Google Workspace Setup Guide for Law Firms and Consultancies in Pakistan

Professional services firms in Pakistan — law firms, chartered accountancy practices, management consultancies, and engineering firms — have specific requirements that generic "set up Google Workspace in 10 minutes" guides miss entirely: client confidentiality obligations, SBP and SECP evidence requirements, matter-based file organisation, and communication retention for professional indemnity purposes.

This guide is tailored for Pakistani professional services firms. By the end, you will have a properly configured Google Workspace deployment that meets both the practical needs of a 10–50 person professional firm and the regulatory environment that governs your work.

Why Pakistani Professional Services Firms Are Moving to Google Workspace

The majority of Pakistani law firms and consultancies in 2024–2025 were still running email on one of three configurations:

cPanel-hosted email at their domain — delivered by their website hosting provider, often with poor deliverability and no organisation-wide policy control
Free Gmail accounts with firmname@gmail.com addresses —fine for personal use but presenting trust and confidentiality concerns for client communications
MicrosoftOutlook on-premises — typically managed by an external IT contractor with no mobile access and no cloud storage

Google Workspace addresses all three failure modes with:

Professional firstname@firmname.com email powered by Gmail
Google Drive for matter/engagement file sharing with version history
Google Meet for client calls with calendar integration
Admin console for centralised password policy, 2FA enforcement, and account management
Vault for email archiving and retention (from Business Plus)

Phase 1: Pre-Setup Requirements

Before accessing Google Workspace Admin, prepare:

1.1 Domain Verification

Your firm's domain (e.g., smithlegal.com.pk or consultingpk.com) must be registered and have DNS management access. If your domain is managed by a web agency, confirm they can add TXT records to your DNS zone before you begin.

1.2 Decide Your Email Address Format

Choose and commit to one format across the firm — inconsistency creates client confusion:

| Format | Example | Recommended For | |--------|---------|----------------| | firstname@firm.pk | ali@smithlaw.pk | Small firms with no surname conflicts | | firstname.lastname@firm.pk | ali.hassan@smithlaw.pk | Firms with common first names | | f.lastname@firm.pk | a.hassan@smithlaw.pk | Larger firms | | designation@firm.pk | partners@smithlaw.pk | Functional mailboxes only |

For Pakistani law firms and accountancy practices, firstname.lastname@firmname.com.pk is the most professional format.

1.3 Inventory Existing Accounts

Create a spreadsheet of all staff who need email accounts:

Columns:
- Full name (for display name)
- Desired email address
- Role (Partner / Associate / Admin / Support)
- License tier needed (see pricing below)
- Whether they need Google Vault (compliance users)

Phase 2: Purchase and Initial Configuration

2.1 Choosing the Right Workspace Tier

For Pakistani professional services firms, the relevant tiers are:

| Tier | USD/User/Month | ~PKR | Right For | |------|---------------|------|----------| | Business Starter | USD 6 | ~PKR 1,680 | Admin, support staff, general use | | Business Standard | USD 12 | ~PKR 3,360 | Associates, consultants (2TB storage) | | Business Plus | USD 18 | ~PKR 5,040 | Partners, compliance-regulated users (Vault included) |

Recommendation for a Pakistani law firm:

Partners: Business Plus (includes Vault for email archiving)
Associates and fee-earners: Business Standard (2TB storage for large case files)
Admin and support: Business Starter (30GB is sufficient)

2.2 Domain Verification in Google Admin

1. Sign up at workspace.google.com
2. Enter your domain name (e.g., smithlaw.com.pk)
3. Google will provide a TXT record like:
   google-site-verification=abc123xyz
4. Add this TXT record in your domain's DNS zone editor
5. Return to Google Admin and click Verify

Verification typically completes within 5–30 minutes.
For .pk domains via PKNIC-accredited registrars,
DNS propagation may take up to 4 hours.

Phase 3: Email and DNS Configuration

3.1 Update MX Records

After domain verification, update your DNS MX records to point to Google's mail servers:

Delete all existing MX records, then add:

Priority  Mail Server
1         ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
5         ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
5         ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
10        ALT3.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
10        ALT4.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM

Critical for Pakistani firms: If you currently use cPanel email, keep the old MX records active alongside the new Google MX records for 48 hours during the transition to catch any emails in flight. Remove old records after 48 hours of stable operation.

