1. Start with the Sausalito service footprint, not a generic feature list
Sausalito is a municipality in Marin County, California. The 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate for Sausalito city is 7,141, with a margin of error of 37. That geographic fact does not establish legal demand, lead volume or revenue. It does establish why the first software conversation should define the firm’s actual service footprint: Sausalito city alone, Marin County more broadly, or clients served from outside both areas. A tool designed for one office workflow can become unreliable when staff use different matter categories, referral sources or service-area labels. Custom Software is therefore best evaluated against the firm’s real operating boundaries rather than against population as a proxy for opportunity.
Recommended approach
Write down the jurisdictions, service areas and matter types the tool must represent. Separate Sausalito from Marin County in the data definitions, and decide whether each location is an internal reporting field, a client-facing field or both.
