What you should do now
Jan 26, 2026
11 min read
Jumping ship from an outdated legacy system is a daunting prospect, but sticking with it will eventually create more problems than it’s worth.
Among other issues, your firm can face security breaches, non-compliance and the threat of being forced to migrate.
This guide will help you understand the risks of delaying migration and the benefits of moving to a modern system like Minutebox.
What Is Legacy System Data Migration?
Legacy system data migration involves transferring all records and data from outdated on-premises software to a modern, cloud-based platform.
For law firms and legal teams, this means shifting corporate records, such as minute books, ledgers, compliance data and legal records, onto a centralized legal entity management solution.
Common legacy systems include older tools like Corplink, ALF, Fast Company, Emergent and even Excel-based setups. While these tools may have worked well in the past, they often lack the security, efficiency and compliance features needed to meet today’s legal demands.
Why Law Firms and Legal Teams Are Moving Off Legacy Software
When a system causes more frustration than value, it’s a clear sign it’s no longer suitable.
Common issues with legacy systems include:
- Outdated user interfaces that make simple tasks time-consuming
- Lack of vendor support and software updates
- The threat of an end-of-life announcement
- Security vulnerabilities that put sensitive client data at risk
- Slow and tedious manual workflows that get in the way of productivity
- Support SLAs that no longer meet law-firm standards
The reality is that even if an older system still functions, it may not serve your firm’s best interests.
Without regular updates or reliable support, problems grow over time, increasing the risk of data loss or compliance failures. These issues can disrupt business continuity and, in worst cases, lead to complete data loss.
For law firms and legal teams, the advantages of moving to a modern platform that supports efficiency and security greatly surpass the challenges of remaining on a legacy system.
Understanding the Cost of Inaction
Staying on a legacy platform might seem like the path of least resistance, that is, until a major issue occurs.
Delaying migration until something “big” happens results in other consequences that might not be so obvious upfront.
For instance, legacy systems rely on manual processes that take up a sizable portion of the day and increase the chance of errors.
And systems that have failed to keep up with the needs of law firms and legal teams often require complicated workarounds. Or they may use proprietary or restricted data formats, which can limit your ability to access and manage your data freely.
Older systems also demand more maintenance, pulling IT resources away from other priorities and driving up costs.
Additionally, vendor risks, such as platform sunsetting, can force migrations on unfavorable terms. The various software owned by Dye & Durham is a prime example of this. Firms using tools like Corplink, Fast Company, Minit Inc and Emergent may face challenges due to vendor-driven migrations, such as the transition to Unity Entity Manager.
For example, the Fast Company subscription agreement states that Dye & Durham can use customer data to test and validate migration to Unity, with only 30 days’ notice before moving data to the cloud. This can create difficulties for firms, as it limits their control over the migration process and timeline, especially when transitioning from on-premise to cloud-based solutions.
More critically, it raises data governance and privacy concerns. Most firms require significant IT, privacy and risk assessments before transferring sensitive client data to a cloud environment. Without adequate notice and control, such a migration may breach obligations under privacy legislation like PIPEDA, GDPR, Quebec’s Law 25 or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and may also conflict with Canadian data residency requirements or violate terms of client retainer agreements.
Waiting until a crisis forces your hand can leave your firm scrambling to secure data or adapt to new workflows, creating unnecessary stress and risk.
What to Expect When Migrating to MinuteBox
Migrating to a new system seems like a monumental task, so it’s tempting to seek out a platform that promises to migrate your data within 24 hours.
As convenient as this sounds, the “one-size-fits-all” approach comes with a fresh set of problems. It often means zero customization and a rushed onboarding process that skips over the things that really matter, like training your team, configuring system settings to suit your workflows, adapting firm precedents and ensuring change management is handled properly.
