Do Solo Lawyers Really Need Case Management Software?
If you have been practicing for 20+ years with folders, OneDrive, and QuickBooks, case management software is not automatically worth it. The answer depends on your active matter count, your tolerance for context-switching, and whether your current system is costing you more than $468/year in lost time. Here is a decision framework that does not come from a software vendor.
Why most advice on this topic is useless: Every article ranking case management software is written by MyCase, Clio, or someone paid by them. That is not a conspiracy. It is just how legal SEO works. This post is different. At thelaunch.space, we build custom software for professional services firms, and sometimes the right answer is "you do not need new software."
The Practice-Size Decision Tree
Solo attorneys wondering about case management software usually fall into one of three buckets. The decision is not about features. It is about active matter count. Here is what we have found works:
Under 20 Active Matters: Stay Manual
Folders + Outlook + QuickBooks is not broken. You can track 15-20 matters in your head. The learning curve of new software will cost more time than it saves. Exception: if you are missing deadlines or losing documents, that is a system problem, not a volume problem.
20-100 Active Matters: SaaS Makes Sense
This is the sweet spot for tools like MyCase, Clio, or SimpleLaw. At $39-59/month, the cost is negligible compared to the context-switching tax of managing 50+ matters across email, folders, and mental bandwidth. Most family law, immigration, and estate planning solos land here.
100+ Active Matters: Consider Custom
When you hit high volume (personal injury, debt collection, high-volume immigration), off-the-shelf tools start breaking. You need workflow automation specific to your practice area, integrations with courts or government systems, and reporting your SaaS cannot provide. The ROI math changes at scale.
26% vs 45%
Solo attorney utilization rate vs large firm utilization rate. The gap is not talent. It is admin overhead eating billable hours. (Clio 2024 data via LexHelper)
What "45% Admin Time" Actually Costs You
The Thomson Reuters Solo and Small Law Firms study found that solo attorneys spend 45% of their time on administrative tasks. That number sounds abstract until you run it against your billing rate.
Here is the math for a solo billing at $150/hour (conservative for most markets):
- 40-hour week × 45% admin = 18 hours unbillable
- 18 hours × $150 = $2,700/week in potential revenue lost
- $2,700 × 48 weeks = $129,600/year in theoretical capacity
Obviously you cannot bill 100% of your time. But every hour you claw back from admin is an hour available for billable work, business development, or going home at 5pm.
The real question is not "should I get case management software?" It is "can I reclaim at least 1-2 hours per week?" At $150/hour, that is $7,200-$14,400/year. At $300/hour, it is double. Against software costing $468-$708/year, the math usually works.
Workflow-First Evaluation (Not Feature Checklists)
Vendor comparison pages list 50 features. Most do not matter for a solo practice. Here is what actually moves the needle, in order of impact:
1. Calendaring and Deadline Tracking
This is the malpractice prevention feature. Missed statutes of limitations, missed hearings, forgotten filing deadlines. Malpractice insurers increasingly want to see dual calendar systems. Some carriers factor calendaring software into your premium calculations. If you are running deadlines through Outlook alone, you are one sync error away from a bar complaint.
2. Client Portal and Intake Forms
This is where the 45% admin time lives. Taking client calls, chasing documents, sending the same intake questions via email. A client portal that lets clients upload documents and complete intake forms before your first meeting can save 2-3 hours per new client. If you take 2 new clients per week, that is 200+ hours/year.
3. Trust Accounting and IOLTA Compliance
If you handle client funds, this is non-negotiable. Bar audits on trust accounts are serious. Tools like CosmoLex have built-in trust accounting. If you are running IOLTA through a spreadsheet, the compliance risk alone might justify software.
4. Document Assembly
According to the ABA 2024 Legal Technology Survey, only 37% of solo attorneys use document assembly software. That means 63% are still doing manual find-and-replace in Word templates. If you use the same 10-15 document templates regularly, automation here pays off fast.
Notice what is NOT on this list: Mobile apps, fancy dashboards, AI features, integrations with 200+ tools. Those are nice-to-haves. The four items above are the 80/20 of case management for solo practices.
