Running a small law firm involves juggling many responsibilities. You need to keep track of client communications and be certain no details slip through the cracks. That’s where finding the best CRM for small law firms is key.

Knowing which path to take might feel overwhelming with all the choices available. Many people find themselves lost when asking what others consider basic questions. Let’s explore how to choose a client relationship management system for your legal client needs.

Why Small Law Firms Need CRM Software

• Why Small Law Firms Need CRM Software
• Key Features to Look for in a CRM
• Top CRM Options for Small Law Firms
  • Clio
  • Zoho CRM
  • Law Ruler
  • HubSpot
  • Lawmatics
  • SalesForce
  • Pipedrive
  • Freshsales
• How to Choose the Right CRM
• FAQs about best crm for small law firms
  • What is the best CRM for law firms?
  • What is the best CRM for a small company?
  • Do lawyers use CRM?
  • What software do most law firms use?
• Conclusion

Why Small Law Firms Need CRM Software

As a small law firm, you might think you’re too small for CRM software. But a CRM can be a game-changer, regardless of your size. Legal technology makes it possible for firms to experience work efficiency gains. In fact, 84% of law firms saw an increase in efficiency after implementing legal tech, like firm CRM software.

What can a CRM really do for your firm? In a recent survey of legal professionals, 98% of firms saw improved marketing decisions after using effective legal intake software. So let’s understand the value a legal CRM can have.

• Centralized Contact Management.
• Improved Client Communication.
• Better Organization.
• Increased Efficiency.

Key Features to Look for in a CRM

Not all CRMs are created equal. Before deciding on the ideal solution for your firm, ensure you pay attention to key items. Here are some of the most important features to consider when comparing options for the best CRM for small law firms:

• Contact Management: Store all client data in one place.
• Lead Tracking: Monitor prospective clients from initial contact to engagement.
• Task Management: Organize tasks and deadlines for each case with workflow automation.
• Document Management: Store and organize important legal documents securely with document automation.
• Reporting and Analytics: Get insights into your firm’s performance using the firm CRM.
• Calendar and Appointment Scheduling: Let prospective clients self-book into your calendar for consultations to help eliminate wasted emails using appointment scheduling.

Many attorneys find integration with tools, like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, extremely useful for connecting daily operations and contact information. By connecting these platforms you are able to experience marketing automation to further assist in work efficiency.

Top CRM Options for Small Law Firms

Picking the right law practice CRM option can feel tricky. Let’s jump into our curated list. Here are some of the best choices for small law firms:

Clio

Clio is cloud-based legal practice management software. Clio offers client intake, document management, and billing, helping law firms manage cases efficiently and offering marketing automation software. It also integrates with many other services. A study found that 60% of law firms don’t even respond to an email inquiry.

Also, Clio can reduce time spent drafting closing documents by as much as 70%, making them efficient and giving time back to lawyers. According to the 2022 Legal Trends Report, cloud solutions help keep lawyers connected with their clients. Clio provides tools to easily connect with customers using a client portal.

The software also receives excellent user reviews across various platforms. For instance, Clio has an average rating of 4.5/5 stars across several sites.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is suited for various industries. It can also streamline and automate sales operations and marketing. If you are a law practice, Zoho CRM may be right for you.

Also, its pricing is quite cheap. Zoho has the ability to handle important best CRM features for a small firm looking to explore client relationship management. Another attractive selling point is its standard features as it begins around only \$12 per month per user, which can make Zoho CRM one of the most accessible CRM tools.

Law Ruler

Law Ruler can increase revenue thanks to the company dedicating effort to develop integrated solutions over the years. The company says its CRM solutions nurture the needs of law firms. Do these solutions work well for this part of the law?

Users seem to like Law Ruler based on their experiences. It does seem as though some integrations are not possible at this time, like with Gmail, though.

HubSpot

While not specifically for legal practices, HubSpot is an all-in-one platform for marketing, sales, and customer service. It provides a free CRM option, which includes features like email tracking and is a popular choice in the sales marketing space. However, it is not legal-specific.

Some might argue that to really get the full picture, one needs a fully paid offering from them. Its potential really comes out to shine when it’s fully unlocked. But at the right level, it might prove to be useful as one of the best CRMs for small law firms. HubSpot helps law firms build strong client relationships.

Lawmatics

Lawmatics is an end-to-end legal CRM solution. Lawmatics will help you streamline your intake and personalize marketing efforts using marketing automation software.

Lawmatics customers often praise the CRM for its ability to convert leads into clients while remaining user-friendly. Although some integrations cannot be easily done unless using their API.

You can learn more from the CEO himself as the company continues to push forward their mission on the podcast series. One reviewer mentioned how their Lawmatics review found an advanced, law firm focused CRM. Because of all of this, it can very much be considered one of the best CRMs for small law firms. This end-to-end legal solution can streamline the client intake process.