While it might be enticing to see your data migrated in 24 hours, that’s only part of the story. The truth is, data migration is the easy part—any vendor can do that. What truly sets a successful transition apart is a thoughtful onboarding plan tailored to how your firm operates, ensuring long-term success, not just short-term convenience.
MinuteBox offers flexible migration plans designed to fit your firm’s unique needs, including options for tailored onboarding.
Here’s what to prepare before migrating:
- Provide a data snapshot: Export your current database or records from your legacy system, such as Corplink, Fast Company or Emergent. Your IT team may assist with this step, but MinuteBox can guide you through the process if needed.
- Share key documents: Submit materials like your firm’s logo, letterhead, standard share terms, retainer agreements, client intake forms and incorporation questionnaires within two weeks of signing your order form to support customizations.
- Identify key team members: Assign staff with knowledge of your entities to assist with data review and validation during the migration process.
The migration process follows these steps:
- Initial assessment: The process starts with an initial data assessment and how your firm uses its current system. This includes determining whether a database-to-database import (flexible, for systems like Corplink or Enact) or a record-to-database import (for systems like Fast Company) is best, based on your legacy platform.
- Data mapping and import: Legacy data is often messy and unstructured. MinuteBox unravels and organizes your data into a structured, legal-friendly format, tailored to your firm’s needs, where possible. MinuteBox performs an initial import, followed by a review phase where your team verifies a sample of entities (for ex., 20 entities).
- Feedback and refinement: Your feedback on the initial import helps MinuteBox adjust mappings based on your firm’s unique use of the legacy platform and resolve issues. This iterative process typically involves one to two data transfers, depending on the complexity of your database.
- Finalization and onboarding: Once adjustments are complete, the import is finalized and your team transitions to full use of MinuteBox, supported by training and ongoing assistance.
The MinuteBox team has extensive experience in handling migrations from legacy and other platforms, such as:
- Corplink
- Alf
- Enact
- Emergent
- Fast Company
- Athennian
- Appara
- Diligent
- hCure
- Corporate Focus
- and more…
Therefore, we understand and are well-versed in handling the data structures, workflows and challenges each system presents.
Our team’s approach ensures your firm’s data is not only transferred accurately, but it’s also optimized for the unique way your firm operates.
Full onboarding is assured, with options for dedicated support from an onboarding specialist, depending on your plan. Ongoing training and resources are also available to help your team use MinuteBox to its fullest potential.
How MinuteBox Makes Data Migration Smooth and Secure
We take security and compliance seriously because we know how crucial it is for law firms and legal teams.
MinuteBox is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 audited and compliant.
All files are uploaded using pre-set secure links to designated folders. Granular access controls prevent unauthorized changes and every action, from logins to data edits, is tracked in a comprehensive audit trail for accountability.
The role of your IT team during the migration process is minimal but valuable. They may assist with exporting the legacy database, but MinuteBox handles the core migration tasks, including data mapping and import. If your firm lacks IT resources, MinuteBox’s team manages the entire process, making it accessible for all firms.
Post-migration, MinuteBox offers ongoing support from legal tech specialists to address any questions or issues.
Finally, you can rest assured that MinuteBox offers fully compliant systems and workflows via its market-leading privacy standards and data processing agreement (DPA).
Gaining Control After Migration: No Vendor Lock-In
We already mentioned that some legacy system vendors force you to migrate, whether you want to or not.
In the case of Dye & Durham, there has been widespread discontent, particularly regarding the DoProcess acquisition and subsequent price hikes that firms have been forced to pass on to clients.
This lack of choice and freedom demonstrates that it not only affects law firms and legal teams but also has a detrimental effect on their clients.
In contrast, MinuteBox gives firms control over all their data. We refuse to lock our users into closed ecosystems such as Fast Company’s unstructured hex/binary setup or Corplink’s proprietary 4D database.
Instead of trapping customers in an inescapable system, each customer retains full control over their data. MinuteBox assures openness and full autonomy every step of the way, including:
- Storing data in open-standard, structured JSON files.
