The 6 Best Client Portals for Law Firms in 2024

The best client portals enable law firms to safely and securely share information and data with their clients. This includes messages, documents, invoices, and more. When information is exchanged, the other party receives a notification informing them they have a secure message or information they need to access. Clients or the law firm then log in to view the document or notification.

With the right approach and implementation, client portals can significantly improve communication between law firms and clients.

There is a growing number of client portal software available for law firms. But which are the best, and what should you look for in a client portal software? Read our comparison guide here to find out the best client portals.

Features to Watch For in Client Portal Software

To ensure that communication runs as smoothly as possible at your law firm, the best client portals should include the following features.

We Live in a Mobile Phone World

Smartphones are ubiquitous in today's world. Everyone has one in their pocket. Client portals allow law firms to reach clients where they are - on demand, twenty-four hours a day.

Client portals have become the de facto standard in many industries. For instance, if a bank doesn't offer a client portal, it is likely going to go out of business. If you had to pick up a phone, call your bank, and wait to speak to a teller - just to find out how much money is in your bank account - you would change banks. So why are law firms making clients call their offices, just to access basic information about their cases? Client portals without mobile apps are useless.

Mobile banking isn't even designed to make communication more effective. In fact, effective mobile banking eliminates the need for a banker entirely. The objective is to deliver so much value to clients, giving them the ability to answer their own questions so they don't need to reach out. When you log in to your bank's client portal, it's usually not to speak to a person. Customers login to their bank client portal to access and review their financial information. Effective law firm client portals provide the same functionality - the ability for clients to access and review legal information about their case or matter. They don't always need to speak to staff at a law firm, they just want to review information so they feel informed.

English isn't the only language your clients speak

This need for being informed is compounded when there are language barriers. If a law firm has a client whose first language is not English, it can be a complicated process to keep them informed. The law firm needs to make sure they have multi-lingual staff on hand and available when these English as a second language ("ESL") clients reach out. But with a client portal that supports multi-language options, ESL clients can receive the same level of seamless customer service as every other client by providing access to information in their native language, and communication tools for real-time translation.

Mass Messaging

The ability to easily keep all clients informed is an important feature in client portals. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, law firms with client portals were able to keep all their clients informed about hours, policies, and more with little effort. 

Mass messaging is also important for law firms that are looking to level up their marketing operations. A law firm can send marketing to all current and past clients with a few clicks, sharing big wins or informing them of new legal issues. 

Custom Branding

One of the most common issues with client portals is that many of the portals provided with mainstream law practice management software must be branded to the software instead of the specific law firm.

Clients may need to log into the brand’s portal rather than the law firm’s portal. Email notifications and messages may be branded with the software company instead of the law firm, making them easier to miss.

Custom branding on the portal is essential to ensure that both the law firm and the client use the portal. It makes the law firm look more professional and prevents client’s asking why they’re looking for emails and messages from the software company instead.

Flexible and Easy to Use

A good client portal should make it simple and straightforward to share messages and documents with your client securely. Ideally, you’ll be able to automate many aspects of client communication via templates, automatic reminders, checklists, and more.

This is particularly useful when you need to send various sensitive documents for review or a signature. Likewise, getting bills to your clients shouldn’t be difficult. A good client portal will make it easy to send your bills out efficiently and safely to clients.

A good client portal should also have the ability to work with other software platforms and systems. today, many law firms are using multiple software solutions for different parts of their practice. That's why it's important for client portals to support multiple integrations and solutions like Zapier. 

Support

An often overlooked aspect of any software solution is Customer Support. Implementing and efficiently operating new software in a law firm can seem like a daunting task. But if a client portal company has ample resources to provide proper training, ongoing customer support, and ongoing educational resources, then implementation use of the client portal becomes smooth and does not interrupt law firm operations. 

Supporting your firm isn't just about resources. The best client portals track client satisfaction to ensure clients are having the best experience. The old way of understanding if clients are satisfied relies on the "gut check" or a survey at the end of the case. The most effective client portal software tracks client satisfaction throughout the case process, giving your firm the tools it needs to support your clients.

