"What does the big firm use?"
Big firms have 50-person IT teams. Their tool choice rarely fits a 10-person firm — even if it's "industry standard".
Size mismatchThe software is only
half the question .
DATEV, RA-MICRO, Agenda, Stadlbauer, NetDocuments — the landscape is full of options. But the bigger question is not "which tool" but "how do they work together"? This page compares the major options and shows which integration strategy fits each.
§ IHow to compare
Three wrong ways to pick
law firm software.
"What has the best features?"
Every vendor wins a feature comparison on a demo day. What matters is what you'll use in month 3, not what they'll show in week 1.
Feature inflation"What integrates with everything?"
Almost nothing integrates with everything. The right question: with which specific tools does it talk to? And what's the quality of those integrations?
Integration myth§ IIThe right frame
Compare by three axes
that actually matter.
Core fit (30 %).
Does the tool cover your specific practice-area needs? Criminal law needs different things than M&A. Don't pay for features you don't use.
- Practice area coverage
- Language support
- Reporting depth
API & integration quality (50 %).
How well does it talk to the rest of your stack? A good API is worth more than 20 built-in features. We've tested them — talk to us.
- API quality (REST / GraphQL)
- Webhook reliability
- Partner ecosystem
Exit cost (20 %).
If you leave in two years, can you take your data? Documented export, open formats, no proprietary lock-in.
- Data export formats
- Migration tooling
- Contract termination terms
§ IIIKey numbers
5major vendors tested
3axes that matter
50%weight on API
20%weight on exit
§ Next step
Choosing new software — or making
the one you have work?
Usually the answer is the second. Describe your stack and the gap. We'll tell you if it's a tool change or an integration project.