Let's face it: Law schools don't teach attorneys how to manage the day-to-day business operations of a law firm
Modern firms rely on law practice management software to fill those gaps and streamline things.
There are dozens of products with different value propositions on the market. How can you choose one that genuinely benefits your firm?
We've gathered and reviewed the best legal software in this article to help cut down your research time.
Click here to jump to our list of top LPMS tools in this article.
Let's check them out.
What is Law Practice Management Software?
Law practice management software (LPMS) is a software program that streamlines, centralizes, and automates the day-to-day legal, business, and administrative tasks of a law firm.
LPMS includes case/legal matter management software, legal billing, accounting, and client communication.
Law firms use LPMS platforms, often with dedicated workflow management software, to improve their workflows, increase lawyer productivity, and reduce administrative costs.
You can think of law practice management software as an end-to-end project management tool (where the “projects” are a firm's cases).
While the exact features may vary, a decent practice management system will offer these functionalities:
- Case Management – Consolidate information on your cases, including tasks, case files, invoices, etc., in one place.
- Contact Management – Gather the contact details of your clients and teams and make them easily accessible.
- Task Management – Streamline the collaboration on day-to-day tasks between the attorneys.
- Time Tracking and Invoicing – Accurately track billable hours, help generate invoices, and process payments so that you don't need to rely on a separate timekeeping app.
- Legal Document Management – Store your legal documents in one central location, making them easier to manage and access.
- Document Assembly – Fast-track document creation using pre-made templates.
- Calendaring – Get a bird's-eye view of your active cases, deadlines, upcoming events, and more.
- Accounting – Streamline your accounting efforts and comply with trust accounting guidelines.
Some law practice management software also offers separate features for client intake.
Why is Law Practice Management Software Important?
As legal professionals, you need all the resources and tools you can get to make your job easier.
According to the American Bar Association, about 52% of law firms stated that practice management software was available.
Here's how implementing law practice management software can help modern law firms streamline their success:
- Improved Organization – a law practice management system that allows you to organize your data. Your staff can easily share, recall, and access documents, files, contact details, and more from one place.
- Higher Productivity – take the busy, administrative work out of the equation. This will enable your attorneys, paralegals, and other staff members to do what matters.
- Accurate Billing – a core challenge of running a legal practice is tracking billable time. Practice management software can automate this task.
- Flexibility to Work on the Go – if your law practice management is cloud-based, your attorneys can work from anywhere.
- Happy Clients – client satisfaction is tied to how good of a job your attorneys do. A legal practice management platform can enable your team to bring their A-game daily.
Remember: The above benefits are possibilities, not guarantees. Success with a law practice management software boils down to how well a law firm implements it.
Our Top Picks for the Best Law Practice Management Software
Not all legal practice management systems are made the same, and it's not easy to pick one tool when there are so many options.
That being said, the following tools are quite popular in the legal industry and ones that we feel are worthy of consideration.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per user/month (or $39 per user/month billed annually)
Approved by more than 66 bar associations, Clio is designed for law firms of all sizes.
If you're considering running your law firm remotely, you should consider this cloud-based option.
Their practice management features are bundled into a separate product called “Clio Manage.” It offers:
- Contact management
- Legal calendar management
- Time tracking and billing via a client portal
- Online payment processing
- Accounting
- A separate mobile app for clients
Clio offers over 200 integrations (for programs like QuickBooks, NetDocuments, and Outlook) and a legal CRM and client intake tool called “Clio Grow,” making it a viable end-to-end solution.
Pricing: Undisclosed (they offer a core platform and 3 modules)
A cloud-based law practice management software, Filevine is suited for managing small and midsize firms. With more than 50,000 users, it's one of the most widely used tools in the market.
It's an end-to-end solution for legal practice management, offering tools for:
- Matter/Case management
- Document sharing and storage
- Contract management
- Lead intake (they claim that they've helped capture 616k leads in the last 12 months)
- Time tracking and billing
- Business Analytics
Filevine users also get access to their large community of legal professionals, allowing you to expand your network, get referrals, and grow your practice.
Pricing: Varies (they will calculate custom pricing based on your requirements)
If you're in the personal injury space, you may want to consider SmartAdvocate. It's an integrated case management solution with all the features of a powerful law practice management software.
Here are some features that make it worth your time:
- Workflow automation (automatic generation of text, emails, legal documents, etc.)
- Legal calendar
- Special case tracking feature
- A dedicated page for insurance policies for cases
- Detailed reporting
SmartAdvocate also offers marketing, client intake, and a service through which their team helps customize and implement SmartAdvocate's solutions in your personal injury law firm.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per user/month (or $39 per user/month billed annually)
PracticePanther is one of the most intuitive and secure software on this list.
PracticePanther's value prop is “get more done in less time.” From case management to a native ePayment solution, it has all the features you'd expect from a top-rated legal practice management solution.
