Practice Management

Practice management
that keeps up with your firm.

Spreadsheets. Shared drives. Manual follow-ups. If your firm is still running on workarounds, there's a better way. MatterFirst brings matters, documents, billing, and client communication into one platform, with AI that handles the busywork.

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Encrypted in transit Documents and AI in Australia No lock-in contracts Guided setup available Your data exportable on request

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What is legal practice management software?

Legal practice management software runs the business of a law firm: matters, documents, time, billing, trust money and client communication in one system rather than several. MatterFirst is an Australian one, covering all of those plus a client portal, with documents stored in Sydney and document AI processed in Australia.

What practice management covers, and what MatterFirst includes
Area What it means Included
Matter management The file itself: parties, stage, key dates, custom fields, history Yes
Document management Storage, versions, templates, and who saw what Yes
Document AI Reading a document and filling matter fields from it Yes, with a monthly AI balance on every paid plan
Workflow automation Rules that move a matter along without someone remembering Yes
Time and billing Time capture, invoices, disbursements, payment Yes
Trust accounting Receipts, controlled money, reconciliation to state rules Available as part of a rollout
Client portal Where clients check progress, upload, sign and pay Yes, on every plan
Integrations Accounting, email, calendar, payments Self-service today: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero, Stripe. Available through coordinated setup: PEXA, InfoTrack. Coordinated manual setup is arranged with MatterFirst and the provider.
API and webhooks Connecting anything not on that list Yes, on Practice and above

Why MatterFirst

What you get when you switch.

Run every matter from one place

  • Every matter in one place. Track status, deadlines, documents, contacts, and billing per matter. Never dig through email again.
  • Automated workflows. Build step-by-step workflows for any matter type. Tasks assign themselves, emails send on time, nothing gets missed.
  • Built-in AI assistant. Ask questions about your matters in plain English. Get answers from your data, not the internet.

One system holds the file, the process and the answers.

Billing, clients and compliance, handled

  • Time & billing, done. Track time, create invoices, record disbursements, and handle trust accounting, all without switching apps.
  • Client portal included. Give clients a branded, secure portal to check status, share documents, and pay invoices online.
  • Documents and AI in Australia. Documents are stored in Sydney and matter questions are answered in Australia. Reading a document runs on Azure AI Document Intelligence in Azure's Australia East region. The trust page says where everything else is held.

From tracked time to paid invoice, in one place.

What this actually does

MatterFirst carries matters, documents, client communication, billing and the client portal in one workspace, so an Australian firm can retire the separate systems it currently stitches together.

Pricing is per workspace rather than per module, so consolidating does not mean paying for each capability separately. See the plan inclusions on the pricing page.

14 days

guided trial shaped around how your firm works

1 connected workspace

Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero and Stripe, connected by you

34 dated claims

about security and data on the trust page, each with its evidence, including what is not done yet

MatterFirst is an AI-native legal practice management platform for Australian law firms, built for small and boutique practices by NorthCape Technology.

It suits Australian firms from solo up to around twenty seats that are currently running several systems, or a general-purpose tool that was never built for legal work. It is a weaker fit for very large firms with dedicated IT and existing bespoke integrations.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free trial?
Yes. You can start with a 14 day guided trial on Solo, Practice, or Firm so your team can test real workflows before committing.
Is pricing per seat or per firm?
MatterFirst uses workspace pricing. Each plan includes a set number of users and a pooled AI balance in Australian dollars; extra users are billed only when you go beyond the included seats.
Can I import my data from Actionstep or LEAP?
Yes. Migration included within your agreed implementation scope for matters, contacts, documents and template preparation. We inspect supported exports and agree mapping, staged imports, reconciliation and template preparation before signing.
Where is my data stored?
The application runs on Fly.io in Sydney. Database and backups are hosted on Fly.io Managed high-availability PostgreSQL clusters in Sydney. Documents are stored in Amazon Web Services S3 in Sydney. Document extraction and matter questions run on Amazon Web Services Bedrock in Australia, and reading a scanned document runs in Microsoft Azure's Australia East region. These locations describe the application, document storage, database, backups and document AI services. The trust evidence page at /trust records the scope and dated evidence for each published control.
How much does MatterFirst cost?
Pricing is per workspace rather than per seat, starting at $199 per month for Solo. Each plan includes a set number of users, a monthly AI balance in Australian dollars, the client portal and automations. Extra users are billed only past the included seats. Full plan inclusions are on the pricing page.
Can I get my data out if I leave?
Yes. Your matters, contacts, documents and time records are exportable on request, and there is no lock-in contract. We would rather you were able to leave and chose not to.
Who builds MatterFirst?
NorthCape Technology, a Melbourne-based software company. MatterFirst is built in Australia for Australian legal practice, with trust accounting and Xero as first-class capabilities. Available through coordinated setup: PEXA, InfoTrack. Coordinated manual setup is arranged with MatterFirst and the provider.
Is MatterFirst suitable for a firm of my size?
It is designed for solo practitioners up to firms of roughly twenty seats. Below that, Solo carries the full platform for one user. Above it, the platform works but you should expect to talk to us about migration and rollout rather than signing up online.

Ready to see the difference?

Start with a 14 day guided trial, workspace pricing, included users, and an AI balance that scales with your firm.

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