7 Best CRM Software for Law Firms in 2023

Learn about the best CRM for law firms, plus the primary use case of each top law firm CRM option, in our independent editorial review.

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The best CRMs for law firms provide lawyers with general CRM functions such as contact management and lead generation plus law-specific features that enable firms to keep track of critical information, perform client intake, and manage their legal workflow. The top law firm CRMs also offer case management in common legal practice areas. To help you choose the right one for your practice, we've evaluated the best law firm CRM software and their use cases.

Here are the seven best CRMs for law firms:

  • Clio: Best overall law firm CRM option for features and customization (7-day free trial)
  • Law Ruler: Best for industry-specific marketing automation tools ($169 starting price)
  • Zoho CRM: Best general CRM for multichannel lead management (free starting price)
  • Freshsales: Best CRM for document management and esigining (free starting price)
  • Pipedrive: Best CRM software option with a la carte add-on tools (14-day free trial)
  • HubSpot CRM: Best free CRM software with premium upgrades (free starting price)
  • Lawmatics: Best law firm CRM for client intake and management ($199 starting price)

Overall, we found that the best CRM for law firms is Clio, scoring the highest for customization and user support while tying for security and compliance. Most of our highest scoring options are general CRMs, but three industry-specific software made our list as well. Read more to see each option's use case, pricing, and key features, or see our scoring logic in the section below.

Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless noted.

Featured Partners

Clio: Best Overall CRM for Law Firms

Offers robust niche-specific tools and customization capabilities for legal case management.

Price Range: $39 to $129+ per user, per month (7-day free trial)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Security & Compliance star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-full star-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Quick to use & set up
  • Easy client onboarding
  • Simple & intuitive UI

Cons:

  • Limited automation features
  • No built-in CRM platform
  • Clunky reporting tools

Clio is a leading law practice management software offering case and document management, client intake, and a CRM available as an add-on in lower tiers and included in its highest tier. It's highly versatile, providing general niche tools for many legal specialties, from estate planning and injury cases to intellectual property and bankruptcy law. Customize online intake forms, document templates, and intake stages to organize your onboarding and case management.

Even though Clio is rated our top CRM for law firms, it only offers its CRM as an add-on in lower tiers. If you're looking for an industry-specific option with a native CRM, try Law Ruler.

Clio Pricing

  • EasyStart: $39 per user, per month (Clio Grow unavailable)
  • Essentials: $69 per user, per month (plus $49 Clio Grow add-on)
  • Advanced: $99 per user, per month (plus $49 Clio Grow add-on)
  • Complete: $129 per user, per month (includes Clio Grow add-on)
  • Free Trial: 7-day free trial

Clio Key Features

  • Client Intake: Automate your processes for client generation, onboarding, and retention.
  • Documents & Esignatures: Send documents and contracts to clients for quick signing.
  • Time Tracker: Create and manage time entries for easier task management and billing.
  • Track Performance: Get insights on your law firm's KPIs on a user-friendly dashboard.

Clio Grow CRM for Law Firms

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Law Ruler: Best for Marketing Automation

Helps you automate industry-specific marketing initiatives via email, text, and phone.

Price Range: $169 per month to $212+ per month + $399 setup fee

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Security & Compliance star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Cost star-fullstar-full star-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Robust customer support
  • Excellent automation
  • Optimized client intake

Cons:

  • UI could be improved
  • Setup fee required
  • Additional seats cost extra

Law Ruler is a law firm CRM that includes customer and legal case management, marketing automation, and client intake software to quickly onboard new clients. Simplify your outreach efforts to clients by automating email drip campaigns and utilizing text messaging marketing to send follow-ups, appointment confirmations, court date reminders, and more. You can also launch voice-calling campaigns by sending pre-recorded, targeted messages to your clients.

While Law Ruler offers a native industry CRM, it can be pricey for some and may be missing some general sales features. If you need a well-priced and robust CRM, check out Zoho CRM.

Law Ruler Pricing

  • Legal CRM Pro: $169 per month for up to 3 users + setup fee
  • Legal CRM Premium: $212 per month for up to 3 users + setup fee
  • Legal CRM Enterprise: Contact for quote
  • Setup Fee: $399 one-time cost
  • Additional users can be purchased for a monthly fee

Law Ruler Key Features

  • Client Intake: Automate client intake with decision tree logic and personalization.
  • Document Management: Create forms, contracts, and documents for easy signing.
  • Built-In Dialer: Contact leads instantly with an easy-to-use click-to-call phone dialer.
  • Marketing Automation: Launch and manage trigger-based marketing campaigns.

Law Ruler CRM for law firms

Visit Law Ruler

Zoho CRM: Best for Multichannel Lead Management

Provides comprehensive CRM tools for managing leads via email, SMS, and social channels.

