Skip to main content

How-To Guides

Practical guides for attorneys choosing software, handling trust accounting, and running a tighter practice.

Best AI Tools for Small Law Firms: A Practical Breakdown

Guide

A skeptical, practical guide to AI tools for attorneys at 1-20 attorney firms — covering legal research AI, document drafting, practice management AI features, and what to watch out for before adopting any of it.

Updated Mar 21, 2026

Billing Increments for Attorneys: 0.1 vs 0.25 Hours and How Software Handles Rounding

Guide

A practical guide to attorney billing increments — what the 0.1-hour standard means, how rounding conventions affect client invoices, how the standard developed, and what ethical rules apply to billing increments.

Updated Mar 21, 2026

How to Market a Law Firm: What Actually Works for Solo and Small Firm Attorneys

Guide

A practical guide to law firm marketing for solo practitioners and small firms. Covers Google presence, referral networks, intake processes, Local Services Ads, and what to skip.

Updated Mar 21, 2026 30 minutes

How to Start a Law Firm: Entity, Insurance, Trust Accounting, and Software

Guide

A practical checklist for attorneys starting a solo practice or small law firm. Covers business entity selection, bar requirements, malpractice insurance, IOLTA trust accounts, and practice management software setup.

Updated Mar 21, 2026 45 minutes

How to Choose Legal Practice Management Software for Your Small Firm

Guide

A step-by-step guide for small law firm partners evaluating practice management software. Covers must-have features, IOLTA compliance, pricing models, and migration planning.

Updated Mar 20, 2026 20 minutes

How to Run Conflict of Interest Checks at Your Law Firm

Guide

A step-by-step guide to running conflict checks at a small law firm. Covers party identification, database searching, related-party analysis, documentation, and automated screening.

Updated Mar 20, 2026 20 minutes

How to Go Paperless at Your Law Firm: A Step-by-Step Guide

Guide

A practical guide to transitioning your law firm from paper to digital. Covers process audits, tool selection, document scanning, workflow design, team training, and compliance considerations.

Updated Mar 20, 2026 30 minutes

How to Manage a Small Law Firm: Systems, Software, and Operations

Guide

A practical guide to managing a solo or small law firm — covering matter management, billable time tracking, trust accounting, court deadline systems, and client intake. Written for 1-20 attorney practices.

Updated Mar 20, 2026 30 minutes

How to Set Up an IOLTA Trust Account for Your Law Firm

Guide

Step-by-step instructions for opening and configuring an IOLTA trust account at your law firm. Covers state requirements, bank selection, three-way reconciliation, and compliance automation.

Updated Mar 20, 2026 45 minutes

How to Track Billable Hours as a Solo Attorney or Small Firm

Guide

A practical guide to tracking billable hours accurately and consistently. Covers methods, tools, daily habits, and billing workflows for solo attorneys and small firms.

Updated Mar 20, 2026 15 minutes

Want help picking the right software?

Join the CaelusLaw waitlist and we will send you a plain-English breakdown of which tools make sense for your firm size.