3.2 Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

For a professional services firm, email deliverability is not optional — a client's missed contract deadline because your email went to their spam has legal implications:

# SPF (DNS TXT record at your domain root):
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

# DKIM: Generate in Google Admin Console
# Admin Console → Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail →
#   Authenticate email → Generate new record
# Copy the provided DNS TXT record and add to your zone

# DMARC (DNS TXT at _dmarc.yourdomain.com):
v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@smithlaw.com.pk; pct=100

3.3 Configure Email Aliases for Functional Addresses

Professional firms need functional aliases that route to individual mailboxes:

Admin Console → Directory → Groups → Create Group

Create aliases:
info@smithlaw.com.pk          → reception team members
billing@smithlaw.com.pk       → accounts team
corporate@smithlaw.com.pk     → corporate practice partners
litigation@smithlaw.com.pk    → litigation team
confidential@smithlaw.com.pk  → senior partner only

Using Google Groups for aliases means one email arrives in multiple team members' inboxes simultaneously — no query falls through the cracks during leave.

Phase 4: Google Drive Structure for Matter Management

This is where most generic Workspace guides stop. For Pakistani professional services firms, Google Drive structure is as important as email configuration.

Recommended Drive Folder Architecture

Firm Google Drive (Shared Drive)
└── Active Matters/
│   └── --/
│       Example: 2026-RizwanIndustries-Merger
│       ├── 01_Client Documents
│       ├── 02_Internal Working Papers
│       ├── 03_Correspondence
│       ├── 04_Regulatory Filings
│       └── 05_Billing Records
├── Precedents Library/
│   ├── Contract Templates/
│   ├── Court Filings/
│   └── Standard Clauses/
├── Firm Administration/
│   ├── HR/
│   ├── Finance/
│   └── Client Intake/
└── Archived Matters/
    └── /
        └──

Use Shared Drives (not My Drive) for all matter files. Shared Drives are owned by the organisation — files do not disappear when a team member leaves. Pakistani law firms that use individual Google Drive accounts for client matter files lose access to those files when associates resign.

Access Control for Pakistani Professional Firms

Shared Drive Permissions:

Partners:       Content Manager (can add/remove members)
Associates:     Contributor (can add files, cannot delete)
Support staff:  Commenter (can view and annotate, not edit)
External clients: Limited share links for specific documents only
                  (never give clients full folder access)

Phase 5: Compliance and Retention (For Regulated Firms)

5.1 Google Vault for Email Archiving

Google Vault (included in Business Plus) allows you to set retention policies and run eDiscovery searches across all user email:

Vault → Retention → Default Retention Rules

For law firms (SECP Company Law compliance):
  Retention period: 7 years
  Data type: Mail, Drive
  Action after retention: Delete or Retain Indefinitely

For accountancy firms (ICAP requirements):
  Retention period: 7 years for client records
  Action: Retain Indefinitely (some records permanent)

5.2 Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Confidential Client Communications

For larger Pakistani firms with multiple practice groups, configure DLP rules:

Admin Console → Apps → Google Workspace →
  Gmail → Compliance → Content Compliance

Rule: Flag emails containing Pakistani CNIC numbers
  Pattern: \d{5}-\d{7}-\d{1}
  Action: Add warning header, notify compliance officer

Rule: Prevent external sharing of documents tagged 'Confidential'
  Applies to: Drive files with 'Confidential' in title or content
  Action: Block external sharing

Phase 6: Security Hardening

Enforce 2-Step Verification for All Users

Admin Console → Security →  2-Step Verification
  Allow users to turn on: Enabled
  Enforcement: On for all users
  Grace period: 7 days (allows staff to set up before lockout)

Session Controls

Admin Console → Security → Google Session Control
  Re-authentication time: 24 hours
  Requires re-login every day — appropriate for law firm security posture

Alert Centre Configuration

Admin Console → Reporting → Alert Centre
Enable alerts for:
  ✔ Suspicious account activity
  ✔ Gmail phishing identified
  ✔ Government-backed attack
  ✔ User suspended due to suspicious activity

Migration from cPanel Email: The 5-Day Plan

| Day | Action | |-----|--------| | 1 | Verify domain in Google Admin, do not change MX yet | | 2 | Create all user accounts, configure SPF/DKIM/DMARC | | 3 | Import historical email via IMAP migration tool in Admin Console | | 4 | Update MX records (dual delivery for 24 hours) | | 5 | Remove old MX, confirm all staff email is flowing | | +7 | Train staff on Gmail, Drive, and Meet workflows |

Conclusion

Google Workspace, configured correctly for a Pakistani professional services firm, is far more than a business email service. It is a collaborative infrastructure that organises matter files with version history, ensures email retention for regulatory purposes, and gives managing partners centralised visibility over communication and data access.

The setup takes 3–5 days the first time. Done correctly, it is the last business email decision a Pakistani law firm or consultancy will need to make for a decade.

Set up Google Workspace for your Pakistani firm with professional DNS configuration, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, and migration support: (/google-workspace) — with PKR billing and local setup assistance.