- Enabling on-demand data export.
- An enterprise backup module allowing law firms and legal teams to maintain a full, cloud backup of their data that is completely within their custody.
Is It Time to Migrate Your Firm’s Legal Data?
If your legacy system causes constant frustration, it’s time to consider an upgrade.
We encourage you to evaluate your current system. If you find any of the following problems, then it’s time to explore your options:
- A user experience that nobody enjoys
- Constant manual data input and convoluted workarounds
- Limited or non-existent collaboration tools
- Security and compliance breaches (or near misses)
- The inability to integrate properly with modern tools like DocuSign, government registries and World Online
If these issues sound familiar, we invite you to a free data migration consultation with MinuteBox to learn how we can free your data via a custom plan.
Conclusion: Your Data Deserves Better
Your firm’s data is too important to remain trapped in legacy software. Your success hinges on data control, high security and retaining structured records, all things that outdated platforms can no longer provide.
Even though you may feel stuck, rest assured that you are not. Switching is not hard when you have the right support by your side.
With MinuteBox, the transition is straightforward and supported every step of the way. You gain a modern platform that prioritizes security, efficiency and flexibility, all while retaining full autonomy over your data.
Migrate to MinuteBox and see what we can do for you
FAQ – Data Migration from Legacy Systems: A Seamless Transition for Law Firms & Enterprises
Will my firm lose any data during migration?
With MinuteBox, we do our best to migrate your data as completely and accurately as possible, outperforming other vendors. Our goal is to transfer all your usable data, but some older legacy systems might have issues like corrupted or incompatible data that can make things tricky.
Our team works closely with you to keep problems to a minimum and make the migration as smooth as possible.
Is MinuteBox secure enough for sensitive legal records?
Yes, MinuteBox is secure enough for sensitive legal records. We are SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 audited and compliant. Additionally, granular user controls, audit trails and market-leading privacy and data policies keep your data safe and secure during the migration process and beyond.
Can I migrate only part of my entity data to start?
Yes, MinuteBox supports partial migrations, allowing your firm to test the platform with select entities or datasets before committing to a full migration.
How many times does data need to be transferred during migration?
Data is typically transferred twice: once during an initial test import and again during the final cutover. The timing and structure depend on the scope of your migration agreement. If the data import requires an extra cutover review, plan for additional time to avoid errors.
Can MinuteBox integrate with my firm’s existing tools?
Yes, MinuteBox supports integrations with Single Sign-On (SSO), iManage, DocuSign, Adobe Sign and Intapp Walls, depending on your plan. It also offers data exports in formats that can be imported into Aderant for billing purposes.
Dec 19, 2025
8 min read
Switching to a centralized entity management system can be a lifesaver for law firms and legal teams struggling with data inaccuracies and non-compliance.
The truth is that complex corporate structures require advanced tools that outdated systems simply cannot support. To save time, minimize risks and improve efficiency, switching is the only option.
In this article, we elaborate on the reasons why you should consider switching to entity management software and how to choose the right platform.
What Is Entity Management Software?
Entity management software provides legal professionals with a secure, centralized platform to organize, track and maintain corporate records.
For example, you can use it to store minute books or formation documents, create ownership structures and stay on top of rigid compliance requirements.
The key advantage of using this software is that it replaces outdated or legacy systems that can no longer keep up with modern requirements.
Using spreadsheets or disconnected software is not only inconvenient and labor-intensive, but it’s also not suitable for teams managing dozens or hundreds of entities. These outdated tools increase the risk of errors, inconsistencies and security vulnerabilities, especially when multiple people are involved in maintaining records.
Entity management software solves this by bringing all critical information into one unified platform and automating routine tasks. Legal teams can, therefore, collaborate more effectively while maintaining security and compliance standards.
