www.lawmatics.com

Lawmatics is the #1 Attorney-Client Relationship Management Platform, offering an end-to-end solution that provides law firms with client intake, CRM, and marketing automation, fully customizable campaigns, and powerful industry-specific app integrations. With Lawmatics, law firms win more business, impress clients, and are more efficient.

MAIN CLAIM:

The only complete, end-to-end CRM, Intake, and Marketing Automation platform designed specifically for law firms.

MAIN PROS: 

• Modern and intuitive user experience
• Fully automate the intake process while maintaining a personal touch
• Instant client engagement to increase your responsiveness
• Robust online form builder capable of handling the most complex intakes
• Custom reminders to eliminate phone and email tag
• Intelligently gather client info with custom forms
• Built-in scheduling tool
• File request and storage
• Document assembly and e-signature
• Two-way text communication
• Email marketing suite
• Advanced data & analytics
• Source reporting to track marketing campaigns
• Open API to connect third-party platforms with ease

MAIN CONS: 

• Lack of GDPR compliance
• No direct integration with document management solutions

www.clio.com/grow/

Clio Grow is the legal industry’s leading Client Relationship Management (CRM) and intake software, offering an all-in-one solution that allows law firms to attract, intake, and retain more clients. As part of the Clio suite, it provides end-to-end automation for the client journey, from initial inquiry to a signed retainer, and syncs seamlessly with Clio Manage for case management. With Clio Grow, law firms increase their revenue, deliver a client-centered experience, and scale their business with ease.

MAIN CLAIM: The most intuitive, client-centered legal CRM and intake software designed to help law firms organize their pipeline and grow more profitably.

MAIN PROS:

• Seamless “Out-of-the-Box” User Experience: An intuitive interface that requires minimal setup compared to complex legacy CRMs.
• Legal Workflow Automation: Standardize and automate tedious intake tasks to ensure no lead falls through the cracks.
• Clio Scheduler: Integrated appointment booking that syncs with your calendar and allows for instant consultation payments.
• Custom Online Intake Forms: Easy-to-build, mobile-friendly forms that automatically populate your CRM and eliminate manual data entry.
• Automated Appointment Reminders: Reduce no-shows with automated email and text alerts for consultations and meetings.
• Visual Matter Pipeline: A drag-and-drop dashboard to track the status of every lead and potential case at a glance.
• Document Automation & E-Signatures: Generate retainer agreements instantly and send them for secure electronic signature.
• Two-Way Text Communication: Connect with leads via SMS to send intake forms, reminders, and quick updates.
• Targeted Email Marketing: Run personalized email campaigns to nurture prospects and re-engage former clients.
• Matter Value & Source Reporting: Identify high-value cases and your most profitable referral sources with robust analytics.
• One-Click Sync to Clio Manage: Seamlessly transition retained clients and their data into your practice management system.
• 250+ Industry Integrations: Connect with tools like Google Workspace, Outlook, and Mailchimp through an expansive partner ecosystem.

MAIN CONS:

• Limited Complex Logic: Does not offer the same level of deep “if/then” conditional branching as more technical platforms like Lawmatics.
• Separate Subscription: Full end-to-end functionality (Intake + Case Management) requires a subscription to the Clio Suite or both individual products.

www.lawruler.com

As you might guess from the name, this one is designed specifically for law firms too. In fact, it was the first of its kind – released in 2012 to help firms handling hundreds and thousands of monthly inquiries from the BP oil spill. Since then, it’s evolved into a CRM and client intake solution.

MAIN CLAIM:

Proven to increase revenue by 20%+.

