Choosing software
Case management for solo and small PI firms: what you actually need
Feature grids are written to flatter big platforms. A solo or 1–20 attorney personal injury firm wins or loses cases on a much shorter list:
- Statute-of-limitations and deadline tracking you’d bet the firm on — because you are.
- A records pipeline that moves — which providers are outstanding, who was chased and when, what arrived.
- Bills reconciled against records before the demand goes out.
- HIPAA-compliant document handling for everything touching PHI.
- One case status everyone trusts, so “where are we on Sanchez?” takes five seconds, not a meeting.
Everything else — time tracking you don’t bill, dashboards nobody opens — is decoration at this firm size.
The options against the short list
- FileVine — can do all five, plus a hundred other things. In practice, many small firms use contacts, notes, and lists, while records retrieval runs through third-party integrations your staff monitors. You pay for breadth you may never touch. If you’re there already, see FileVine alternatives and complements.
- SmartAdvocate — plaintiff-firm DNA, strong on the short list, records via vendor integrations. A solid self-serve pick.
- Neos — lighter, cheaper, covers the basics.
- Litify — built for enterprise scale; a small firm mostly funds implementation.
- Verodi — takes a different position: the five things above are the product. Case management built around the PI records pipeline, with the retrieval and reconciliation performed by Verodi’s own agents on BAA-covered infrastructure rather than left as an integration for your staff to babysit. Flat monthly price from $1,999/month, retrieval work included. Not a fit if you want a classic self-serve license.
The decision in one paragraph
If you want software and have the staff to operate the records queue, pick SmartAdvocate (or stay on FileVine and tighten your process). If the queue is the problem — requests stalling, paralegal hours vanishing into follow-up calls, demands waiting on one last provider — buy the operation, not more software: see how Verodi runs it or book a 20-minute demo.
Related: best case management + records retrieval for PI firms · best AI software for PI firms
Frequently asked questions
What is the best case management software for a solo or small personal injury firm?
For a self-serve license, SmartAdvocate and Neos fit small plaintiff firms better than enterprise platforms like Litify. FileVine is powerful but most firms use a fraction of it. If the records workload is the real bottleneck, Verodi bundles PI case management with a managed records-retrieval and reconciliation service at a flat monthly price.
Do small PI firms need FileVine?
Many small firms on FileVine use only contacts, notes, and a few lists — a fraction of the platform. The honest question is whether you need the platform's breadth or just reliable intake, deadlines (including statute-of-limitations tracking), documents, and a working records pipeline.
What features actually matter for PI case management?
Five things decide outcomes: statute-of-limitations and deadline tracking, provider and records-request tracking with follow-up, bills-and-records reconciliation, document handling with HIPAA-compliant sending, and a clear per-case status the whole office trusts. Most feature grids bury these under fifty items that don't move settlements.
How much does PI case management cost for a small firm?
Self-serve licenses commonly run per user per month, and records retrieval is extra, per request. Verodi prices the opposite way: a flat monthly subscription from $1,999/month that includes the case management and the records retrieval work.
Records requests, run for your firm
SettleStack by Verodi manages the case and the records — every request sent, every provider chased, every bill reconciled against the records that come back — done for you, on a flat monthly retainer with no per-seat fees. See it on a case from your own practice.
Book a demoThis guide is general information for law firm operations, not legal advice. Statutes and fees change — verify current text at leg.colorado.gov before relying on it in a dispute.