If your fee earners and support staff still drag emails onto case files by hand, you need an email management system built for the way law firms actually work. Mailman, developed by Techedia, is an email management system for UK law firms that reads incoming emails, matches them to the right case and files them to Proclaim automatically, with no manual intervention.
In this guide we explain what an email management system is, why law firms need one, how Mailman works, and what to look for when choosing email management software for solicitors.
What is an email management system?
An email management system is software that organises, routes and stores emails so that the right people can find the right message at the right time. For most businesses that means sorting an inbox, tagging messages or setting up forwarding rules.
For a law firm, the requirement is stricter. Every email and attachment needs to sit on the correct client matter, because the correspondence trail is part of the case record. That is why a generic inbox tool is rarely enough, and why a purpose-built law firm email management solution makes such a difference.
Why law firms need an email management system
Law firms deal with high volumes of email that must be traceable to a specific matter. Without a proper system, the same problems appear again and again:
- Time lost to manual filing. Staff open each email, find the matter, and save the message and attachments by hand, many times a day.
- Inaccurate records. An email saved to the wrong case, or not saved at all, leaves a gap in the file.
- Inconsistent practice. Different people file in different ways, so correspondence trails vary from matter to matter.
- Handover headaches. When a colleague takes over a matter, missing emails slow them down and weaken confidence in the file.
- Wasted talent. Skilled support staff end up doing repetitive admin instead of higher-value work.
A good email management system for law firms removes the manual step altogether.
Meet Mailman: email management software built for Proclaim
Mailman is Techedia’s email management software for law firms that use Proclaim. Techedia develops Proclaim case management solutions for law firms, so Mailman was designed around the way Proclaim users already work.
Mailman scans your inbox, matches keywords and key phrases, looks for a matching Proclaim reference structure and extracts the matching emails to the right Proclaim case. Nobody has to open, drag or save anything.
What Mailman is, and what it is not
It helps to be clear about this, because “email management” can mean many things:
- Mailman does not need a shared mailbox.
- Mailman is not a spam filter or a general inbox tidy-up tool.
- Mailman is an automatic email filing tool that gets the right emails and attachments onto the right Proclaim case, without intervention.
How the Mailman email management system works
Mailman is simple to understand, which is part of why firms find it easy to adopt.
- Connect. Mailman connects to a dedicated Microsoft 365 mailbox.
- Read. It reads the subject lines of incoming emails and looks for case references in your firm’s own file numbering format.
- Match. When it finds a reference that matches a Proclaim case, it matches the email to that matter.
- File. It imports the email and its attachments to the correct case automatically.
Because Mailman follows the file numbering your firm already uses, there is no need to change how your team writes or sends emails.
Benefits of automatic email filing for law firms
Save time every day
Automatic email filing removes one of the most repetitive jobs in the firm. The hours your team spends moving emails to case files can go back into client work.
Improve accuracy and consistency
Mailman matches emails using rules rather than memory, so records are more accurate and consistent across every matter, whoever worked on it.
Free up staff for higher-value work
When filing is automated, support staff can focus on work that actually needs their skills.
Low maintenance
Once Mailman is set up, it needs little ongoing maintenance, which is ideal for firms without a large in-house IT team.
Better value
Firms comparing options often find that the time saved outweighs the cost, and that a purpose-built tool offers better value than the alternatives.
Case study: how a True Solicitors replaced manual email filing
Before Mailman, two members of staff at one UK law firm spent a large part of each day manually filing emails to Proclaim cases. The firm introduced Mailman, which connects to a dedicated Microsoft 365 mailbox, reads subject lines for case references in the firm’s file numbering format, and imports the email and attachments to the matching case.
The results:
- Significant time savings
- Less manual intervention
- More accurate and consistent records
- Two members of staff freed up for higher-value work
- Little ongoing maintenance
- Better value than the other options the firm evaluated
What to look for in email management software for solicitors
Whether you choose Mailman or another solution, use this checklist when comparing email management software for solicitors:
- Works with your case management system. Filing needs to happen directly on the matter, not in a separate folder.
- Follows your file numbering. The tool should recognise your firm’s own reference formats.
- Handles attachments. The email and everything attached to it should be filed together.
- Needs minimal intervention. If staff still have to check and click, you have only moved the problem.
- Low setup and maintenance. Ask what ongoing support the tool will need.
- Built by people who know legal tech. A supplier that develops for law firms will understand your workflows.
Frequently asked questions
What is an email management system for law firms?
It is software that makes sure every relevant email and attachment is stored on the correct client matter. Mailman does this automatically for Proclaim users by matching case references and filing emails without manual work.
Does Mailman work with a shared mailbox?
Mailman does not need a shared mailbox. It connects to a dedicated Microsoft 365 mailbox and reads subject lines to find your firm’s case references.
Is Mailman a spam filter?
No. Mailman is not about spam filtering. Its job is to match emails to Proclaim cases and file them automatically.
How does Mailman know which case an email belongs to?
It looks for a case reference in the subject line that matches your firm’s file numbering format, and matches it to the corresponding Proclaim case.
Does Mailman file attachments as well as emails?
Yes. Mailman imports the email and its attachments to the matching case.
Who is Mailman for?
Mailman is for law firms that use Proclaim and want to stop filing emails to cases by hand.
Book a Mailman demo
If your team is still filing emails manually, Mailman can give those hours back. Techedia has been supporting UK law firms with Proclaim case management development, Power BI reporting, system integrations, web development and IT support, and we would be glad to show you Mailman in action.