A legal team needs to find the right matter, document and correspondence quickly, while keeping client information controlled and recoverable. Stratiis helps law firms across Scotland support the technology around case and document systems, from secure access and Microsoft 365 to devices, backup and supplier coordination.
What are case and document systems for law firms?
A case or practice management system helps a firm organise matters, contacts, tasks, time, billing and workflows. A document management system helps people file, find, version and control documents and correspondence, often by matter. Products vary. The firm should decide which system holds each authoritative record and who is responsible for access, retention, integrations and recovery.
The practical goal
What should a legal system help your firm do?
The value is in everyday legal work: staff need a clear matter record, dependable document access and confidence that the right people are working from the right version. Requirements should be shaped around the firm’s practice areas, client commitments and existing processes.
Find information
Locate matter files, correspondence and documents without relying on personal folders.
Work consistently
Use agreed naming, metadata, templates and approval steps where the chosen platform supports them.
Control access
Give appropriate teams and approved third parties access to the information they need.
Recover work
Know which systems are backed up, who restores them and how recovery is tested.
Choose the right home for information
Case management, document management or Microsoft 365?
These tools can work together, but they do different jobs. Microsoft 365 should not automatically become the final home for every matter record simply because it is convenient to share a file.
| System | Typical role | Decision to make |
|---|---|---|
| Case or practice management | Matter records, contacts, tasks, workflows, time and billing, depending on the product. | Which application is the authoritative matter record, and who owns its integrations? |
| Document management | Matter-centric filing, search, versions, metadata and controlled document access. | Where do final documents, correspondence and versions belong? |
| Microsoft 365 | Email, Teams collaboration, SharePoint workspaces and individual OneDrive files. | Which work can happen here, and what must be filed back into the matter system? |
Stratiis can help document those boundaries and support the Microsoft 365 and infrastructure components around a specialist legal application. Explore our Microsoft 365 services.
Matter information
How do you avoid document sprawl and wrong versions?
Agree where each type of information belongs before changing tools. A document may begin in Word or a Teams workspace, but the firm still needs a clear filing point, owner and version history. Search and metadata are useful only when staff follow a consistent process.
Define the matter record
Set rules for where instructions, advice, correspondence and final documents are filed.
Design access by role
Review matter teams, restricted work, temporary access and ownership of shared workspaces.
Manage versions
Identify drafts, approvals and final documents, and avoid parallel copies across personal storage.
Plan search and metadata
Use fields and naming that help people find information without creating excessive admin work.
Control external sharing
Agree how clients, counsel and other third parties receive information and when access ends.
Set retention ownership
Document who sets retention rules and how the firm applies its legal, client and business requirements.
Confidentiality by design
How should law firms protect case and document access?
Start with identity, device and permission controls. A system can be well configured yet still expose information through a compromised account, an unmanaged laptop or an overbroad sharing link. The firm should know who can access each workspace and how that access is reviewed.
People and accounts
Use appropriate multi-factor authentication, controlled administrator access and prompt joiner and leaver processes. Review exceptions and external users.
Devices and data
Keep devices supported, encrypted and managed where appropriate. Set rules for downloads, mobile access, external sharing and lost devices.
Stratiis can connect legal-system access to wider cybersecurity, workstation lifecycle and mobile device management work.
Integrations and responsibilities
Who supports the application and its surrounding IT?
Specialist legal software often connects to email, identity, document tools, time recording and finance processes. Before an incident or migration, record which supplier owns each part. Stratiis can support the underlying devices, cloud services, access, network and security, and coordinate technical work with the case or document-system vendor.
| Component | Questions to settle | Likely owner |
|---|---|---|
| Legal application | Who supports workflows, product configuration, specialist integrations and application updates? | Application vendor or agreed implementation partner. |
| Identity and devices | Who manages accounts, MFA, device configuration, access and joiner-leaver changes? | Firm IT team or managed IT provider. |
| Data and recovery | What is backed up, where is it retained, who restores it and how is recovery tested? | Explicitly documented across the firm, vendor and IT provider. |
The exact split should be written into the service scope rather than assumed.
Move with care
What should a law firm check before migrating systems?
A migration is more than copying files. The firm should inventory matters and documents, decide what to keep, map users and permissions, check metadata and versions, and test integrations. A representative pilot and agreed cutover reduce the chance of interrupting client work.
1
Inventory
Identify systems, matters, files, volumes and dependencies.
2
Decide
Agree authoritative records, exclusions and retention decisions.
3
Map
Define metadata, versions, access and integrations.
4
Test
Pilot with real workflows and representative users.
5
Move
Schedule cutover, communications and support.
6
Verify
Check completeness, search, permissions and recovery.
Our project services can help plan the technical dependencies and coordinate the suppliers involved.
Continuity
How do you keep matters available during an outage?
