For finance
For clients
Your platform should do more than Add‑a‑rant.
Aderant was designed in 2005 to manage billing. The question your firm is asking in 2026 requires a fundamentally different foundation.
No law firm chose complexity.
They chose solutions.
Every tool added to Aderant over the years solved a real problem at the time. Expert for practice management. BillBlast for eBilling. iTimekeep for time capture. Each decision was reasonable. Two decades of reasonable decisions have produced an unreasonable result: a platform that now requires as much management as it provides.
When your platform is designed around the billing cycle, everything else gets bolted on top of a foundation that was never built for it. Your lawyers. Your matters. Your clients. Your AI ambitions. That is not a feature gap. That is a foundation problem.
Staying on Aderant is no longer a neutral decision.
AI adoption in law firms in a single year, rising from 11% to 30%.
ABA Legal Technology Survey, 2025
of law firm cloud deployments now run on Microsoft Azure.
ILTA Technology Survey, 2025
of firms say integration with trusted software is their top criterion when selecting AI solutions.
Legal Industry Report, 2025
The direction is clear. Firms are standardizing on connected environments, embedding AI across the firm, and consolidating around platforms that reduce friction rather than add to it. Every quarter a firm stays on Aderant is a quarter where that gap widens.
The industry has placed its bet. It is on Microsoft.
Law firms are not just adopting AI. They are standardizing on a specific ecosystem. And that ecosystem is already inside your firm. The question is whether your practice management platform connects to it or sits apart from it every day.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is now the #1 AI tool at law firms
Displacing ChatGPT as the dominant AI tool, Copilot now leads adoption across firms of all sizes because it lives where lawyers already work: Outlook, Word, and Teams.
ILTA Technology Survey, 2025
Microsoft Azure is the cloud standard across the legal industry
Displacing ChatGPT as the dominant AI tool, Copilot now leads adoption across firms of all sizes because it lives where lawyers already work: Outlook, Word, and Teams.
ILTA Technology Survey, 2025
Microsoft Teams is the dominant collaboration platform
Teams is how lawyers collaborate, communicate, and coordinate every day. The platform that runs your firm should live inside that environment, not sit outside it demanding a separate login and a context switch every time work needs to get done.
ILTA Technology Survey, 2025
The direction is clear. Firms are standardizing on connected environments, embedding AI across the firm, and consolidating around platforms that reduce friction rather than add to it. Every quarter a firm stays on Aderant is a quarter where that gap widens.
A platform built for the whole firm, not just the billing cycle.
Aderant was built to run the finances of a law firm. Law firms today need a platform that runs the whole firm. That gap cannot be closed with another module or another migration. It requires a different platform entirely.
The Microsoft Industry Cloud for Law Firms by sa.global is that foundation, with evergreen by sa.global at its core. Built natively on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Azure, running inside your own Microsoft tenant. One connected platform for the entire business of law, from client intake to cash collection.
This is not a feature comparison.
It is about what each platform was
fundamentally designed to do.
