Law Firm Software: Matters, Time Tracking and Client Billing

In a small law firm, the legal work is rarely the problem. The trouble is everything around it: hours reconstructed days later from a diary, so a morning of drafting becomes "research, 2 hours"; a matter register kept in a notebook; hearing dates spread across three people's phones; and fees chased a month after the work was done.

This guide looks at the software a small law firm needs to run the practice, and how far Saauzi goes. Up front: Saauzi is a general business system, not specialist legal software. Projects stand in for matters, and there is no document management, no conflict checking and no trust accounting.

What software a law firm actually needs

• A matter list: each client matter with its status, fee arrangement and key dates.
• Time capture while memory is fresh, with pro bono and admin time kept apart from billable work.
• Billing per matter: fixed fees for routine work such as company registration, hourly for advisory work and litigation.
• Intake: tracking enquiries from first call to engagement.
• Staff: associates, paralegals, interns and who is on leave.

One system can cover all five because they share records: the matter, the time, the invoice and the people. Our guide to what an ERP is for a small business explains why that matters.

How Saauzi covers it: Projects, CRM, HRM and Cashbook

Pick Law Firm at sign-up and Saauzi switches on four apps; the Saauzi page for law firms shows the set. You can install other apps later from the hub.

Projects as matters

Open a project for each matter, named the way your register names it, such as "Land dispute: appeal" or "Company incorporation". Status covers active, on hold (adjourned, or waiting on the client) and done. Choose fixed-price for a set fee, or hourly at the rate agreed for that matter, with a budget if the client has capped the fee.

The task board holds the steps: draft the written statement, file it, prepare for the next hearing, each assigned to a lawyer or paralegal with a due date. Timesheets record hours per matter and task; pro bono and internal time go in as non-billable. To bill, build a numbered invoice from the project, with taxes and any courtesy discount, and track it from draft to sent to paid. Our guide to Saauzi Projects covers this in detail.

CRM for intake

Each enquiry becomes a lead with contact, company, source, an estimated fee as the deal value, the partner who owns it and an expected close date. Set stages such as enquiry, consultation and fee quote sent, then won or lost, and log consultations and follow-up calls as activities. CRM is not a conflict check: run your usual conflict search before you accept a matter.

HRM for lawyers and staff

Set up departments such as litigation and corporate, with a profile for each person: job title, employment type (full-time, part-time, contract or intern), join date, emergency contact and salary on record. Leave requests go to a manager to approve or reject, so you know who is away before assigning a hearing. Associate and intern openings go on your public careers page. See our guide to Saauzi HRM.

Cashbook for the office account

Record fees received, court fees paid on clients' behalf, rent and office costs across cash, bank and wallet accounts, reconcile daily and export for your accountant. Cashbook is not full accounting, and it is not a trust ledger: client money held on account belongs in whatever system your professional rules require.

A hypothetical week at a four-lawyer firm

• Monday: A company calls about a contract dispute. After your usual conflict check, you add a lead worth an estimated NPR 150,000 and log a consultation for Wednesday.
• Tuesday: An associate records three and a half hours drafting a writ petition, plus an hour of pro bono advice as non-billable.
• Wednesday: After the consultation, the lead moves to fee quote sent, with a follow-up task for Friday.
• Thursday: A hearing is adjourned, so that matter goes on hold with a task for the new date. A paralegal's leave is approved, since nothing is due for filing.
• Friday: The company accepts: lead won, new hourly matter opened. A finished incorporation gets its fixed-fee invoice, and when a client pays last month's bill you mark it paid and record the receipt in Cashbook.

A short checklist for choosing law firm software

1. Can each matter have its own fee arrangement, fixed or hourly?
2. Can pro bono and admin time be marked non-billable?
3. Do invoices carry your firm's PAN/VAT and the right taxes?
4. Do you need document management, conflict checks or trust accounting? If so, you need specialist legal software as well, or instead.

Where Saauzi fits and where it doesn't

Saauzi fits a small general practice or boutique firm that wants matters, time, billing, intake and staff in one browser-based system, and handles documents and client money elsewhere. What it does not do:

• No document management. Pleadings, contracts and evidence stay in your existing files.
• No conflict checks and no trust accounting or client money ledgers.
• No e-signatures, client portal, email or calendar sync, appointment booking, payroll or integrations. Hearing dates are tasks you enter.

If client money or strict conflict rules are central to your practice, specialist legal practice software is the better choice.

What it costs

Your first app is free forever. One flat subscription unlocks every Saauzi app: NPR 1,500 per user/month or NPR 12,000 per user/year, or internationally US$20 per user/month or US$200 per user/year. In a hypothetical firm, four lawyers, a paralegal and an office manager on annual billing pay 6 × NPR 12,000 = NPR 72,000 a year (US$1,200). Current plans are on the Saauzi pricing page.

FAQ

Does Saauzi handle client trust money?

No. There is no trust accounting; manage client money in a system that meets your professional rules.

Can I record pro bono time?

Yes. Log it as non-billable time on the matter.

Does Saauzi run conflict checks?

No. Run your conflict search before accepting a matter, then open it as a project.

If your firm's time and fees still live in diaries and notebooks, start with Projects and bill your next matter from it. Your first app is free forever, so you can set up Saauzi for your law firm and add CRM, HRM and Cashbook when you are ready.