Start with the bottleneck, not a feature list
A custom build is most useful when a repeated task does not fit the tools your firm already uses. Examples include entering the same intake information in multiple places, maintaining a referral tracker by hand, answering routine case-status questions or moving information between an intake process and an internal dashboard. Bosseo describes custom software for law firms as including client portals, intake tools and internal dashboards, and says its team starts with the firm’s workflow rather than a generic requirements document. Northchase’s relationship to New Hanover County helps define the service area for the conversation; it does not identify which process is inefficient inside your office.
Recommended approach
Bring one sentence that begins, “Someone at the firm has to manually…” Then identify who performs the task, what information they use, where it is recorded, where it stalls and what a completed handoff must look like. Do not begin with a request for a portal or integration before documenting the underlying decision the tool must support.
