whether requesters should see the folder, or only the matter status in Checkbox.
- Who can add or change permissions after a folder is created.
- How access is removed when a matter owner changes or someone leaves the team.
If a matter type is too sensitive for automatic folder creation, route it to a lawyer to create the folder by hand. That’s a reasonable choice for a small number of high-risk matter types.
Step 6: Route Attachments and Generated Documents
With folders and permissions in place, decide where each document goes.
Attachments from the request. Files submitted with an email, Slack or Teams message, or form are captured and saved in the matter management dashboard. Where appropriate, file each attachment type in the relevant subfolder. For example, save counterparty paper in the drafts folder.
Documents Checkbox generates. If you use Checkbox’s document generation software to create NDAs, letters, or agreements, the finished document can be saved into the same folder automatically, so it sits alongside the original request.
Signed and final versions. Agree where executed documents should be filed and how they’re labeled, so nobody has to guess which version is final.
Let your repository handle versioning. When a lawyer edits a draft, they should work on the copy in the repository, where version history is kept, rather than downloading and re-uploading copies through email. Checkbox keeps the matter record, status, and audit history, and links to the files rather than creating competing copies.
Step 7: Make Documents Easy to Find From the Matter
A modular, connected legal tech setup should make retrieval simpler for lawyers, requesters and legal operations.
Store the folder link on the matter record in Checkbox, so anyone working the matter can open the right folder in one click. Use the same matter ID in both systems, so a search in either one leads back to the other.
Requesters can follow their request’s status through Checkbox without needing access to the legal folder. Lawyers get the full picture in one place, with the request, conversation history, approvals and a link to the documents. Legal ops can report on legal matters in Checkbox, then open the related files when they need to check the detail.
Step 8: Plan for Exceptions
Decide in advance how to handle unexpected situations so errors don’t leave documents sitting in someone’s inbox.
| Example exception | What should happen |
|---|---|
| Folder creation fails | The matter owner is notified, the attachments stay with the matter in Checkbox, and the folder is created once the issue is fixed |
| A matter is reclassified | The folder is moved or renamed to match the new matter type, or legal operations is alerted to fix it |
| The same matter is submitted twice | The duplicate is linked to the original matter rather than creating a second folder |
| Required intake details are missing | The requester is asked for them before a folder is created |
| A restricted matter type is detected | The folder isn’t created automatically, and a lawyer sets it up by hand |
| A file type or size is blocked by the repository | The matter owner is notified with the file name, so it can be filed manually |
Give each exception an owner, usually someone in legal operations. Checkbox’s audit history shows what happened on each matter, which makes it easier to see where the flow broke and fix it.
Step 9: Test the Flow Before You Go Live
Test with real examples before you switch the connection on for the whole business. Pick a handful of matter types and run requests through every channel your team uses.
For each test, check that:
- The folder is created at the right trigger and in the right location.
- The folder name follows your naming convention.
- Permissions match the matter type, including restricted ones.
- Every attachment lands in the right subfolder.
- Generated documents are saved alongside the request.
- The matter record links to the folder.
- Each exception in Step 8 behaves as planned.
Start with one or two matter types, such as NDAs and supplier agreements, then extend the connection once your team trusts it.
Key Takeaways
Connecting legal intake with a document repository removes the manual work of creating folders, filing attachments and chasing the latest version.
In Checkbox, start by confirming how your repository connects, whether through SharePoint or Google Drive. Capture the details your folder structure needs at intake, decide which requests should create a folder, and map your naming conventions, folder templates and permissions so your repository stays the source of truth for documents and access. Then route attachments and generated documents into the right place, link every matter to its folder, plan for exceptions and test with real requests before you roll out to the whole business.
If you’d like to see how the legal front door could connect to your document repository, book a demo with one of our legal technology consultants and we’ll help you map out your setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Connect My Document Repository With Client Matter Intake?
Use your legal front door to capture the details your repository needs, then create the matter folder automatically when a request becomes a matter. In Checkbox, this works through its integrations, or its REST APIs and webhooks for other systems.
Which Document Repositories Can Checkbox Connect To?
Checkbox lists SharePoint and Google Drive among its integrations, so you can create matter folders and save attachments in either one. Confirm the exact setup for your environment with the Checkbox team.
Does Every Legal Request Need a Folder?
No. Self-service answers and quick approvals usually only need a record in Checkbox. Create folders for requests that become matters or produce documents.
How Should Legal Matter Folders Be Named?
Combine a few intake details in a fixed order, such as matter type, counterparty, business unit and date or matter ID. Apply the same pattern automatically to every new matter.
Who Controls Document Permissions When Intake Is Connected?
Your repository should stay the source of truth for access. Checkbox applies the permission setting mapped to each matter type when it creates the folder.
What Happens if a Folder Can’t Be Created Automatically?
The matter owner should be notified while attachments stay with the matter in Checkbox. Once the issue is fixed, the folder can be created and the files saved.
