Law Firm Software Migration: What to Clean Up First
What to Clean Up Before Your Firm Changes Practice Management or Accounting Software If your firm is moving off PCLaw, QuickBooks, an older practice management system or a collection of
Legal Operations Consulting · Solo & Small Law Firms
The operational gaps costing your firm time and money, and how we fix them.
From intake to invoice, trust accounting to compliance, ClearPoint works with solo and small law firms across Canada to fix the operational problems that drain time, revenue, and energy. Here's what that looks like.
Canadian solo & small firms Clio Certified Partner Certified Clio Accounting Partner CosmoLex Certified Consultant
Who this is for
ClearPoint works best for firms at a specific inflection point.
The solo lawyer wearing every hat
You're doing the legal work, managing intake, chasing invoices, and handling trust accounting. Something has to give, and it shouldn't be client service or compliance.
The small firm that's grown past its systems
You started with basic tools and informal processes. Now you have staff, more files, and the same ad hoc setup, and the cracks are starting to show in billing, handoffs, and accountability.
The firm that knows something's wrong but can't pinpoint it
Revenue feels flat despite consistent billing. Time is disappearing into non-billable work. The software isn't doing what it should. You need someone to come in, look at everything, and tell you what's actually happening.
The new firm setting up
You've just opened, or you're about to. Getting trust accounting, intake, and your practice management system right from day one costs far less than fixing them later. In Ontario, a new firm's first Spot Audit tends to come early.
Not sure if this fits your situation? That's exactly what the free operations assessment is for. In 45 minutes we'll tell you honestly whether there's work to do and what it would involve, with a written report within one business day. No obligation either way.
How every engagement works
01
Free assessment
45 minutes and a written report within a business day. An honest read on where to start.
02
Fixed-fee project
Plain-language deliverables and one price, quoted up front. Anything outside the scope is quoted before we go further.
03
Playbook and training
Every build ends with a written playbook and hands-on training, so your team can run it without us.
04
Ongoing support, if you want it
A fractional COO retainer, month to month. Many firms don't need one.
Service 01
Process Improvement
Less time on admin. More time on client work.
Every law firm runs on processes, most of them informal, undocumented, and inconsistent. When a client intake takes twice as long as it should, when files stall between staff members, when the same information gets entered three times in three different places, that's not a staffing problem. It's a process problem. We map what's actually happening, identify where time and quality are leaking, and rebuild your workflows so they run consistently without your constant supervision.
Common projects: intake rebuilt from first contact to matter open · matter stages and task lists by practice area · documented procedures and handoffs your staff can actually follow
What we do
- End-to-end intake process design, from first contact to matter open
- Workflow mapping for matter stages across your practice areas
- Client handoff standardization between lawyers, paralegals, and support staff
- Change management support so new processes actually stick
- Staff training on revised workflows and accountability structures
What changes for you
- Intake moves from ad hoc to consistent: the same experience for every client, every time
- Files don't stall because the next step is always clear
- Delegation becomes possible because the process doesn't live in one person's head
- Time spent on administration drops, and hours go back to billable work
- Onboarding new staff gets faster because workflows are documented
Example: Streamlined client intake flow
Step 1
Lead capture
Website form or call
→
Step 2
Intake form
Key details collected
→
Step 3
Conflict check
Auto or manual review
→
Step 4
Engagement
eSignature sent
→
Step 5
Matter open
Active in your system
Service 02
Practice Management Systems
Technology that works for your firm, not the other way around.
Most solo and small firm lawyers have the right software, whether that's Clio, CosmoLex, or another practice management platform, but are using a fraction of what it can do. The setup was rushed, the configuration never matched how the firm actually works, and the team learned just enough to get by. The result is a tool that creates as much friction as it removes. We assess your full technology stack, identify what's misconfigured or underused, and rebuild it around your real workflows. For Clio firms, that can now include bringing your accounting into Clio Accounting. We also help firms get real value from AI tools like Clio Work and Manage AI, safely and within your professional obligations.
