Management software for law firms: what it has to solve before you choose

What classic management software for law firms offers

The management solutions for law firms share a similar functional base:

• Case file management: client record, history of actions, documents attached to each case.
• Calendar and diary: appointments, hearings, procedural deadlines.
• Billing: invoices by the hour or by matter, payment records.
• Document management: a store of documents sorted by case file.
• LexNET connection: for law firms that file briefs and receive notifications in the Spanish courts' electronic system.

These are tools built to organise and store information. The question is what is left outside them.

A CRM and a management program answer different questions: what each one records, and what to ask before choosing the first, we explain in the guide to choosing one in a law firm.

What to ask before choosing

With any management program, it is worth checking what it does by itself and what still depends on a person:

• Email: is the client's email attached to the case file, or does it land in a separate inbox?
• Reminders: who writes and sends the client a reminder of a due date?
• Diary: is an appointment arranged from the program, or with calls and emails back and forth?
• Billing: is the invoice sent and the payment followed up from the program, or is that step manual?
• Out of hours: what happens when a client asks about the status of their case while the firm is closed?

What XERA can add as a complement to classic software

XERA does not replace the management program: it works on top of it if your tools have an API. It says who to alert and prepares summaries; whatever is sent is approved by a person at the firm.

Diary

If your diary has an API, XERA can point out the lawyer's real availability so that the firm can propose an appointment; the confirmation is made by a person.

Documents

XERA can help sort the documents that arrive and attach them to the case file (if your case file software has an API), and it alerts the firm to what is missing. What is sent to the client is approved by a person.

Billing and payment follow-up

Classic software generates the invoice. XERA can alert the firm to which invoices are late so that it decides which reminder to send; a person approves the sending.

Reminders

Procedural deadlines and document due dates are critical in a law firm. XERA can point out those that appear in the documents and propose the text of a reminder; it does not replace your own deadline control. Examples of wording that the firm can approve:

• "Your lease expires in 30 days. Would you like us to review it?"
• "Your signature is missing on the notarial power of attorney. Without it we cannot continue with the procedure."
• "Your case at the court has a hearing next Tuesday. I will confirm the details."

What classic software does and what XERA adds

What kind of law firm can it suit?

Operational AI for law firms can suit:

• Firms of 1 to 5 lawyers with no dedicated administrative staff.
• Firms with high client turnover (family law, inheritance, one-off queries).
• Growing firms that want to scale without increasing the administrative load in proportion.
• Firms with intensive client service where speed of response sets them apart from the competition.

How XERA is set up in a law firm

1. Connection of the firm's email, if it has an API — the team does not change its mail client.
2. Reading of the calendar, if it has an API — no double entry needed.
3. Definition of the communication templates — tone and content are adjusted to the firm's style.
4. Optional connection to the case file software — if it has an API, XERA can connect to it.

The time from the decision to the first workflow depends on the state of your data and your processes, and on the integrations; it is defined with you before starting.

If you want to see it on your firm

You can book an appointment (ES) or write to us: we go through your real workflows, your client volume and your current software with you. Appointments are booked in Spanish.

Before that, if you want to see what XERA automates and how much it costs for a firm of your size: XERA for law firms.