IT Support for Law Firms
Exodesk provides IT support for law firms, helping staff work securely with matter information and the systems their practice depends on. We agree the support scope around your devices, Microsoft 365, networks, practice software and existing suppliers.
For a legal practice, the work can include secure remote access, backup and recovery, connectivity failover and coordination with practice management software suppliers. Support hours, escalation and project work are set out before you commit.
Tell us about your practice, your offices and the software you use
What does IT support for law firms cover?
IT support for law firms covers the agreed technology a legal practice runs on: users and devices, Microsoft 365, secure access, networks and connections, backup and recovery, and coordination with the suppliers of your practice management and trust accounting software.
Your firm retains responsibility for legal work, trust account operation and regulatory decisions. Exodesk supports the agreed technology and works with the people and suppliers responsible for those processes.
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide. Our guide for professional services firms covers the wider document, privilege and security ground that law and accounting practices share.
Support for the people and systems in your practice
IT support for law firms starts with a list of the supported users, offices, devices and systems in the agreement, with ongoing support kept separate from project work.
Users and devices
Laptops, desktops, printers and accounts for partners, fee earners and support staff, with onboarding and leaver steps.
Email and files
Microsoft 365 administration, access controls and sharing settings for confidential matters.
Supplier liaison
Coordination with your practice management, trust accounting and document software suppliers, including hosting where agreed.
Secure remote access
Managed devices, sign-in protection and MFA for staff working from home or between offices.
Backup and restore checks
Backup coverage for agreed systems, restore checks and an agreed continuity test.
Connectivity and failover
Office connections and a backup route to practice systems, banking and Landonline where the practice needs it.
We agree your first contact, support hours, remote and onsite arrangements, and how urgent work is handled. We confirm the product and version before agreeing support or hosting, and define when an issue needs to go to your software supplier, bank or LINZ. Our managed IT services explain the wider support model.
Support for trust accounting systems
Where your practice operates a trust account, IT support for law firms covers the hosting, access, integrations and recovery of the software that holds it. The practice and its trust account supervisor determine accounting processes, authorise payments and complete regulatory reporting.
The trust account regulations require a separate ledger account for each client, which can be subdivided into matters, and records kept secure against retrospective alteration or deletion as far as practicable. In practice that means controls against unauthorised changes, traceable corrections and protected history, rather than an assumption that an application log cannot be altered.
Trust and office money need separate treatment, but an integrated system can represent both. The separation sits in distinct bank accounts, ledger balances, permissions and controlled transfers, made under the practice controls and the regulations. An invoice raised against a matter is not, by itself, authority to transfer fees.
The Law Society does not approve or endorse software, and its guidance on choosing a system allows that a manual system can suit some small practices. We help the firm test that a proposed system has been shown to meet its requirements, with the responsible practitioner making the decision.
Payment approvals and monthly reporting
IT support for law firms covers the systems behind payments and reports, not the decisions. Your practice certifies the trust records and authorises payments. We support the agreed access, permissions, integrations and recovery arrangements.
- Payment approvals. Separation of preparation and approval in banking and software, with named authority and absence cover agreed by the practice and its bank
- Changed bank details. A process to verify any change through a separate, trusted channel before a payment is approved
- Reconciliation. Bank feeds, reports and access that let the supervisor reconcile ledgers with the trust bank accounts
- Certificates. Monthly certificates are due by the tenth working day, and the December certificate by the fifteenth working day of January, as the Law Society explains; the supervisor submits them
Two-person approval reduces risk, but it cannot catch every false payee or shared mistake. We help set up the controls; the practice decides how they are used.
Continuity for conveyancing work
For conveyancing work, an outage can put the settlement timetable at risk. As part of IT support for law firms, we help the firm prepare an agreed way to reach its practice systems, banking and Landonline from a supported alternative connection. The responsible practitioner decides how to handle the transaction, contact the other parties and manage any deadline or consequence.
