Michael,

My usage of DTPO has changed slightly in the last few months, as we’ve moved to a less cumbersome document management system in the office. In the past, I’d move an entire case into DTPO at the first sign of any significant activity, such as a deposition. Our new document management system is much more accessible, so I typically wait until a case gets very hot (approaching trial, arbitration, mediation, etc.) to move it in.

I’ve typically indexed in the past, but I don’t feel too strongly about it. I think importing is the easier and cleaner method. If you have an enterprise Dropbox account, you could store your documents there, index, and turn off selective sync to that folder when you no longer need the case at your fingerprints.

I’ve seen the MacLitigator article before. I don’t use it that intensively on my cases yet. Mostly, I’m using it for its robust search, replicants, etc., plus the ability to link to specific pages.