01
Classify
Apply the firm's retention schedule by matter type, legal basis and disposal date before anything enters the archive.
Law firm case file archiving
Closed matters still carry live obligations.
Offline Secure Storage® gives UK legal practices a physically disconnected home for case files that must be retained but do not need to remain exposed on the live estate.
- Former-client confidentiality
- Retention-controlled
- Physically disconnected
01What belongs offline
A case-file archive, not another live document system.
Firevault sits after the active matter-management workflow. It holds the authoritative records that must remain confidential and recoverable without leaving them continuously reachable.
Closed matter files and privileged correspondence
Court, tribunal and disclosure bundles
Client identity, source-of-funds and due-diligence records
Completion documents, deeds and signed agreements
Evidence sets, expert reports and counsel opinions
Records retained under the firm's documented schedule
02Retention workflow
Keep what is justified. Disconnect what is retained.
Offline archiving does not mean keeping everything forever. It gives the firm's retention decisions a protected physical destination and an auditable retrieval path.
02
Move offline
Place the authoritative archive copy on dedicated hardware that is physically disconnected at Layer 1 by default.
03
Retrieve deliberately
Open a controlled, identity-verified access window when an authorised practitioner needs a record.
04
Review and dispose
Use the firm's schedule to review, return, anonymise or securely delete records when the reason for keeping them ends.
03Choose the access pattern
LUV for deep archives. Vault for on-demand records.
Capacity matters, but retrieval frequency is the more important decision for a legal archive.
300GB fixed
LUV
One nominated day each week, within a 12-hour window
Closed matters and privileged archives that are rarely reopened
Explore LUV2TB, 4TB or 8TB
Vault
24/7 on-demand access
Larger archives and retained files practitioners need more frequently
Explore VaultFrom 20TB
Storage
Designed around organisational requirements
Firm-wide archives above 8TB and multi-office retention programmes
Explore Storage04Authoritative guidance
The duty continues. The retention period must still be justified.
Firevault supports the firm's controls. It does not determine the lawful basis or retention period, and it does not make a firm compliant by itself.
SRA confidentiality
SRA guidance says paragraph 6.3 requires the affairs of current and former clients to remain confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents.
Read the official sourceSecure closed files
SRA practice-closure guidance says closed files should be stored securely to protect confidentiality and should be archived or destroyed promptly where appropriate.
Read the official sourceUK GDPR storage limitation
ICO guidance says personal data must not be kept for longer than needed, standard retention periods should be documented and holdings should be reviewed periodically.
Read the official sourceRetention schedules
The ICO records-management toolkit expects storage periods to be documented and the action after expiry, such as anonymisation, archiving or deletion, to be defined.
Read the official sourceQuestions
Law firm case file archiving FAQ
Straight answers on how Offline Secure Storage® behaves in practice.