BHL Insight vs Open Practice
BHL Insight
bhl.com.auOpen Practice
globalx.com.auSide by side
| Figure | BHL Insight | Open Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 0 |
| Spec score · Legal Document Management Software | 8.1 (#9) | 7.5 (#14) |
| Spec score · Trust Accounting Software | 8.1 (#15) | 7.5 (#32) |
| Company history | BHL says Insight began in 2003 and has been continuously developed since then. | GlobalX says it entered the legal practice management market with Open Practice in 2004. |
| Core features | The Insight suite includes legal accounting, document management, document assembly, and connected workflows. | It combines trust accounting, mobile support, new law models, fixed fee requirements, and traditional legal practice management features. |
| Core functions | The product combines legal accounting, document management, document assembly, and connected workflows. | The software combines trust accounting, mobile access, fixed-fee requirements, new law models and traditional legal practice management features. |
| Founded | 2003 | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Integrations | BHL says Insight interfaces with Microsoft Office, Outlook, Hummingbird, iManage, Worldox, and other third-party products. | Open Practice integrates with GlobalX information searches and national conveyancing and settlement services, including PEXA. |
| Pricing | BHL says it aims for cost-effective, fair pricing with no hidden costs; the page gives no specific price. | The product page describes competitive per-user pricing but gives no amount. |
| Product | BHL Insight is legal practice management software available on a local device or server and through remote cloud access. | Open Practice is legal practice management software developed with Australian legal professionals. |
| Security | BHL's privacy policy says personal information is held on servers in a controlled, secure environment and that transmitted personal information is protected with encryption such as SSL. | The feature list includes role-based security. |
| Support | BHL says its support staff are software designers and developers and that it has local technical staff in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane for on-premises support. | The maker lists free helpdesk services as part of its Annual Maintenance and Support Agreement, renewed annually. |
In their own words
BHL Insight
BHL Insight is legal practice management software for law firms, bringing accounting, document handling, and connected workflows into one system. Its functions include financial and trust accounting, time and fee recording, billing, client accounting, document management, and document assembly. Firms can install it on a local device or server, or access it remotely through the cloud. BHL describes Insight as using a single relational database, and says client data is accessible to other applications. Its Liberty browser interface provides access to contacts, clients, matters, fees, tasks, and documents, and can create cheque requests and sundries or display bills. SpeediDocs connects Microsoft Office with client and matter records, using customizable templates to save emails and files to matters. Insight interfaces with Microsoft Office, Outlook, Hummingbird, iManage, Worldox, and Visualfiles. Liberty supports computers, tablets, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, and requires Insight version 9.1. Cloud editions have a three-user minimum. Pricing is on request.
Open Practice
Open Practice is a legal practice management system developed with Australian legal professionals for mid-to-large law firms. It combines matter-centric workflows with trust accounting, financials, mobile support, fixed-fee requirements, and traditional practice management functions. Listed tools include customisable forms and precedents, reports, CRM, tasks, and diary functions, with role-based security. Its data integration supports search, electronic contracts, and document management; integrations include GlobalX information searches, PEXA and other national conveyancing and settlement services, Microsoft Office, and document management systems. The maker describes capacity from 5 to hundreds of concurrent users across multiple branches. It offers implementation, data conversion, project management, online or onsite training, upgrades, and customisation. Pricing is per user, but no amount is published; the maker states there are no long-term contracts. Free helpdesk services are part of an annually renewed Annual Maintenance and Support Agreement. Open Practice is available on Android, iOS, web, and Windows.