Thus far, 2025 has been a 12 months of fixed ups and downs, marked by growing unpredictability. Monetary markets have responded accordingly, fluctuating wildly and dramatically impacting investments and 401(okay) accounts. Including to the tumult, rising prices and the specter of new tariffs are stretching family budgets thinner than ever.
On the identical time, the much-hyped promise of synthetic intelligence, paired with sustained instability, has triggered layoffs throughout industries. Moreover, this continued monetary uncertainty has resulted in a 16% improve in particular person Chapter 7 chapter filings, in response to a Might 6 story from the MortgagePoint.
This surge signifies that chapter attorneys are busier than ever and want all the assistance that they’ll get to streamline their burgeoning caseloads and improve effectivity. Enter chapter software program, which addresses lots of the challenges related to this observe space.
The sheer quantity and complexity of paperwork, mixed with the necessity for exact timing and compliance, make these proceedings particularly weak to human error and administrative bottlenecks. Chapter issues are document-intensive and procedurally inflexible, requiring meticulous administration of petitions, schedules, proofs of declare and courtroom filings. Rigid statutory deadlines have to be rigorously tracked, and clear and efficient inner and shopper communication is crucial.
That’s the place chapter software program is available in. It might automate routine duties and workflows, generate paperwork, help e-filing and handle billing and processes. If the correct software program instruments are in place, friction is lowered from shopper consumption to cost assortment, and firmwide productiveness is maximized.
Earlier than you select
Under, we’ll study a number of chapter software program instruments and their present performance. Whereas this isn’t a complete listing of each product in the marketplace, it gives an outline of the principle options and differentiators, enabling you to make considerate, knowledgeable decisions concerning the instruments greatest suited in your legislation agency’s wants.
A noteworthy improvement throughout many authorized know-how platforms is the transfer towards incorporating generative AI. For all of the instruments mentioned, it’s value inquiring about carried out and deliberate updates, as AI developments are more likely to change how chapter filings and associated documentation are assembled.
Earlier than reviewing particular choices, it’s essential to notice that the chapter instruments mentioned beneath are cloud-based. Because of this your knowledge will reside on third-party servers. The responsibility of know-how competence requires that know-how suppliers be rigorously evaluated. This consists of understanding the place the information will likely be saved, who may have entry to it, how often it’s backed up, and the way the supplier will safeguard that knowledge.
If a platform consists of AI-driven options, extra due diligence is important. You’ll need to discover accuracy metrics, perceive how shopper and agency knowledge is protected, and confirm whether or not any data entered into the system will likely be used to coach AI fashions sooner or later.
With these issues in thoughts, let’s check out just a few of the cloud-based chapter software program instruments at the moment accessible to corporations. Pricing will likely be listed whether it is accessible on the corporate’s web site.
Chapter instruments for legislation corporations
First, let’s give attention to legislation observe administration software program for chapter corporations. Jubilee Professional is one instance. It provides complete cloud-based chapter software program that features e-filing and options like doc administration, credit score report imports, shopper texting and LawPay-powered on-line funds. Pricing is accessible on the web site and relies in your agency’s particular wants.
An alternative choice is NextChapter, a cloud-based platform for managing Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 chapter circumstances. Options differ throughout totally different pricing tiers and might embrace a shopper portal, CM/ECF e-filing, means testing, doc automation and cost instruments. AI options help sensible type validation, workflow triggers and activity automation. Pricing begins at $159 per 12 months for as much as 4 circumstances and as much as six concurrent customers.
Finest Case by Stretto provides a completely web-based chapter platform known as the Finest Case cloud. The annual subscription consists of kinds for Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 native and federal filings and 10 gigabytes of information and doc storage. Different options embrace e-filing, activity administration, a shopper portal and doc administration. It additionally consists of automated updates, a safe shopper portal and instruments to make sure compliance. Pricing begins at $99 per consumer monthly.
One other software for chapter corporations is BK Questionnaire, a cloud-based consumption software that automates the method of accumulating debtor data. Utilizing interview-style questions, it streamlines knowledge entry for petitions and doc requests, decreasing administrative burdens. It integrates with NextChapter and Jubilee, and pricing begins at $39.99 for the usual plan. It’s unclear whether or not this value is for a single lifetime price or a month-to-month subscription price, neither is it obvious whether or not it’s for a single consumer or the whole agency.
Getting on the identical web page
Whether or not you’re inquisitive about a know-how improve or are looking for to implement chapter software program for the primary time, you’ve gotten a whole lot of viable choices to select from. Irrespective of your agency’s wants, one among these cloud-based instruments is certain to be an excellent match and can streamline your agency’s operations and scale back inefficiencies, guaranteeing that everybody in your agency is on the identical web page.
Successfully managing chapter circumstances generally is a difficult endeavor, however it doesn’t should be that manner. Do your analysis, select the correct software, and also you’ll be properly in your method to a extra productive, worthwhile chapter observe.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York-based legal professional, writer and journalist, and he or she is the principal authorized perception strategist at Affinipay. She is the nationally acknowledged writer of Cloud Computing for Legal professionals and is a co-author of Social Media for Legal professionals: The Subsequent Frontier, each printed by the American Bar Affiliation. She writes common columns for ABAJournal.com and Above the Legislation, has authored a whole bunch of articles for different publications, and he or she frequently speaks at conferences concerning the intersection of legislation and rising applied sciences. Comply with her on X (previously Twitter) @nikiblack, or she could be reached at [email protected].
