Introduction

This article explains how to access large litigation files shared by co-counsel via Dropbox without requiring a paid subscription, and provides best practices for integrating these files with SharePoint.

⚠️ IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTICE ⚠️ Remember to only open links that you are expecting from [EXTERNAL] senders to avoid phishing attempts!

Dropbox Free Account Limitations {#dropbox-limitations}

Key Information About Dropbox Free Accounts:

1. Storage Limit: Dropbox Basic (free) accounts provide 2GB of storage space, which is often insufficient for extensive litigation files. As of 2025, this limit remains unchanged.

How to Access Large Files Without a Subscription {#access-methods}

When co-counsel shares files via Dropbox, you have several options that don't require a paid subscription:

1. View-Only Shared Links: When someone shares a file or folder via a link, it doesn't count against your storage quota. You can view and download these files without storage concerns.

2. Dropbox Transfer: If co-counsel uses Dropbox Transfer (available even to free users), they can send files up to 100GB that you can download without affecting your storage quota.

3. File Requests: You can send a file request to co-counsel, allowing them to upload files directly to your Dropbox without them needing a Dropbox account.

Storage Management Strategy {#storage-strategy}

1. Have them share files using shared links rather than folder invitations
2. Download only the files you need to work on immediately
3. Once downloaded and saved to SharePoint, delete copies in your free Dropbox account to free up space (Only if the documents are in your Dropbox and not a shared folder)

Best Practices for Your Team {#best-practices}

Receiving Files from Co-Counsel

1. Request Link Sharing: Ask them to share via links rather than shared folder invitations, as shared folder contents count against your storage quota.
2. Verify Source: Confirm the sender's identity before downloading files from external sources.

SharePoint Integration

1. Primary Storage: Transfer documents from Dropbox to SharePoint for permanent storage following CRLA's preferred file storage approach.
2. File Management: Download files from Dropbox shared links, then upload to SharePoint.
3. Cleanup: Once safely stored in SharePoint, delete files from your Dropbox to free up space.

Security Considerations

1. External Sharing Controls: Ensure SharePoint sites, folders, and files have appropriate external sharing settings configured
2. Access Expiration: Set expiration dates for any external access to SharePoint documents
3. Documentation: Maintain records of which documents were received from external sources
   

Need help? {#help}

Contact Information: Please let us know @ helpdesk@crla.org if you need further assistance with receiving or sharing external file sharing.

Related Resources

• How to share Dropbox files and folders with anyone - Dropbox Help (You can send this to Co-Counsel)
  
• Overview of external sharing in SharePoint and OneDrive in Microsoft 365 - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn
  
• Stop sharing OneDrive or SharePoint files or folders, or change permissions - Microsoft Support

Article Last Updated: [5/22/2025] Questions? Contact: helpdesk@crla.org