Why Law Firms and Legal Teams Need Entity Management Software
Multiple teams within a firm, including clerks, paralegals, legal operations, finance and tax departments, need frequent access to accurate records. Support staff, like those handling mail or logistics, also require occasional data insights to complete their tasks.
When information is spread across disjointed systems or stored in spreadsheets, it forms data silos that disrupt collaboration. On top of that, updates in one platform may not sync with others, resulting in inconsistent data and poor tracking of changes.
For instance, preparing for an audit becomes a time-consuming ordeal when records are hard to locate or incomplete, stalling critical workflows.
Then we have the ever-changing compliance and regulation requirements. Without automated tools, teams risk missing deadlines or failing to meet new standards. And with manual processes, such as updating records by hand, being not only slow but also prone to errors, it can lead to costly penalties.
A centralized entity management system eliminates these hurdles by bringing all data into one secure platform.
Automation streamlines compliance tracking, reduces errors and ensures real-time updates across teams. By integrating advanced reporting tools, firms gain clear visibility into their entities, which allows for faster decision-making.
This unified approach saves time, strengthens collaboration and keeps firms compliant, allowing legal teams to focus on their work rather than administrative chaos.
See how Minutebox can help you with Entity Management Software
Key Features to Look for in the Best Entity Management Software
Below are seven essential features to prioritize, each designed to address the specific challenges of legal teams.
Centralized Data
A centralized platform acts as a single source of truth for all entity records, ensuring everyone works from the same accurate data.
Look for a platform that supports advanced search and filtering options to quickly find the right information.
Ownership Tracking
Complex ownership structures, involving shareholders and beneficial owners, can be difficult to manage. The right software simplifies this by offering clear tools to track these relationships.
Choose a platform that automatically creates visual charts, making it easy to understand entity connections and monitor changes over time.
Compliance Alerts
Regulatory requirements and deadlines are non-negotiable.
Your chosen entity management software should provide automated alerts and reminders for upcoming compliance requirements as well as a way to track compliance progress in real-time.
Additionally, the software should always reflect the latest changes in compliance and provide guidance and resources to ensure you stay on top of requirements.
Role-Based Access
Just because the data is centralized, it doesn’t mean everyone should have access.
Administrators should be able to assign user permissions to specific data sets based on role or responsibility.
Choose a software with rose-based access and advanced security protocols, like multi-factor authentication, to protect sensitive information while still enabling collaboration across teams.
Audit Trails
Audit trails are essential for supporting regulatory compliance and maintaining transparency when the time for an audit arrives.
Your software must track all changes and user actions within its platform and log them within the audit trail.
Document Automation
Modern software takes the manual effort out of document preparation and assembly.
A modern entity management software should have automatic document creation templates and easy, no-code customization and personalization features.
It should be simple to maintain a professional and consistent look across all your documents without having to customize each of them individually.
Cloud Security
For law firms, data security is of the utmost priority. Therefore, choose a platform that offers industry-standard security for managing entity data.
Look for SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 audited and compliant software with end-to-end encryption to protect sensitive data when it is in transit or at rest. It should also have a robust information security policy, advanced testing protocols and multi-jurisdiction support.
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How MinuteBox Supports Law Firms in Managing Entity Data
MinuteBox is a leading cloud-based entity management platform centered around legal professionals and law firms. And it checks all the boxes for firms looking to modernize their corporate record keeping and centralize all data.
MinuteBox addresses all the needs mentioned, including:
- Secure cloud architecture: MinuteBox is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 audited and compliant software, protecting data with end-to-end encryption.
- Granular access control: Administrators can precisely manage permissions, determining who can view, edit or share each entity’s data.
- Intuitive digital organization: A drag-and-drop interface replicates physical minute book structures. This allows teams to organize and access records instantly from any device, anywhere, without VPNs or physical binders.
- Automated compliance alerts: Customizable notifications tailored to jurisdictional requirements keep teams ahead of filing deadlines, reducing the risk of oversights.