SalesForce

SalesForce is a market leader in the CRM space. It offers workflow creation and task management tools, so it remains very popular.

There are no specific legal-based components of their offering. The implementation could be very complex for a small business that is just starting to experiment in the CRM space. Salesforce is the leading vendor in the CRM market and it is definitely a juggernaut to take into account though.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive encourages activity-based selling and focuses on tasks that drive sales. By doing that, managers and sales teams gain focus for the growth needed for their business.

The software dedicates entire portions to connecting with channel, solutions, and tech-based firms that wish to integrate into their platform. However, for small accounts, there is little support. It could certainly provide what your business requires when comparing the other choices, though. The lead management capabilities may prove very useful.

Freshsales

Even though it isn’t specifically a law firm CRM, Freshsales can be suitable, helping you with numerous components of the sales pipeline. Another bonus with the company is their advanced reporting and direct calling features that have recording abilities. The solution offers features like appointment scheduling.

What’s not to like about the product? Users have mentioned wanting more simple features that are easier to understand so others can benefit too. If affordability is what you are looking for, look no further. Freshsales provides a client portal for streamlined communication.

How to Choose the Right CRM

How do you pick a CRM for your business after looking at all of these tools? Remember that 78% of law firms use a CRM system.

According to the American Bar Association’s 2021 Cloud Computing survey, lawyers still use the cloud much less than professionals in other industries. Therefore, now is the perfect time to start making the switch to a cloud-based practice.

Here’s a simple process for helping decide which CRM to pick:

1. Assess Your Firm’s Needs.
2. Set a Budget.
3. Evaluate Integration Capabilities. Do any connect to the best CRM and make for clear choices that your team prefers or is used to using already?
4. Read Reviews and Testimonials. See what other law firms just like you are seeing.
5. Take Advantage of Free Trials. Try them out to see if you even vibe with the UI or the software runs as expected with a free trial.

The CRM market is expected to increase in demand. Statista notes that the market is growing 393% between 2010 and 2020. Leverage this growth to really change how you connect with people in this upcoming tech space.

For some, that may also mean you might need to allocate time to learning a CRM. With options like Clio Onboarding Courses available, most have access and guidance on the software and tools. These CRM tools offer different features to helps law firms.

This information should prove invaluable and can give new perspective as you prepare for this leap. When it comes to client relationships, a well-chosen CRM solution can be a game-changer. Make sure that you pick the best CRM for small law firms to streamline your operations.

This may all seem tricky and nuanced, but a simplified table could serve to simplify how everything might really shake out. So what could this all really boil down to? Here’s the top items to pay attention to:

CRM	Key Features	Potential Drawbacks
Clio	Legal-specific, billing, integrations	Limited customization
Zoho CRM	Affordable, automation	Overwhelming UI, lacks legal focus
Law Ruler	Lead management, automated intake	Can be pricey
HubSpot	Marketing, free version	Non-legal specific. To unlock value, pay for premium options
Lawmatics	End-to-end, automation	Limited integrations
SalesForce	All in one, customizable	Not legal specific
Pipedrive	Sales focus, affordable	Limited support for basic plans
Freshsales	Affordable, direct calling	Limited integrations

FAQs about best crm for small law firms

What is the best CRM for law firms?

There are many excellent CRM options for law firms. Some of the best choices include Clio, Lawmatics, and Zoho CRM. It’s critical to analyze your legal client needs before making your choice of law practice management software.

What is the best CRM for a small company?

The best CRM for a small company is one that meets your specific needs and budget. Pipedrive, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM are scalable for various businesses and can manage prospective clients.

Do lawyers use CRM?

Yes, lawyers definitely use CRM software. In fact, 78% of law firms currently leverage CRM tech. Lawyers that leverage firm CRM are better suited to handle existing clients as well.

What software do most law firms use?

Most law firms use a variety of software to manage their practices. This includes CRM software, practice management software, and accounting software.

Do any of these integrations tie well together or allow various features? If not, is that detrimental? Each software’s ability to work together is something you need to evaluate when deciding on the best CRM for small law firms.

All of these factors play impacts and determine potential use cases. The right system will improve your customer relationship.

Conclusion

Picking the right CRM for small law firms doesn’t have to be challenging. The software tools offered by the company can really make a difference. Choosing between all-in-one offerings and easily integrated software requires selecting a proper offering for your company.

Consider a free CRM or a CRM with a free trial to help you evaluate your choice. Taking the time to choose the right CRM solution for your firm can result in improved client experience and a streamlined client intake process. Selecting the best CRM for small law firms will depend on the specific practice area.