MAIN PROS:

• Automates much of the lead nurturing and conversion process
• Includes text messaging, email marketing, click-to-call dialer, text e-sign, and phone call tracking
• Simplifies client sign up and includes referral management
• Integrates with most major case management software
• Redesigned and upgraded user interface with the release of Law Ruler 2.0
• Easy to learn and use
• Manageable costs for smaller firms
• Great customer service

MAIN CONS:

• No Gmail integration, Microsoft Outlook 2-Way sync only
• Customization may require an added fee to complete all integrations
• Only available in the US and Canada

www.hubspot.com

You may know the HubSpot blog service. But are you familiar with the CRM side of the business? HubSpot is actually a popular CRM worldwide since its release in 2014, largely because it provides decent functionality for free. Over 50,000 businesses use the HubSpot CRM.

MAIN CLAIM:

HubSpot CRM is everything you need to organize, track, and nurture your leads and customers.

MAIN PROS:

• 100% free version (and they say “forever”) for an unlimited amount of users
• No limits to customization
• Support from a thriving community of users
• Includes marketing, sales, and service hubs all connected together (same database)
• Can be integrated with other CRMs in paid versions
• Easy point of entry for law firms that have never used a CRM

MAIN CONS:

• No law firm-specific functionality
• Designed more for smaller firms than larger ones
• Firms with complicated sales processes may find it difficult to customize to their needs as it has limited flexibility
• Need to pay a monthly fee ($50/user/month) to access premium tools like Meetings, Sequences, and Prospects

www.interaction.com

Almost a third of all law firms using a CRM use this one. This percentage used to be greater but more competition in the CRM market has shaved its market share.

MAIN CLAIM:

An innovative CRM solution that helps you turn relationship insights into real results.

MAIN PROS:

• Specifically designed for law firms
• Well-established in the market
• Collects and aggregates a firm’s client and prospect data in one place
• Includes business development software
• Synchronizes with Outlook contacts and other systems
• Feature-heavy but quite easy to use

MAIN CONS:

• Designed more for mid-size and larger law firms rather than smaller firms
• May need IT assistance to maintain it and train people to use it
• Different user interfaces can be confusing
• Potentially expensive

www.zoho.com/crm/

The Zoho CRM, despite not being specifically designed for law practices, is flexible enough that it’s worth considering for most firms.

MAIN CLAIM:

Sales CRM software that helps you sell smarter, better, faster.

MAIN PROS:

• It’s free up to three users – flexible pricing plans beyond
• Good sales automation, lead management and account management features
• Can work well for small firms as well as larger firms
• Good mobile apps and integration with other apps
• Considered easy to use
• Regular and automatic updates

MAIN CONS:

• Not law firm-specific
• Bugs can be a problem
• Tech support gets patchy reviews

www.salesforce.com

Salesforce is an established market leader. In fact, it virtually invented cloud-based CRMs and remains among the most popular solutions in the world for medium-sized and larger enterprises. Considered relatively high-end, it may be overkill for smaller law firms.

MAIN CLAIM:

Discover new ways to manage customer relationships.

MAIN PROS:

• Excellent features designed traditionally for larger businesses
• Out-of-the box functionality for contact management for sales, marketing and customer support
• Excellent for expanding your client database and promoting client relationships
• Easily customizable using wizards – surveys, billing, project management, and other features can be added
• Good support resources from Salesforce and its community

MAIN CONS:

• Expensive for smaller firms (though lighter plans for small business are now available)
• Not law-firm-specific
• Some ease-of-use issues for non-tech-savvy lawyers
• Reporting may be a little complex for some users

www.onepagecrm.com

One Page CRM is a small business solution for nurturing and converting leads, and managing customer relationships. It is heavily sales-focused, as you can see from the main claim.

MAIN CLAIM:

You and your sales team can convert leads to customers, reach targets and grow your business.

MAIN PROS:

• Easy to use and track customers/prospects
• Intuitive interface that prompts actions
• In-built dialling and emailing features
• Good flexibility and speed
• Fast customer support
• Mobile app available
• Affordable for smaller firms

MAIN CONS:

• Some customizability issues
• Lack of integration options, according to some users
• Could have better search functionality
• Each user adds costs
• Not law firm-specific

www.copper.com

This CRM was formerly known as ProsperWorks. It is a cloud-based tool that provides a complete view of customers and automates much of the legwork required in building relationships.

