Clarra Launches Litigation Case Management Software

Clarra announces the launch of a legal case management SaaS application optimised for docket-driven litigation. The cloud-based solution provides an intuitive, seamless platform designed to help law firms simplify the management of the litigation lifecycle. Initially developed in-house at a large plaintiffs' firm pursuing aggressive growth, Clarra fills a critical need for easy-to-use and affordable legal technology designed for the workflows of litigation rather than transactional law.

"As a partner with a leading plaintiff-side mass tort and class action firm, I was frustrated with other practice management software that was antiquated, inflexible, and simply not built for what we needed," said Todd Schneider, Clarra co-founder and managing partner at Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP. "We leveraged our experience and systems to help Clarra develop a case management solution that improves efficiency and drives faster and better outcomes for clients. Since moving our entire firm to Clarra, we've been able to grow more rapidly and take on more cases without adding additional staff."

According to a recent University of Denver report, more than 100 million cases are filed in U.S. trial courts each year. Of the more than 440,000 U.S. law firms, less than 2% grow to more than 50 employees, according to the U.S. Census. Less than 3.5% are able to grow to more than 20 employees. This growth roadblock can be partly attributed to a mismatch in case management software. Litigation firms often choose case management software designed for transactional law firms instead of a solution-based system tailored to their specific needs. Growing firms are also often juggling an increasing number of matters, along with the accompanying paperwork, billing, and admin, all while trying to maintain the same level of personalised client service.

Using Clarra, Schneider Wallace has improved its attorney-to-staff ratio to 3:1, the exact opposite of staffing levels at most firms. Clarra has also provided a stable platform to support the firm as it added matters, lawyers, and practice areas.

"For the last year and a half, we have been completely focused on building a case management application that is both simple and highly efficient," said CEO and co-founder Keao Caindec. "We've tailored Clarra to the lifecycle of managing a case from filing a complaint to resolution to ensure our clients never miss a deadline. Having seen the benefits of Clarra at Schneider Wallace and other early clients, it is exciting to bring our product to a broader market that so desperately needs it."

While most practice management products on the market are geared toward firms that do both litigation and transactional work, Clarra is entirely docket-driven. It puts matter management at the forefront, which is essential for high-volume firms managing cases. An intuitive and familiar layout and dashboard interface means both lawyers and staff do not waste precious mental bandwidth — and non-billable time — simply figuring out how to use their case management software. In addition, a well-considered permissions system tailors the Clarra experience to the needs of each individual user. This leads to more efficient matter management and reduced burdens on staff.

Clarra is a full-featured case management platform that simplifies the management of matters, events, tasks, deadlines, documents, timekeeping, and reports. It is free to get started and includes subscription plans for as low as $47 per user per month.

"Choosing a new case management platform is a big decision, and we take care of our customers at each stage of migration to Clarra," said Caindec. "For one client, we handled the migration of thousands of matters in less than one month. Our customer success team takes care of onboarding, data migrations, and training to make sure our customers are successful."

Clarra is funded by private investment. Having pursued organic, word-of-mouth growth, Clarra now has 20 clients as it moves into its public launch.

"Clarra helped our firm to improve the management of our contingency cases," said Edward Susolik, CEO and President of Callahan & Blaine. "Their team made the transition easy by working diligently on planning, onboarding, and training. They were also able to quickly integrate with our systems to improve visibility and reporting. It's been great working with Clarra."

"Clarra is working great, and I can check the status of the case regardless of where I am," said Junji Suzuki, Marshall Suzuki Law Group LLP. "Thanks to Clarra, I was prepared to meet and confer with the opposing counsel. I look forward to the upcoming discovery and other deadlines. Now I can schedule my vacation or time away from the office much more easily. I can see the 'picture' of the entire case."