Identify which legal systems and records must be restored first, how much downtime the firm can tolerate and who will make decisions during an incident. Backup, retention and disaster recovery serve different purposes; each should have a defined scope. Test restoration of representative matters and documents, not only the existence of backup jobs.
Application and data recovery
Confirm what the vendor and the firm each protect, including attachments, metadata, configurations and integrations.
Working during disruption
Plan how fee earners communicate and handle urgent deadlines when a specialist application, network or office is unavailable.
Explore our cloud, backup and disaster recovery services.
Where Stratiis helps
How does Stratiis support case and document systems?
We begin with the firm’s workflows and responsibilities, then help make the surrounding technology reliable, secure and supportable. The application vendor remains responsible for product-specific functionality unless a separate scope says otherwise.
Discovery and design
Map current systems, users, integrations, access, pain points and supplier ownership.
Microsoft 365 and identity
Review email, collaboration, accounts, authentication and information-sharing controls.
Devices and connectivity
Support the laptops, mobile devices and networks employees use to reach legal systems.
Security and recovery
Assess access, endpoint controls, backup coverage and incident response dependencies.
Vendor coordination
Provide a clear technical escalation path when legal software and the wider IT environment intersect.
Ongoing improvement
Review issues, lifecycle, licences and a practical roadmap as the firm’s needs change.
Buying and planning
What affects the cost of case and document systems?
Total cost can include application licences, implementation, migration, storage, integrations, training, devices, security, backup and ongoing support. The lowest licence price may leave essential work out of scope. Ask for a proposal that separates the software vendor’s responsibilities from infrastructure and managed IT work, identifies assumptions and shows what is charged once versus each year.
Partners also need a clear view of the business impact of downtime, poor search, rework and uncontrolled sharing. Our vCIO services can help turn those decisions into a technology roadmap.
Explore related services
Keep the legal workflow connected to the wider IT plan
Case and document systems depend on reliable support, secure collaboration and a recovery plan.
Law Firm IT Support
See how the wider service supports client confidentiality and fee earners.
Managed IT Services
Helpdesk, monitoring, administration and supplier escalation.
Cybersecurity
Protect accounts, devices, information and business continuity.
Case and document systems FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions law firms raise when they review legal systems and document workflows.
What is a case management system?
It is software used to organise legal matters and related work. Features may include contacts, tasks, workflows, time, billing and documents, depending on the product.
What is a document management system for a law firm?
It helps people file, find, version and control documents and correspondence, often organised by matter. The features and integrations vary by platform.
Does Microsoft 365 replace specialist legal software?
It can support email, meetings and collaboration, but it does not automatically provide the full matter, time, billing or document workflow a firm may need. Define the role of each system.
Should every matter document be stored in SharePoint?
Not necessarily. The firm should decide which system is the authoritative home for matter information and how work created in Microsoft 365 is filed back there.
How can we stop staff working from the wrong version?
Use a clear filing process, version controls supported by the platform and agreed rules for drafts, approvals and final documents. Reduce parallel copies in email and personal storage.
Can access be restricted to a matter team?
Many systems support role or matter-level permissions. The firm should test its chosen product, keep exceptions documented and review access when team membership changes.
Can clients and counsel receive documents securely?
Yes, through an approved sharing method suited to the information and recipient. Define ownership, permissions, expiry and a process for withdrawing access.
What does an audit trail show?
Depending on the platform, it may record access, changes, versions or sharing events. Check what is actually logged, how long it remains available and who reviews it.
Is retention the same as backup?
No. Retention governs how information is kept and disposed of under the firm’s requirements. Backup supports recovery after loss or disruption. Both need a clear scope.
Can a legacy matter system be migrated?
Often, but the feasibility depends on data quality, export capability, metadata, integrations and the destination product. Test representative matters before committing to a full move.
What should be tested before go-live?
Check search, matter records, documents, versions, permissions, email or finance integrations, performance and a sample recovery. Include real users from the firm.
Who fixes an issue with our case management application?
The application vendor usually owns product-specific faults, while the firm’s IT provider may own devices, identity, network and other underlying services. Put the escalation split in writing.
How can lawyers work away from the office?
Provide managed devices and approved access to the applications and documents they need. Apply suitable authentication and information-sharing controls.
Will Copilot or AI tools see confidential matter files?
Access depends on the tool and the permissions already in place. Review oversharing, data locations and the firm’s approved AI use before connecting AI tools to matter information.
How long does a migration take?
Timing depends on matter volume, data quality, integrations, training and the agreed cutover. Discovery and a pilot are needed before a reliable schedule can be set.
How much do case and document systems cost?
Costs vary by product, users, storage, migration, integrations and support. Compare the full implementation and ongoing service, not only the licence fee.
Make legal information easier to find and safer to manage
Tell us where matter work is slow, fragmented or hard to support. We’ll review the surrounding IT, access, document workflow and supplier responsibilities, then help define a practical next step.
Book a law firm technology reviewExplore law firm IT support
Email hello@stratiis.com
