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Chops Consulting Business Strategists

Law Firm Technology & Operations Audit

Your firm grew. Your systems didn’t. Our law firm technology audit finds exactly what’s costing you time and money, and gives you a clear, prioritized plan to fix it, whether that means getting more from the software you have or moving to something new.

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Does this sound like your firm?

You’re not disorganized. You outgrew your setup. That’s fixable.

  1. 01

    Lawyers docket in three places. Some don’t docket at all until month-end.

  2. 02

    Trust reconciliation eats days, and one person is the only one who knows how it works.

  3. 03

    New inquiries live in someone’s inbox. Some never get a call back.

  4. 04

    You’re paying for software subscriptions and nobody is sure who uses them.

  5. 05

    Everyone has a workaround. Nobody has the full picture.

Tall stack of tied case files on a wooden desk in a law office

What is a law firm technology audit?

A law firm technology audit is an independent review of the systems, data and habits behind your practice: practice management, time and billing, trust and general accounting, intake, documents, integrations and how your people actually use them. The goal isn’t a list of everything wrong. It’s a short, prioritized plan that tells your firm what to fix first, what to stop paying for, and whether you need new software or just a better setup of the software you have.

Firms usually ask for an audit when growth has outpaced their setup, before a software conversion, after a merger or acquisition, or before rolling out AI.

Celene really gave us the tech boost we needed! She made it easy for us to understand and navigate our new legal software which save us so much time and energy so we can focus on deliverables.

Alejandra Talbot, Leviathan Private Network

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Celene Hoag, founder of Chops Consulting and legal operations consultant

5 steps from first call to clear roadmap

  1. 1

    1. Discovery call. Your goals, your pain points, your systems.

  2. 2

    2. Read-only review. We look at configurations, reports and settings.

  3. 3

    3. Team interviews. Short sessions with lawyers, assistants and accounting.

  4. 4

    4. Report and roadmap. Delivered on a timeline we agree with you at kickoff.

  5. 5

    5. Optional implementation. We carry out the plan with you, or hand it to your team.

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PROUD PARTNERS

LEAP Legal Software
Actionstep
Clio
Over 120law firms across Canada and the US

Get an outside view of what’s really going on

We’ve worked with over 120 law firms. We know where the leaks usually are, and we know how to look past the workarounds to the root cause. And because we’re certified on Clio, LEAP and Actionstep Legal Financial Management (formerly Soluno), and an Actionstep partner, our advice isn’t tied to one vendor.

What does a law firm technology audit cover? 7 areas

01

Matters and workflows

Matter types, templates, document automation, deadlines and task management, and how consistently your firm opens, runs and closes files.

02

Time, billing and collections

Docketing habits, invoice workflows, WIP and A/R aging, where revenue slips away, and what stands between your firm’s work and a paid invoice.

03

Trust and general accounting

Your reconciliation process, readiness for your law society or state Bar Association trust rules, and how your books connect to your practice management system.

04

Intake and client experience

From first inquiry to signed engagement: forms, conflict checks, e‑signature, onboarding, and where promising inquiries fall through the cracks.

05

Tech stack and integrations

Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, document management, calendars, reporting, and what you’re paying for licences your firm may not be using.

06

People and process

Short interviews with lawyers and staff to surface the duplicate entry and bottlenecks nobody mentions in meetings, and the workarounds your firm has quietly built around them.

07

AI readiness and shadow AI

Which AI tools your team already uses (approved or not), where the policy gaps are, and where AI could safely save time. See AI for Law Firms

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Trust accounting rules, in Canada and the US

  • Canada: We review your setup against your provincial law society’s rules, such as the LSBC trust rules, the Law Society of Alberta trust accounting rules and LSO By‑Law 9, including monthly reconciliations and GST/HST.

  • United States: We review your IOLTA and other client trust accounts against your state Bar Association’s rules, including three‑way reconciliation. We also look at how your trust records tie back to client billing.

Law firm boardroom with a long wooden table and black leather chairs

Walk away with a plan you can actually act on

  • A map of how your firm runs today
  • Findings ranked into quick wins, 90-day fixes and longer-term projects
  • A clear recommendation: optimize what you have, or switch (with migration effort and risks spelled out)
  • Rough cost and time for each recommendation
  • A walkthrough meeting with your partners

Why firms bring us in

  • We don’t stop at the report.