Common projects: a new Clio or CosmoLex setup · cleaning up a setup that never fit · Clio Grow intake forms and pipeline · bill themes converted to Clio billing templates · moving your books into Clio Accounting
What we do
- Practice management system selection, implementation, and optimization (Clio, CosmoLex, MyCase, Smokeball, LEAP, PCLaw, and others)
- Clio Accounting setup and migration from your current accounting software
- Document management setup and integration (NetDocuments, OneDrive, SharePoint)
- CRM and intake tool configuration (Clio Grow, HubSpot, and others)
- System migrations without data loss or downtime
- Staff training grounded in how your firm works, not generic product demos
What changes for you
- Your software actually reflects your workflows, not the default template
- Time entry, billing, and trust accounting connect properly so nothing falls through
- Staff use the system consistently because it makes their work easier, not harder
- Reporting gives you visibility into what's actually happening in your firm
- You stop paying for features you're not using, and start using the ones that matter
Example: A connected legal technology stack
Practice Mgmt
Clio
CosmoLex
MyCase
Actionstep
LEAP / PCLaw
Documents
NetDocuments
OneDrive
SharePoint
Clio Drive
Intake / CRM
Clio Grow
HubSpot
Lawmatics
Website forms
Billing / Trust
Clio Accounting
QuickBooks
Xero
Soluno / Actionstep
Tools that work together, not against each other.
Service 03
Trust Accounting & Law Society Compliance
Clean trust records in any province, and audit-ready in Ontario.
Every law society in Canada sets strict rules for trust money: separate accounts, client ledgers, monthly reconciliations, and records you can produce on request. Most trust problems aren't misconduct. They're reconciliations that stopped tying out, a sync between your practice management and accounting software that quietly drifted, or corrections that were never finished. We find where things went wrong, rebuild the records so they tie to the bank, and leave you with a month-end routine that keeps them that way.
Common projects: trust reconciliation cleanup and catch-up · client ledgers rebuilt to tie to the bank · fixing a practice management and accounting sync that has drifted · a monthly three-way reconciliation routine your staff can run
What we do
- Trust reconciliation review and catch-up, month by month
- Client ledger and transaction cleanup
- Sync review between Clio or CosmoLex and your accounting software
- Written month-end procedures for whoever keeps the books
- Staff training so the routine holds after we're done
What changes for you
- Reconciliations tie every month, not just when someone has time
- You can produce any record your law society asks for
- One clear source of truth instead of two systems that disagree
- Trust accounting stops being the thing that keeps you up at night
Ontario firms: LSO Spot Audits and Practice Reviews
The LSO audits trust records and financial compliance under By-Law 9, and separately reviews how firms run their practice. We offer two focused reviews:
- LSO Audit Preparedness Review: a written report on your trust accounting, records, and controls, examined the way a Spot Audit would, before or after you get notice. Fixed fee.
- LSO Practice Review Preparedness: a gap review of your files, conflicts, retainers, and procedures against the LSO's criteria, plus the templates and procedures to close the gaps. Scoped before you commit.
Keeping it clean. Once your trust and general books are clean, we can help keep them that way with monthly reconciliation support. We offer this only to firms whose books we've already worked on, because knowing your setup inside out is what makes it reliable.
Talk to us about your trust records Service 04
Docketing & Billing Optimization
Recover the revenue you've already earned.
Most solo and small law firms are collecting significantly less revenue than they're generating. Time goes unrecorded, recorded time gets written down before billing, and billed amounts sit in accounts receivable for months. These aren't isolated problems. They're systemic gaps in how time is captured, how invoices are generated, and how collections are followed up. We find exactly where your revenue is leaking and implement the processes and tools that stop it.
~38%
Average utilization rate
About 3 billable hours in an 8-hour day. Strong firms hit 65–75%+.
88%
Average realization rate
Top firms hit 93–95%. The gap is almost always in time entry habits and write-down discipline.
15–20%
Of time worked that never gets collected
With realization around 88% and collection around 93%, close to a fifth of the average firm's worked time never reaches the bank.
Industry benchmarks from the Clio Legal Trends Report.
