Enterprise legal management (ELM) has evolved from rigid legacy systems to modern, platform-based solutions. Yet many corporate legal departments remain stuck with outdated tools that limit flexibility, integrations, and reporting. This article traces the history of ELM, outlines common frustrations with legacy systems, and shows how Litify’s Salesforce-based platform delivers scalability, automation, and real-time insights to transform legal operations and reduce costs.

Enterprise legal management (ELM) has come a long way since the green-screen era. What started as basic tools for matter management has evolved into a backbone for modern legal operations. But despite decades of change, many departments still rely on legacy legal systems that slow them down and limit their ability to deliver real business value.

In this article, we’ll walk through the evolution of ELM software, why outdated tools continue to frustrate in-house teams, and how Litify delivers a modern legal software solution that aligns with today’s needs.

The early days of ELM: From green screens to Windows-based systems

Those who worked in corporate legal in the 1980s and 1990s may remember green screen systems like Wang and CompInfo. At the time, if you weren’t running CompInfo, you’d probably have to explain why. 

Early legaltech helped teams track basic case data, but it wasn’t built for flexibility. Most required heavy customization and constant IT support just to handle simple workflows, which slowed down matter management and made change expensive.

By the mid-1990s, the market began to shift with the rise of Windows 95. Products like ProLaw, TeamConnect, eCounsel, and Serengeti entered the scene. These systems were a step forward in user experience, but still struggled to keep up with the demands of growing legal departments. Buyers often chose based on programming language (like Delphi, .NET, or PowerBuilder) rather than true business impact.

This period marked the beginning of the evolution of ELM software: a move from simple data storage to tools designed to manage more complex workflows. However, configurability was still limited, and matter management remained clunky for most teams.

The 2000s: The rise of platform-based ELM systems

As the market matured, a shift toward platform-based models took shape. Legal departments wanted tools that could be configured instead of hard-coded, so they could easily adapt without waiting on developers. Vendors began rebranding or rebuilding their products to fit this new demand.

Litify entered the scene in 2016 with a fresh approach. Our founders built a new legal technology platform on Salesforce, known globally for its unmatched security, scalability, and reliability. This is ultimately what sets Litify apart. We offer a flexible enterprise legal management platform that evolves alongside a business rather than holding it back.

Why legal departments are frustrated with legacy ELM systems

Despite decades of progress, many teams still feel trapped in outdated systems. Legacy legal systems may have served their purpose in the past, but they struggle to meet the expectations of today’s in-house professionals.

Lack of scalability and flexibility

Older tools weren’t built to handle modern caseloads or organizational change. Their rigid designs make it difficult to adapt without costly coding projects. 

Poor integration with modern tools

Today’s legal teams rely on tools like Outlook, Workday, SAP, and Checkbox to keep cases moving and information accessible. The problem is that legacy products rarely play well with these systems. They leave data trapped in silos and make cross-department collaboration more difficult. 

Inefficient workflows and limited automation

Many outdated systems still rely on manual processes. Intake, matter assignment, and document management often require multiple steps that could easily be automated. Without strong workflow automation, legal work slows down and client experience suffers.

Inadequate reporting and data analytics capabilities

Another common frustration is reporting. Legacy systems rarely provide configurable dashboards or ad-hoc reports, so leaders have limited visibility. Without legal data analytics or live legal reporting, teams can’t easily track performance, identify risks, or forecast costs.

The cost of maintaining outdated systems

Finally, there’s the issue of expense. Legacy system maintenance drains IT resources. Costly upgrades, downtime, and vendor support fees redirect money that could be invested in innovation and better client service.

The modern era of ELM and why Litify stands out

At Litify, we’re purpose-built on Salesforce to create an enterprise legal management software solution that scales with your organization, keeps your data secure, and brings all your legal operations into a single source of truth.

Capabilities that make Litify stand out

AI-powered automation with LitifyAI and Agentforce

With Litify AI, a powerful combination of homegrown AI solutions, partner integrations, and Salesforce’s Agentforce, teams can use built-in AI capabilities to automate intake, route matters to the right people, and pull insights from data that would otherwise stay buried in case files and lengthy documents. 