    We implement, migrate and train. The same team that audits your firm can carry out the roadmap with you, so the recommendations become working systems, not a report that sits on a shelf.

  • We’re vendor-neutral.

    Certified on multiple platforms, so we recommend what fits. We hold certifications across Clio, LEAP and Actionstep, and we compare every option on the same criteria, including the system your firm already has.

  • Everywhere you are.

    We work with law firms in every province and territory across Canada and throughout the United States, delivered remotely from our Langley, BC headquarters. Wherever your offices are, your firm gets the same team.

What we need from your team

An audit is designed to fit around client work. Here’s what it takes:

  1. 1

    Short interviews with a cross-section of lawyers, assistants and accounting staff

  2. 2

    Read-only access or exports from your practice management and accounting systems, so we can look at matters, billing, WIP, A/R and trust reconciliation

  3. 3

    A walk-through of your key workflows, from new inquiry to final invoice, done remotely over screen share

  4. 4

    One decision-maker who can confirm priorities when the roadmap comes back

You get a written roadmap, and we walk your partners through it.

Audit first, or go straight to new software?

If your firm is unhappy with its current system, it’s tempting to book demos straight away. An audit first tells you whether the problem is the software or how it’s set up. Sometimes the fix is a cleaner configuration and training, not a migration. When a move does make sense, you go into vendor demos knowing your requirements, so you can compare options like Clio and Actionstep fairly.

That’s the approach a 16-person multi-practice firm in the Prairies took. The audit came first, and the move from an office server to the cloud followed. See how the audit shaped the firm’s migration.

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Frequently asked questions about law firm technology audits

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How long does a law firm technology audit take?

The timeline depends on your firm’s size and how many systems we review. We’ll agree a schedule with you after we’ve talked through your firm.

Do you need access to client data?

We review configurations, reports and workflows. If we need to see live data, we use read-only access under confidentiality terms.

Will you just tell us to switch software?

No. Often the best answer is getting more out of what you already own. We recommend a move only when the gap is worth the cost and disruption.

Is this an IT or cybersecurity audit?

It covers your software and operations. For network and cybersecurity, we coordinate with your IT provider.

Does the audit cover AI?

Yes. We check current AI use (including unapproved tools), policy gaps and the best opportunities. Want to start smaller? Try our free AI readiness assessment.

Do you work with firms across Canada and the US?

Absolutely. We work with law firms in every province and territory across Canada and throughout the United States, delivered remotely.

What does it cost?

Every firm is different, so we scope each audit to your firm’s size, systems and goals after a short discovery call. There’s no one-size-fits-all package. Book an Audit Call

Will the audit disrupt our team?

No. Interviews are short and scheduled around client work, and most of the review happens on system exports and reports.

Do you recommend a specific software?

Only if a change is the right answer. We’re vendor-neutral, and we compare every option on the same criteria, including the system you already have.

Related: Clio Migration & Implementation · Actionstep Implementation · PCLaw Alternatives · AI readiness assessment · Law firm mergers & acquisitions

Not ready for an audit? Start with the checklist.

Twenty-four questions drawn from the first stage of our law firm technology audits. About 20 minutes with whoever runs your accounts and front desk.

Consent*

What law firms say about working with us

  • Celene is a magician! I run a law firm that had a lot of growth in a short period and needed big help to get its systems in place – but with no staff capacity to really do it. Celene and her team swept in donning capes and smiles and made short work of it.

    Highly recommended if you need systems but don’t know where to start!
    Steve Parr Vancouver Business Lawyer
    STEVE PARR
    CEO, Parr Business Law
  • Celene really gave us the tech boost we needed! She made it easy for us to understand and navigate our new legal software which save us so much time and energy so we can focus on deliverables. I absolutely recommend her and her team!
    Alejandra Talbot
    Leviathan Private Network

Ready to get started?

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Langley, BC · Serving law firms across Canada and the US · 604-243-2654

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  • About
    • Celene Hoag
  • Services
    • Business Coaching
      • Business Rebuild
    • Marketing
      • Digital Marketing Services
      • Website Design Services
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    • Operations Consulting
    • Technology Consulting
  • Industries
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    • Health & Wellness
    • Law Firms
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    • Supply Chain & Inventory Management
    • F&B and CPG Manufacturing
    • Trades
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    • Webinar: Recession Proof Your Business
    • Blog
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