Web-Based Law Firm Software: How It Differs from Installed Programs

Gökçen Beyazoğlu LL.B.

Chief Product Officer · Attornaid

Web-based law firm software runs in the browser, and the data sits on the vendor's servers rather than on the firm's computers. That takes access from court, home or a phone, backups and updates off the firm's plate. Two questions stay with the firm: which country the data is stored in, and how the data comes back if the firm leaves the vendor.

An installed program is software loaded onto the firm's own computer or server; the data stays in the office, and so does the maintenance. Which model suits a firm depends less on its size than on who will do that maintenance and where the firm wants its data to live.

Installed versus web-based: six differences

Area	Installed program	Web-based software
Access	From office computers or over a remote connection	From a browser or mobile app, wherever there is internet
Where data lives	The firm's computer or server	The vendor's servers; ask which country
Backups	The firm's responsibility	The vendor's responsibility; frequency and restore time belong in the contract
Updates	Manual, often late	Done by the vendor, for every user at once
Teamwork	Easy on the office network, hard from outside	The same record from office, home and court
Cost structure	Licence, hardware and maintenance	Subscription per user

The real difference: With an installed program the technical work stays in the firm; with web-based software it moves to the vendor. The lawyer's duty of confidentiality stays with the firm in both cases.

Security: who is responsible for what

With web-based software, protecting the servers, encryption, backups and security patches are the vendor's job. With an installed program the firm does all of this itself, and in a small firm it is often nobody's defined task. Some risks stay with the firm in both models:

User passwords and two-step verification
Closing a leaver's access on their last day
Setting who can see which matters
Keeping laptops and phones locked and encrypted

A quick way to judge how a vendor manages security is to ask whether it runs an independently audited information security management system (for example ISO 27001) and whether every access to a record is logged.

Data protection and where data is stored

With web-based software, client data is processed on the vendor's servers, which makes the vendor a processor acting for the firm. Under most data protection laws, including the GDPR, the firm remains responsible for choosing a processor that protects the data and for any transfer of data abroad. Ask for three things in writing:

Which country the data is stored in, and the legal basis for any transfer abroad
The list of sub-processors the vendor uses
How many hours the vendor has to notify the firm of a data breach

Mobile access and court e-filing tools

The most visible benefit of web-based software is reaching a file from court, on the road or at home: notes before a hearing, the latest correspondence or the current version of a document open on a phone. Court e-filing is different. Where filing or retrieving court records needs a smart card, token or other signing device attached to a computer, the part of the software that talks to the court system usually runs as an app on that computer. Ask the vendor which operating systems that app supports, who starts each transfer and where the signing credentials stay.

Attornaid runs in the browser and on iOS and Android. See features and pricing for details.

What to ask the vendor before switching

Which country is our data stored in, and where are the backups kept?
How often are backups taken, and how quickly can a deleted record be restored?
Are response and resolution times for outages written into the contract?
Who will move the data from our current program, how long will it take and what will it cost?
If we leave, in what format can we take our data, and without extra charges?
What can and cannot be done when the internet connection drops?

Checklist

Are the storage country and the basis for any transfer in writing?
Is two-step verification on for every user?
Is there a defined step for closing a leaver's access?
Are backup frequency and restore time in the contract?
Was a data export tested during the trial?
Is it clear which computers will run any court e-filing app?

Frequently asked questions

What is web-based law firm software?

It is practice management software that runs in a browser, with the data kept on the vendor's servers. Nothing needs installing on the firm's computers; files are reached through the same record from the office, home or court. Backups, updates and server security are the vendor's job.

Is web-based software less secure than an installed program?

Not in itself. When server security, encryption and backups are managed properly, it can be more secure than a small firm doing this on its own computers. What decides it is the vendor's security management together with the firm's own passwords, two-step verification and access rules.

Is storing client data in the cloud allowed under data protection law?

Generally yes, with conditions. The firm stays responsible for choosing a processor that protects the data and for any transfer abroad, and professional rules on confidentiality still apply. Ask in writing for the storage country, the sub-processors and the breach notification time.

What happens when the internet goes down?

Most web-based software cannot be used, or can be used only partly, without a connection. Sync critical dates to a phone calendar and ask the vendor what can still be done offline.

How do you move from an installed program to web-based software?

Move active matters, parties and the calendar first, documents second and closed matters last. Agree in writing before signing who will do the migration, how long it will take and what it will cost. A short period of running both systems helps catch errors.

Can web-based software work with court e-filing systems?

It can, but where the court system needs a signing device attached to a computer, the part that exchanges data with the court usually runs as an app on that computer. Ask who starts each transfer, whether the software changes anything in the court system and where the signing credentials stay.