Ask for the document. Keep the reply with the client.

Droplana is a client document portal for law firms and solo lawyers. Each client gets one private portal where you request intake documents and return drafts, engagement letters and signed copies. Clients upload without creating an account, from a computer or by photographing paper with a phone.

See the request your client receives

In this fictional Hartwell & Reyes example, Isabel has supplied three intake documents. The photo ID request is still outstanding. A check mark means a file was supplied. Your firm still reviews it and runs its own identity and conflict checks.

Actual phone checklist, cropped to the requests, with fictional legal intake data. Inspect the client view.

Your law firm’s view of the same intake

The business sees the same outstanding request and the documents supplied against the checklist. Apply a saved template or add an individual request. Checklists support collection; they do not perform conflict checks, verify identity or manage a legal matter.

Actual business checklist for fictional Isabel Moreno. Inspect the firm’s checklist.

After reviewing a file, leave a comment naming the missing page or question. Return the revised draft as a new file with a clear filename. For a first invitation, adapt the client portal invitation text and explain email verification on a new device.

Check the access model before choosing it for a matter

Access boundary	What Droplana provides
Between different clients	Each client can access their own portal.
Between contacts on one client	Authorized contacts share that client portal; no per-document permissions.
Between members of your business	Business team members share access to its clients.
Between separate matters for one client	No matter-level roles, ethical walls or restricted matter teams.

Droplana does not provide a case-management system, conflict checking, a legal hold or a permanent evidence archive. Do not use its activity record as a promise of privilege, forensic chain of custody or legal admissibility. Confirm that the existing terms and content restrictions permit the documents you intend to exchange.

Signing and keeping the final copy

In-browser PDF signing places a signature on a new PDF copy and records the signing event against the login used. It is not a qualified signature, certificate or notarisation. Use an appropriate provider where the document requires a different signature standard; you can upload the resulting file manually.

Free files expire up to 180 days after upload. Active paid plans have no plan-imposed file-retention limit, subject to expiry settings, deletion and cancellation. A persistent client portal is not a statutory archive. Use your own retention process and export documents you need to retain independently.

Storage and data protection

Files, comments and metadata are stored on Hetzner infrastructure in Germany. Files are encrypted in transit and at rest with a key derived per file. Droplana is operated by Ubique d.o.o. in Croatia. A DPA is available on every plan; review the security details against your own requirements.

Plans for your client exchange

Free covers 3 clients, 2 GB total storage and files up to 100 MB, and keeps each file for up to 180 days after upload. Practice adds a team of 5 including the owner and a countersigned DPA.

Questions before you start

Can clients upload without creating an account?

Yes. Clients open their private portal and verify an authorized email on a new device under the default Strict setting. They can choose files or photograph paper from a phone. A private link alone is not sufficient for PDF signing.

Can I restrict a matter to selected colleagues?

No. Business team members share access to the business’s clients. Droplana does not offer ethical walls, restricted matter teams or per-document roles. Multiple contacts on a client also share that client portal.

Does Droplana check identity or conflicts?

No. It collects the documents you request and records activity. A received ID document or conflict form does not mean identity or conflicts have been checked. Those checks remain in your professional process.

Can I use it as a permanent evidence archive?

Droplana has no legal-hold or permanent-archive feature. Files are subject to plan retention, expiry settings, deletion and cancellation, and account deletion removes signature records. Assess your obligations and retain independent copies where needed.

How does Droplana handle GDPR, and is a DPA available?

Droplana is EU-hosted and GDPR-aligned, and operated by Ubique d.o.o., an EU company in Croatia. Files, comments and metadata are stored on Hetzner infrastructure in Germany, and files are encrypted at rest with a key derived for each file. The email and payment providers are EU companies and never receive file contents. A Data Processing Agreement is available on every plan, and Practice and Studio include a countersigned copy. Using Droplana does not make your firm compliant by itself; that depends on how your firm handles client data.

Compared with what law firms use now

Use the client portal selection guide to check the features your firm needs.

• Droplana vs ShareFile: a broad document platform priced per employee seat, compared with a narrow client portal.
• Droplana vs SharePoint: what running a client extranet on Microsoft 365 involves, and when a separate portal is simpler.
• Droplana vs email: what changes when client documents stop arriving as attachments.
• Droplana vs shared cloud folders: one portal per client instead of folders shared by link.