Legal Case Management Software

What is Legal Case Management Software?

Legal case management software provides a way to manage the resources, tasks, processes, and operations of law firms on a single platform. These products provide ways to streamline workflows, organize data, collect and manage payments, and communicate with clients. Many products offer general support for a legal firm, but some products may be better geared toward firms that focus on specific or specialized client bases. A software’s included document templates, client records solution, and trust account management tools will help you determine if the product is right for you.

Many legal case management software options are available as part of larger software packages, but some vendors sell case management solutions as a single feature. Purchasing case management software on its own can help reduce operating costs for your firm by forgoing unneeded services. Additionally, standalone case management software will offer more control over cases, such as checking for time and date conflicts and making more individualized notes. Large firms or firms with specialized focuses like government or nonprofit work may see the most use of these intricate features.

Similar types of software include law practice management software which offers case management support alongside general support for day-to-day functions of a law firm. Law practice management software tends to focus more on client experience and user interface. Legal billing software provides solutions tailored to the billing aspects of case management, which may make them a favorable alternative if firms are only looking for accounting solutions.

Legal Case Management Features

Most legal case management products will include the following features:

• Matter management
• Billing & accounting
• Tiered subscription pricing
• Document drafting, organization, and generation
• E-mail management client
• Text messaging services
• Calendar management
• Client portals
• Two-factor authentication for clients and users.
• Data backup and migration services
• Integration with other services and suites (Google, Office, etc.)
• Cloud-based platforming

Legal Case Management Comparison

When you’re looking for the best legal case management software for your firm, there are several factors that need to be considered.

• Firm type. You’ll need to consider your firm’s focus and offerings. Most products will work well for general operation, but if you’re a firm that handles specific types of legal matters - immigration, personal injury, trust accounts, bankruptcy, government, etc.- you may find that some software packages are better suited for your work. For example, CasePeer is designed around assisting personal injury lawyers, whereas CoCounslor is best suited for plaintiff lawyers.
• Firm size. The size of your firm is another important factor. Whether you are a solo practitioner, a small firm, or a corporate entity, the number of employees using these products will determine their overall fit within your organization. Most services charge a monthly subscription per user, so larger firms will want to consider software offerings carefully. For solo practitioners and small firms, Smokeball offers a wide range of support options for a firm of your size.
• Billing and accounting. You will also want to consider if (and how) you want your software to manage billing and accounting. If your firm charges by the hour, you will want to find a product that offers an integrated time-keeping service. You may also want to see if the software offers to handle online payments, and how they offer to do so - through client portals, PayPal, or third-party websites, for example.
• Member Benefits. Some products offer discounts for members of partnered associations. Clio in particular offers a reduced price for members of the Florida Bar. You may want to speak with each vendor to see if they have similar discounts.
• Business location. You will need to consider where your firm is geographically based. Depending on the software package, the availability of some features (namely, document templates) may be dependent on state or district policy.

Pricing Information

Legal case management software generally use tier-based subscription pricing models. Prices can depend on whether you are purchasing features on their own (where offered) or if you are purchasing a whole suite. Additionally, prices can differ depending on the number of software users and sometimes vary based on how many cases you are managing with the software. Most subscriptions also offer a lower per-month cost if you purchase a year-long subscription outright.

Generally speaking, you can expect to pay between $39.99 and $89.00 per user per month. Most vendors will offer a free trial or demo.