Common projects: docketing standards and time capture habits · invoice workflow and follow-up on aged receivables · split billing between parties · flat-fee and subscription billing set up in Clio · billing templates that look like your firm
What we do
- Utilization, realization, and collection rate audit, benchmarked against industry standards
- Time capture review, finding where hours go unrecorded
- Invoice workflow: timing, format, and follow-up
- Write-down analysis and controls
- AR aging review and collections process
- Fee structure review: flat fee, hourly, or a hybrid
What changes for you
- More of the time your team works gets recorded, and gets billed
- Invoices go out faster and get paid sooner
- You know which clients, matters, and timekeepers are profitable
- Write-downs drop because time entries are clearer and more defensible
- Cash flow becomes predictable, and AR stops surprising you
Service 05
Business Development & Marketing
Build a pipeline that works without your constant attention.
For most solo and small firms, growth leaks out long before marketing becomes the problem: an inquiry nobody followed up, a consult that never got booked, a referral source who never heard back. We start there, with intake and follow-up systems that make sure every lead is handled. Then we help you build the strategy that brings in more of the right clients: referral relationships, client communication, and content you can actually keep up with.
Common projects: online intake forms and automated follow-up · consult booking connected to your calendar · referral source tracking · a client newsletter and communication rhythm · website and content review
What we do
- Digital intake and lead capture, so inquiries don't fall through
- Client communication systems: follow-up sequences, newsletter cadence, touchpoint mapping
- Business development strategy: your best referral sources and client development opportunities
- Referral network development, identifying and nurturing the relationships that drive growth
- Brand positioning review: how your firm is perceived versus how it should be
- Content strategy for your blog and social presence that's consistent and not time-consuming
What changes for you
- Every inquiry gets a response, and every consult gets booked
- You stop relying on memory and goodwill to keep referral relationships warm
- Prospective clients get a consistent, professional experience from first inquiry to engagement
- Marketing happens consistently because it's systematized, not because someone found the time
- You know where your best clients come from and focus energy there
Service 06
Fractional COO Services
Senior operations leadership, without the full-time overhead.
As a solo or small firm grows, the managing partner's time gets pulled in more directions. Operational decisions that used to be simple start requiring more thought: staffing, systems, profitability, strategic direction. At some point the firm needs experienced operations leadership, but most can't justify a full-time COO. A Fractional COO gives you the strategic oversight, accountability, and operational expertise of a senior operations leader on a part-time basis. Retainers are month to month, built around a set number of hours each month, and most firms start after a project, once the foundations are in place.
What a typical month looks like
01
A regular check-in
What's moving, what's stuck, and what's next, so priorities stay clear and decisions don't sit waiting.
02
A numbers review
Utilization, realization, collections, and aged receivables, so decisions come from data, not instinct.
03
Fixes as they come up
Small problems handled before they compound, with a running priority list so nothing drifts.
What we do
- Ongoing operations planning and priority-setting
- Process improvement implementation and accountability
- Staff structure and performance management guidance
- Technology stack oversight and optimization
- Financial performance reporting: utilization, realization, profitability
- Vendor and supplier management support
What changes for you
- Operational decisions get made, and followed through on, without consuming your time
- Staff have clear direction and accountability structures
- Firm performance is tracked regularly, not just at year end
- You get out of the operational weeds and back into client work and firm leadership
- You have an experienced operations partner to think problems through with
Credentials
Certified in the tools your firm relies on most.
ClearPoint holds active certifications from both Clio and CosmoLex — the two most widely used practice management platforms in Canadian solo and small firms. These aren't honorary designations. They represent demonstrated expertise in implementation, configuration, and optimization of each platform, verified directly by the software providers.
Read more about Michael Stephens and ClearPoint
Not sure which service applies to your firm?
The free operations assessment covers all six areas. In 45 minutes you'll know exactly where your biggest gaps are — and which service would have the most impact on your firm right now.
No obligation. No sales pitch. Just clarity on what your firm needs most.
Clio & CosmoLex Certified Partner
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