Skip to content
LegalBook

Scanning, quarantine and validation

The processing pipeline every file goes through, quarantine and privacy incidents, scan batches of incoming mail, and the unscanned-file policy.

For: OwnerStaff

On this page

No file is trusted the moment it arrives. Every new version goes through the same processing pipeline before it can be viewed by clients, shared, exported or sent for signature.

The processing pipeline

  1. Hash. The bytes are fingerprinted, so duplicates can be found and the stored file can be proved unchanged.
  2. Malware scan. The file is scanned for viruses. A file that fails is quarantined.
  3. Content check. LegalBook checks that the file is what it says it is (for example, that a PDF really is a PDF), counts pages and detects encryption.
  4. Text and classification. Where configured, text is extracted and a document type is suggested.
  5. Consistency checks. Names and dates of birth are compared with the matter.

Then the document waits for a person to validate it. See Documents and versions.

Quarantine

A quarantined document is held. Most people see only that it exists and why it is held, not its content. Supervisors work quarantined documents from Quarantine in the Supervisor workspace, where they can release a document or reassign it to the right matter or person.

If the scanner was down, documents waiting for a scan are rescanned automatically when it recovers, and a clean result releases them.

The unscanned-file policy

If no scanner is available, what happens to new files is a firm setting. The default is quarantine; the alternative is to accept the file with an unscanned flag. Nothing is ever marked clean without a scan, and an unscanned or failed file is never released to the portal, a share link, an export or a signature.

Privacy incidents

When a document is uploaded to the wrong matter or person, or a privacy problem is found, anyone who can read documents can raise a privacy incident. Supervisors review and resolve incidents from Privacy incidents.

Scan batches

File clerks process the day's paper mail in Scan batches (Production workspace):

  1. Open a batch for the day's mail.
  2. Drop in the scanned files, one document each, tagged with its envelope number.
  3. Add envelope images.
  4. Match any unmatched documents to a matter.
  5. Close the batch. If the count does not match, give a reason.

The chain of custody (operator, scanner, received date, barcode, envelope images and history) stays on the batch. Notices from a batch continue in the correspondence queue.

Storage

Legal documents are stored in the firm's private storage, with the firm in every path, never in the account service. Files are only ever served through short-lived signed links. See Viewing, sharing and printing.