You are buying the software. The controls are still yours.
Clio, Harvey, Smokeball, MyCase, and NetDocuments all hold client work well. None of them can prove that a person reviewed it, and that is what a bar auditor or a carrier asks to see.
What each tool does, and what stays with your firm
None of these products is a bad choice. They are built to hold the work, not to prove the work was checked.
Clio
Practice management and billing
Matters, timekeeping, billing, documents, and client communication in one system, with trust and IOLTA ledgers and reconciliation reporting.
What stays with you
It does not decide who prepares the reconciliation or who reviews it, and it does not record that a second person signed off. That trail lives outside the software unless your firm keeps it.
Record to keep
A monthly reconciliation, signed and dated by the preparer and a separate reviewer, with the bank statement kept beside it.
Harvey
AI research and drafting assistant
Assisted research, drafting, and document analysis built on third-party language models, usually deployed as a firm-wide tool.
What stays with you
It does not decide which matters may use it, what client data may go into it, or whether a lawyer reviewed the output before it left the firm.
Record to keep
A written AI policy, an approved tool list with dates, and a review step noted on each matter where AI output was used.
Smokeball
Practice management and automation
Matter management, document automation, time capture, and forms, aimed at keeping routine work moving without rekeying.
What stays with you
It does not produce evidence that a conflicts search was run by a named person on a named date and cleared before the engagement letter went out.
Record to keep
An intake file per new matter: who ran the conflict check, when, what was searched, and who cleared it.
MyCase
Practice and case management
Case management, client portal, billing, and payments, with client communication gathered in one place.
What stays with you
It does not tell you whether your controls are actually being followed, and it does not assemble the review evidence a carrier asks for after a claim.
Record to keep
A dated review of open matters and receivables with the reviewer named, plus the fee communication trail on any disputed invoice.
NetDocuments
Document management
Matter workspaces, version history, and permissioned access to firm documents inside a controlled repository.
What stays with you
It does not run a periodic access review. Permissions set eighteen months ago still work after someone leaves unless a person checks them.
Record to keep
A quarterly access review listing who can reach what, signed by the reviewer and tied to the offboarding checklist.
| Tool | Built to | What stays with your firm |
|---|---|---|
Clio Practice management and billing | Matters, timekeeping, billing, documents, and client communication in one system, with trust and IOLTA ledgers and reconciliation reporting. | It does not decide who prepares the reconciliation or who reviews it, and it does not record that a second person signed off. That trail lives outside the software unless your firm keeps it. Record to keep A monthly reconciliation, signed and dated by the preparer and a separate reviewer, with the bank statement kept beside it. |
Harvey AI research and drafting assistant | Assisted research, drafting, and document analysis built on third-party language models, usually deployed as a firm-wide tool. | It does not decide which matters may use it, what client data may go into it, or whether a lawyer reviewed the output before it left the firm. Record to keep A written AI policy, an approved tool list with dates, and a review step noted on each matter where AI output was used. |
Smokeball Practice management and automation | Matter management, document automation, time capture, and forms, aimed at keeping routine work moving without rekeying. | It does not produce evidence that a conflicts search was run by a named person on a named date and cleared before the engagement letter went out. Record to keep An intake file per new matter: who ran the conflict check, when, what was searched, and who cleared it. |
MyCase Practice and case management | Case management, client portal, billing, and payments, with client communication gathered in one place. | It does not tell you whether your controls are actually being followed, and it does not assemble the review evidence a carrier asks for after a claim. Record to keep A dated review of open matters and receivables with the reviewer named, plus the fee communication trail on any disputed invoice. |
NetDocuments Document management | Matter workspaces, version history, and permissioned access to firm documents inside a controlled repository. | It does not run a periodic access review. Permissions set eighteen months ago still work after someone leaves unless a person checks them. Record to keep A quarterly access review listing who can reach what, signed by the reviewer and tied to the offboarding checklist. |
Descriptions reflect how each vendor presents its own product as of publication. Features change, so read current documentation before you buy. TrustLens is not affiliated with any of the products listed.
The four records the software does not keep for you
These are what a bar auditor, a carrier, or an opposing counsel asks to see. None of them come out of a dashboard.
A trust reconciliation two people signed
The ledger can live in software. Proof that one person prepared it and a different person checked it cannot. Keep the signed, dated reconciliation with the bank statement beside it, every month, with no skipped months.
A conflicts check with a name on it
A search that returns nothing is not evidence. Evidence is who ran it, when, which names were searched, and who cleared the matter before the engagement letter went out.
A deadline calendar with an owner
Calendars do not miss deadlines. Firms do, when no one is named as responsible. Every date carries one person's name, and anything with a limitations period gets a second look.
An access review and an AI tool list
Every tool that touches client data belongs on a list with an approval date. Every person with access belongs on a review that runs on a schedule, and again the week someone leaves.
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