Five things to do before you migrate your law firm software

1. Decide what should move

Migration is a business decision before it is a technical project. Define which open and closed matters, contacts, documents, notes, calendar events, billing records, and custom fields belong in the new system.

Create a written scope with three buckets: migrate, archive, and discard. Assign an owner who can resolve edge cases without delaying the project.

2. Clean the source data

Duplicate contacts, abandoned matters, inconsistent practice-area labels, and incomplete responsible-attorney fields become more visible after migration. Fix the records that drive workflows and reporting first.

• Merge duplicate people and companies.
• Close or archive stale matters.
• Standardize statuses, practice areas, and staff names.
• Identify missing owners, dates, and client identifiers.

3. Map fields and permissions

A field mapping says where every source value will live. A permission map says who should see it. Review both with attorneys, operations, billing, and the people who actually enter data.

4. Rehearse and validate

Run a representative test import before the final cutover. Validate counts and samples for every data type, including documents, balances, relationships, and custom fields. Record each issue and its resolution so final validation is fast.

5. Plan the first week

Schedule role-based training, name floor support, and publish a short issue-reporting process. Keep the old system read-only during the validation window. A successful launch is measured by adopted workflows, not merely imported records.

Run a representative test migration

A useful test includes clean records, incomplete records, closed matters, unusual billing arrangements, documents with long names, duplicate contacts, and users with restricted access. The goal is not to produce a perfect demo. It is to expose the decisions the team will face during the real move.

Ask reviewers to work from a written validation checklist. They should confirm totals, sample individual records, open documents, compare dates and balances, and verify that permissions behave as intended. Record every mismatch with an owner and resolution instead of fixing it informally.

Plan the cutover as an operating event

Set a final date for source-system changes, define what happens to work created during the transition, and tell staff exactly where new information belongs. Name one person who can make fast decisions when an edge case appears.

Keep the old system available in read-only form when the contract and security model permit it. This gives the team a reference while preserving a clear rule: all new work happens in the new platform.

Measure readiness, not optimism

Hold a final readiness review with the people responsible for data, configuration, training, and firm operations. Require each owner to point to completed evidence rather than report a general feeling that the team is ready. Any unresolved item should have a risk, temporary plan, owner, and deadline. This gives leadership a clear basis for proceeding or adjusting the launch.

• Every required data source has an owner.
• Field mappings and exclusions are approved.
• A test import has been validated by business users.
• Critical integrations and permissions have been tested.
• Training is scheduled by role.
• The first week has named support coverage and escalation paths.