Legal Case Management Software

What is legal case management software?

Legal case management software allows lawyers, paralegals, and other law professionals to manage their daily legal case operations. The tool helps process and store data related to cases and clients, and improve collaboration and coordination between law firms and their clients.  The software helps with task management, time tracking, document management, calendar management, billing and accounting, and contract management. 

The software can come as a stand-alone solution or can be purchased as a part of a larger suite of legal practice management software .

The benefits of legal case management software

• Well-organized calendar: Legal case management software allows professionals to schedule and track court dates, meetings, and deadlines, and set reminders and alerts. 
• Data security: The software helps law firms secure client and case information. With features such as auto-backup, secure login, user authentication, and data encryption, firms can keep their data safe and secure from unauthorized access and cyberattacks.
• Automated billing: Calculating billing hours for every task can be time consuming. Legal case management software lets users define billable events and automatically bill clients based on the time spent by lawyers and supporting staff on each task.

Typical features of legal case management software

• Case notes: Create, access, and track notes regarding case activities and updates.
• Client management: Document and manage interactions with clients.
• Document management: Collect, upload, and store all client-specific and case-related documents in a central location.
• Billing and invoicing: Generate, record, and manage monetary transactions between parties.
• Calendar management: Organize and manage dates and appointments related to cases and client meetings.
• Client portal: Provide a dedicated space for clients to access their data and engage with the firm.
• Expense tracking: Maintain a detailed log of costs and services related to a client or case. 
• Task management: Track daily actionables and follow-ups, and check their status for completion.
• Time tracking: Measure, track, and record time spent on various tasks and activities for calculating billable hours.

Considerations when purchasing legal case management software

• Integrations with existing systems: Legal professionals require complete visibility into their cases, which includes accessing all case files and conversations with clients. Invest in a solution that can integrate with your existing business applications and tools such as a central database, active directory, email application, billing and accounting, and CRM.
• Mobile accessibility: Mobile phone use is increasing and lawyers often need to access case details on their mobile device. Consider a legal case management solution that has a mobile app that allows users to access case-related data, e-sign documents, submit forms, and contact staff and clients on the go.
• Deployment options: Legal case management systems come with various configurations and options; you can purchase a cloud-based or on-premise system. If you’re looking for a lower upfront investment and scalability, go for a cloud-based system. And if you want full control over the server and data and are ready to make the required upfront IT investment, go for an on-premise solution.

Relevant legal case management software trends

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is automating legal procedures : AI-enabled legal case management software can automate processes such as contract review , research and analytics, and electronic discovery. For instance, AI-driven software can identify cases that are most promising to pursue based on their likely outcome .