Moving a law firm from spreadsheets to management software

Choose a small set of active matters first

Moving a law firm from spreadsheets and paper files starts with deciding which records the team needs to rely on in the new system. Begin with a representative set of active matters. Name the owner of the move, the lawyer checking dates and scope, and the accounts colleague checking bills and balances.

Set a cut-off for the pilot and keep the source records available to the people authorised to review them. Agree where new changes will be recorded during the move. Two working copies with different updates can create more uncertainty than the old spreadsheet.

Inventory the records before moving them

List the source of each record set, its owner, the number of records and the checks needed. Start with clients, active matters, confirmed dates, open tasks, important documents and unpaid bills. Decide separately which closed files can remain in an approved archive.

Resolve duplicate clients, unclear matter references and missing document locations before using the records as a source. Keep unresolved questions in the plan with a named reviewer. Do not turn an uncertain date or historical balance into a confident entry simply to finish a migration.

Prove the transfer method with fictional records

Ask the vendor which records can be entered, imported or transferred with assistance. Confirm the file format and checks before preparing a large export. The worksheets on this page are planning tools; they are not import files and do not promise that FirmStack accepts automated CSV uploads.

Try the agreed method with fictional records first. Check that names, dates, currency and document links survive the move. Then have the people who will use the system complete an intake handover, a diary change and a part-payment from the transferred record.

Reconcile counts and important values

Compare the source count with the target count for each record set, then check a sample against the original file. Counts alone do not prove that a date belongs to the right matter or a receipt to the right invoice. Ask the responsible person to approve the important values.

For example, if three unpaid bills are moving, compare each invoice, the receipts allocated to it and its remaining balance. Keep money held for clients separate from fees owed to the firm. Broader accounting in FirmStack is opt-in for enabled firms; agree the available workflow and opening-balance review before using it.

• Source records and an authorised recovery copy remain available.
• Client, matter and document counts are reconciled.
• Confirmed dates and preparation owners have been checked.
• Invoices, receipts and opening balances have named reviewers.
• Permissions are tested with the intended team roles.
• Unresolved differences have an owner and a decision.
• The pilot has a written acceptance or fallback decision.

Agree the switch and the support plan

Choose when the team will start relying on the new record and communicate that decision. Keep the old source under controlled access so a colleague can investigate a discrepancy without restarting a second live workflow. Agree how corrections will be recorded and who approves them.

Use the pilot to test support as well as screens. The team should know whom to contact when a court entry, file handover or bill does not look right. FirmStack offers assisted pilot setup; agree the exact records and responsibilities with the team before the move.