I’ve been asked four times in the past 10 days about switching from one cloud-based case management system to another.

In all three instances, the lawyers are using either RocketMatter or Clio. For one reason or another, they have minor complaints about the products. In a nutshell, they’re complaining that the products aren’t set up to do things the way they like to do them. The RocketMatter users think Clio would be better, and the Clio users think RocketMatter would be better.

“Should I switch?” they all ask.

The answer is NO! Stick with what you’ve got, and make it work for you.

First off, these lawyers are on the leading edge. Most lawyers—the vast majority—aren’t using case management systems, especially not cloud-based systems. If you’re doing anything with case management, you’re ahead of the pack.

Second, you’ll always find a system with some feature that you don’t yet have: that’s a good thing. These systems leapfrog one another. One company will get a good idea and implement it, and the other will copy it quickly. Competition keeps the systems moving forward: we’ve seen it before with Westlaw and Lexis. If there’s something you’re missing, you likely won’t have to wait very long for it to come along.

Finally, switching systems is a nightmare. Converting data, training users, and taking time to pick the system all distract you from generating business and serving clients. It’s never easy to move from one system to another.

I’ve had two case management systems. We started with Lotus Notes back in the early 90s. We stuck with it for about twenty years. Now we’ve moved to Salesforce and NetDocuments. We moved because we could justify the cost of switching to the cloud, and we made a valid business case for the move. My guess is that we’ll stick with this choice for a very long time. There isn’t a good justification for switching once you’ve made the move to the cloud.

If you find yourself obsessing about cloud-based case management systems, you need to have a conversation with yourself. Ask yourself why you’re focused on the internal side of the practice. Why are you worrying about how the work gets done? That’s not where your head needs to be.

Get focused on attracting new clients and serving them with excellence so they’ll tell their friends. The case management system is like pens and paper clips: pick one brand and stick to it. Don’t worry about it after you’ve made the choice. These systems are all good and getting better all the time. They’re moving quickly to get it right, and they’ll likely deliver on their promises. Make your choice, trust your decision, and don’t look back.