The 3-Year TCO Comparison
Total Cost of Ownership for a solo attorney choosing between options (as of February 2026):
| Option | Monthly Cost | 3-Year TCO | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folders + QuickBooks | ~$40 (QB only) | $1,440 | <20 matters, organized solo |
| SimpleLaw | $39 | $1,404 | Budget-conscious, family law |
| MyCase (Basic) | $39 | $1,404 | Client portals, intake focus |
| Clio (Starter) | $49 | $1,764 | Integrations, planning to grow |
| PracticePanther | $59 | $2,124 | Mobile-first, automation |
| Custom Build | $0 (after build) | $3,000-8,000 upfront | 100+ matters, unique workflows |
The math here is surprising. Staying with folders + QuickBooks costs roughly the same as SimpleLaw or MyCase over 3 years. The difference is whether your time saved exceeds 10-15 hours over those 36 months. For most solos handling 20+ matters, it does.
When Custom Beats SaaS
We have built custom case management systems for professional services firms, so we know when off-the-shelf does not work. Here are the signals that SaaS will not cut it:
- You need court/government integrations. Pulling docket data, filing electronically, tracking case status across jurisdictions. SaaS tools bolt this on awkwardly.
- Your workflow is highly practice-specific. Personal injury contingency tracking, immigration visa timelines, mass tort matter management. Generic tools force you to adapt to their workflow instead of the other way around.
- You are hitting SaaS limits. Need custom fields they do not support, reports they cannot generate, automations that require API access they lock behind enterprise tiers.
- Per-user pricing becomes absurd. If you plan to add staff, $39-79/user/month adds up. At 5 users, you are paying $2,340-$4,740/year. Custom starts looking reasonable.
This is similar to the decision framework we have written about for CRM adoption in small service businesses. The question is not "does this tool have the features?" It is "does this tool fit how I actually work?"
The typical custom build for a solo practice with specific workflow needs runs $3,000-8,000 upfront with near-zero ongoing costs. Break-even vs SaaS is 2-4 years depending on complexity. After that, you own it.
The 27-Year-Veteran Test
The Reddit post that inspired this article came from a family law attorney with 27 years of experience. Folders, OneDrive, QuickBooks. The question was: "Is SimpleLaw or MyCase worth it?"
Here is how to answer that question for yourself:
1. Count Your Active Matters Right Now
If it is under 20, you probably do not need software. If it is 20-50, software will likely help. Over 50, it is almost certainly worth it.
2. Track Your Admin Hours for One Week
How many hours do you spend on intake calls, chasing documents, updating calendars, generating invoices? If it exceeds 10 hours/week, you are a candidate for automation.
3. Identify Your Pain Points
Missed deadlines = calendaring is critical. Document chaos = client portal and assembly. Trust accounting stress = built-in IOLTA. If none of these hurt, your current system is working.
4. Run a 2-Week Trial
Every tool mentioned here offers free trials. SimpleLaw gives 2 weeks plus 3 months free with annual commitment. Test with real matters, not hypotheticals.
The AI Question
You have probably heard that AI is transforming legal practice. The ABA 2024 survey found that 18% of solo practitioners now use AI tools, up from 10% in 2023 and 0% in 2022. That is significant growth, but it is still a minority.
Here is our take: AI in case management software is currently table stakes for research (ChatGPT, CoCounsel, Lexis+ AI) but gimmicky for core case management. The tools that advertise "AI-powered" features mostly mean they have added a chatbot. The fundamentals of calendaring, client communication, and document management have not changed.
Focus on whether the tool solves your actual workflow problems. AI will get better. The basics matter now.
The Decision Framework (Summary)
Ask yourself three questions:
- How many active matters do I have? Under 20: stay manual. 20-100: SaaS. 100+: consider custom.
- Where is my time going? If admin is eating >10 hours/week, software pays for itself in reclaimed billing.
- What is my biggest risk? Missed deadlines = calendaring. Trust accounting errors = built-in compliance. Neither = your current system might be fine.
The same pattern applies to other tool decisions. We have seen it in founders outgrowing spreadsheets for lead management and in small businesses deciding when to automate invoicing. The framework is always: start with your actual constraints, not the vendor's feature list.
Bottom line: If your folders and QuickBooks have worked for 27 years, they might work for 27 more. But if you are handling 20+ matters and spending more than 10 hours/week on admin, $39/month is probably the cheapest raise you will ever give yourself.