Know where to start
Today ranks the matters that need you and says why, so the morning does not begin with an inbox audit.
BetterDocket for solo lawyers
Run the whole practice from one queue.
When you are the attorney, the paralegal, and the receptionist, every “any news?” call and every missing document comes out of the hours you meant to spend on the law. BetterDocket ranks what needs you, gives each Client a place to look instead of calling, and turns the follow-up into something that happens on its own.
The problem
Where a solo's day actually goes.
You are the front desk
Every status call, every “did you get my email?”, every request to resend the form lands on you, usually while you are in the middle of drafting. There is no one to hand it to.
Reconstructing what needs attention
Which client has not heard from you in three weeks? Which request is a week overdue? Which hearing is Thursday? The answer lives across an inbox, a calendar, and a legal pad, and rebuilding it every morning is unpaid work.
Tools priced for a firm you are not
Practice-management suites charge per seat, take weeks to set up, and bundle trust accounting and document assembly you may never open. What you need is lighter than that and should cost less.
A day in BetterDocket
Start with what needs you. End with the file current.
Every step is something the product does today, from the browser, the desktop app, or your phone.
Open Today
Today is a scored queue of the Cases that need you, each with a plain-English reason: an unread Client message, a Document Request past due, a Client who has not heard from you in too long, a hearing this week. The lead card is the one thing to do first.
See howAnswer what came in
Client messages and uploaded documents are attached to the Case, not scattered across your inbox. Reply in the thread, mark the request received, and the reminder that was chasing it stops on its own.
See howPost the update instead of returning the call
Pick a Status Update template, adjust a sentence, post it. It lands at the top of the Client's portal and in their updates feed. Stale-update detection tells you who is due for one before they call to ask.
Ask the copilot for the routine work
Type “request the signed release from Jordan by Friday” and the copilot drafts the Document Request as an editable proposal. Nothing is created until you approve it. Tasks, reminders, messages, updates, and key dates work the same way.
See howRun one timer
Start a timer on the Case you are working. Switching to another Case stops the first one at the same instant. Keep Firm-only notes separate from the description the Client will see on the invoice.
See howInvoice from the time you tracked
Build the invoice from time entries and manual lines, issue it as a permanent PDF, and let BetterDocket remind the Client on the due date. Record the payment when it arrives; BetterDocket never touches the money.
Close the laptop without losing the thread
Cases you have opened stay readable offline. A message you send from the train delivers when you are back online. Your Notification Roundup arrives on the schedule you chose, grouped by Case.
Built for your firm
One person. One clear view.
Skip repetitive entry
Describe the administrative action in a sentence, check the proposal, approve it. The copilot never acts on its own.
Work from anywhere
The same product in the browser, as a Mac or PC app, and on your phone. One account, live updates, supported offline reading.
Pay for active work only
$10 per month for the Firm plus $1 per open Case, prorated by day. No per-seat charge, every feature included, 14-day trial with no card.
Actual product
Both sides of the same Case.
Your side: the queue
Every open Case ranked by what needs you, with the reason on each row.
Their side: the portal
Status, next steps, requests, dates, messages, and invoices, without a phone call.
Deliberately focused
What BetterDocket does not do for a solo.
BetterDocket organizes the administrative work around a matter. The legal work, and the tools you already use for it, stay where they are.
- It does not do trust accounting, collect payments, or replace your accounting software. Invoices are issued here; money moves elsewhere.
- It does not file with any court, run conflict checks, or track a docket. Key Dates are the ones you enter.
- It does not assemble documents or perform legal analysis. The copilot drafts administrative actions only, and only for you to approve.
- It is not full practice management. It is the client-communication and follow-up layer, deliberately kept light.
Keep reading
Related guides
How small firms decide which matters need attention today
Stop reconstructing priorities from inboxes. An attention queue built from four signals — unread, pending, stale, upcoming — tells you where to look.
Read the guideHow to keep legal clients updated without spending hours on the phone
Post one visible status update per milestone in a place clients can check themselves — a portal — instead of returning each call. Here is the playbook.
Read the guideHow to collect documents from clients without the email chase
Make every request itemized, visible, and self-reminding: one list the client can see, uploads that land in the matter, and automatic follow-up.
Read the guideQuestions.
How long does setup take?
Create the Firm, add a Case with a Client email, and the portal invitation goes out automatically. Templates seed phases and tasks. Most solos are running their first matter in an afternoon.
Can I bring a part-time assistant on later?
Yes, at no extra cost. There is no per-seat charge. Invite them from the dashboard, assign them to the Cases they help with, and they get their own queue and Notification Roundup.
Does the copilot ever act without me?
No. It drafts an editable proposal: a task, a Document Request, a message, a Status Update, a key date. You edit, approve, or dismiss it. Nothing is created or sent until you approve.
What does it cost?
$10 per month for the Firm plus $1 per open Case per month, prorated by day, with every feature included. Closed Cases archive automatically at a lower rate. The trial is 14 days with no card.
What happens to my files if I leave?
Export a complete copy of any Case at any time: every document, every draft version, and a full JSON record. It is your file, and it moves nothing and deletes nothing when you export it.
Run every matter from one place.
One queue for you. One portal for each client.
14 days. No card.