CBX × ND Checkbox  ×  NetDocuments

Fix the part NetDocuments was never designed for.

Checkbox captures, triages, and structures legal work before it becomes a matter, so NetDocuments starts with complete, organized work from day one.

See how it works
If you've used NetDocuments, you've thought these

Things you've muttered at your screen this week

Six thoughts every in‑house lawyer, paralegal, and GC has had inside NetDocuments. They're not your fault. They're the natural edges of a system designed for storage, not for the way work actually starts.

"Why the hell can't I just open a matter from my inbox?"
"Where do I see what my team is actually working on right now?"
"Did anyone open a matter for this…?"
"Which folder template was I supposed to use again?"
"Why is the Slack thread the source of truth and not ND?"
"I'll just file this one later."
The expert take

You're not the problem. The tool is doing exactly what it was designed to do. And it wasn't designed for this.

NetDocuments is exceptional at being a document management system. By design, it organises work around the matter as the atomic unit, which means work has to be matter‑shaped before it enters the system. Capturing requests, classifying them, tracking team workload, and routing them to the right owner all sit outside that architecture. That's where Checkbox lives.

One flow, from request to record

Requests start in Checkbox.
Matters live in NetDocuments

An example week for an enterprise legal team. Watch which requests become matters, and which never need to.

See how the flow works 17 second walkthrough
Checkbox Where every request lands first
Handoff Only matters cross over
NetDocuments Where matters live forever
100 requests submitted Example scenario
62 Deflected by Checkbox
Self‑serve, automated, or resolved without a lawyer. No matter needed.
NetDocs API
Matter, folders, owner
all set automatically
38 matters created in NetDocs From the 38 that crossed
100% Structured on arrival
Every crossing matter has the right folders, codes, and owner. Set by the API, never by hand.
Deflected → Becomes a matter API Matter open → In work → Filed
1 / 5
Press play to see the flow Watch how 100 requests are filtered, handed off via API, and become structured matters in NetDocuments.
Lives in Checkbox
The request, before it’s a matter
Intake AI triage Self‑serve Routing SLA Workflow
Lives in NetDocuments
The matter, for the rest of its life
Matter Folders Documents Versions Security Retention
How the two systems work together

Two systems. One legal operation

Checkbox is the front door. It captures, classifies, and routes. NetDocuments is the system of record. It stores, versions, and retains. The integration makes sure no matter starts in one system and gets lost on the way to the other.

Checkbox · The front door

Catches every request before it becomes a matter

Email, Slack, Teams, intake forms, the legal portal. Checkbox catches every request in one structured queue, classifies it with AI, routes it down self‑serve, automation, or human‑review paths, and tracks SLA from the moment it lands.

Intake
every channel, one queue
Triage
AI classify & route
Workflow
no‑code, owned by legal
NetDocuments · The system of record

Where matters, documents, and version history live

Your matter taxonomy, retention policies, security model, version control, and ethical walls (all the things ND does well) stay exactly where they are. Checkbox doesn't replace ND. It feeds it the right matter, with the right folders, every time.

Matters
your existing taxonomy
Documents
stored, versioned, retained
Security
ND access model honoured
How the two systems work together

Two systems. One legal operation

Checkbox is the front door. It captures, classifies, and routes. NetDocuments is the system of record. It stores, versions, and retains. The integration makes sure no matter starts in one system and gets lost on the way to the other.

Checkbox · The front door

Catches every request before it becomes a matter

Email, Slack, Teams, intake forms, the legal portal. Checkbox catches every request in one structured queue, classifies it with AI, routes it down self‑serve, automation, or human‑review paths, and tracks SLA from the moment it lands.

Intake
every channel, one queue
Triage
AI classify & route
Workflow
no‑code, owned by legal
NetDocuments · The system of record

Where matters, documents, and version history live

Your matter taxonomy, retention policies, security model, version control, and ethical walls (all the things ND does well) stay exactly where they are. Checkbox doesn't replace ND. It feeds it the right matter, with the right folders, every time.