Customizable dashboards for real-time legal reporting

Good decisions need good data. Litify puts everything leaders need in one place with instant reporting and fully configurable dashboards. Track matters, monitor spend, and see performance at a glance.

Deep integrations with modern tools

Because Litify is built on Salesforce, it delivers seamless legal software integrations with the platforms teams rely on most: Outlook, Workday, SAP, Checkbox, and more. Everything connects, and collaboration gets easier across every department.

Proven adoption by legal departments

The best proof of Litify’s impact comes from the departments already using it every day:

• Salesforce’s legal teams use Litify to manage matters, track outside counsel spend, and leverage AI-powered workflows, all within the Salesforce ecosystem they already rely on. The team has doubled its efficiency since implementing Litify.
• Guardant Health cut its administrative workload by 50% by centralizing legal requests, automating approvals, and creating a structured intake process.
• EllisDon transformed reporting and claims management by moving from disconnected spreadsheets to Litify’s connected platform. Reports that used to take four days now take less than an hour.

From Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing innovators, Litify helps legal departments make better decisions at scale.

The benefits of a platform-based ELM solution

A true legal technology platform should help your team grow, not hold it back. With Litify, you get a configurable ELM solution from the start, so as your business grows or processes shift, your platform evolves with you. 

A single platform also helps teams collaborate. Attorneys, administrators, and operations leaders all work from the same information, so everyone sees the same picture. Internal teams can better manage outside counsel spend and provide the best service to the rest of the organization.

And because Litify is built on Salesforce, innovation never stops. As Salesforce continues to evolve, Litify customers get the benefit of new capabilities. 

How Litify transforms legal operations

Litify is about redefining how legal work gets done:

• Legal workflow automation increases matter-handling capacity without adding staff.
• Built-in legal process improvement capabilities simplify intake, approvals, and reporting.
• Continuous updates and support from our customer success team keep organizations moving forward.

With Litify, there’s one platform, one source of truth, and all the tools legal teams need to handle today’s work and prepare for tomorrow.

Embrace the future of legaltech with Litify

The story of enterprise legal management software is one of constant change. From the earliest green screens to today’s cloud-based solutions, every stage has brought progress — and new opportunities. However, the frustrations of legacy legal systems are clear: high costs, limited automation, poor integrations, and outdated reporting.

Litify delivers a modern platform built for the future of legal work. If your team is ready to leave legacy systems behind, it’s time to see what Litify can do.

Ready to learn more? Schedule a demo to discover how Litify can help you automate your legal operations and get more done with fewer resources.‍

‍FAQs

What is enterprise legal management (ELM) software?

Enterprise legal management (ELM) software is an all-in-one solution that helps in-house legal teams manage all their legal work in one platform. It combines legal intakes, matter management, document generation, billing and spend tracking, task automation, and reporting. 

Modern ELM platforms also provide dynamic dashboards and analytics, helping legal leaders make decisions based on real data.

Why are legacy legal systems still used if they’re outdated?

Many legal teams stay on legacy legal systems because migrating to a new platform can feel too disruptive or expensive. However, relying on outdated tools often creates bigger challenges over time. 

Modern ELM platforms simplify migration by offering cloud-based solutions and structured onboarding, so teams can transition without losing momentum.

How does legal operations automation improve productivity?

Automation removes manual tasks and handles those steps in the background. This shortens matter cycles, accelerates document management, and keeps tasks moving without constant oversight. 

What makes Litify different from legacy ELM systems?

Built on Salesforce, Litify delivers flexibility, security, and scalability that legacy solutions can’t match. Teams can configure workflows without custom coding, automate processes with Litify AI, and connect seamlessly to tools like Outlook, SAP, and Checkbox. 

Legal teams gain the control they need to manage what’s happening now and what needs attention next.

How can modern ELM software reduce legaltech costs?

Modern ELM solutions remove the need for legacy system maintenance and the IT overhead that comes with it. Automation cuts down on administrative work, so teams can handle more without adding staff. 

And with better analytics and reporting, legal leaders can track budgets and spot new opportunities to improve margins. 

Contact our team to learn more.