The main thing that separates it from other platforms is its tight security: Their system is armed with 256-bit military-grade encryption, so you can rest assured that your client and firm data will always be in good hands.
Pricing: $85 per user/month plus an activation fee starting at $225 (for 1–3 users)
CASEpeer is another legal case management software solution tailored to personal injury attorneys.
If you fall within that category, and you're looking for a tool that's easy to implement, this is it.
Apart from basic features like case management, workflow automation, and document storage, CASEpeer offers:
- Settlement tools to manage demands and negotiations
- Litigation tracking
- High-volume client intake management
- Streamlined client communication
The software also offers trust accounting and basic bookkeeping but does not have billing and invoicing features.
Pricing: $59 per user/month (or $49 per user/month billed annually)
MyCase is a cloud-based law practice management system, making it another ideal option if your goal is to run your firm remotely.
The relatively unique thing about MyCase is its one-bill policy: By paying one fixed price, you get access to all features, including, but not limited to:
- Financial and case reporting
- Time and expense tracking
- Invoicing
- Trust Accounting
- Contact, document, and email management
MyCase offers custom web development services tailored to law firms and bank-grade security (using 128-bit SSL encryption) to protect your firm's data.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per user/month billed annuallyActionstep is a highly configurable, all-in-one legal practice management software.
This flexible tool is capable of scaling with your law firm. With Actionstep, legal firms can manage everything – including front and back office tasks – in one place.
Here are some features worth highlighting:
- A conflict-checking feature
- Workflow automation
- Web form builder for client intake
- Secure client portal
- Outlook integration
Actionstep integrates seamlessly with your existing legal tech stack, including popular tools like LawPay, Xero, and QuickBooks.
Pricing: Undisclosed (speak to their sales team to get a custom quote)
Legal Files is a case/matter management software suited for government agencies, law firms, clinics, universities, and corporations.
Their law firm case management software offers all the good stuff, including:
- Contact management
- Case document management and assembly
- Pleadings index reports
- Team/Task management tools
- Docketing
And that's just scratching the surface.
Legal Files offers over 90 templates for standard reporting, a mobile app for on-the-go staff members, and automated timekeeping features.
Pricing: Starts at $39 per user/month (or $34 per user/month billed annually)
Lawcus is made for law firms of all sizes and is an all-in-one law practice and client management solution known for its superior legal workflow automation capabilities.
It allows you to configure rule-based triggers to automate specific repetitive tasks and boost firm productivity.
In addition, you can:
- Manage all of your cases in one place
- Create insightful reports and powerful dashboards
- Build client intake forms
- Do trust accounting and accept online payments
- Manage your legal calendar
Lawcus has everything you'd expect from a competitive tool at fair pricing.
Pricing: Starts at $24 per user/month (or $19 per user/month billed annually)
App4Legal offers solutions suitable for law firms and in-house legal counsels.
Their platform is offered as both a cloud-based and on-premise/self-hosted solution.
Their two main products include:
- App4Legal Core – a comprehensive law firm management software. Key features include case/matter management, time tracking, financial management, and IP tracking.
- Contract Management – a separate solution for managing the contracts of your law firm.
App4Legal also offers additional modules, powerful add-ons, and support services.
Pricing: Starts at $40 per user/month (or $30 per user/month billed annually)
If you're looking for a robust case management platform, CaseFleet is a good candidate.
CaseFleet is packed with features designed to enable lawyers to be in complete control of their cases.
Some of their suite of features include:
- Case chronology building tool
- Full-text search feature
- Native audio and video review tool (with automatic transcriptions)
- Deposition transcript reviewing and management tool
- Case outlining
CaseFleet also offers tools for task management and case reporting.
It doesn't have some basic LPMS features like online payment processing and basic bookkeeping. Consequently, if you opt for it, you'll need to use some third-party tools, such as LawPay and QuickBooks.
Pricing: Varies (they create a custom pricing based on your requirements)
MerusCase is highly customizable and suited for legal firms of all sizes.
With configurable solutions, this tool can grow with your law firm.
Apart from the usual features (such as time tracking, task management, and reporting) the product also offers:
- Batch scanning (organizes documents of your cases for you)
- Predictive searching to help you find documents and files quicker
- Auto-population of court forms and documents
- Tiered calendaring system
MerusCase provides bank-grade security. They claim that their protocols exceed HIPAA compliance standards. Furthermore, if you migrate from another tool to MerusCase, they offer a white-glove onboarding experience to make the transition smoother.
Pricing: Varies (contact their sales team to get a custom quote)
Smokeball is an end-to-end legal practice management solution primarily known for its legal billing software. It's perfect for firms struggling to improve staff productivity and automate some of the administrative and clerical work.
Smokeball categorizes its solutions into:
- Productivity – improve firm productivity with features like automated time tracking, document automation/management, electronic signatures, and more.
- Profitability – empower growth with powerful reporting, leads management, and legal billing.
