Microsoft 365 integration

ContactsLaw offers several features that integrate with Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365).

These include:

• Importing emails from members' mailboxes
• 2-way calendar/task synchronisation
• Drafting emails using Outlook
• Sharing documents with external parties using OneDrive
• Add-ins for Outlook and Word

Requirements

In order to use the Microsoft 365 integration features, you will need the following:

• Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise subscription. Personal accounts are not supported¹.
• Account with access to the Microsoft Entra admin center.

¹ Some limited functionality may be possible using a personal Microsoft account; however, this is not recommended.

Configuration

Before you can begin using the integration features, you will need to configure them. This involves obtaining the unique identifier that Microsoft assigns to your organisation ("Tenant ID") and granting consent to ContactsLaw on behalf of your organisation.

Granting Consent

In the Desktop App:

1. Open the Subscription tab ("My Subscription").
2. Under Settings, Deployment, locate the "Microsoft 365 Tenant ID" setting.
3. Log in to Microsoft Entra and copy your Tenant ID from the Overview page.
4. Paste the Tenant ID into the Desktop App.
5. Locate the "Microsoft 365 Consent" setting and click the "Edit value..." link. This will open a web browser.
6. Follow the prompts to grant consent to ContactsLaw. When complete, close the web browser and return to the Desktop App.

Next Steps

Specific integration features, such as email/calendar synchronisation, require members to opt-in and provide their additional details (i.e. their Microsoft account email address).

Importing Emails

ContactsLaw can periodically check for new messages with a matter reference in the subject line and upload them automatically. Messages can be marked for bulk import by adding a category or moving them to a special folder monitored by ContactsLaw. If the matter cannot be identified, the messages will be uploaded to a contact instead.

Calendar Sync

ContactsLaw can synchronise task/calendar items to (and, optionally, from) Outlook on a per-member basis.

Drafting Emails

The Desktop App leverages ContactsLaw's external checkout functionality to draft emails using Outlook. Whenever you open an email (.eml document) for editing, ContactsLaw copies it to your Drafts folder and then opens the draft message in Outlook.

When you check in your changes, ContactsLaw uses the latest copy of the message (whether sent or unsent) from Outlook.

Troubleshooting

The information in this section relates to a pre-release version of ContactsLaw and is not representative of the final product.

• Ensure that you are using the classic version of Outlook for Windows. "Outlook (new)" is not currently supported.
• Ensure that Outlook is set as the default application for emails (.eml documents).
• Ensure that the Microsoft account you used to check out the document is also the default mail account in Outlook.
• Ensure that the "Microsoft Office Integration" plug-in is installed and enabled, and that the "Check out to Drafts folder" option is also enabled.

OneDrive Sharing

You can share a range of Microsoft Office formats by checking them out to OneDrive. ContactsLaw provides an interface to grant access to one or more contacts who can view or edit the document online.

When you the document back in, ContactsLaw applies any changes that were made in OneDrive.