Overview

Collections provide the option for a flexible security model at the matter level. You can add matters with any type of matter security to a collection, and matters can belong to multiple collections. Users can be added to collections as Team Members or Basic Team Members. See also Managing Matter Access Requests.

Collections security policy can be set to Open or Restricted. With open policy, you can set up exclusion by way of confliction only, and without interfering with existing client or matter security, which is retained.

You can also add conflicted users to collections with a Restricted security policy.

Collections can also be added to holds.

Collections can be created with either Restricted security or Open security. These policies are detailed the in subsections below. 

• Restricted-security collections

• Open-security collections

Restricted-security collections 

This section details the security-related interactions of collections with restricted security policy. 

Security overview

Adding a matter to a collection with restricted security will not override client- or matter-level security for restricted clients or matters, but will override an open matter security policy to make such a matter Restricted by collection.

Collections staff are added as team members or basic team members to matters included on the collection, but their access is defined by client- and matter-level security policy. See Collections and access to matters (client- and matter-level security).

Opposing Team Set security is applied regardless of collections. See Collections and access to matters (client- and matter-level security).

Collections and addition of collection staffing to matter staffing

Collection staff are added to the matter staffing of all matters contained within the collection. However, the access of the collection staffing to that asset is determined by the (client- and) matter-level security. See Collections and access to matters (client- and matter-level security) below.

Collections and access to matters (client- and matter-level security)

If a matter which is restricted by a 'more restrictive' client (that is, a client with security policy 'Restricted' and "Matter staffing is Limited to users named under Client staffing" (checkbox checked)) is added to a collection, collection staff members are added to the matter team; however, unless they are already on client staffing, they will be listed as excluded users.

Example 1 - collection staffing not on (or otherwise related to) matter staffing

Scenario

A collection is created which includes Matter 1. Matter 1 has an individually restricted security policy. The collection staffing comprises User 1. Matter 1 staffing comprises User 2.

User 1 is not conflicted on Matter 1 nor is that user on an opposing team set side of that matter.

Result

User 1 is added to Matter 1.
User 1 has access to Matter 1.
User 2 has access to Matter 1.

Example 2 - collection staff member already on matter staffing but with lower ranking user type

Scenario

A collection is created which includes Matter 2. Matter 2 has an individually restricted security policy. The collection staffing comprises User 3 as team member. Matter 2 staffing comprises User 3 as a basic team member.

User 3 is not conflicted on Matter 2 nor is that user on an opposing team set side of that matter.

Result

User 3 has access to Matter 2 as a basic team member. Example 3 - collection staff member already on matter staffing but with higher ranking user type

Scenario

A collection is created which includes Matter 3. Matter 3 has an individually restricted security policy. The collection staffing comprises User 4 as basic team member. Matter 3 staffing comprises User 4 as a team member.

User 4 is not conflicted on Matter 3 nor is that user on an opposing team set side of that matter.

Result

User 4 has access to Matter 3 as a team member.

See also Managing Matter Access Requests.

Collection staff members with differing user types across collections

When a user is a staff member on more than one collection and has a different user type across such collections, the higher ranking user type is applied for that user. Note however that if such user is already on matter staffing, access will be determined by matter security only.

Example - user type of a collection staff member differs between collections

Scenario

Collection 1 has User 5 as a basic team member.
Collection 2 has User 5 as a team member.
Matter 4 has an individually restricted security policy.
User 5 is not part of Matter 4 staffing.
User 5 is not conflicted on Matter 4 nor is that user on an opposing team set side of that matter.
Matter 4 is included in both Collection 1 and Collection 2.

Result

User 5 is added to Matter 4 as a team member.

Additive nature of collection staffing

When a user is added to the staffing of a restricted collection, the user's access to a matter will not be diminished by their not being added to the staffing of another restricted collection that contains the matter.

Example - user's staffing membership varies across collections

Scenario

User A is not part of Matter 3 staffing.
Collection 1 has User A in collection staffing as a team member.
Collection 2 does not have User A in collection staffing (in any capacity).
Matter 3 has Restricted by Collection security policy.
User A is not conflicted on or on an opposing team set side of Matter 4, nor conflicted on Collection 1 or Collection 2.
Matter 3 is included in both Collection 1 and Collection 2.

Result

User A is added to Matter 4 as a team member. While User A is not included in the staffing of restricted Collection 2, User A has access to the matter as a result of being on the staffing of Collection 1.

Therefore if can be taken that, exclusions aside, collection staffing is additive.

Matters on opposing team set sides

Matters on opposing team set sides can exist within collections. Collection staffing will considered as matter staffing when opposing team sets are calculated.

Applying collection security to open matters

When an open matter is added to a  restricted collection, the matter security changes to 'Restricted by Collection'. If such matter is removed from the collection, security for that matter will revert to 'Open'. See also Managing Matter Access Requests.

Open-security collections

Security overview

Adding a matter to a collection with open security does not change client- or matter-level security policy. However, users added as conflicted users on an open collection will be excluded on any matters in that collection.

You cannot add staffing to an open collection, because all users have access to that collection by default—except for those excluded by matter security, or those added as conflicted users on the collection. 

Opposing Team Set security is applied normally and regardless of the open collection security. 

Therefore, the factors that determine whether a user has access to a matter in an open collection do not include collection security, but rather whether:

• The user is allowed or excluded per matter security policy (where here matter security policy means the resultant security policy of a matter and its parent client).

• That user is a conflicted user on the collection—that is, a collection-conflicted user.

• The user is included on any relevant opposing team set sides. Opposing team set restrictions will apply regardless of matter being members of open collections.

Collection-conflicted users and matter security

Users added as conflicted users on a collection are excluded from all matters under that collection, regardless of the security policy or staffing of a given matter. 

This wide-reaching confliction enables you to create exclusionary collections, in which specific users or sets of users can be excluded from numerous matters, without any (other) effect on matter security policy or staffing.