Time recorded from memory
Written up on Friday for the week, which means it is both inaccurate and under-recorded.
✦ Professional services
Professional services software for matters, time and clients
Matter and case tracking, time and billing, client portals and document flow - for firms whose work does not fit a generic practice management product.
✦ Where it hurts
Common friction in firms
Billing takes a week
Draft bills assembled by hand, chased around partners, then re-keyed into the accounts system.
Clients ring for updates
Every status question is a phone call and an interruption because there is nowhere to look.
Documents everywhere
Versions in email, in a shared drive and in someone's downloads folder.
WIP is invisible
Nobody knows what is unbilled until month end, so cash arrives later than it should.
Onboarding is manual
Conflict checks, engagement letters and identity checks tracked on a list.
✦ Modules
What we build for professional firms
- Matter and engagement records with stages, owners, deadlines and key dates
- Time recording that takes seconds, including capture from calendar and email
- WIP, billing and disbursements, with draft bills partners can approve quickly
- Client portal for status, documents, approvals and secure messaging
- Document workflow with templates, version history and e-signature
- Client onboarding: conflict checks, engagement letters, identity and risk records
- Profitability reporting by matter, client and fee earner
- Full audit trail and access control for regulatory and insurance requirements
✦ Buy or build
Practice management products are good - until they aren't
For conventional legal or accountancy work the established practice management products are strong, and we will tell you to use one.
Bespoke earns its keep where the firm's service is unusual: a fixed-fee model the product cannot price, a client-facing process that is part of the offer, or a workflow currently run in a spreadsheet because the system has no concept for it.
✦ Questions we get asked
Professional services software questions
Can it handle fixed fees as well as hourly?
Yes - fixed fee, capped fee, retainer, contingent and hybrid arrangements can all be modelled, including how WIP is recognised against them.
Is client data secure enough for our regulator?
Encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access, full audit logging and data residency in the region you require, all documented for your compliance reviews.
Will fee earners actually record time in it?
Only if it is fast. We design recording to take seconds - timers, calendar and email capture - because a system that adds friction reduces recorded time.
Can it integrate with our accounting package?
Yes. Approved bills post into your accounts system, and payment status flows back so nobody chases an invoice that has been paid.
Tell us what isn't working. We'll tell you what we'd build.
Thirty minutes. Bring the process, the systems it touches and the deadline. You'll leave with an approach and an honest answer on whether custom software is the right call.
No pitch deck · We map your process · You own the software