The many benefits of practice management software make it indispensable for any law firm wanting to run a more efficient and productive business.

The best law practice management software can:

• Manage your case and client records
• Coordinate billing and bookkeeping
• Maintain schedules and set appointments
• Remind you about deadlines
• Facilitate compliance requirements

But with so many different packages on the market, which one suits your needs best?

We’ve done the legwork for you on the best ones, including a run-down of their strengths and weaknesses.

The following are the 13 best law firm practice management software packages.

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Clio

www.clio.com

One of the best known and most widely used practice management packages. Clio Manage is cloud-based and used by over 150,000 lawyers.

• Pricing: $39-$109/month/user.
• Free trial available? Yes – 7 days.
• Pros: Affordable. Accessible from anywhere on any device via web browser or iOS/Android apps. Easy to use and no installation required. Integrates with most third-party apps. Strong on case management, client intake/management/communication, calendaring, billing and invoicing, security, and document storage.
• Cons: Inability to create and send emails directly from the software could be added and some integration issues (e.g. with Dropbox and Google Drive).
• Best for: Small to medium-size law firms looking for an established name in the market.

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Lawcus

www.lawcus.com

Established in 2014, Lawcus provides a ‘kanban board’ style of management, with simple-to-use drag and drop features.

• Pricing: $39-$49/month/user (price on application for enterprise).
• Free trial available? Yes – 30 days.
• Pros: Fast, easy-to-use boards or lists on a secure, Amazon cloud-based platform. Strong on legal practice management, client relationship management, client intake matters, legal document templates and time & expense tracking. Streamlines, automates, and makes collaborating on projects/cases easier. Customized reporting available. Good integration with all the major apps. Good customer support and a generous 30-day trial.
• Cons: No contract management feature. No facility to import/export data into a .csv file. Calendar integration could be improved.
• Best for: Solo and small legal firms (1-20 lawyers).

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Serve Manager

www.servemanager.com/pages/law-firms

For process servers, this is the most established and widely used software package – particularly in the US and Canada. It has extremely good reviews from users.

• Pricing: From $39/month/user – but depends on monthly job volume.
• Free trial available? Yes – 14 days.
• Pros: Although ServeManager is built for process serving firms, it offers a full feature set for law firms. As well as managing serves, it is strong on affidavit generation, calendar and document management, billing, payments to servers, and client management. User-friendly, highly secure, and cloud-based – access from anywhere. Can log serves right from the field with GPS co-ordinates and allows firms to collaborate with clients and contractors on jobs.
• Cons: No in-built email client, trust accounting or contract management features.
• Best for: Small to medium-size process server firms.

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Practice Panther

www.practicepanther.com

Another of the most popular, best reviewed and affordable packages on the market, established in 2012 and used in over 170 countries.

• Pricing: From $39-$89/month/user.
• Free trial available? Yes – 7 days with 50% off for the first three months.
• Pros: Easy-to use dashboard that helps automate many functions in the business. App available that helps you access info from anywhere on any device. Strong on billing (syncs with QuickBooks) and tracking account balances, contact management and messaging, document storage, and task setting. Enterprise-level security, customer service, and support. Integrates with many apps.
• Cons: No in-built email client. Larger firms may want a slightly more sophisticated solution.
• Best for: Most small to medium-sized firms looking for a market leader.

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Simple Law

www.simplelaw.com

SimpleLaw is a law practice management software with a difference in that it was built by attorneys. It’s cloud-based and features a network of clients and attorneys and includes on-demand, vetted paralegal support.

• Pricing: From $39-49/month/attorney depending on how you pay (but if you don’t use it in any given month, you don’t pay).
• Free trial available? Yes – one month for attorneys.
• Pros: Can help attorneys attract new clients as well as look after case and matter management. User-friendly with no security concerns as it doesn’t store any documents. No integration issues. Strong on legal document management – with storage options, viewing rights and document organization easily managed. Has an in-built referral network and private client portal. Flexible pricing structure where you only pay if you use it. Generous free trial.
• Cons: Limited features compared to other practice management software: No email client, task management features, document assembly, bookkeeping or trust accounting.
• Best for: Small/solo law firms that can take advantage of the paralegal support.