LINZ guidance says dealings can be submitted between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Friday, and not on weekends or public holidays. That describes submission, not every Landonline function or the contractual settlement deadline. What a Friday afternoon fault means depends on the stage of the dealing, bank access, available authorised users, connectivity and the arrangements between the parties.
- Backup connection. Coverage, capacity, data allowance and independence from the main connection, remembering that a second link through the same router shares that router and its power
- Working path. Managed device, sign-in, MFA, certificate access, practice records, banking and any supplier restrictions
- Wider outages. Power, router and supplier failures; internet failover cannot repair a bank, LINZ or practice software outage
- Testing. A documented test in an agreed window, with rollback and responsible contacts, so active work is protected
Second connections are covered on our business internet page.
Keep certification evidence and filing access in order
LINZ requires evidence supporting authority and identity certifications, and its compliance guidance says practitioners must keep it for at least ten years from lodgement. IT support for law firms can help keep that evidence retrievable; the practitioner decides whether it is sufficient and whether to certify.
- Authorised users. A record of who holds access to each court, registry and land portal
- Individual credentials. Individual authorised accounts and, where required, personal signing certificates, with access and recovery managed under the relevant portal rules, and personal credentials not shared
- MFA recovery. Recovery methods and escalation contacts kept current for each portal
- Unavailable systems. The accepted route when a system is down, confirmed by the practitioner against the filing rules
Matter records, documents and cloud services
A firm can use a practice management system, a document management system and Microsoft 365 together. We help define which system holds each record type, how records are linked, who can access them and how staff find a complete matter.
Email filing into the matter is a useful workflow when it is reliable. Test capture, search and retrieval with representative matters, and check permissions for confidential matters, leavers, external sharing and administrative access.
For cloud services, data location, vendor access and exports matter, but they do not establish safety alone. Assess sign-in protection, access roles, encryption, supplier administration, incident handling, availability, backup, recovery and exit arrangements, and confirm the responsibilities of the supplier rather than assuming it protects or restores everything.
Where we back up Microsoft 365, the scope is set out in our backup as a service, and we confirm separately how practice software, the document store and any custody register are protected. A ledger export alone is not necessarily a usable archive of matters, attachments and audit history. Hosted options are covered under cloud solutions.
Retention, originals and precedents
Records are kept by type and authority, and the firm approves the schedule. IT support for law firms covers the systems that hold and retrieve them.
- Trust records. Trust account records relating to a client are kept for at least six years from the last transaction recorded in them. Regulation 11 allows imaging after the first three years and separately permits electronic storage of computer-generated trust records originated by the practitioner. The practice approves retention and disposal
- E-dealing evidence. Kept at least ten years from lodgement and retrievable if a dealing is reviewed
- AML/CFT records. Separate requirements and triggers, as the DIA guidance for lawyers and conveyancers sets out, retained and retrieved under the firm process
- Original documents. Wills, deeds and custody items held until authorised release, transfer or lawful disposal; a scan does not automatically replace an original
- Custody register. Item identity, location, movements, authorised release and return, reconciled with physical holdings
- Precedents. Approved templates, controlled changes and review by the responsible lawyer, with client details removed before a document becomes a general precedent
A general approach to schedules is covered in our guide to a data retention policy, and whether an electronic signature holds up depends on the document.
Project work alongside ongoing support
Projects are scoped and quoted separately from ongoing IT support for law firms, with timing set by suppliers, approvals and the systems involved.
- Software migration. Moving to or between practice management or document systems with the vendor, including data checks, training and a planned cutover
- Connectivity failover. A second connection and a tested alternative route to practice systems, banking and Landonline
Practices sharing much of the same ground are covered on our accounting IT support page, and broking firms on our IT support for insurance brokers page.
How the work starts
A typical starting process for IT support for law firms looks like this, with urgent access or recovery work taking priority.
Map the practice
List users, offices, devices, practice software, suppliers and current support arrangements.
