Choosing the Right Legal Tech Software

If you're looking for legal technology software to help your law firm, this blog post is for you! We will review the two legal tech software programs we use and help you make the best decision for your business. Choose the right software to help your business run more efficiently and get ahead of the competition.

There are literally thousands of legal tech software out there. With so many legal software programs on the market, it can take time to determine the best fit for you and your law firm.

At our firm, we use legal tech daily and can tell you which software will give you the most benefits for your investment. Additionally, compliance is a top priority in the legal industry. Good legal software can help you save time and be more accurate in your records.

I am often asked, "do I really NEED the software"?  Yes, even the smallest firm will benefit from the software.

Top questions to determine the RIGHT software for your firm

•  Do you have Trust Accounting?
•  How large is your firm? How many partners? How many employees?
•  What is your practice area?
•  Do you need practice management software?
•  Are you looking for an all-in-one?
•  Do you need billing software?
•  Do you need software that provides reports that deep dive into client metrics and attorney performance metrics?
•  Do you have a three-way reconciliation performed monthly?

The answers to these questions will help us determine the best software. We have researched what works best with QuickBooks Online Advanced, our preferred accounting platform, and what works best for a smaller firm instead of a more prominent or mid-market law firm. The software choices are different.

Small law firm: Solo or solo+1

This is where we would refer you to the Clio software or the all-in-one software called MyCase. Both are fantastic for the smaller firm that wants one place to grab its data. Clio is a one-stop shop with baked-in practice management software. Your documents stay housed within the platform. There are some pretty sweet dashboards, and you can follow the entire customer journey inside the software.

With MyCase all-in-one, you don’t need accounting software as it is included with the software. This is a new product offering, but the company is working hard to make it the best-in-breed software for an all-in-one. MyCase also has some great integrations too.

Each software is connected to your local bar association, and you can get a 10% discount on them by using a code. Be sure to ask about these discounts when signing up.

Larger, Multi-partner firms: Mid-market and Up

When you deal with a more prominent firm with multiple partners and staff, hands-down, LeanLaw is the king of legal tech software. Not only has his product been around for a while, but the folks at LeanLaw are also invested in making it the best software for this market. The connection with QuickBooks is strong with the versatility of adding customization with custom fields.

You can set up your firm to have a responsible attorney and originating attorney. Each person, from Timekeeper to an attorney, to a partner, has their own customized login. This provides you with a lot of customization. There is incredible reporting on compensation and integration with distributions. I have yet to find software with reporting built into the platform.  Most require you to go to an outside company for an extra fee to get this metric reporting.

As an accountant or bookkeeper, you might find that as you look at the overall client needs, they may tell you that they have a small budget and can’t really afford legal tech software. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

But by far, the fact that LeanLaw has a two-way sync with QuickBooks saves you time.  If you change a transaction in QuickBooks for any reason, it updates in LeanLaw.  It does NOT throw a duplicate entry.  That is what you see with a program with a one-way sync.

“Have you heard the term penny wise and pound foolish?”

In the video, I demonstrate how painful it is to do this just in QuickBooks online without the software. Also, in the video, I will show you how simple it is to track your trusting accounts receivable using QuickBooks and Lean Law. The same is true for Clio and MyCase software.

It's no secret that choosing the right legal tech software for your business can be a daunting task. There are many options, and it can take time to determine which software best suits your needs. We hope this article has helped you narrow down your decision and choose a program to help you manage your practice effectively.

Do you need help selecting your legal tech?  Reach out! We have what I think is the BEST workflow and app stack.  We are more than happy to share! 

Call us!  239-848-0001