Client Portals Quick Comparison Guide

So, which are the best client portals available? Let’s go through them.

Case Status

Here at Case Status, clients can easily download our custom-branded mobile app for your law firm featuring your logo and colors. Clients can use the app to track the status of their cases easily through an informative dashboard that lays out the entire process of their matter. As a firm, you can easily and quickly send updates to clients so they don’t need to call or text you, saving you precious time. Case Status also syncs with data with many of the leading practice management platforms, eliminating the need for double-entry of information. 

With Case Status, clients can take ownership of their cases. They have the power to schedule appointments, automate reminders, and have a platform to go to when they have any questions. This helps you cut down on 50% or more of inbound inquiries that law firms typically receive via email or phone calls.

Case Status keeps your team members looped into all client communication. A law firm can become highly efficient at answering client questions and keeping them happy in less time.

Case Status also includes mass messaging. Sending one message to all your clients can be completed with the simple click of a button. This is a great way to advertise your firm and keep it front of mind for your clients.

Although payment integration isn't currently available, many firms send links to LawPay or other payment solutions to be paid through the application. For those more tech-savvy users, Zapier can automate the payments process. Firms will even use the on-hold functionality

Clio

Clio is perhaps the most well-known law practice management platform. But last year, they began offering a portal as well - Clio for Clients. Clio for Clients includes billing, secure messaging, file storage, and more. However, it’s missing white-label branding and lacks staging for matters. This limits the amount of automation that Clio for Clients can provide. 

The other problem with Clio is that you’ll need to purchase the whole suite of software to use all the options the platform provides. While basic document automation is available, you’ll need to pay more for many features.

Lawmatics

Lawmatics is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that helps law firms with the intake of new clients. Lawmatics also recently developed a web-based client portal. The portal can share forms, file storage, bookings, and more. But Lawmatics does not offer an app for clients, so its adoption may be limited.

The software co-brands with the law firm. So while clients may notice some references to Lawmatics in the URL and elsewhere.

Kenect

Kenect is a business texting platform this does not specifically focus on the legal industry. While it does offer a mobile app for clients, it focuses almost exclusively on messaging. It also provides some basic functionality around requesting reviews from clients.

Morgan and Morgan Mobile

Morgan and Morgan Mobile is a limited, app-based client portal for the law firm Morgan and Morgan. The client portal offers limited functionality in terms of messaging and file exchange. It offers a number of functions dedicated to informing potential clients about upcoming product liability cases and class actions. It is also only available to the law firm Morgan and Morgan. 

Lawcus

Lawcus is another practice management system that offers a web-based, white-labeled client portal as part of its firm management placement. It offers secure client messaging, payments, scheduling, and file uploads. But the Lawcus client portal is a small part of their platform and is not as feature-rich as other client portal solutions. 

Which Client Portal is Right for Your Law Firm?

There are several considerations to make before choosing a client portal:

• Does it integrate with your practice management platform?
• Does it fit in with how you manage and communicate with clients?
• Does it offer automation and templates to help you improve operations and save time?

If you’re able, get a demo of the client portals you’re interested in before making a commitment. Remember that you may only need some features. Your specific needs will dictate which platform is most suitable for your firm.

If you’re still not sure, explore the client portal’s customers and see if you can speak with one that matches your firm. Until you understand and experience the software yourself, you may not realize how different the client portals can be.

Start Giving your Clients a Better Experience

A client portal is beneficial for your firm in various ways. It can help your firm run more smoothly and efficiently, and this, in turn, helps keep your clients happier.

The business of law is moving towards being a buyer’s market that demands more client-centered services, so the importance of high-quality client service will only grow.

Communicating with your customers securely and efficiently isn’t a bonus anymore – it’s your responsibility. When you choose a client portal, you can rest assured that your communications comply with ethics rules, improve business operations, and grow revenue. But to successfully use a client portal at your law firm, you’ll need to make sure the one you choose has all the features you need before you commit.

Here at Case Status, we allow your law firm to update every client with the single click of a button. You can centralize your firm's communication across various attorneys, case managers, and clients.

We help you reduce your time managing clients so you can focus on being a lawyer.