Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) software, also known as legal operations software, is designed for in-house legal departments to manage their day-to-day operations. These platforms help legal professionals track and control legal spend, maintain an electronic database of records, and generate analytics-driven reports on legal activities. Typical features of ELM software include matter intake and management, contract management, spend and billing oversight, legal hold, knowledge management, and reporting capabilities. By centralizing these functions, ELM solutions provide legal departments with a holistic view of their operations, enable process automation, and create a single hub for managing critical information. ELM platforms can operate as standalone systems, offering end-to-end functionality for legal department management. At the same time, most integrate with document management tools and other standard business software to ensure seamless workflows. While ELM solutions may overlap with or connect to legal billing software, they are distinct in their focus: purpose-built for in-house legal teams rather than external billing processes.