| Dimension | Legacy approach | Connected approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform architecture | Aderant was assembled over decades through acquisitions and additions. Data does not flow naturally across functions. It has to be moved, mapped, and maintained. Every new capability requires a separate adoption decision, a separate integration effort, and a separate change management process. | evergreen by sa.global was designed as a single connected platform from day one, built natively on Dataverse. No separate databases per module. No APIs moving data between functions. Every module shares one data model and one source of truth. Composable by design, so firms can start with one area and expand without integration overhead. |
| Data model | Aderant was built as a financial system. Its data model reflects that origin. Matter data, client data, people data, and operational data live in different parts of a stack assembled over time. A managing partner wanting a unified view of firm performance does not get it natively. They get a construction project. | evergreen by sa.global is built on Dataverse. One data layer. Everything reads from and writes to the same source. When a matter opens, the operational and people data connected to it are immediately visible across the whole platform. A managing partner can see real-time profitability by matter, practice group, client, and lawyer from a single embedded Power BI dashboard. |
| Lawyer experience | Aderant was designed for the billing department, not the fee earner. Lawyers operate across a fragmented daily experience. Time capture in iTimekeep. Matter information in Expert. Collaboration in Teams. Documents in a separate DMS. Every task requires a context switch, a different login, a different interface. That friction delays billing cycles, reduces adoption, and quietly erodes revenue. | evergreen by sa.global meets lawyers where they already work. Inside Teams, Outlook, and Word, they capture time, manage matters, and collaborate without switching tools or systems. The platform comes to the lawyer, not the other way around. Every interaction is grounded in the firm’s own security model and role-based access controls. |
| Ecosystem alignment | Aderant sits outside the dominant enterprise cloud ecosystem. Its connection to the productivity layer and AI tools firms already use runs through APIs that require custom development and ongoing maintenance. Law firms have already committed to that ecosystem. The question is whether their practice management platform extends that commitment or works against it every day. | evergreen by sa.global does not integrate with the Microsoft ecosystem. It is part of it, purpose-built for law firms. For firms that have already committed to working inside that environment, this is not a new platform decision. It is the natural completion of a decision already made. |
| Cloud architecture | Aderant‘s cloud offering is not a cloud-native application. Expert Sierra is the same application firms have run on-premise for decades, lifted onto AWS infrastructure. The code is the same. The data model is the same. After six years of availability, approximately 70% of Aderant firms have still not migrated. That is not a marketing problem. That is migration complexity rooted in unchanged architecture. | evergreen by sa.global was built cloud-native from the first line of code, running inside the firm’s own Azure tenant. Your data never leaves your environment. Updates are released every 13 weeks, automatically, with no downtime. Clients contribute directly to the product roadmap, which sa.global publishes openly. Over $15 million invested in continuous platform development. |
| AI capability | Aderant has an AI story and it is a finance AI story. MADDI automates invoice matching and accounts receivable. askMADDI answers billing queries in natural language. Genuine capabilities, but they serve one function. They do not help a lawyer draft smarter, a managing partner forecast better, or a BD team identify the next opportunity. And for approximately 70% of firms still on on-premise Expert, even that finance AI is out of reach without completing a migration project first. | evergreen by sa.global is built so that AI is not an integration. It is architectural. Microsoft 365 Copilot works across the entire platform because the entire platform shares one data model on Microsoft’s cloud. A lawyer gets AI assistance inside Word and Outlook. A managing partner gets predictive financial insights through Power BI. A COO gets real-time visibility across matters, people, and performance without running a report. |
| IT cost and effort | Aderant carries a true cost that goes well beyond the license fee. A typical firm maintains a portfolio of systems, each with its own vendor relationship, update cycle, support contract, and change management requirement. When one component updates, the integrations around it need to be rebuilt. Adding a new capability is not a configuration decision. It is a project. | evergreen by sa.global is built on the Power Platform. Skills are widely available, competitively priced, and not vendor-locked. Low-code and no-code tools mean internal teams can make changes without external consultants. Pre-built integrations to NetDocuments, iManage, and Intapp mean firms do not start from scratch on the connections that matter most. |