Agree the scope
Set supported systems, coverage hours, escalation and supplier boundaries in writing.
Check access and backup
Review sign-in protection, permissions, backup coverage and restore results.
Test continuity
Agree and run a continuity test for the practice systems that matter most.
Plan projects
Scope any migration or connectivity work separately, with the supplier involved.
What affects the cost?
The cost of IT support for law firms depends on users, offices, practice software, hosting, security, backup and the support coverage required. We separate recurring support from software subscriptions, connections and project work, and confirm inclusions, exclusions and GST treatment before work starts.
- Ongoing support. Users, devices, offices and coverage hours
- Software and licences. Practice software subscriptions and Microsoft 365 licences, billed by the supplier or as agreed
- Connections. Main and backup connections, with the provider for each recorded
- Projects. Migration and connectivity work, quoted separately
Law firm IT support questions
What is a practice management system in a law firm?
It supports work such as matters, time recording, documents and billing. Trust accounting may be included or connected separately. Confirm the functions, integrations, access controls and reporting your practice needs with the supplier.
Is cloud software safe for solicitor trust accounts?
Cloud delivery alone does not establish safety. Check access, supplier controls, records integrity, availability, backup, recovery and exit arrangements. The firm remains responsible for its trust account processes and legal duties.
Can a small law firm run its trust account in Xero?
Do not assume ordinary office accounting software provides a complete trust account solution. Have the responsible practitioner confirm the proposed system meets the applicable records, reconciliation and reporting requirements, with specialist supplier advice where needed.
What is Landonline and why does a law firm depend on it?
Landonline supports land records and e-dealings. Practices doing conveyancing need appropriate authorised access. Submission hours, banking and the transaction stage affect the work, and a lost office connection does not automatically prevent every settlement.
How much does legal practice management software cost in New Zealand?
Ask for a current quote covering user licences, trust accounting, document functions, integrations, migration, training, support and GST. Keep software subscriptions separate from ongoing IT support from Exodesk and other project charges.
Is IT support for law firms different from IT support for an accounting practice?
The core technology overlaps, but the support plan should reflect matters, confidentiality, practice software and external deadlines. Add trust accounting, conveyancing and original document custody where the practice undertakes that work.
Who is responsible for the trust account records of a law firm?
The practice and its responsible practitioners retain their obligations, including the duties of the appointed trust account supervisor. Outsourced bookkeeping, software and IT support do not transfer those responsibilities to the provider.
What should a law firm do if the internet goes down before settlement?
Alert the responsible practitioner and IT support, then use the agreed, tested alternative access route. The practitioner manages contact with the other parties and any deadline implications. Keep individual credentials and payment approvals intact.
Should a law firm keep original wills and deeds on site?
The firm determines suitable custody arrangements for its documents. Record the location and movements of each item, protect it against loss and unauthorised release, and document any offsite storage or transfer arrangements.
How long should a law firm keep a closed matter file?
Use an approved schedule by record type. Consider trust records, e-dealing evidence, AML/CFT duties, client instructions and holds. The firm approves retention and disposal, and scanning a file does not automatically authorise destroying originals.
Does Exodesk provide IT support for law firms in Christchurch and Dunedin?
Yes. Exodesk supports businesses from its Christchurch and Dunedin teams, with nationwide delivery scoped for each practice. Discuss supported systems, remote and onsite arrangements, software vendor responsibilities and support hours before agreeing the service.
Discuss your law firm IT support
Tell us how many people work in the practice, which offices and software you use and who supports them today. We will suggest a scope and the next step. Please leave passwords and client details out of the enquiry.
Talk to us about your practice
Tell us about your practice, your offices and the systems you rely on, and we will be in touch to arrange a time that suits.
Prefer to talk?
Christchurch
Level 1, 85 Riccarton Road
Christchurch 8011
03 343 3124
Dunedin
Level 3, Bartons Building
2 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016
03 479 2941