Switching practice management software is a decision most established firms put off for years, usually because the last migration was painful. It doesn’t have to be. These are the things worth checking before you sign with anyone.
Start with your data, not the interface
Ask any vendor, plainly: if we leave in two years, what do we take with us, and in what format? Some systems limit what you can export, which looks fine in a sales demo and becomes a real problem when you need to move ten years of matter history. You want a straight answer that includes matters, contacts, documents, time records, and your full client and office ledger, not just the headline case data.
Test it outside the office
A lot of practice management tools were designed when every fee earner had one computer at one desk. That assumption breaks the moment someone needs to work from a client site, a court building or home, especially where the software depends on a locally installed add-in. A genuinely web-based system should work the same in a browser tab at your desk or on a borrowed laptop.
Ask how trust accounting history migrates
For firms handling client money, ask specifically how client and office account history moves across, not just whether it can be exported as a spreadsheet. You need continuity for your SRA Accounts Rules obligations: opening balances that reconcile, a clean audit trail across the cut-over, and no gap where reconciliation has to be redone by hand. This is the part of a migration that usually gets rushed, and the part your accountant will notice first if it goes wrong.
Look for published pricing
Published, per-user pricing lets you build a real cost comparison before you’ve spent a morning on a sales call. A quote-only model usually means the price flexes with your perceived negotiating position, which cuts both ways once you’re a captive customer at renewal. Our guide to what practice management software really costs lists the questions to ask.
Plan the cut-over as a project
Run the new system alongside the old one for at least one full billing cycle, migrate historical data before live matters, and get every fee earner comfortable with time recording and document filing before you switch off the old tool. The firms with the smoothest transitions treat data migration and staff training as equally important.
Matterly includes a one-click full data export on every plan, runs entirely in the browser, and publishes its prices. Talk to us about moving your firm.