Archiving Matter Documents

FluentCase can package a matter’s documents into a single zip file. Use an archive to hand a complete file to a client or co-counsel, keep an offline copy when a matter closes, or download a group of related documents at once.

Archive All Documents in a Matter

  1. Open the matter and go to Documents.
  2. Make sure no documents are selected.
  3. Click Archive All in the toolbar.
  4. FluentCase builds the archive in the background. A confirmation appears: Archive processing. You will receive a memo when it is ready.
  5. When the archive is ready, a memo titled Matter Archive arrives in your inbox with the zip file attached. Open the memo and download the attachment.

Archive Selected Documents

  1. Open the matter and go to Documents.
  2. Select two or more documents.
  3. Click Archive in the toolbar.
  4. Smaller selections (under 25 MB total) download right away. Larger selections are built in the background and delivered as a Matter Archive memo, just like Archive All.

An archive requires at least two documents. To download a single file, open the document and download it directly.

What’s in the Archive

  • Documents - Every document in the matter, or only the documents you selected
  • Folders - Documents are organized into folders that match their tags. Untagged documents appear at the top level of the zip file.
  • Duplicate names - If two files share a name, FluentCase adds a number, such as (2), so nothing is overwritten
  • Long names - File names are shortened to 100 characters to help keep paths within Windows limits

Email messages, email attachments, and earlier archive files are not included.

Including Email Correspondence

To share a matter’s emails along with the archive, open each message from the matter’s Messages list and use Forward, Print, or Download Message Transcript as PDF (when available).

Good to Know

  • Archiving doesn’t close the matter. The matter and its documents stay exactly as they are. Change the matter status separately if needed.
  • Only the latest archive is kept. When you build a new archive for the same matter, the previous Matter Archive memo and its zip file are removed.
  • Unchanged matters reuse the last archive. If no documents have changed since the last full archive, FluentCase delivers it again instead of rebuilding it.
  • Permissions apply. If the archive button is disabled, ask your firm administrator for access. See User Roles and Permissions.

Troubleshooting

I didn’t receive the memo

Large matters can take several minutes to archive. Check your inbox for a Matter Archive memo. If you receive a Matter Archive Failed memo instead, try again. If the problem continues, contact support.

The archive won’t open after download

On Windows, extraction can fail when the full path of an extracted file is too long. Extract the zip file to a folder with a short path, such as a folder directly on your drive.

The Archive button is disabled

Your role does not include permission to create archives. Contact your firm administrator.

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