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Cosmo Lex

www.cosmolex.com

CosmoLex is an all-under-one-roof solution established in 2013. It bills itself as the complete software for small to medium-sized law practices.

• Pricing: From $59/month/user.
• Free trial available? Yes – 14 days.
• Pros: Fast, user-friendly and covers all aspects of running a legal practice, including accounting and billing (even allows credit card processing). Negates the need for separate accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero and your accountant/bookkeeper can log in for free. Free 1:1 training provided. Data migration assistance provided. Document assembly features and unlimited document storage.
• Cons: Slightly higher starting price-point than other packages on the market but it does more than many of them. No email client.
• Best for: Small practices looking for an all-in-one practice management/accounting solution

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MyCase

www.mycase.com

MyCase focuses on helping practices manage their cases (one of the most time-consuming elements of running a law firm) but does a lot more besides. Used by thousands of law firms.

• Pricing: From $39/month/user
• Free trial available? Yes
• Pros: Secure, cloud-based solution. Excellent on the legal case management side of the business. As well as streamlining many client management processes, it provides a decent set of features for time and expense tracking, invoicing and trust accounting, document management, task delegation, calendaring, and performance reporting. Real-time activity feed for collaboration between small teams. Mobile apps make it accessible from anywhere.
• Cons: Not clear on how long the free trial is. No email client, conflict checking, or full accounting features. Some integration issues with third-party apps.
• Best for: Small to medium practices (under 15 lawyers) that want a little more than just case management but not a full accounting system.

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Merus Case

meruscase.com

MerusCase is a full-featured but affordable, cloud-based legal practice management solution used widely by medium-sized firms but capable of enterprise functionality. Originally built for workers’ compensation firms.

• Pricing: $49/month/user.
• Free trial available? No – demo provided.
• Pros: Full-feature solution with time tracking and billing, document management and workflow automation. Strong on task templates and workflows, document automation, time tracking, billing, calendaring, email, and case management. Includes a secure client portal. Assistance with importing data provided.
• Cons: No online payment processing feature. No mobile apps for iOS or Android – though it’s web app is sophisticated. Not the fastest solution around. No free trial offered.
• Best for: Medium-sized practices of 15-50 lawyers.

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Bill 4 Time

www.bill4time.com

Bill 4 Time is another of the more established packages. It was not designed specifically for the legal profession but its functionality makes it very well suited to law firms – and thousands of lawyers use it.

• Pricing: $27/month/user for just time & billing; $45 for legal pro version ($80 for enterprise).
• Free trial available? Yes – 14 days.
• Pros: Includes well-developed tools for case management, task management, document management and trust accounting. Strong also on time tracking and billing, with customizable invoices, batch invoices, online payments and online/offline time tracking. Easy integration with popular apps. Highly affordable. Mobile access. Established in 2006 so has been on the market a long time and has proven reliability.
• Cons: Not law firm-specific (but many of the tools fit very well with law firms). No recurring subscriptions or mobile payment facility. Contract and email management features absent.
• Best for: Solo and small practices looking for a simple practice management and billing solution.

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Rocket Matter

www.rocketmatter.com

• Cloud-based legal practice management software focused on productivity, with time and billing features included.
• Pricing: $55/month/user (one-on-one training is charged extra).
• Free trial available? Yes – 7 days.
• Pros: iOS and Android apps available. As well as client and case management features, it has strong billable and non-billable time capture features, customizable invoicing and reminder statement features, trust accounting, as well as document management and calendaring. Also includes email integration and chat functionality. Bank-grade security like most of the cloud-based packages featured here.
• Cons: Have to pay for one-on-one training. Integrates with some of the most popular apps but otherwise rather limited in this respect. Users report some mobile app usability issues and printing/ speed issues.
• Best for: Solo and small practices.

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Action Step

www.actionstep.com

Actionstep is cloud-based legal practice management software. It is touted as an end-to-end solution, with matter management, business administration automation and billing/accounting.

