For solicitors
Solicitor practice management that survives a file review.
Supervision you can evidence, client money reconciled continuously, client care and complaints recorded as they happen, and research over UK authority attached to the matter it belongs to.
Where files go wrong
Three things a reviewer looks for.
One
Was the client told, and can you show it?
Client care information, costs updates, and material developments are only defensible if they are on the file. A client portal where the client can see progress, documents, and invoices creates that record as a by-product of keeping them informed. See the portal.
Two
Was the work supervised?
Supervision that happens in a corridor conversation leaves no trace. Tasks with named owners, matters with a supervising fee earner, and deadlines that escalate when nothing has moved put supervision into the record where it can be evidenced.
Three
Is client money where it should be?
Client money is held and reported separately from office money and reconciled continuously rather than at month end, with every movement date-stamped and attributable. Compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules remains the firm’s and the COFA’s responsibility; the platform’s job is to make the evidence available on demand.
Complaints
The complaints file nobody keeps until they need it.
Firms must tell clients how to complain and about their right to take a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, and must handle complaints properly when they arrive. The awkward part is rarely the policy. It is producing, a year later, the record of what was said and when.
- Client care and complaint information issued at file opening as a required step, so it cannot be skipped on a busy day
- Complaints logged against the matter and the client, with owner, dates, and outcome
- Correspondence held on the file rather than in an individual’s mailbox, so it survives that person leaving
- An exportable trail when the Ombudsman, your insurer, or your COLP asks for one
In depth
Costs, transparency, and the awkward conversation.
Costs information
Estimates that were updated, and can be shown to have been.
A large share of client complaints are about costs, and most of those are really about costs that changed without the client being told. When time is recorded as the work happens, a matter approaching its estimate is visible before it passes it, which turns an apology into a conversation. The costs update itself is then a record on the file rather than a recollection of a phone call.
Transparency
Published prices you can stand behind.
The SRA’s transparency rules require firms to publish price and service information for certain areas of work. Firms that know their actual cost to deliver a conveyance or an uncontested probate can publish with confidence. Firms guessing from memory tend to publish either a number that loses money or one that loses clients. Recorded time behind fixed-fee work is what turns that into evidence.
Continuity
Files that survive a departure.
The genuine risk in a small firm is not a lost document. It is that everything about a matter lived in one fee earner’s head and inbox, and that fee earner has left. Research attached to the matter, correspondence on the file, and a documented procedural history mean the person picking it up can see not only what happened but why the position was taken.
FAQ
Questions, addressed.
What is solicitor practice management software?
It is the system a solicitors’ firm uses to run matters and meet its regulatory obligations: client and matter records, file opening and conflict checks, time recording and billing, client account handling, supervision, complaints, and the audit trail that supports a compliance file review.
Does it support SRA Accounts Rules record-keeping?
Client money is segregated from office money, reconciled in real time, and every movement is date-stamped, attributable, and exportable. The firm and its COFA remain responsible for compliance; the platform is built to produce the records that review depends on.
Can we standardise file opening and conflict checks?
Yes. File opening, conflict checking, and client onboarding are configurable processes with steps, owners, required fields and required documents, so the same thing happens on every matter regardless of who opens it.
Does it help with the SRA transparency rules?
Indirectly but materially. The rules require publishing price and service information for certain work. Recording time behind fixed-fee matters tells you what that work actually costs you to deliver, which is what makes a published price defensible. The publishing itself remains the firm’s decision.
How are complaints recorded?
Client care and complaint information is issued as a required file-opening step, and complaints are logged against the matter and client with owner, dates and outcome, held on the file rather than in an individual’s mailbox.
Is legal research included?
Yes. UK reported judgments, legislation, and practice directions are part of the platform, with citations linked to their sources and research attached to the matter.
Open a matter and see the trail.
Book a demo and see it on your own matters.