A couple of years ago, I was working with a criminal defense law firm moving to NetDocuments, a cloud-based legal document management system (DMS), and they happened to have tons of videos. The senior partner asked me if we should move the videos to NetDocuments?
“This is a tricky question,” I said. “Normally, my answer would be that you save everything to NetDocuments, but the videos are different.” You can store videos in NetDocuments, but like all other DMS providers, it doesn’t contain a built-in video player. If a video is in NetDocuments, it downloads to your computer and then plays.
I had a crazy idea. Optiable records all of our client videos and saves them to Vimeo. We make everything secure, so only those specific clients can rewatch their training. What if the criminal defense firm started saving their videos to Vimeo? That way, no one would have to download anything.
I’ve been curious about the Private Mode for Vimeo. I know it has to do with privacy, but I want to know what precisely it entailed. As a result, I investigated and found out that nobody can see your videos while they’re private, IE perfect for lawyers that want to store data.
https://vimeo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/224980308-Private-Mode-for-your-account
I called up a couple of eDiscovery lawyers I knew and had them check it out Vimeo private mode, and they gave their ok. I made the recommendation to the firm and followed up a couple of weeks later.
“I’m so glad I followed your advice,” the senior partner said, “We’re really enjoying NetDocuments, and Vimeo has been a lifesaver, especially the notes feature.”
“The Notes Feature,” I asked, puzzled.
You see, Vimeo has a feature that allows users to annotate videos. Some of the notes may include information about what is happening in the video or other contextual details.
The ability for videos to have searchable annotations is an essential upgrade for lawyers and clients who wish to review them while keeping up with all aspects of a case. There are many ways this could be helpful in criminal\litigation situations, such as highlighting critical points during depositions or adding comments on specific actions.
This solution perfectly fits my philosophy about legal software: There is not one all-in-one software that will do everything for you.
Find the best Back Office Software and link it to your Document Management System. Determine if you need Front Office software and figure out how to integrate it into your suite. If you have a ton of videos, store them in a video platform, and link them to your DMS.
How to Link Vimeo Videos to NetDocuments
Step 1: Click on Add –> Link/URL
Step 2: Paste in the link from Vimeo
Step 3: Profile the Document
When anyone clicks on the link in NetDocuments, it launches Vimeo and starts playing
