NetDocuments Alternatives for Law Firms
NetDocuments 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 NetDocuments alternatives. In this article, we summarize the top NetDocuments alternatives used by law firms today.
Document Management Software
Before we explore the top NetDocuments 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
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.
#2
ProLaw
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.
#3
Worldox
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.
#4
iManage
iManage Work is a long-running DMS. It is powerful and robust and provides as many, or more functions to manage documents and email as other Document Management Systems in the industry. iManage does require significant server resources, as well as a highly specialized IT expert to implement and administer. iManage can be run on your own in-house server or in a private cloud.
#5
LEAP
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.
#6
SharePoint
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.
#7
eFileCabinet
eFileCabinet is a user-friendly software solution designed to help organizations store and manage their important documents in a secure and organized manner. The system is specifically tailored to meet the needs of law firms, but can also be utilized by other types of businesses. With eFileCabinet, users can easily store and categorize all their important files, such as contracts, client files, invoices, and more.
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.
Related:
Explore 7 reasons your law firm should consider switching from NetDocuments to LexWorkplace.
Legacy Document Management Software
As wrap up our outline of NetDocuments alternatives, it’s important to highlight the challenges that law firms face when implementing new document management software.
While document management software has been in use for a long time, many older applications present significant hurdles that can impede efficient adoption.
One major challenge with legacy document management software is that older applications often require specialized consultants to set up and manage the installation, further driving up costs and potentially causing delays.
It’s important to understand these challenges and develop strategies to overcome them. Our video, “The Problem with Legacy Document Management Software” (below) provides valuable insights and solutions to help law firms navigate the complexities of implementing new software in their organization. By taking a strategic approach and leveraging the right resources, firms can successfully modernize their document management systems and gain a competitive advantage.
We hope you found this lineup of NetDocuments alternatives useful. Should you wish to learn more about document management software and today’s options, don’t hesitate to contact our team.
Not loving NetDocuments? Here are 7 reasons you should make the switch.
NetDocuments Alternatives - Frequently Asked Questions
NetDocuments is a Document Management System (DMS) used by many industries including law firms. It provides tools to store, organize, and search documents for an organization.
Yes, NetDocuments is cloud-based software which means it primarily runs in a web browser. NetDocuments is not, however, cross-platform: It only runs on Windows computers (not Macs), a common misconception given that NetDocuments is cloud-based.
NetDocuments does not provide public pricing information, for the software, for implementation, per-user fees or storage. To get pricing for your firm you’ll need to engage with a NetDocuments sales staff or work with a local NetDocuments reseller. We recommend that you very clearly and thoroughly understand all costs and pricing, including:
- The cost for the software itself
- The cost for additional users (logins)
- The cost for additional storage
- The cost for implementation (data conversion)
- The cost for training
- Any other one-time or recurring costs
No, NetDocuments does not natively run on Mac computers. Using all functionality on a Mac computer requires running a full Windows installation (virtual machine) via Parallels, which is virtualization software that allows you to run Windows on your Mac. Users that run Parallels switch back and forth between their Windows and Mac desktops in order to use Windows-based software such as NetDocuments.
Yes, NetDocuments integrates with Office 365 and with the broader Office suite, including Microsoft Word and Outlook.
The top alternatives to Worldox for law firms include:
- LexWorkplace
- ProLaw
- iManage Work
- LEAP
- SharePoint
- eFileCabinet
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