MAIN CLAIM:

The CRM that works for you. So you can spend time on lasting relationships instead of data entry.

MAIN PROS:

• Excellent integration with all of the G-Suite products as well as Slack, Dropbox etc.
• Good usability for Google apps users
• Includes email integration, lead tracking, and sales activity tracking
• A pleasing user interface that’s easy to use
• Does all of the basics well
• A ‘light’ program without the whistles and bells slowing it down

MAIN CONS:

• Not law firm-specific
• Some users consider it expensive for its level of functionality
• Some billing issues
• Reporting could be improved

www.sugarcrm.com

SugarCRM is a popular solution that started as open source software. It bills itself as highly customizable and for people who like to do things a little differently. Start-ups may be attracted to it.

MAIN CLAIM:

The world’s most customizable CRM solution. For mavericks challenging the status quo.

MAIN PROS:

• High quality, user-friendly interface
• Highly customizable through the web interface
• Decent reporting function
• Cost-effective compared to other enterprise solutions
• Scalable by adding new modules and new users
• On-premise and cloud-based versions available
• Works on mobile devices without an app
• Good online support

MAIN CONS:

• Not law firm-specific
• A few speed issues – some users call it ‘clunky’
• Steep learning curve
• Some customizations require a developer

www.insightly.com

Insightly is another popular CRM with small businesses but not specifically with law firms. It is quite heavily focused on new business and an enterprise level version is also available.

MAIN CLAIM:

CRM for lifelong customer relationships. Grow revenues more than 20% annually.

MAIN PROS:

• Easy integration with Google apps, Gmail, Office and Mailchimp
• Pleasing and simple user interface
• Includes features for task/pipeline/contact management
• Good mobile platform for Android & iOS
• Very scalable – add functionality as you grow
• Easy to create custom reports
• Good tech support
• Affordable for small firms

MAIN CONS:

• Not law firm-specific
• Mobile app needs improvements
• Some data backup issues

www.vtiger.com

Vtiger is a customizable cloud-based CRM used by 300,000 businesses around the world. There are additions for different industries: in addition to the legal profession, add-ons exist for education, healthcare, manufacturing, etc.

MAIN CLAIM:

The easy to use and customizable CRM for your marketing, sales, and customer service teams.

MAIN PROS:

• Well-developed sales & marketing tools for creating and tracking campaigns
• Powerful automation options
• Customer relationship features to improve service
• Excellent support staff
• Decent speed and user interface
• Good flexibility
• Good mobile access with app
• Very reasonable pricing for most smaller firms

MAIN CONS:

• Not as many features as the more expensive options
• Moderate learning curve – not as easy as some to use
• Search function has room for improvement

www.onsitecrm.com

OnSite CRM is another cloud-based solution. Less well-known than most of the other solutions featured here, it offers good marketing and sales options as well as a relationship/case management platform.

MAIN CLAIM:

A lead management solution designed to automate your sales process, provide greater insight into your business, and propel success with AI tools.

MAIN PROS:

• Email and SMS marketing tools included
• Well-developed lead tracking, conversion and sales automation tools
• Customizable set of features
• Document and case management system included – court dates, filing dates, etc.
• Detailed reporting
• Easy to learn and use
• Good integration options with Quickbooks, MailChimp, Google, etc.
• Works across all major devices

MAIN CONS

• Not as well reviewed as other CRMs – more difficult to find unbiased information on it (nobody seemed to have anything bad to say about it

Which CRM suits your firm the best?

If you’re not currently using a CRM at all – or using one that’s neither making your life easier nor helping you win new clients – a change is needed.

The above should give you the ammunition required to make the right decision.

Of course, if you’re currently using one of the above 13 programs (or are using one I haven’t mentioned) and you have comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear them…