Price Range: Free to $52 per user, per month (15- to 30-day free trial)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Security & Compliance star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full

Pros:

  • Strong CRM features
  • Customizable for law firms
  • Affordable pricing plans

Cons:

  • Limited case management tools
  • Steep learning curve
  • Advanced features require upgrade

Zoho CRM is a customizable general CRM popular for its multichannel marketing features that help capture and nurture leads. Generate potential clients or cases from web forms, which you can embed in your site, and automatically assign them to the right lawyer or team via Zia AI. Build personalized email campaigns or send SMS messages based on your lead data, and engage with your potential clients on social channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

While Zoho CRM is an excellent tool to manage your leads, niche-specific features need to be customized, which can be overwhelming. If you need an industry-specific software that offers lead management tools, check out Lawmatics.

Zoho CRM Pricing

  • Free Version: Supports up to 3 users
  • Standard: $14 per user, per month
  • Professional: $23 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $40 per user, per month
  • Ultimate: $52 per user, per month
  • Free Trial: 15 to 30 days
  • Access to Zoho One Marketplace Apps

Zoho CRM Key Features

  • Smart Web Forms: Capture high-intent web visitors and engage with them right away.
  • Multichannel Communication: Talk to potential clients via email, text, chat, and more.
  • Zia AI: Automate social media posts, text blasts, and email campaigns with AI tools.
  • Social CRM: Publish targeted content on social media and receive instant feedback.

Zoho CRM CRM for law firms

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Freshsales: Best for Document Management

Allows you to track legal documents and secure esignatures within your CRM.

Price Range: Free to $69 per user, per month (21-day free trial)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Security & Compliance star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Free version for 3 people
  • Intuitive pipeline view
  • Advanced AI automations

Cons:

  • Few insights in Growth
  • Not industry-specific
  • Missing some marketing features

Freshsales is our top-rated general CRM, offering tools for storing, organizing, and monitoring documents for clients and cases. Craft and send documents to clients with templates for contracts, agreements, NDAs, and more. Autotag these documents to your contact record so you can view them easily, share them with your clients via email, and avoid duplicates. Then, send out your documents for esignature with Freshsales' CPQ tool powered by DropBox Sign.

Freshsales is a great general option for document management, but most of its features aren't industry-specific. For a top-rated industry CRM to help you manage legal documents with esigning capabilities, look into Lawmatics.

Freshsales Pricing

  • Free Version: Supports up to 3 users
  • Growth: $15 per user, per month
  • Pro: $39 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $69 per user, per month
  • Free Trial: 21 days
  • Access to Freshworks Marketplace

Freshsales Key Features

  • Document Template: Draft contracts, proposals, and NDAs with its prebuilt forms.
  • Drag-and-Drop: Easily customize your documents and add esignature elements.
  • CPQ Tool: Automate pricing and quotes, then send them to your clients within the CRM.
  • Integrations: Sync with apps like Google Workspace, DocuSign. PandaDoc, and more.

Freshsales CRM for law firms

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Pipedrive: Best for Add-On Features

Offers an intuitive pipeline with advanced add-ons that let you pay for the features you want.

Price Range: $14 to $99 per user, per month (14-day trial)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Security & Compliance star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Top-notch 24/7 support
  • Easy to use
  • Provides multiple pipelines

Cons:

  • Lacks a forever-free plan
  • Somewhat limited feature set
  • Difficult to separate leads and contacts

Pipedrive is an easy-to-use CRM that offers a la carte tools to help engage with potential clients and manage your law firm's documentation process. Identify who is engaging with your content and campaigns via the Web Visitor add-on and capture leads through web forms with LeadBooster so you can prequalify them and add them to your lead inbox. Then, easily transition to managing legal cases with its Projects add-on once the lead turns into a client.

Pipedrive is great if you need their a la carte features, but it may be missing some out of the box functionality. For a more robust general CRM with native features, try Freshsales.

Pipedrive Pricing

  • Essential: $14 per user, per month
  • Advanced: $29 per user, per month
  • Professional: $49 per user, per month
  • Power: $64 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $99 per user, per month
  • Free Trial: 14 days
  • Access to Pipedrive Marketplace

Pipedrive Key Features

  • Web-to-Lead Forms: Capture inbound and outbound leads with embedded forms.
  • Contact Management: Easily store and access your client's data and conversations.
  • Deal Rotting Feature: Identify missed meetings and opportunities for engagement.
  • Integrations: Customize your CRM with third-party apps for industry-specific features.

Pipedrive CRM for law firms

Visit Pipedrive

HubSpot CRM: Best Free CRM With Upgrades

Provides core features for sales, marketing, and service and the ability to upgrade.