- Organization – improve how you work with workflow optimization, legal calendaring, a library of automated legal forms, and more.
We recommend this for small law firms with a basic tech stack.
Pricing: Starts at $40 per user/month
Firm Central is a powerful online law firm software by Thomas Reuters.
However, it's only recommended for existing users of Westlaw – a legal research tool and database for attorneys. That's because most of its basic functionality relies heavily on Westlaw and other Thomson Reuters products.
Its key features include matter management, trust, firm accounting, time tracking, and legal billing.
Pricing: Starts at $59 per user/month
Centerbase is a powerful LPMS tailored to midsize law firms.
It's a popular, all-in-one law firm practice management tool.
Its vast list of features includes:
- Document management
- Matter management
- Timekeeping
- Accounting
- Text messaging for clients
Their basic plan requires their customers to have at least five users. If you don't think you'll need at least five staff to use it, you're better off with a different tool.
Pricing: Starts at $69 per user/month (or $59 per user/month billed annually)
Zola Suite is another end-to-end law office management software.
It's recommended for firms that want a comprehensive, cloud-based solution that provides seamless remote access.
Here are some features that make it unique:
- Settlement management tools
- Built-in email management
- Client relationships management tool
- Configurable calendaring
- Business Accounting
Zola Suite also has a mobile app available for Android and iOS.
However, considering its higher price tag, Zola Suite might not be the best option for solo practitioners and small firms on limited budgets.
Pricing: Starts at $35 per user/month
Next on the list is Rocket Matter – a decent choice in law practice management software for small firms and solo practitioners.
Made with productivity in mind, the Rocket Matter is packed with features to improve your workflows, automate busy work, and get more meaningful things done.
It includes most standard LPMS tools and special features like Kanban boards, batch billing, and bulk editing.
Pricing: Varies (you can use the pricing calculator on their website to get an estimate)
Used by thousands of legal professionals, Tabs3 is perfect for small and midsize firms.
This powerful legal firm management software offers:
- Billing management
- Powerful dashboards and reporting
- Conflict of interest checking
- Matter management
- Business and trust accounting
It also accepts credit card payments, a mobile app, and data backup and recovery (available in the Platinum Edition).
Pricing: Undisclosed (contact their sales reps to get a quote)
AbacusLaw is a full-service lawyer management software.
One thing that sets this tool apart is that it can be offered via a private, fully managed cloud (a self-hosted, on-premise solution is also available).
AbacusLaw is packed with the best-in-class features that can help put your law firm on autopilot. Some examples include:
- Case chronology and status tracking
- Built-in accounting system capabilities
- Automated generation of settlement statements
- Seamless payment processing with “APX” (Abacus Payment Exchange)
AbacusLaw is highly customizable and can easily be configured to fit almost any type of requirement.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per user/month (or $39 per user/month billed annually)
We'll wrap this list up with SimpleLaw – a powerful attorney case management software.
Apart from task management, online payments, and time tracking, here are some SimpleLaw features that caught our attention:
- On-demand paralegal support
- Conflict checking tool
- Flexible billing support
What's more, SimpleLaw also offers an online directory of lawyers. Attorneys can sign up and create their profiles for free to attract more prospective clients.
How to Choose the Right Law Practice Management Software
With so many options, it's natural to feel overwhelmed when hunting for a suitable LPMS. After all, your firm's precious time and money is on the line.
However, you'll find the perfect law practice management software by considering only a few things.
Here's what you should do:
1. Define Your Requirements
Before anything else, you need to evaluate the specific requirements of your law firm. Not all law practice management platforms are made the same or designed for the same kind of firm.
Your goal is to end up with a shortlist of tools with all the features you need and omit the ones that lack key characteristics — or what we like to call deal breakers.
2. Think About Integrations
Whether you have an existing tech stack or are just starting, integrations with other essential legal tools should be a deciding factor.
Some tools integrate seamlessly with other third-party software, whereas others don't offer much compatibility. To prevent issues, opt for a solution that provides a lot of integrations, as it's more likely to be future-proof.
3. Check Pricing
Legal practice management software varies significantly in terms of pricing.
To further narrow down your options, set a monthly/annual budget.
Some of these tools have more restricted pricing plans than others. Take your time to compare those plans and think about the overall value being offered.
Ask yourself if it's worth paying X dollars more and selecting option A over option B.
4. Request Demos
Use all of the variables above to shortlist options and ease your research.
Start contacting their sales teams when you're left with only a handful of tools left on your list of considerations.
Have your legal team members test them out, get their feedback, and make the decision.
Bonus Tip: Find attorneys who use it, reach out to them on LinkedIn, and ask if they or one of their staff would be willing to hop on a call with you sometime to talk about their experience and how they use it.
Ending Note
Armed with powerful law practice management software, you can empower your staff to take your law firm to new heights.
Remember: There's no one best law practice management software.
Do your research and due diligence to find a tool made just for your requirements.
