Best Legal Matter Management Software

Legal matter management software helps law firms improve productivity, streamline processes, and provide a great client experience. But with the rise of software for law firms, which one will serve your firm best?

What is Legal Matter Management Software?

Legal matter management software is an application that allows law firms to manage everything related to their practice. From onboarding clients to maintaining case records, legal matter management keeps law firms organized.

Why Do Lawyers Need Legal Matter Management Software?

A Thomson Reuters study saw a 64% increase in law firm productivity in Q3 of 2024. Raghu Ramanathan, president of Legal Professionals, Reuters, says that the spike can be attributed to law firms investing in new technology to streamline workflows.

If you’re a lawyer looking for the best legal matter management app that suits your practice, here’s a comprehensive list:

The 10 Best Legal Matter Management Software

From managing clients to helping your employees get things done faster, here are the top legal matter management tools.

1. Clio: Best For Overall Legal Management

Clio is a cloud-based law firm management software that provides all-in-one solutions that cover client intake, document management, billing, time-tracking, invoicing, and client collaboration. It’s known for its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface which helps legal professionals accomplish their work faster and easier.

Key Features:

• Case and matter dashboard
• Unlimited document storage
• Cloud-based platform for on-the-go access
• Integrate with over 100 apps including Outlook, GSuite, and Dropbox

Price: EasyStart: $39 per user/month; Essentials: $69 per user/month; Advanced: $99 per user/month; Complete: $129 per user/month

Pros:

• Easy to navigate
• Responsive customer support
• Integrates great with Quickbooks and Google

Cons:

• Billing features can be improved
• Hard to transition to another legal management software

2. MyCase: Best For Solo Lawyers and Small Law Firms

MyCase is a flexible legal management software designed by lawyers for law firms. The software combines case and document management with client management, which includes billing and payments. Its document management and case reporting features make sure you don’t miss a deadline, while its reusable templates help generate documents with just a few clicks.

Key Features:

• Real-time document collaboration
• Central calendar with automatic updates
• Integrates with LawToolBox
• Advanced document automation

Price: Basic: $39 per user/month; Pro $79 per user/month; Advanced: $99 per user/month

Pros:

• Pricing suits solo lawyers and small firms
• Intuitive interface
• Great customer service

Cons:

• Lacks advanced document management features
• Issues with syncing emails and time entries

3. CosmoLex: Best For Integrated Accounting

CosmoLex is a modern legal matter management software that excels in helping law firms manage documents and keep up with deadlines using an advanced calendar integration feature. Most law firms like CosmoLex comes with an accounting feature, which means there’s no need to use accounting apps like Quickbooks.

Key Features:

• Calendar integration with cases
• Built-in accounting tool
• Proprietary file-sharing and eSignature tools

Pricing: Standard: $109 per user/month (paid monthly) | $99 per user/month (paid annually); Elite: $139 per user/month (paid monthly) | $129 per user/month (paid annually)

Pros:

• All-in-one solution
• User-friendly interface
• Live customer support
• Frequent software updates

Cons:

• Pricier than other similar software
• Third-party integrations can be improved
• No option to export client data

4. PracticePanther: Best For Custom Workflows

Practice Panther is a flexible legal management software that provides advanced features for law firms looking to fully customize their workflows. It provides a dashboard that shows real-time data on cases, deadlines, and tasks, helping lawyers get a quick overview of their workload.

Key Features:

• One-click document templates
• Automated and customizable workflows
• Built-in two-way client text messaging

Pricing: Solo: $59 per user/month; Essential: $79 per user/month; Business: $99 per user/month

Pros:

• Clean interface that’s easy to navigate

• Seamless integrations with OneDrive and Dropbox

• Most features are customizable

Cons:

• Limited reporting and calendar features

• Fixed flat billing option for clients

5. Smokeball: Best For Microsoft Word Users

Smokeball is a legal matter management software that enables law firms to oversee cases in one place. In addition to case management, it also includes time-tracking, invoicing, and billing functionalities. Its integration with Microsoft Office, particularly with Microsoft Word, makes it a favorite for lawyers who use it to create legal documents.

