How to Switch from PCLaw: A Migration Guide for Ontario Law Firms
PCLaw has been the backbone of Ontario legal accounting for decades. Switching off it feels daunting — but it's more manageable than most lawyers expect. This guide walks through the practical steps: what to export, how to handle trust account continuity, and how to set up your new platform without disrupting active matters.
Why Ontario Firms Are Finally Moving Off PCLaw
PCLaw (now owned by Thomson Reuters) is still widely used, but it's fundamentally a legacy product:
- — Windows-only desktop application — no cloud access without VPN or hosted setup
- — No AI features anywhere in the product
- — Remote work requires IT setup — a significant barrier post-COVID
- — Annual maintenance fees plus perpetual license costs
- — No automatic deadline extraction from documents
- — No client portal, no document sharing, no morning briefing
- — Feature development has slowed substantially
The migration calculus has changed: modern alternatives now fully cover trust accounting compliance, which was the main reason lawyers stayed on PCLaw despite its limitations.
The Biggest Concern: Historical Data
The single biggest barrier to switching from PCLaw is fear of losing years of client and matter history. Here's the key insight: you don't need to migrate historical data to switch platforms.
The practical approach most firms use:
- Keep PCLaw running (on your existing Windows machine) for historical record access — you don't need to cancel immediately
- Export your client list as CSV from PCLaw and import into the new platform
- Start all new matters on the new platform from a set date
- Close active PCLaw matters naturally as they conclude over the next 6–12 months
- Once all active matters have closed in PCLaw, retire it — keeping the historical database accessible offline
LSO By-Law 9 requires you to retain trust records for 10 years. You can comply by keeping your PCLaw data accessible offline or by exporting all historical trust records to CSV before retiring the system.
The PCLaw Migration: Step-by-Step
Common Migration Fears — Addressed
"I'll lose my trust accounting history."
You won't. Export your PCLaw trust records to CSV before retiring it. Store them in your new platform or secure cloud storage. You retain full access for the 10-year LSO retention period.
"The transition will disrupt active matters."
It won't if you use the parallel approach. PCLaw remains the system of record for pre-transition matters. New matters open in the new platform. No data is touched, no matters are disrupted.
"My legal assistant knows PCLaw — I can't retrain everyone."
Modern cloud platforms are genuinely easier to learn than PCLaw. Plan for a 2–3 week adjustment period. Most practices report their team is fully comfortable within a month.
"What if there's a discrepancy in trust balances at transition?"
This is why you transfer at month-end and reconcile immediately. Set the opening balances in your new platform, then reconcile them against the bank statement. Any discrepancy is a sign of an existing issue in PCLaw that should be resolved before transition.
"I need my PCLaw data imported, not just the client list."
Full data migrations are possible but complex. For solo and small firms, the parallel approach is usually simpler and lower-risk than attempting a complete migration of years of PCLaw data. Most cloud providers offer limited import assistance for key data points.
Start Your Migration With a Free Trial
Try Atticus for 14 days while PCLaw stays running. Set up your trust account, import your clients, and see what AI practice management feels like before you commit.
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