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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.
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.
Managing clients and other contacts is a core feature of law practice management software.
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.
As with email, this feature means a full calendar client, not just an integration with Outlook or Google Calendar.
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.
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.
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.))
Can you send and receive text messages and associate them with your matters?
Basic document management allows you to add documents and associate them with your cases/matters.
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.
Does the provider have a way for your client to interact with you or their information in the system? This can take many forms. It can be a way to securely view and pay bills, a method of scheduling meetings, or a way for your client to view information about their case itself.
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.
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.
Some software includes full double-entry accounting features, making additional accounting software unnecessary.
Does the software allow you to send bills or invoices?
Payment processing is increasingly offered either as an included or add-on feature, especially with cloud-based law practice management software.
An Open application programing interface (API) allows other software programs to interact with the platform. It allows users to build integrations where there might not currently be one. However, not all APIs are equal. If you are looking to integrate using an API, it's advisable to review the platform's documentation before making a decision.
Based on 3 Reviews
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Productivity focus. While most law practice management software is good for organizing information, Lawcus is also focused on velocity—moving your cases from intake to closing letter. Firms that use contingent or flat fees, or that have systems built to scale, will find this focus especially valuable.
CRM included. Lawcus has a full, integrated client relationships management system, including client intake forms and e-signatures.
Workflow automation. Firms can set rule-based triggers and actions for all stages of client intake through billing so that Lawcus will handle some of the case administration on its own.
Secure client communication portal. Lawcus is built around collaboration, and that includes your clients. You can share documents and messages, but you can also assign tasks to your clients and schedule appointments with them.
Jesse L.
“Third and favorite practice management software”
December 17, 2020 12:57 AM
We switched practice management software to Lawcus about six months ago. We were looking for a few things: -Client intake system -To input data only once -To be able to populate motions, letters, and forms with that data. -Easy time tracking and billing. -Integration with other programs we rely on or should rely on. -Flexible workflows with lots of functionality. Several programs offer most or all of these things, but Lawcus has been the best at integrating it so all the pieces talk to each other in a way that is usable in our practice. Where we've run into questions, the support is excellent and timely. It has taken a lot of customization and time to turn our forms, pleadings, and letters into documents that populate with a matter's information, but it has been worth it. Now we can generate documents that are populated with case-specific information that was already input into fields. We are able to easily create the fields that fit our practice. We can customize the fields that apply to our practice areas, so client matters are created with relevant fields. Client intake is built into Lawcus. This feature has been nice because it allows us to track potential clients and follow up with them until we convert them to clients or store them away as "did not hire." Client intake is definitely a strength. We have had a couple things we didn't like, but the team there is responsive. They have implemented a couple of our suggestions and they are constantly improving. All in all, we have two lawyers and two assistants, and we have put a lot of data and a lot of clients into Lawcus. We are happy with it and are constantly incorporating it further into our practice.
Genissa R.
“New to Lawcus and loving it!”
September 25, 2020 5:20 PM
I have rave reviews about Lawcus. My contact, Harsimran Singh, has been awesome to work with. He gave me a free tutorial, showing me how to use all the major features. And he's extremely responsive by email when I have questions. The dashboard is highly customizable, there's a "dark mode" and the interface with apps is seamless. It's a fabulous value for the price and I highly recommend it.
Rabab S.
“Lawcus is best all in one solution any attorney is looking for”
July 3, 2020 3:40 PM
Honestly I was looking for something like this for our lawyers, Its all in one solution any lawyer would need. Our lawyers were looking for tools that can handle multiple tasks so they can focus on their work instead managing data. Its automation tool is too good and if you setup properly you don't have to worry about follow ups, task assignments, little things that would take too much time and just focus on your work. Our lawyers love using this tool.
REVIEWS (3 out of 3)