The top 10 legal case management software features

Client portals have significantly grown in importance since the Covid-19 pandemic and are a key component of many firms’ digital service delivery strategy. They are able to provide clients with 24/7 access to case information and allows them to view and sign documents with ease.

Client portals also simplify lawyer-client collaboration and streamline and secure communications. Not only does this improve client experience but also saves fee earners significant amounts of time which is usually spent responding to and sending emails, and answering phone calls.

Most importantly for your law firm, the client portal will write back to the case management system, linking all your communications, documents and interactions with the relevant matter automatically.

With an intuitive and automated document management feature, law firms are able to quickly and effortlessly create documents and bundles via a single mouse click.

Your documents can be generated singly or in thousands and can also be ‘bundled’ into paginated single packs. An advanced case management software will provide a fully searchable, central document library and precedent store.

Furthermore, incoming items can be scanned and stored digitally within the law firm software, inside the relevant case files.

Another key feature of a good case management system is digital dictation. Long gone are the days whereby a practitioner needs to speak into a tape recorder then type up the notes. Lawyers can now record their notes digitally through an app which will create a file (e.g. MP4) and automatically link to the relevant matter, saving time and improving efficiency.

This feature also allows the user to dictate anywhere, anytime, and can improve security as dictation is stored securely in your case management system rather than being on a tape recorder which could be lost by mistake.

With so many moving parts in a law firm for management to review, and lots of tasks and cases for fee earners to stay on top of, reporting and dashboard functionality is essential.

Performance reporting allows your lawyers to understand the data that is more pertinent to them and make informed decisions based on evidence. Whether it’s a Managing Partner keeping track of work in progress and debt, or a fee earner wanting to see all outstanding tasks and open cases in one place, reporting and dashboards allows your team to interrogate any element of data contained within the legal case management software.

Integrations are a crucial feature of case management software. Being able to communicate and link from one system to another, sharing data and syncing back to a single saves huge amounts of time and improves accuracy. A seamless integration which returns results and information directly back into a client case file, for example, allows a fee earner to complete the necessary tasks required without having to leave the case management system.

An example of the integration is between our case management software and Legal Bricks, a conveyancing searches and ID checking solution provider. This integration allows users to easily order conveyancing searches and ID checks directly from the system without the need to visit external websites. The integration also has the added benefit of alerting users to any potential “property specific hazards” and automatically returning searches and ID checks to the case history, removing the constant need to check when they are complete.

Automated workflows allow law firms to greatly improve efficiency and productivity. Time-intensive, manual and repetitive activities can be automated and streamlined making fee earners and other users lives so much easier. Workflows also reduce the chance of errors and compliance risks while also ensuring consistency with meeting a firm’s standards and ways of working.

A good case management system will come with many pre-built workflows to help users get started however the ability to tailor or change these workflows based on how the user or teams want to work is must. Freeing up this time means you can focus on value-added activities rather than administration.

All law firms should have their case management system integrated with legal accounts. This is crucial for streamlining processes, automating admin, tracking billable time quickly and easily, creating quotes, and improving data sharing between case management and accounts, while ensuring optimum compliance with Making Tax Digital for VAT.

Furthermore, accounts operations have traditionally been a paper heavy department, but through the use of legal accounts software linked to case management, many firms are able to drastically reduce the amount of paper they use and save money. An example of this is Bowsers Solicitors who reduced printing by 75-80%.

With hybrid or flexible working now widely adopted by many law firms, systems need to be accessed from anywhere, securely. To achieve this, many in the sector have moved their case management software to the cloud via hosting, or use a web browser based case management system. This not only empowers staff to work from anywhere, but improves cyber security, reduces maintenance and overhead costs and increases reliability and scalability.

Given what we’ve experienced since the Covid-19 pandemic, having a case management system which can be easily but securely accessed remotely is integral for business continuity and futureproofing a law firm.

Recording time ensures a law firm gets paid appropriately for the amount of work undertaken therefore making sure you can do this easily and accurately is a fundamental feature required for any legal case management software. The time recording function also lets your firm see how much each fee earner is billing and also how much time they’re spendable on non-billable activities so supports performance monitoring and professional development.

CRM and marketing for law firms is key for maintaining and building relationships with clients. It helps to profile prospects, understand their needs, and to build relationships by providing the most suitable services at the right time. The system also provides accurate and relevant information to fee earners, allowing them to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of those relationships.

Linking this back to the case management system allows you to get a full picture of how the client or prospect has interacted with the law firm, centralising the data, improving data accuracy and removing the need for duplication of data entry.