Most law firms do not start from scratch. There are spreadsheets of deadlines, network folders full of documents, a calendar in the email client and often an old program that was once good enough. A new system has to replace or connect all of this without the firm losing a single working day.
That is why it helps to answer a few questions before you sit through any demos. They are not there to make you choose Lexeya, but to let you compare any two solutions against the same criteria.
1. Does the software track the matter, not just documents?
Legal work is organised around matters. Good software keeps the client and opposing party, the court and court reference number, deadlines, activities, documents, costs and change history on the matter. If that data sits in different parts of the program that have to be linked by hand, the firm will still be searching in several places.
Ask in the demo: open one matter and show me everything linked to it.
2. How are deadlines and hearings handled?
A missed deadline costs more than any licence. Check whether every deadline has a responsible person, whether that person sees it on their start screen, whether overdue deadlines are highlighted, and whether the software distinguishes between deadlines, hearings and meetings.
Be wary of promises about automatic deadline calculation. Software can help make a deadline visible, but responsibility for calculating it remains with the lawyer.
3. Who in the firm sees which data?
In a firm with several people, it matters whether a trainee lawyer sees all the firm's matters or only the ones they work on. Ask how permissions are assigned, whether access can be restricted by matter or assignment, and whether the system logs important changes, who made them and when.
4. Where is the data and who controls it?
There are two basic models. In the cloud model, the software and data sit on the provider's infrastructure and you access them through a browser. In the private model, the software is installed on your server or private cloud. Both models can be secure, but they differ in who manages the infrastructure. More on this in the guide Cloud or private server.
Whatever the model, ask for written answers to these questions: where is the data, who makes the backups, and how is data restored if something goes wrong?
5. Does the software work outside the office?
Hearings, meetings at the client's premises and working from home are part of everyday life. A web application runs in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone with nothing to install. Software installed on one computer in the office is limited here.
6. What happens to your existing data?
Moving without transferring data means the firm works in two systems for years. Ask whether the client list, matters, deadlines and documents can be transferred, whether there is a test migration and who checks the result. You will find a practical list of steps in the guide How to prepare a data migration.
7. Does it connect with what you already use?
In the Croatian context, this means above all communication with the courts through the Croatian courts' e-Komunikacija system, followed by email, calendar and accounting. Ask for a clear answer on what is actually connected today and what is only planned. An integration that exists only on a slide does not help.
8. Who maintains and supports the system?
Ask what updates look like, how often they come and whether they interrupt work. Check whether support is available in your language and how problems are reported. For a private installation, agree who maintains the server and how upgrades are planned.
9. How do you leave the system?
A question that is rarely asked, yet it is the most important one for the firm's long-term security. The data is yours. Before you sign, check whether you can get an export of all your data in a readable format, and on what terms.
A short checklist for the demo
- Show me one matter with all its linked data.
- Where do I see my deadlines for the next week?
- How do I restrict who sees which matters?
- Where is the data and who makes the backups?
- How do we transfer our existing data and who checks the result?
- What is connected today with e-Komunikacija, email and calendar?
- How do we get our data back if we decide to leave?
Ask us these questions too
In a Lexeya demo we answer all nine, using the real application.
Request a demo