- Visually intuitive ownership charts: Automatically generated visual diagrams display complex entity relationships and update in real time to support clear and informed decision-making.
- Comprehensive collaboration tools: Built-in client-sharing with expiring links allows safe data access for external counsel or clients.
- Automatic document generation: Create resolutions, registers and legal documents using pre-built templates.
Still not convinced? Here are a couple of examples of how MinuteBox makes entity management efficient.
Imagine needing to share an entity’s register of directors with external counsel. With MinuteBox, you can generate the document instantly and grant temporary read-only access without the need to print or email the information (which would compromise data security).
Or suppose your team is preparing for an audit. All entity records, minute books and filings are centralized and accessible in a few clicks, helping you deliver on tight deadlines with full accuracy.
Choosing the Best Entity Management Software for Your Law Firm
We understand that choosing the right platform is not a lighthearted decision and many factors should contribute toward making the final cut.
Here’s a short checklist to use when evaluating suitable software for your law firm or legal team:
- Security: Look for SOC 2, ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 certifications and end-to-end encryption.
- Ease of use: Find a user-friendly platform that comes with comprehensive team onboarding.
- Feature set: Do they align with your needs and address your firm’s pain points?
- Customer support: Can you easily access a support agent when you need one?
- Vendor transparency: Are platform updates and changes, along with data handling practices and policies clearly communicated?
- Data portability: If, for any reason, you decide to leave, can you easily transfer your data or are you locked in?
For a platform that offers all of the above and more, get in touch with MinuteBox for a demo tailored to your law firm’s specific needs.
FAQ – How To Choose The Best Entity Management Software
What is the best entity management software for law firms?
The best entity management software for law firms is one that provides a centralized place to store, manage and maintain corporate records.
It should provide automatic compliance maintenance, industry-standard security, access controls as well as ownership tracking and audit trails.
MinuteBox is a platform that provides all of these features and more and consistently stands out for its legal-first approach and powerful automation tools.
What are the cost benefits of using entity management software for law firms?
Entity management software reduces costs by minimizing errors that lead to compliance penalties and simplifying time-intensive tasks like audit preparation or document drafting.
On top of that, its automation and centralized data reduce the need for additional staff or resources, offering long-term savings while improving accuracy and operational efficiency.
How do I choose the right entity management software?
To choose the right entity management software, you can start by assessing your current pain points. Use the answers to these questions to prioritize which features you require. Then, compare platforms based on security, ease-of-use, pricing and support.
When you have narrowed down the choice, request a demo or free trial to evaluate its real-world performance and whether it’s the right fit.
What features are essential in legal entity management tools?
Essential features in legal entity management tools include the following:
- Centralized data storage
- Industry-standard, cloud-based security
- Compliance tracking and alerts
- Role-based access controls
- Ownership tracking
- Document automation
- Audit trails and version history
Oct 17, 2025
6 min read
Some industries are ripe for modern technology, while others are slow to adapt to innovative solutions. Broadly speaking, the healthcare sector, hospitality sector, construction industry, and agriculture industry are some of the largest sectors of the economy with the least adoption rates of modern technology.
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You could argue that the legal community, while not quite as rudimentary as some of those other sectors, also has a general case of technophobia. Law firms have relied on traditional workflows involving pen and paper or Microsoft Office files to manage client information. To this day, many firms still adhere to the old ways, potentially placing themselves at a competitive disadvantage.
It begs the question: what lies at the root of these technophobic fears, and how can they be overcome? What do legal professionals need to understand about how technology can simplify their lives so that it increases adoption rates? Let’s look into that and outline answers to those pressing questions.
Legal teams understand legal technology is a growing trend
According to the Wolters Kluwer Future Ready Lawyer Survey, which was disseminated to 751 professionals across North America and Europe, the top three trends cited by respondents are:
- Growing importance of legal technology in legal workflows
- Managing increasingly complex information
- Adapting to new or evolving client needs
The findings show that 79% of survey participants cited these three key areas as the biggest trends impacting the legal industry. At the same time, only 36% of respondents believe their firm or organization is prepared to address these growing trends.
