--- title: "A WhatsApp checklist for law firms: backups, labels, reminders and access" description: "A practical checklist for law firms that talk to clients on WhatsApp: whose number, encrypted backups, password manager, folder permissions, labels per matter, reminders and call recording." canonical: "https://kaptionai.com/blog/en/whatsapp-checklist-for-law-firms/" lang: "en" --- # A WhatsApp checklist for law firms: backups, labels, reminders and access > A practical checklist for law firms that talk to clients on WhatsApp: whose number, encrypted backups, password manager, folder permissions, labels per matter, reminders and call recording. Canonical: https://kaptionai.com/blog/en/whatsapp-checklist-for-law-firms/ Most law firms didn't choose WhatsApp. Clients did. Now client instructions, documents and voice notes arrive there every day, and the firm needs a few simple habits so nothing gets lost, missed or left on the wrong phone. Use this checklist as a starting point for your own office policy. Each item says what to do and, where Kaption helps, how. *Updated November 2026* ## 1. The number - **Clients write to a number the firm owns,** not to someone's personal phone. - **Each lawyer knows which number is for client work.** In the [Kaption desktop app for Mac and Windows](/desktop/), the firm number and a personal number can sit side by side, kept apart. - **Someone is responsible for the number** when people join, leave or change phones. ## 2. Backups - **Turn on [Kaption Backups](/backups/)** on the computer where the firm's WhatsApp runs, in the desktop app or the Kaption extension in Chrome or Edge. - **Pick a folder inside the firm's cloud drive** (Google Drive, OneDrive or iCloud Drive) or an external drive. The service syncs the encrypted file like any other document. - **Decide what you need in the backup.** Every plan can export a backup with messages and voice-note transcripts. Paid plans add hourly backups and documents, photos, videos and voice notes. See [pricing](/pricing/). - **Check it runs.** After a browser restart, the extension may ask you to allow folder access again. Accept it so backups keep running. - **Open a backup once,** search for a client name, and make sure the right people know how. Remember the limits: backups are view-only, they can't restore chats into WhatsApp, and they only hold what was saved while they ran. ## 3. The password - **Set a strong backup password** (at least 10 characters). - **Store it in the firm's password manager,** not on a sticky note and not only in one person's head. - **Know that it can't be recovered.** Nobody, not even Kaption, can open a backup without its password. ## 4. Folder permissions - **Limit who can reach the backup folder** with your cloud drive's own sharing settings. - **Share the password only with people who should read client chats.** - **Review access when someone leaves.** The backup stays in the firm's folder; decide who keeps access. ## 5. Labels per matter - **On WhatsApp Business, label each client chat by matter** ("Lease – Méndez", "Probate – Ruiz"). - **Agree on one naming pattern** so anyone in the office can filter by matter. - Labels are kept in Kaption backups, so the structure survives a lost phone. ## 6. Voice notes - **Turn on automatic transcription** so client voice notes arrive as text. - **Copy what matters into case notes,** in your own words, with the date of the message. - **Check names, dates and numbers against the audio** before relying on them. See [turning client voice notes into searchable case notes](/blog/en/client-voice-notes-to-searchable-case-notes-lawyers/). ## 7. Follow-ups - **Set a reminder before you close a chat** that needs an answer: type "tomorrow at 9am" and Kaption nudges you. - **Schedule messages** the client should receive at a set time, once or on repeat. - **Snooze chats** you can't deal with yet, so they come back on their own. ## 8. Call recording - **Decide when the firm records client calls, if ever.** Kaption records WhatsApp calls in the desktop app and in WhatsApp Web with the extension. See [call recording](/call-recording/). - **Ask first, every time.** Recording laws vary by country and state, and many places require everyone on the call to agree. Neither WhatsApp nor Kaption tells the other person. The firm is responsible for informing clients and getting consent. - **Choose "Only when I press Record"** for the client number, so recording starts after a clear yes. ## 9. AI assistants - **Decide whether lawyers may connect Claude or ChatGPT** to WhatsApp through [Kaption's MCP connection](/mcp/). It lets an assistant search chats and transcripts while Kaption is open, and you can turn it off at any time. - **Write down which tools may see client data.** ## 10. Your rules - **Check your bar's and your local rules** on client communications, recording, data protection and how long records must be kept. - **Write the policy down** and share it with everyone who answers client chats. Kaption makes no claim that these steps meet any professional or legal requirement. This checklist is not legal advice. ## More for law firms - [WhatsApp for lawyers: everything Kaption does for a law practice](/whatsapp-for-lawyers/) - [WhatsApp backup for lawyers: an encrypted, searchable copy of client chats](/blog/en/whatsapp-backup-for-lawyers-encrypted-searchable-client-chats/) - [When an associate leaves with the WhatsApp number](/blog/en/associate-leaves-law-firm-whatsapp-client-history/) - [Recording WhatsApp calls with clients: a guide for lawyers](/blog/en/record-whatsapp-calls-for-lawyers/) ## FAQ ### Should a law firm use WhatsApp with clients? That's a decision for each firm and its rules. If clients already write to you on WhatsApp, a clear policy on numbers, backups and access helps keep those conversations under the firm's control. ### Where should a law firm keep WhatsApp backups? In a folder the firm controls, for example inside the firm's Google Drive, OneDrive or iCloud Drive, with access limited by the firm's own sharing settings. Kaption writes the encrypted file there; it doesn't upload it anywhere else. ### Can Kaption back up WhatsApp on our office computers? Yes, with the Kaption desktop app for Mac and Windows, or the Kaption extension in Chrome and Edge. ### Can we record client WhatsApp calls? Kaption can record WhatsApp calls in the desktop app and in WhatsApp Web with the extension. Whether you may record depends on where you and the client are. Always tell everyone on the call and ask before recording.