Key Features:

• Automatic time tracking
• Document automation
• Seamless Microsoft Word integration

Pricing: Bill: $49 per user/month; Boost: $89 per user/month; Grow and Prosper (Contact for pricing)

Pros:

• Automated document creation
• Automated time-tracking
• Great customer support

Cons:

• Higher cost
• Can be laggy at times
• Lack of ACH payment processing

6. Checkbox.ai: Best For Automation

Checkbox.ai is an automation platform for legal tasks such as document and case management. A feature called AI Legal Front Door facilitates client intake using multiple channels such as email, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.

Key Features:

• Automated client intake
• Centralized matter management
• AI Legal Chatbot

Pricing: Not provided

Pros:

• Drag-and-drop functionality
• Most features can be automated
• Powered by AI

Cons:

• Limited design customizations
• Advanced features may require a learning curve

7. Onit: Best For Case Tracking

Onit is a powerful legal matter management software that integrates contract lifestyle and finance management in one platform. It allows users to automate workflows and gain real-time insights using customizable dashboards, helping you stay on top of litigation tasks and deadlines.

Key Features:

• Create legal holds
• Real-time data and dashboards
• AI-powered contract management
• Integrates with Microsoft Purview

Pricing: Not provided

Pros:

• Excellent team collaboration features
• Customized workflows
• Integrates well with DocuSign

Cons:

• Requires a steep learning curve
• The interface might be too complex for beginners

8. LEAP: Best For Document Creation

Leap is a cloud-based legal matter management software that combines matter and document management with billing, trust accounting, and email management. It provides access to over 9,500 legal forms, which enables its automated document generation feature.

Key Features:

• Automated document drafting
• Pre-built matter and case types
• LawY AI Legal Assistant

Pricing: Not provided

Pros:

• Mobile app works great

• Easy to use

• Live training for new users

Cons:

• Accounting functionality needs improvement

• Issues with billing features

9. Casefleet: Best For Case Documentation and Discovery

CaseFleet is another cloud-based legal matter management software with a focus on reviewing evidence, creating and maintaining case notes, and overall document management. This tool helps you organize case details, build chronologies, manage tasks, and collaborate with others.

Key Features:

• Build clear and detailed chronologies
• Visual timeline viewer
• Full-text search
• Advanced document handling

Pricing: Starter: $30 per user/month; Standard: $75 per user/month; Enterprise: Contact for pricing

Pros:

• Ability to create detailed case chronologies

• Prompt customer service

• Can share access with guest users

Cons:

• Accounting features can be improved

• Document search features are limited

10. GrowPath: Best For Personal Injury Law Firms

GrowPath is a comprehensive legal case management software that offers advanced features for managing cases such as lead scoring, version control, real-time reports, and workflow automation. The software is most suited for personal injury lawyers due to features such as lead scoring. Search matters in seconds, identify high-value cases, and track deadlines all from a central dashboard.

Key Features:

• Identify high-value cases with lead scoring
• One-click client intake
• Alerts for relevant keywords
• OneDrive and SharePoint integration

Pricing: Not provided

Pros:

• Real-time dashboard with case statuses

• Can contact clients via text, email, or phone directly from the software

• Advanced document management features

Cons:

• Occasional performance issues

• Navigating documents can be improved

How to Choose The Right Legal Matter Management Software for You

Not sure how to pick the best legal matter management tool for your firm? Here’s a quick guide:

• Relevance. The software’s features should fit seamlessly with your legal processes.
• Budget. The software’s pricing should be a great fit for your budget.
• Security. The software should protect client information.
• Integrations. The software should work well with your existing apps.

Want to automate your legal tasks? Read our law firm automation guide to get started.