The best Litify implementations start before kickoff. The work your firm does in the weeks before the project officially begins (choosing the right people, gathering access and documents, and learning the basics of the platform) shapes how quickly discovery moves and how well the finished system fits the way your firm works.
This guide walks through what we ask every firm to prepare, based on the Litify implementations and data migrations BRIO has delivered for law firms of every size.
The short answer
To prepare for a Litify implementation, your firm should:
- Choose an internal implementation team with a clear project lead.
- Have that team start Litify’s free training before discovery begins.
- Arrange access to your current case management system and file storage.
- Gather the forms, templates, reports, and integrations your firm relies on today.
- Decide what “done” looks like: the problems the new system must solve.
The rest of this guide explains each step and why it matters.
Step 1: Choose your implementation team
Litify is configured around your firm’s real processes, so the people who know those processes need to be involved. A strong firm-side team usually includes four kinds of people. Firms often call this group their “power users.”
- A project lead. One or two people who can coordinate the firm’s side, make day-to-day decisions, and sign off on configuration and migrated data. This person carries the most time on the project, sometimes as much as 20 hours a week during testing and data validation.
- Subject matter experts. Department heads or experienced staff who know how each practice area, intake team, or back-office function really works. They join the discovery workshops for their area and test the system before launch.
- A technical contact. Someone who knows where your data and documents live today and can grant access to servers, databases, and file storage.
- Engaged leadership. Partners or executives who can make budget and timeline decisions. They don’t need to attend every meeting, but they should understand the goals and stay informed.
Tip: Pick subject matter experts who are respected by their teams. When the people who helped design the system also champion it, adoption after go-live is much easier.
Step 2: Start Litify training early
Litify offers a free online training library, the Litify Learning Hub. We recommend that every member of your implementation team signs up and completes the introductory modules before kickoff, then works through each topic before its discovery session.
A shared baseline makes discovery far more productive. Instead of spending workshop time on what Litify can do, your team can focus on how it should work for your firm. Your implementation partner or Litify contact can help you get access.
Step 3: Arrange access to your current systems
Most Litify projects include moving your existing matters, contacts, and documents into the new system. The migration team can’t plan that work until they can see your data, so access is usually one of the first requests after kickoff. Ask your technical contact to be ready to provide:
- Read-only access to your current case management database, or a recent export of it.
- Administrator access to your current case management application, so the team can see how data is displayed and used.
- Access to wherever documents are stored today, such as a document management system, network drives, or cloud storage.
- Remote or VPN access details, if your systems are hosted on-premises.
- Any IT or security approvals your firm requires before an outside team can connect.
Aim to have access in place within a week or two of kickoff. Delays here are one of the most common reasons data migration schedules slip.
Step 4: Gather what your firm uses today
Discovery goes faster when your team brings real examples. Start collecting:
- Practice areas and case types you want in scope, and which ones are the highest priority.
- Intake forms and questionnaires your intake team uses to qualify new leads.
- Document templates such as letters, retainer agreements, and pleadings that should be generated from the system.
- Reports and dashboards that partners and managers review regularly.
- Integrations with other software, such as phone systems, e-signature, accounting, calendaring, and records retrieval.
- A user list with each person’s role and department, so licenses and permissions can be planned.
- Your firm’s logo and preferred Salesforce domain name for the new org.
You don’t need everything perfectly organized. Rough examples and screenshots are far more useful than waiting for a polished inventory.
Step 5: Define what success looks like
Before discovery begins, agree internally on why you’re making this change. Write down the three to five problems the new system must solve, such as faster intake, fewer manual status updates, or reports leadership can trust. Those goals help your team separate requirements from nice-to-haves when decisions come up, and they give everyone a clear way to measure the project once you’re live.
Step 6: Clean up what you can now
Every firm has some messy data: duplicate contacts, closed cases still marked open, or fields that were used differently over the years. You don’t need to fix everything before kickoff, but it helps to start noticing. Flag known problem areas for the migration team and decide early which old data really needs to move. Our data migration checklist covers this in more detail.
What BRIO does before kickoff
While your team prepares, your implementation partner should be preparing too. Before kickoff, BRIO typically works with Litify to set up your new org and licenses, begins setting up document management, assigns the project team, builds an initial schedule from your agreement, and starts reviewing your data as soon as access is available. You’ll know exactly what we’re working on and what we need from you.
Ready to plan your project? See how our Litify implementations work, or read what to expect at each phase of a Litify implementation.
Frequently asked questions
How much time will our team need to spend on a Litify implementation?
It varies by role and project phase. Your project lead carries the most time, sometimes up to 20 hours a week during user acceptance testing and data validation. Subject matter experts mainly join the discovery workshops for their area and test the system before go-live.
Do we need an IT person on the project?
You need someone who can grant access to your current database and file storage and approve any security requirements. That person doesn’t need to be a full-time IT professional, but they should know where your data lives.
Should our team complete Litify training before discovery?
Yes. Finishing the introductory Litify Learning Hub modules before kickoff, and each topic before its discovery session, lets workshops focus on your firm’s processes instead of basic features.
Can we clean up our data during the project instead of before?
Yes. Cleanup often happens during the migration phase. It still helps to flag known problems early and decide which historical data really needs to move.