Price Range: Free to $1,200+ per month (Sales Hub)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Security & Compliance star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Cost star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Robust free tier
  • Visual dashboard & sales funnel
  • Sales & marketing features

Cons:

  • Not specific to law firms
  • Upgrades can be pricey
  • Customizations could improve

HubSpot CRM is a widely used CRM across various industries and is rated our top overall free CRM. Its free sales features offer a visual sales pipeline for contact and deal management along with core sales reporting features. It also integrates seamlessly with the free tiers of HubSpot's marketing and service platforms, adding features such as drip campaigns, web forms, and case management. Upgrade to its paid tiers for tools like forecasting, revenue tracking, and more.

HubSpot offers a great free option, but its paid tiers can get expensive quickly. If you need a robust general CRM with more affordable premium plans, check out Freshsales instead.

HubSpot CRM Pricing

  • Free Version: Supports unlimited users
  • Sales Hub Starter: $18+ per month for two users
  • Sales Hub Professional: $450+ per month for five users
  • Sales Hub Enterprise: $1,200+ per month for 10 users
  • Additional users can be purchased for extra
  • Access to free tiers of its marketing and service platforms

HubSpot CRM Key Features

  • HubSpot Ecosystem: Sync with free Marketing, Service, and Operations Hubs.
  • Intuitive Interface: Leverage an intuitive interface for management and reporting.
  • Live Chat: Communicate with customers and prospects via free live chat widget.
  • Conversation Routing: Route conversations to the right lawyers or department.

HubSpot CRM CRM for law firms

Visit HubSpot CRM

Lawmatics: Best for Client Management

Offers an all-in-one solution for client generation, onboarding, and retention.

Price Range: $199 to $249 per month + $399 setup fee

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Core Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Security & Compliance star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Cost star-full star-fullstar-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full

Pros:

  • Custom document creation
  • Custom client intake forms
  • Built-in suite for esignatures

Cons:

  • UI requires a learning curve
  • Automation can be hard to use
  • Customization can be improved

Lawmatics is a modern-day CRM and legal intake platform offering tools to help generate and manage clients. Create custom intake forms that capture key client data, then reach out to them via an appointment scheduling tool to pinpoint the best time and date to meet. Organize client data and cases or generate legal documents automatically and monitor activities like phone calls, court appearances, and consultations via your pipeline and a time-tracking tool.

While Lawmatics offers robust client intake and management for law firms, it can be pricey for some. If you're looking for a lower cost law firm CRM option, try Clio instead, which is our best overall option.

Lawmatics Pricing

  • Lite: $199 per month for up to 3 users
  • Pro: $249 per month for up to 3 users
  • Setup Fee: $399 one-time cost

Lawmatics Key Features

  • Document Management: Create custom intake forms and documents for esignature.
  • Marketing Automation: Segment contacts and send emails to specific demographics.
  • Proactive Triggers: Automatically send invoices once an agreement has been signed.
  • Visual Pipeline: Manage your leads and existing clients with a kanban-style pipeline.

Lawmatics CRM for law firms

Visit Lawmatics

Top 4 Law Firm CRM Features

All law firm CRMs should come with the core sales CRM features you'd expect. However, the best CRM for law firms should also include these industry-specific features or capabilities:

Client Intake

Case Management

Document Management

Time Tracking & Billing

Simplify the onboarding process for new clients using custom online forms and workflow automations. This helps you aggregate relevant client data, sign relevant documents, and save time by forgoing manual work. From there, easily manage client cases using the onboarding information you collected. Some platforms even offer automated consultations.

Manage individual cases as well as overall caseload with a robust case management system. Use case files with custom fields to track key information across matters and get a centralized overview of all your cases along with real-time updates.

Create custom legal documents as well as send them for esignature. The best CRM for law firms will even automate the creation and sending of PDFs or Word-based templates that improve overall workflow and communication with clients.

Log billable hours across each of your cases and lawyers, as well as make it easy to invoice clients and have them pay online. Some even offer automated meeting scheduling as well as shared calendars anyone within your firm can access.

How We Evaluated the Best CRMs for Law Firms

Law firms looking for CRM software need a tool that can nurture leads, manage clients, and maintain legal compliance. When conducting our editorially independent review, we identified six weighted evaluation criteria important to law firms and lawyers. From there, we used key subcriteria to assign every potential law firm CRM a score out of five, including primary use case for each.

Evaluation Criteria

First, we looked at both general and industry features offered to make sure it's useful for a firm or lawyer. Then, we took security and compliance, cost, and customization into account. Finally, we looked at ease of use and customer support to round out our evaluation.

Core Features:
25%
Security & Compliance:
20%
Cost:
15%
Customization:
15%
Ease of Use:
15%
Customer Support:
10%

Bottom Line: Best CRM for Law Firms

CRMs are commonly known for their use in sales teams but are also helpful for law practices that want to find new leads and manage their existing clients. The primary function of law firm CRMs is to allow lawyers to do more billable work by automating workflows and streamlining client intake, so they can focus on managing their caseloads, deadlines, and clients. If a more general option sounds right to you, check out our article on the best overall CRM software.

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