Matters
your existing taxonomy
Documents
stored, versioned, retained
Security
ND access model honoured
The whole flow, beginning to end

Three beats. One handoff. Zero hands

A request becomes a structured NetDocuments matter without anyone manually opening one. Here's what happens between submission and the lawyer starting work.

A · Checkbox A request comes in Through any channel your team uses (portal, form, email, Slack, Teams). Captured, classified, routed.
B · The integration A NetDocs matter is opened Automatically, structured, in seconds. Matter code, folder template, security profile, all set by the integration via the ND API.
C · NetDocuments Your lawyer starts work in ND Exactly where they expect to. Matter is already there, structured and ready. Documents drop into the right folders. Status syncs back to Checkbox.
<30s From submission to a live, structured NetDocuments matter. No one opens a thing.
For the GC and the Head of Legal Ops

The numbers you need to defend, hire, and report

NetDocs shows you documents. Checkbox shows you work. Demand by business unit, cycle time by matter type, SLA risk by lawyer. The data that answers "why do we need another commercial counsel?" with evidence, not anecdotes.

Legal operations dashboard

One screen. The questions every GC gets asked, answered with data.

Every metric drawn from Checkbox intake. Every matter linked to its NetDocs folder. Built for the conversations leadership actually has with the business.

  • · "Where is our time going?"
  • · "Who's at risk of missing SLA?"
  • · "What's the demand from sales this quarter?"
  • · "Do we need to hire?"
Open matters
214
+18 this quarter
Avg cycle time
3.4d
−1.6d vs Q3
At SLA risk
7
across 3 lawyers
Self‑serve rate
62%
no lawyer needed
Lawyer Practice area Open Avg cycle At risk
A. Patel Commercial · NDAs · DPAs 28 2.8d 0
R. Okonkwo Employment · Investigations 19 4.1d 1
M. Lindqvist Procurement · Vendor risk 34 5.6d 4
J. Tanaka IP · Licensing 16 3.2d 0
C. Reyes Privacy · Regulatory 22 3.9d 2
Demand by business unit · this quarter 127 new matters
Procurement 42
Sales 31
HR 18
Marketing 14
Finance 12
Engineering 10
Every matter links directly to its NetDocuments folder. Click through from any row.
FAQ

Questions your IT and ND admin will ask

We go into the full architecture on the call. These are the short answers.

Does Checkbox replace NetDocuments? +
No. NetDocuments stays as your system of record for matters, documents, version history, and retention. Checkbox sits in front of ND as the intake and workflow layer. The integration means every request that comes into legal opens a properly structured ND matter the moment it's submitted.
How does the integration actually work? +
Checkbox calls the official NetDocuments REST API. When a request is classified and routed, Checkbox creates the matter in ND, applies your folder template for that matter type, and assigns the security profile based on the requesting business unit. Documents generated in Checkbox land in the right ND folder. Status syncs back to Checkbox.
Do we have to change our NetDocs taxonomy? +
No. Checkbox maps to your existing client/matter codes, security profiles, and folder templates during onboarding. The configuration lives in Checkbox so your ND admin doesn't have to retool anything on the ND side.
How is access control handled? +
ND's access model is the source of truth. When Checkbox creates a matter, it applies the security profile you specify for that matter type. Ethical walls, restricted matters, and role‑based access continue to work exactly as they do today in ND.
How long does it take to go live? +
Most teams have the integration live within four weeks of kickoff. Implementation involves connecting the ND API, mapping matter types and folder templates, and configuring the first set of intake workflows. Additional workflows are added directly by your legal ops team, no IT ticket required.
We're in a regulated industry. How does this affect our compliance posture? +
It improves it. Today, requests that don't make it into ND have no audit trail and no record of who decided what. With the integration, every request opens a matter, every decision is logged, and the entire trail sits in NetDocuments where your retention policy applies. Full security documentation is available for your CIO and privacy officer.
New request → ND matter, live

Stop opening matters by hand.
Let intake do it.

See how Checkbox plugs into your NetDocuments instance and turns every inbound request into a live, structured ND matter in under 30 seconds. 30 minute demo, tailored to the matter types your team actually sees.

Watch it again