| Migration path | Aderant carries migration complexity that reflects decades of customization. Expert Sierra has been available since 2018. After more than six years, the majority of Aderant firms have still not migrated. Aderant‘s own CTO has described Stridyn as a journey that will never stop. AR and GL are the first modules available. The rest remain on a roadmap with no defined endpoint. | evergreen by sa.global is delivered through sa.go!, a structured, business-ready implementation approach built specifically for law firms. Preconfigured processes and proven implementation playbooks mean firms go live in as little as six months. All firm data in a single source of truth, ready for automation, ready for AI, ready for what comes next. |
| Dimension | Legacy approach | Connected approach |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Aderant was built as a financial system. Its data model reflects that origin. Matter data, client data, people data, and operational data live in different parts of a stack assembled over time. A managing partner wanting a unified view of firm performance does not get it natively. They get a construction project. | evergreen by sa.global is built on Dataverse. One data layer. Everything reads from and writes to the same source. When a matter opens, the operational and people data connected to it are immediately visible across the whole platform. A managing partner can see real-time profitability by matter, practice group, client, and lawyer from a single embedded Power BI dashboard. |
| AI capability | Aderant has an AI story and it is a finance AI story. MADDI automates invoice matching and accounts receivable. askMADDI answers billing queries in natural language. Genuine capabilities, but they serve one function. They do not help a lawyer draft smarter, a managing partner forecast better, or a BD team identify the next opportunity. And for approximately 70% of firms still on on-premise Expert, even that finance AI is out of reach without completing a migration project first. | evergreen by sa.global is built so that AI is not an integration. It is architectural. Microsoft 365 Copilot works across the entire platform because the entire platform shares one data model on Microsoft’s cloud. A lawyer gets AI assistance inside Word and Outlook. A managing partner gets predictive financial insights through Power BI. A COO gets real-time visibility across matters, people, and performance without running a report. |
| Dimension | Legacy approach | Connected approach |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer experience | Aderant was designed for the billing department, not the fee earner. Lawyers operate across a fragmented daily experience. Time capture in iTimekeep. Matter information in Expert. Collaboration in Teams. Documents in a separate DMS. Every task requires a context switch, a different login, a different interface. That friction delays billing cycles, reduces adoption, and quietly erodes revenue. | evergreen by sa.global meets lawyers where they already work. Inside Teams, Outlook, and Word, they capture time, manage matters, and collaborate without switching tools or systems. The platform comes to the lawyer, not the other way around. Every interaction is grounded in the firm’s own security model and role-based access controls. |
| Ecosystem alignment | Aderant sits outside the dominant enterprise cloud ecosystem. Its connection to the productivity layer and AI tools firms already use runs through APIs that require custom development and ongoing maintenance. Law firms have already committed to that ecosystem. The question is whether their practice management platform extends that commitment or works against it every day. | evergreen by sa.global does not integrate with the Microsoft ecosystem. It is part of it, purpose-built for law firms. For firms that have already committed to working inside that environment, this is not a new platform decision. It is the natural completion of a decision already made. |
| Dimension | Legacy approach | Connected approach |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud architecture | Aderant‘s cloud offering is not a cloud-native application. Expert Sierra is the same application firms have run on-premise for decades, lifted onto AWS infrastructure. The code is the same. The data model is the same. After six years of availability, approximately 70% of Aderant firms have still not migrated. That is not a marketing problem. That is migration complexity rooted in unchanged architecture. | evergreen by sa.global was built cloud-native from the first line of code, running inside the firm’s own Azure tenant. Your data never leaves your environment. Updates are released every 13 weeks, automatically, with no downtime. Clients contribute directly to the product roadmap, which sa.global publishes openly. Over $15 million invested in continuous platform development. |
| AI capability | Aderant has an AI story and it is a finance AI story. MADDI automates invoice matching and accounts receivable. askMADDI answers billing queries in natural language. Genuine capabilities, but they serve one function. They do not help a lawyer draft smarter, a managing partner forecast better, or a BD team identify the next opportunity. And for approximately 70% of firms still on on-premise Expert, even that finance AI is out of reach without completing a migration project first. | evergreen by sa.global is built so that AI is not an integration. It is architectural. Microsoft 365 Copilot works across the entire platform because the entire platform shares one data model on Microsoft’s cloud. A lawyer gets AI assistance inside Word and Outlook. A managing partner gets predictive financial insights through Power BI. A COO gets real-time visibility across matters, people, and performance without running a report. |
