Industries
Software for professional services firms
Firms sell expertise by the hour, so any administrative time saved goes straight to the bottom line. Confidentiality and professional rules determine how you can go about it.
Practice management systems handle the core of many firms well. The gaps tend to be around the edges: clients emailing documents back and forth, onboarding that repeats the same questions, standard documents assembled by hand, and knowledge trapped in old matters that nobody can find. These are often good candidates for small, focused tools that connect to what you already use, usually Microsoft 365.
Client portals can make a real difference. Rather than chasing emails, clients can securely upload documents, see where things stand and sign digitally. Done well, this is more secure than email, and it also feels more professional. Whether clients actually use it depends on how easy it is, so it needs simple access, working on a phone, and no long registration process.
Using AI where confidentiality matters
AI can usefully summarise documents, draft first versions and search your firm’s knowledge. But client confidentiality rules apply to what you send to a third-party service, and outputs have to be checked, because models can make things up. There have been widely reported cases of lawyers citing fictional cases generated by AI. Professional bodies, including the SRA, the Law Society and ICAEW, have published material on this, and it’s worth reading it before you start. AI integration with proper controls and human review is the sensible approach.
Professional duties that affect software
Confidentiality and privilege
Client information needs strict access controls, and you need to know exactly where any third-party service stores it.
Regulator rules
Bodies such as the SRA and ICAEW set standards on client money, records and how firms operate.
Anti-money laundering
Client due diligence and record-keeping under the Money Laundering Regulations, a good candidate for structured digital onboarding.
Record retention
Retention periods vary by document and profession, and systems should apply them consistently.
Client security expectations
Larger clients often ask firms for evidence such as Cyber Essentials and answers to security questionnaires.
What we can build
Client portals
Secure document exchange, status updates and e-signature.
Digital onboarding
Forms and ID checks that feed into your practice management system.
Document automation
Generating letters, reports and engagement documents from structured data.
Knowledge search
AI-assisted search across your firm’s documents, respecting access rights.
Related services
Professional Services questions
Can you integrate with our practice management system?
Is it safe to use AI with client documents?
Do we need a full replacement of our systems?
Building for professional services?
Tell us what the software has to do. We will read it properly and reply by email with sensible next steps.