Top 5 iManage Alternatives

Industry:  Law Firms

iManage ReviewiManage Website

iManage Alternatives for Law Firms

iManage is popular document management software used by a variety of industries, including law firms.  For one reason or another, however, you might be looking for iManage alternatives.  In this article, we summarize the top iManage alternatives used by law firms today.

Document Management Software

Before we explore the top iManage alternatives, we’ll briefly define the software category.  Document Management software stores documents and email, and (if the software is legal-centric) does so in a client/matter-centric way.

Document Management software typically provides full-text search, document tagging, document profiling, version management, check-out/check-in, external sharing and more.

#1

LexWorkplace

Features & Scope
Ease of Use
Mobility / Work Anywhere
Desktop OS Compatibility
Server / Infrastructure Requirements

LexWorkplace is a cloud-based, matter-centric document & email management system. LexWorkplace works natively on both Windows and Mac OS.  LexWorkplace will keep your documents, email and notes organized by matter, indexed and searchable. LexWorkplace includes document versioning, powerful search, email management/Outlook integration and document tagging/profiling.

LexWorkplace WebsiteWatch DemoSee Pricing

#2

ProLaw

Features & Scope
Ease of Use
Mobility / Work Anywhere
Desktop OS Compatibility
Server / Infrastructure Requirements

ProLaw is a combination Practice Management, Document Management and Accounting software.  While ProLaw’s document management capabilities are leaner than stand-alone DMS software, ProLaw is the only application that provides practice, document and accounting management in one product.  ProLaw is server-based, which means it requires a sophisticated on-premise server or a robust private cloud.

ProLaw ReviewProLaw WebsiteHosted ProLaw

#3

Worldox

Features & Scope
Ease of Use
Mobility / Work Anywhere
Desktop OS Compatibility
Server / Infrastructure Requirements

Worldox is long-running legal document management software.  It’s one of the original document management platforms, and integrates with a number of premise-based practice management applications.  Worldox can be run on-premise or in a hosted server solution.

Worldox ReviewWorldox WebsiteHosted Worldox

#4

LEAP

Features & Scope
Ease of Use
Mobility / Work Anywhere
Desktop OS Compatibility
Server / Infrastructure Requirements

LEAP is robust Practice Management software with integrated Document Management and Document Assembly capabilities.  In addition to standard client/case management, LEAP includes many local and federal forms, allowing you to quickly generate and save most commonly-used forms and documents.

LEAP ReviewLEAP WebsiteLEAP + IT Support

#5

SharePoint

Features & Scope
Ease of Use
Mobility / Work Anywhere
Desktop OS Compatibility
Server / Infrastructure Requirements

SharePoint, part of Microsoft’s Office 365 suite, is a cloud-based Intranet, company portal and lightweight Document Management System.  Law firms can configure libraries and manage documents for client or matters.  However, SharePoint requires customization by a SharePoint expert to be useful.

SharePoint ReviewSharePoint Website

Legal Document Management Software - A Guide to Features

Generally speaking, legal document management software is special software that stores your documents and provides tools to manage them. The ‘manage’ part of document management software’s capabilities is what sets it apart from using a basic on-premise file server or simple cloud storage.

Document management software can come in either an on-premise variety (installed on your own local servers) or can be cloud-based.  The scope, features and capabilities of any given legal document management software varies from product to product; though broadly speaking, DMS software performs the following functions:

Document & File Storage

The basic storage of documents and other types of electronic files.

Document Profiling / Metadata

The ability to apply attributes (metadata) to documents, including document classifications, types and tags, as well as the ability to apply internal notes to documents.  For instance, the ability to classify a document as a contract or an order.  

Full-Text Search

The ability to search across all documents (and sometimes email), including the file name, metadata and content of documents.

Unique Document ID

Every document is assigned a unique ID, which does not change even if the file name or location of the document does.

Document Check-Out / In

The ability to check a document out, prohibiting others from changing it while the document is checked out to you.

Microsoft Office Integration

Direct integration with the Office suite, typically including Microsoft Word and Outlook.

Document Version Management

The automatic creation and tracking of versions of documents as they are changed.

Email Management

The ability to easily save email messages to a matter, typically via an Outlook add-in.  Learn more about Email Management for Law Firms.

Permissions & Access Management

The ability to permit (or restrict) access to particular matters or data within your firm.

Favorite & Recent Documents

Quick and easy access to recently accessed documents, as well as the ability to "pin" documents as a favorite.

Matter Notes

The ability to create and save Matter Notes within the DMS software.

More modern, cloud-based Document Management Systems sometimes include these more sophisticated features:

Full Windows & Mac OS Compatibility

Native Windows and Mac support, without the need for virtualization software (such as Parallels).

Practice Management Integration

Integration with your chosen Law Practice Management software such as Clio Manage.

Geographic Data Redundancy

Automatic replication/backup of your data to geographically redundant data centers.

End-to-End Data Encryption

Full encryption of your data in-transit and at-rest, adding enhanced security and compliance.

Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA, requiring a second factor to log into the system, enhancing security and compliance.

Legacy Document Management Software

As we wrap our our outline of iManage alternatives, we'll close on this note:

Document management software has been around and in use for a long time.  Unfortunately, some of the older applications present significant challenges for law firms looking to implement new document management software.  Older applications often require expense server infrastructure and a specialized consultant to setup and manage the installation.

We cover these challenges (and what to do about it) in our video:  The Problem With Legacy Document Management Software.

We hope you found this lineup of iManage alternatives useful.  Should you wish to learn more about document management software and today’s options, don’t hesitate to contact our team.