Our rating is based on our subjective judgment. Use our resources—including our rating and community ratings and reviews—to find the best fit for your firm.
Who Law Ruler is For
Law Ruler is a complete law practice management solution that also offers its CRM and intake features as a stand-alone product that pairs well with other practice management software. A lot of thought and work needs to be put in on the front end to use this product, but after the onboarding, you can just set it and forget it.
For law practice management software, the following are essential features, and you should therefore expect to see a check in every box in this section.
Case/Matter Management
Matter management is the defining feature of law practice management software, of course. However, some software is targeted at specific practice areas and may implement case management in different ways in order to manage information specific to those practice areas.
✓
Client/Contact Management
Managing clients and other contacts is a core feature of law practice management software.
✓
Task Management
Basic task management includes creating tasks with due dates that can be associated with cases/matters and assigned to different lawyers. Some products stick to pretty basic task management, while others offer enough features to make any Getting Things Done devotee happy.
✓
Calendar
As with email, this feature means a full calendar client, not just an integration with Outlook or Google Calendar.
✓
Timekeeping
Timekeeping is a core feature of practice management software, essential for lawyers who bill by the hour but useful even for those who don't.
✓
Additional Features
Conflict Checking
An actual conflict checker is more than just a search box. This applies to software that actually has a conflict checking feature. Implementation varies, but at a minimum you should be able to search the entire database for matching names. It should check for conflicts accurately and intuitively, allow for a lateral hire to input their conflict database into the system, work quickly when new clients call, and comply with the rules of professional conduct for checking conflicts.
✓
Email Client
Does it include a full email client? (Alternative solutions that don't amount to an email client, like plugins for Outlook or Gmail, do not earn a check for this feature. See software integrations, below.))
✓
Document Management
Basic document management allows you to add documents and associate them with your cases/matters.
✓
Document Assembly
Loading your firm’s document templates into your law practice management software can save time and ensure consistency. This check means basic document assembly suitable for form letters, invoices, etc. For advanced document assembly, you’ll probably need additional software.
✓
Secure Client Portal
✗
Basic Bookkeeping
This means basic checkbook register–style bookkeeping, which is more limited than full accounting. You should be able to keep track of your operating accounts and reconcile your balances, but you may still need full accounting software.
✗
Trust Accounting
This means you can track your client trust accounts, including expenses and payments. It is normal to see trust accounting without basic bookkeeping or full accounting, in which case you will need something else for accounting.
✓
Full Accounting
Some software includes full double-entry accounting features, making additional accounting software unnecessary.
✗
Billing & Invoicing
Does the software allow you to send bills or invoices?
✓
Online Payments
Payment processing is increasingly offered either as an included or add-on feature, especially with cloud-based law practice management software.
✓
Software Integrations
Aderant
ApexChat
Clio
DocuSign
FileVine
G Suite
Microsoft Outlook
NGage
Needles
TrialWorks
twilio
Open API
✗
Things You Might Want to Know
Personalized intake. When clients call your law firm, Law Ruler automatically sends them a welcome text message with an intake form, while simultaneously sending your staff a text message that the new potential client has called and is filling out the form. Such a feature helps you immediately manage the client relationship literally from the very beginning.
Templates. One of the big draws to Law Rules is its use of a 1-click e-signature button to automate client agreements. Its staff will help you create custom e-signature templates for each document you need to be signed by a client to help save you and your clients time.
Consulting and other offers. Some of Law Ruler’s Elite features can be added to the other packages at an additional cost so you have more options for customization if you don’t want to commit to a higher pricing tier. It also offers consulting services for all pricing tiers at an additional cost.
