Sunbelt Blog

Securing Legal Documents on Mobile Devices

The ability to access, store, and view legal documents on mobile devices like smart phones, iPads, and Kindles brings convenience and concerns about privacy. After all, if your mobile device were to become lost or stolen, would your legal documents remain private?

Securing Devices Such as Smart Phones, iPads, and Kindles
The first step involves securing the device itself. This ensures that should you lose your phone or mobile device, your legal documents won't be readily accessible. Depending on the device, it may be a simple matter of going into the device's setting menu and assigning a password to it.  

For example, on Windows mobile devices, you go to Start > Settings > Password (or Lock). Other versions require that you go to Start > Settings > Security > Device Lock. You can secure Amazon's Kindle by going to Home > Menu > Settings > Device Password. To secure the iPad, go to the Home screen and choose Settings > General > Passcode Lock. Turn Passcode Lock on and follow the prompts to enter a passcode.

If your mobile device does not offer password protection, or if the nature of your legal documents requires stronger protection, consider security software for your device. In addition, you may need such software to comply with your firm's internal policies or privacy regulations.

Securing Individual Documents
In addition to securing the device itself, it's never a bad idea to encrypt or password-protect individual documents stored on mobile devices, portable storage devices, and laptops. The process varies depending on the document type and application used. For example, Microsoft Word documents can be password protected directly from within Word while PDF files require the Adobe Acrobat (rather than Reader) program for password protection.

Securing Applications
Another layer of protection involves how you access your legal documents remotely. For example, if you use an application to access a legal document repository, it likely requires the use of login credentials. The same is true if you use a Web browser and an online storage platform of some sort. Do not allow your mobile device to save these credentials in memory, opting instead to manually enter your username and password each time. Though less convenient, this method is far more secure.

By securing your mobile device, individual legal documents, and applications, you can enjoy the benefits of accessing legal documents on the road with fewer concerns over confidentiality.