Law firm software

Compare law firm software

Law firm software is practice management for law firms. You open a matter with a conflict check and the client identification required under the Dutch anti-money-laundering act (Wwft), record your time and disbursements against the matter, prepare the bill and keep track of deadlines and hearings in the calendar. Documents and emails are stored with the matter. Many packages also keep track of client funds per matter. That way you have in one system what would otherwise sit in a time-tracking program, a folder on the drive and Excel.

Which software suits your firm?

Kleos, BaseNet and Legalsense are cloud packages with matters, time recording and billing. Kleos also keeps track of client funds per matter, and Legalsense has many integrations with document management and accounting. Urios and CClaw can also still run locally on Windows, for firms that do not want their data entirely in the cloud. CClaw and NEXTmatters have full accounting built in.

If you work in Microsoft 365, Cicero 365, a Belgian package, and Epona365 run inside it. Epona365 is document management for lawyers, not a complete practice management package.

What should you look out for?

• Client funds: check whether you can keep track of client funds per matter and whether that ties in with your firm's client funds foundation (stichting derdengelden).
• Billing: check whether the package can handle different rate types, advance payments and disbursements, and whether you can send the bill as an e-invoice.
• Accounting: if the package has no accounting of its own, check whether it integrates with your accounting software.
• Security: you work with confidential client data. Ask where the data is stored, whether you log in with two-step verification and how the supplier deals with professional secrecy.