• Pricing: $60/month/user.
• Free trial available? Yes – 14 days.
• Pros: Easy-to-learn solution with strong front-of-house and back-of-house feature set. Well-developed tools for document management, customizing workflows and accounting. The accounting tools are sophisticated enough to replace existing accounting software. Email client included and scratch pad for making notes. Excellent search functionality. Good customer service and support can assist with data migration.
• Cons: Slightly higher starting price-point than some of the other solutions offered – but it does a lot.
• Best for: Growing law firms with 1-50 users.

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CASEpeer

www.casepeer.com

This flexible, cloud-based practice management solution is one of the rising stars on the market and is designed for firms specializing in personal injury.

• Pricing: $55-85/user/month.
• Free trial available? No – but a free demo and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Pros: Especially strong on case management features from intake to settlement. Easy-to-use and to communicate with clients (text messaging facility). Includes letter and form templates, calendaring, and reporting based on KPIs. Good features for collaborating between staff, lawyers and paralegal. Also includes lead tracking tools to help grow the practice. Free unlimited training and support. Android and iOS apps available.
• Cons: Includes basic bookkeeping functionality but not full accounting/billing/invoicing/online payments. A relatively new player so still being developed.
• Best for: Small firms that specialize in personal injury and are looking to grow.

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TIME SOLV

www.timesolv.com

Originally designed to help service-based professionals track and bill their time two decades ago, this solution has lasted the distance.

• Pricing: From $31.46/user/month – per user rate is reduced for 5 users or more.
• Free trial available? Yes – 30 days.
• Pros: Does what it says on the tin! Makes time, expense tracking, and billing easier and more transparent – with six options for defining hourly rates. Unlimited clients and matters and unlimited document storage. Trust accounting features included. Syncs with QuickBooks and integrates with other apps. Simple-to-use interface. Free training and support plus account manager. Old Timeslips data can easily be placed into TimeSolv for a one-off fee of $850. Mobile apps available.
• Cons: Not originally designed specifically for legal practices.
• Best for: Small firms currently using Timeslips and looking for a more sophisticated system.

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Shape Legal

setshape.com/legal

Shape Legal is a powerful all-in-one software that combines client and case management with sales and marketing automation to streamline, organize, and grow your law firm.

• Pricing: $79/mo, no annual contracts, no mandatory setup fee
• Free trial available? Yes, 14 days.
  
• Pros: End-to-end client and case management. Includes online documents, client portal, mobile app, invoicing, marketing and sales automation, SMS, dozens of 3rd party integrations, workflow automation, assign tasks to support staff, reporting, e-signature, custom configurations available.
  
• Cons: Not ideal for small or solo law firms who do not have workflows in place, not offered outside North America
• Best for: Medium-Large law firms, lead-heavy firms, firms with multiple support staff, Firms looking for an all-in-one platform

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The Legal Assistant

www.thelegalassistant.com/

The Legal Assistant was designed by attorneys, for attorneys.

The workflow is different from all other practice management software as it takes how the firm practices law and streamlines many everyday aspects. When the phone rings and you hear the name of the caller, you can click a button to see details of who’s calling and all history on past cases so your staff can immediately relate to the client. Incoming mail, incoming email is all attached to related cases giving everyone involved an instant and up-to-date view of any matter.

The Legal Assistant is true to it’s motto, From Legal Minds, For Legal Firms.

• Pricing: $49-$63/module/month/user with heavy discounting for multiple modules, users and annual subscriptions.
• Free trial available? Yes – 7 days.
• Pros: On-Premise OR Cloud. Affordable. Accessible from anywhere on any device via web browser. Mac Friendly. Easy to use and no installation required with Cloud installations. Strong on case management, client intake/management/communication, calendaring, search, billing and invoicing, security, and document storage.
• Cons: No integration with third-party accounting software (yet).
• Best for: Solo attorneys and small to medium-size law firms looking to cost-effectively improve their firms case throughput, client relations and find the best return on investment.

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Lift your practice to new heights

Many lawyers struggle with the business side of running a law firm. It’s not taught in law school.

Let the technology help with that side of things.

But there’s a LOT of law firm practice management software on the market and selecting the best is not easy.

Whether you’re looking to switch or automate your practice management for the first time, take your time to get it right. Research and use free trials and demos – and get your practice running more smoothly, efficiently, and productively.