Growing client demand for tech-powered firms
In the same study, participants were asked how they evaluate a potential partnering firm’s use of legal technology, and what impact that has on their decision to enter into business with the firm.
- In 2022, up to 70% of respondents said that how a prospective firm uses legal technology influences whether they enter into a working relationship with that firm.
- The response rate is up from 41% in 2020 and 52% in 2021.
- By 2025, client interest in legal technology is expected to reach 97%.
This particular finding corresponds with other industry studies that show the influence of technology on business operations. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, 77% of business owners admit they want more flexible options to access important files.
These findings should serve as a wake-up call for technophobic law firms. Clients want to work with legal professionals who support their desire for flexible meetings and file access management. Failing to incorporate innovative solutions could result in lost business and missed opportunities to boost Legal Recurring Revenue.
Why are firms reluctant to embrace legal technology
Broadly speaking, companies in most industries struggle to embrace technology out of fear that it will corrupt their use of data. Data lies at the heart of any effective business strategy. However, if that data isn’t clean or organized, it makes it difficult to interpret any insights and feed a business growth strategy.
When looking specifically at the adoption of legal technology, here are the three main reasons law firms are resistant to modern technology.
Mistaken idea that managing legal technology is very time consuming
In the legal community, time really does equate to money. Legal professionals are always looking for ways to increase billable hours so they can boost inbound Legal Recurring Revenue for the firm. As a consequence, many legal minds are under the misguided belief that every minute not used for billable hours is a sunk cost.
Unfortunately, legal teams that fall into this line of thinking risk leaving their operations less efficient and productive than they otherwise could be with legal technology. The amount of time spent on administrative or clerical tasks remains stubbornly high without an innovative solution to streamline all these laborious tasks.
Legal technology is costly and deemed too expensive for the budget
This is the biggest reason why firms refuse to adopt modern legal technology. Without a tangible economic benefit from investing in legal technology, firms don’t see the value in carving out portions of their budget for such investments.
When legal teams fall into this line of thinking, they forget one of the fundamental rules of any business: the cost of doing business. Any company must invest in certain expenditures to maintain and improve operations. Legal technology is one of those expenditures that pays off in the form of time savings and efficient workflows.
Concerns that legal technology will slow things down and create lags
Similar to the time efficiency argument, some law firms believe that legal technology will slow down their rate of operations. They worry that there will be lags in productivity, diminishing the firm’s potential for growth.
The counterargument here is that legal technology is designed to introduce efficiencies to established workflows. Rather than slow things down, legal technology actually speeds things up by reducing the time professionals spend on non-revenue generating tasks.
Why entity management software is the secret to overcoming legal technophobia
Having debunked misguided beliefs about legal technology, what is the optimal solution to improve legal workflows and overcome skeptical feelings towards legal technology? The answer is entity management software, which is designed by legal minds for legal minds.
Entity management software is a form of legal technology developed by legal professionals who represent law firms, legal departments, general counsel, and compliance professionals. It simplifies the complex aspects of entity management and streamlines operations into a workflow that’s efficient, relatable, and even fun.
Entity management software enables legal teams to create one centralized location for all client minute book records. The process of inputting, filing, sorting, and tagging minute book data is complete in a matter of minutes. This is in stark contrast to the time consuming administrative tasks conducted outside of an entity management system. Investing in entity management solutions will help your legal team, particularly your paralegals avoid feelings of burnout.
Teams that use entity management software save invaluable hours on clerical duties that can be reallocated to growing the interests of the firm. It also helps with talent acquisition as many rising legal professionals understand the value of entity management technology. Use your firm’s adoption of entity management systems in your HR strategy. This will encourage the brightest legal minds to join your team and increase Legal Recurring Revenue for your firm.