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Legal matter management
Matter management software for small law firms
Manage matters, documents, time, billing, and reporting in one connected system.
Connected matter management from intake to close
Connected matter management from intake to close
Every engagement your firm takes on follows a lifecycle: a client approaches you, a matter is opened, work is performed, billing is raised, and the matter is closed. Without a structured system, managing that process relies on individual judgment, shared inboxes, and spreadsheets – none of which scale well or give you confidence that nothing is slipping through.
This matter management software for small law firms provides a central place to manage every matter your firm handles – connecting intake, activity, documents, billing, and reporting in one cohesive view.
Full feature set
What this legal matter management software includes
Every engagement your firm takes on follows a lifecycle: a client approaches you, a matter is opened, work is performed, billing is raised, and the matter is closed. Without a structured system, managing that process relies on individual judgment, shared inboxes, and spreadsheets – none of which scale well or give you confidence that nothing is slipping through.
This matter management software for small law firms provides a central place to manage every matter your firm handles – connecting intake, activity, documents, billing, and reporting in one cohesive view.
Matter dashboard
See all open matters, statuses, assigned fee earners, and billing positions at a glance.
Client onboarding workflows
Structured intake with configurable steps, automated compliance checks, and document requirements.
Matter budgets
Set time and cost budgets per matter and monitor actuals in real time.
Activity timeline
A chronological record of every action taken on a matter – time, billing, documents, and correspondence.
Task management
Assign tasks within matters, set due dates, and track completion across the team.
Conflict checking
Search across your client and contact database to identify conflicts before accepting a matter.
Sub-Matters
Create sub-matters within a parent matter to manage complex engagements with multiple workstreams or cost centres.
Matter lifecycle management
Open, activate, close, and archive matters. Flag matters for retention or shredding in line with data governance requirements.
Client intake
KYC and client compliance
Client onboarding is supported through a structured intake process that includes KYC data capture, compliance status tracking, and configurable governance workflows. This ensures that every new engagement meets your firm’s compliance obligations before work begins.
- Capture and store KYC data at the client level
- Track compliance status for each client and matter
- Configurable workflows to guide staff through required compliance steps
- Conflict checking against the full client and contact database before a matter is opened
- Full audit trail of compliance activity for each engagement
Financial control
Matter budgeting and financial control
Matter budgets allow partners and matter managers to set a financial plan for each engagement and track actual time, fees, and costs against that plan in near real time. This creates visibility of budget consumption while work is in progress, rather than discovering overruns only at the point of billing.
Planning
Budget creation and planning
Budgets are created at the matter level and act as a financial plan for the full engagement. They can be derived from matter forecasts and work structures, reducing manual data entry. Where scope changes, revised budgets can be created and submitted for approval, keeping financial plans aligned to reality.
Governance
Budget approval and governance
Matter budgets can be submitted through a configurable workflow for approval before work progresses. This ensures budgets are intentional, agreed, and auditable – rather than informal estimates held outside the system.
Monitoring
Budget monitoring and control
Track actual time, fees, and costs against the approved matter budget in near real time.
- Identify budget overruns or variances before they become billing issues
- Flag matters at risk of scope creep or write-down while there is still time to act
- Identify rate issues and incorrectly priced time entries before invoicing
Financial control
Connection to time, WIP, and billing
Because matter budgets are directly linked to time recording, work in progress, and billing, firms can see budget consumption as work is performed. This supports earlier identification of scope creep and rate issues, and strengthens collaboration between fee earners and finance teams.
Ownership & reporting
Matter ownership and dimensions
Matters can be assigned financial dimensions that allow costs and revenue to be analyzed by practice area, partner, department, or office. This supports granular reporting and gives partners visibility of their portfolio without requiring custom reports.
- Assign matters to a responsible partner, department, or office
- Financial dimensions enable multidimensional reporting without duplicating data
- Role-based access controls determine which staff can view or edit each matter
- Full matter history – including time, billing, and invoices – is available at the matter record
Why it matters
Benefits for small law firms
Whether you are a small firm managing a growing caseload or a practice that has outgrown spreadsheets and shared inboxes, this legal matter management software gives your team a structured, visible way to manage every engagement from intake to close.
Fee earners spend less time looking for information and more time on billable work.
Partners have full visibility into matter progress without chasing updates.
Nothing falls through the gaps – deadlines, tasks, and compliance steps are tracked systematically.
Matter data connects directly to billing and financial reporting; there is no re-entry.
Scales with your firm as matter volumes and complexity grow, without needing to switch systems.
FAQs
Is matter management software suitable for small law firms?
Yes. Matter management software for small law firms helps organize matters, improve billing accuracy, manage documents, and gain better visibility into firm performance, without the complexity of tools built for large enterprises.
Can we configure matter types for different practice areas?
Yes. Matter templates can be configured for different practice areas. For example, property transactions, employment matters, or corporate advisory work – each with relevant fields, workflows, and compliance steps.
How does client onboarding work?
Client onboarding is handled through a structured intake process including KYC data capture, identity verification, conflict checks, engagement letter generation, and required documentation.
Can fee earners access matter information from outside the office?
Yes. Because the solution is cloud-based and integrated with Microsoft 365, matter information is accessible via browser or mobile, including offline access to documents via SharePoint.
How do law firms manage matters and billing together?
Law firms manage matters and billing together by linking time entries, expenses, and invoices directly to matters. This allows firms to track work performed, generate invoices, and monitor profitability for each matter.
Can matter management software track time and expenses?
Yes. Time and expenses can be recorded directly against matters, allowing firms to track billable work, manage expenses, and generate invoices accurately.
Can law firms track matter profitability?
Yes. Matter profitability can be tracked by comparing time worked, expenses, and billed revenue for each matter, helping firms understand which matters and clients are profitable.
Is this suitable for a law firm that is growing and needs more structure?
Yes. Matter management software for growing law firms needs to handle increasing matter volumes, more complex workflows, and tighter compliance requirements as the firm scales. This solution is built on Microsoft Business Central, which means it grows with you. You can start with core matter management and extend into billing, financial management, and reporting as your needs develop.
Does matter management software integrate with accounting systems?
Yes. Matter management systems can integrate with accounting systems so billing, payments, and financial reporting are connected to matters and clients.