| IT cost and effort | Aderant carries a true cost that goes well beyond the license fee. A typical firm maintains a portfolio of systems, each with its own vendor relationship, update cycle, support contract, and change management requirement. When one component updates, the integrations around it need to be rebuilt. Adding a new capability is not a configuration decision. It is a project. | evergreen by sa.global is built on the Power Platform. Skills are widely available, competitively priced, and not vendor-locked. Low-code and no-code tools mean internal teams can make changes without external consultants. Pre-built integrations to NetDocuments, iManage, and Intapp mean firms do not start from scratch on the connections that matter most. |
| Migration path | Aderant carries migration complexity that reflects decades of customization. Expert Sierra has been available since 2018. After more than six years, the majority of Aderant firms have still not migrated. Aderant‘s own CTO has described Stridyn as a journey that will never stop. AR and GL are the first modules available. The rest remain on a roadmap with no defined endpoint. | evergreen by sa.global is delivered through sa.go!, a structured, business-ready implementation approach built specifically for law firms. Preconfigured processes and proven implementation playbooks mean firms go live in as little as six months. All firm data in a single source of truth, ready for automation, ready for AI, ready for what comes next. |
| Dimension | Legacy approach | Connected approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform architecture | Aderant was assembled over decades through acquisitions and additions. Data does not flow naturally across functions. It has to be moved, mapped, and maintained. Every new capability requires a separate adoption decision, a separate integration effort, and a separate change management process. | evergreen by sa.global was designed as a single connected platform from day one, built natively on Dataverse. No separate databases per module. No APIs moving data between functions. Every module shares one data model and one source of truth. Composable by design, so firms can start with one area and expand without integration overhead. |
| IT cost and effort | Aderant carries a true cost that goes well beyond the license fee. A typical firm maintains a portfolio of systems, each with its own vendor relationship, update cycle, support contract, and change management requirement. When one component updates, the integrations around it need to be rebuilt. Adding a new capability is not a configuration decision. It is a project. | evergreen by sa.global is built on the Power Platform. Skills are widely available, competitively priced, and not vendor-locked. Low-code and no-code tools mean internal teams can make changes without external consultants. Pre-built integrations to NetDocuments, iManage, and Intapp mean firms do not start from scratch on the connections that matter most. |
The firms that moved, did not look back.
The firms moving to evergreen are not doing it because their old platform stopped working. They are doing it because they made a deliberate decision to build the operational infrastructure that matches where they are heading.
"sa.global truly understands the legal industry. The real bonus is that because it is seamlessly integrated to the platform, we are able to do so much more than the traditional solutions for legal."
Robert Shooter
Managing Partner, Fieldfisher
View the Fieldfisher story →
Legacy systems turned off
Fieldfisher moved to a single connected platform and decommissioned 11 legacy tools. Not migrated them. Turned them off.
"Technically we wanted a modern, cloud-first SaaS solution. Comprehensive integration via Power Automate, reporting via Power BI, and AI via Copilot make the solution complementary to our existing tech stack and internal skill set."
Andy Newland
View the Mewburn Ellis story →
People. One connected platform.
Mewburn Ellis, a Legal 500 Tier 1 IP firm, selected the platform following a competitive RFP after their on-premise system approached end of life.
Leave legacy systems behind. Start running your firm on a connected foundation.
sa.go! is sa.global’s structured implementation approach built specifically for law firms. Using preconfigured processes and proven implementation playbooks, firms move from legacy systems to a fully connected environment, going live in as little as six months.
See what the move looks like for your firm, what it takes, and how others have done it without disruption.
No obligation. Just clarity.
What the industry is saying.
Industry leaders are already discussing why finance-first, disconnected systems are no longer enough for modern law firms.
Expert Interview
A legal technology consultant with direct experience of firms outgrowing finance-first platforms shares what the transition looks like from the inside, what firms get wrong, and what the ones that get it right have in common.
Read the interview →
Podcast
Industry experts discuss why platforms built outside connected environments create friction at exactly the moment law firms need speed. A conversation worth an hour of your time.
Listen to the podcast →
LegalTech Diaries: Stephen James
The CEO of sa.global on why frontier firms are not defined by size but by the quality of their foundation, and why the window for building that foundation on legacy infrastructure is closing faster than most firms realize.
Read the piece →