CaseDesk vs Outlaw Practice

CaseDesk is legal practice management software for work spanning intake through post-judgment, with tools for docketing, deadlines, conflicts, evidence, documents, research, drafting, and billing. It lists purpose-built matter fields and tools for 106 practice areas. Its deadline engine calculates jurisdiction-specific dates, accounts for court days and holidays, and cites the rule behind each date. A 13,400-entry legal reference library and live CourtListener search are built in. Gmail and Outlook messages go to a review queue so users decide whether to file them to a matter. Case data is stored locally in a SQLCipher-encrypted database by default, with optional field- and file-level encryption. Optional Cloud Sync stores encrypted ciphertext, though document files remain on users’ computers. The app can work offline; internet connections are used for enabled integrations and version checks. The beta runs free for 90 days per machine, followed by two weeks of read-only access. Pro costs $29 a month or $290 a year per attorney.

Outlaw Practice combines marketing, client intake, case management, billing, trust accounting, payments, and reporting in one platform for solo and small firms with 1–10 attorneys. During intake, it prompts firms to screen clients for conflicts and red flags. Campaigns and referral sources can be tracked through to the cases they produce. Starting a task starts its timer, and captured billable time is associated with the case. Billing supports hourly, flat, contingency, and hybrid arrangements. A secure client portal gives clients access to invoices, documents, and intake forms. Outlaw Payments connects payments to invoices and updates trust ledgers and receivables; operating and trust accounts can be linked through Plaid. Financial permissions can control who views financial information, takes payments, and generates invoices. The app can accept work offline and sync saved changes when a connection returns, but payments and data exports require a live connection. Firm data can be exported as CSV or JSON. The Outlaw Practice plan is $50 a month per user, billed monthly; a free trial is available, but there is no free plan.