Types of Legal Software

When it comes to legal practice management software, there are only two main types of solutions. You have on-premise software and cloud-based solutions—the latter of which has become a popular trend in today’s IT service environment.

On-premise software is the more conventional platform that law firms and legal businesses used to have. This type of software has its pros and cons. For one, it allows law firms to manage and store sensitive legal documents in-house. However, maintaining the platform can be time-consuming and expensive.

Cloud-based solutions, on the other hand, are relatively new when compared to on-premise software systems. Also known as software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud-based solutions are cheaper when compared to their conventional counterpart in terms of deployment, management, and maintenance.

Apart from on-premise and cloud-based solutions, legal software may also be categorized based on how they function within the organization’s workflow and day-to-day operations. Software solutions in this category can range from productivity to PDF conversion and all-in-one practice management systems.

Furthermore, there are legal software solutions designed to help improve productivity, help with timekeeping and billing, payment processing, document management and security, password management, PDF conversion, and, of course, all-in-one (AIO) practice management platforms.

How to Choose Legal Software

A good quality legal software solution is a valuable tool for law firms and businesses in the legal field. It enables such organizations to manage their day-to-day operations in a more streamlined and efficient way. When choosing the right law practice management solution for your legal business, it’s important that you get familiar with the product before purchasing or signing up for the service.

Knowing what your organization needs, in terms of streamlining your workflow, improving productivity, minimizing clerical errors, and maximizing efficiency, will help you find the right software solution based on your requirements. Once you figure out what you actually need, then you will have an idea what to look for.

When shopping for software solutions, it’s recommended that customers take full advantage of the free trial period most vendors and service providers offer. The length of the free trial period may vary between products—from seven days to 14, up to a month. Regardless of how much time you have to test out the software, it is advisable to get that free trial to get to know the product before purchasing.

Part of getting to know the product is to figure out which type of business that particular product is tailored for. Different law practice management software solutions cater to different types of organizations in terms of size, budget restrictions, and the number of users.

There are platforms that are best suited for solo practitioners and smaller firms of up to five staff members, while there are also those that are ideal for firms that are looking for best-in-class products.

Some of the key features you should be looking for when in the process of selecting the best legal software solution for your firm include case management functions, document management, contact management or legal CRM, docketing and calendaring features, document assembly, accounting capabilities, billing and payment processing, and time tracking tools.

Benefits of Legal Software

Law practice management software solutions present a number of benefits to legal firms, individual law practitioners, and businesses in the legal industry. They offer tools and applications that prove to be quite advantageous for law practices, including the fact that legal software systems help to enhance task coordination between the organization’s support team and its attorneys.

The ability to effectively manage deadlines and delegate duties appropriately will enable users of these platforms to enhance the overall efficiency and workflow of the business as a whole. This type of software solution also allows users to link all their contacts, manage tasks and calendars, as well as take notes on key information and cases, which saves a lot of time by keeping data properly organized.

Legal software solutions also help maintain and store electronic documents, which eliminates the need to shuffle through paper files to look for specific case data and client information. This makes the process more efficient since it allows you to organize sensitive files using document management applications.

Common Features of Legal Software