Question 1

What is Batesly?

Accepted Answer

Batesly is a matter-centric legal platform that combines document management, case management, billing, trust accounting, eDiscovery, and collaboration into a single system. It replaces the 4-6 disconnected tools most firms currently use.

Question 2

Who is Batesly designed for?

Accepted Answer

Batesly is built for law firms, in-house legal teams, and legal operations professionals. It's designed for firms that are tired of paying for and switching between disconnected platforms.

Question 3

What does "matter-centric" mean?

Accepted Answer

It means everything in Batesly is organized around matters — not folders, not workspaces. Documents, contacts, tasks, deadlines, billing entries, and communications all live together within the matter they belong to. This is a fundamental architectural decision that can't be retrofitted onto legacy systems. In other words, everything is linked within a matter.

Question 4

How is Batesly different from Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther?

Accepted Answer

Those platforms started as case management tools and bolted on document management and billing over time. Batesly was built from the ground up with matter-centric by design, meaning documents, billing, trust accounting, and review workflows all share the same data model. Discovery tooling like Bates numbering and production tracking is on our roadmap, built into the same data model rather than bolted on.

Question 5

How is Batesly different from iManage or NetDocuments?

Accepted Answer

iManage and NetDocuments are document management systems that organize files in folders. Batesly organizes everything around matters. It also includes billing, trust accounting, discovery, and collaboration — features those platforms don't have — so you don't need 5 other tools alongside it.

Question 6

What features does Batesly include?

Accepted Answer

Batesly includes matter management, document management with versioning and native Word drafting, billing and invoicing, trust accounting (IOLTA), document review and privilege review workflows, full-text search, external collaborator access, ethical wall support, audit logging, and optional AI intelligence features.

Question 7

Does Batesly include eDiscovery?

Accepted Answer

Document review workflows and privilege review tools are included on all plans today. Bates numbering, production tracking, and load file generation are on our roadmap and not yet available.

Question 8

Does Batesly include trust accounting?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Full IOLTA trust accounting with per-client tracking, three-way reconciliation, and bar-compliant reporting is a core feature, not an add-on.

Question 9

Can I use Batesly for multiple practice areas?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Batesly supports configurable matter types — litigation, contracts, M&A, IP, real estate, employment, regulatory, and more — each with structured fields that match how that type of work actually happens.

Question 10

Is there a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

We're in the process of building the app, which we plan to launch in early 2027.

Question 11

Can I invite outside counsel or co-counsel to matters?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can invite external collaborators to specific matters with scoped permissions. They see only what you share — nothing more.

Question 12

How much does Batesly cost?

Accepted Answer

Batesly is priced flat per firm, by user count — not per seat. Plans run from $99/month for a solo practitioner up to $4,495/month for firms of up to 45 users, with tiers at 5, 10, 15, 25, and 45 users in between. Yearly billing saves 10%. Firms above 45 users, or sitting between tiers, get a custom quote priced the same flat way. Full details are on our pricing page.

Question 13

Why flat-fee pricing instead of per-seat?

Accepted Answer

Because adding a paralegal, contract attorney, or summer associate shouldn't increase your software bill. Flat-fee pricing means your costs stay predictable as your team grows. Most competitors charge $50-$100+ per user per month, which penalizes firms for hiring.

Question 14

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

We do not offer self-serve trials at this time. The best way to evaluate Batesly is to book a live demo, where we will walk you through the platform and answer your questions.

Question 15

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

Stripe handles our subscription billing. For your clients' invoices, credit card and ACH payments are processed through Confido Legal, which is purpose-built for legal trust accounting compliance.

Question 16

Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can move between tiers as your firm changes, and you can switch between monthly and yearly billing. Growing within your current tier never changes your price.

Question 17

Are there any add-ons?

Accepted Answer

No feature add-ons — every plan includes the entire platform, including AI Intelligence features. The only paid service outside your subscription is White-Glove Migration — contact us to discuss pricing for your firm.

Question 18

Is there a discount for yearly billing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Yearly plans are billed once a year at your monthly price times twelve, less a 10% prepay discount. You can switch between monthly and yearly as your firm changes.

Question 19

How is my data encrypted?

Accepted Answer

All documents are encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption via our object storage provider's server-side encryption. Application data is encrypted at rest through our managed database provider. All data in transit is protected using TLS encryption.

Question 20

Who can access my data?

Accepted Answer

Only authorized users within your organization. Batesly enforces strict tenant isolation — every database query is scoped to your organization. Batesly employees do not have routine access to your document content.

Question 21

Do you support multi-factor authentication?

Accepted Answer

Yes. MFA is available for all users on all plans. We strongly recommend enabling it for all accounts.

Question 22

Do you have SOC 2 certification?

Accepted Answer

SOC 2 Type II certification is in progress. We are working with Scytale and expect the process to be complete no later than Q1 2027. In the meantime, we can provide our security architecture overview, Data Processing Agreement, and subprocessor list for your vendor review.

Question 23

Where is my data stored?

Accepted Answer

All data is stored in US-based data centers through Railway and our managed database provider.

Question 24

Do you support ethical walls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can restrict particular users or groups from accessing specific matters for conflict compliance easily within the matter's dashboard. Ethical walls are enforced at the platform level, not by policy memo.

Question 25

Is it ethical to use cloud-based legal technology?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with appropriate safeguards. The ABA and state bars confirm cloud services are permissible with reasonable security measures. Key opinions include ABA Formal Opinion 477R (2017) and ABA Formal Opinion 498 (2021). Batesly is designed to help you meet your duties under Model Rules 1.6, 1.1 (Comment 8), and 5.3.

Question 26

Will you complete our security questionnaire?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We're happy to complete your vendor security questionnaire and discuss our security posture in detail. Contact security@batesly.io.

Question 27

Does AI process my documents?

Accepted Answer

Only if you enable AI features. All AI capabilities are optional and can be disabled at the organization or matter level. Batesly works fully without AI.

Question 28

Is my data used to train AI models?

Accepted Answer

No. Our AI features use Anthropic's Claude models deployed exclusively through Amazon Bedrock inside our own AWS perimeter. Neither AWS nor Anthropic uses your data to train public or foundational models. Your documents are processed, the result is returned, and no copy is retained.

Question 29

What can the AI do?

Accepted Answer

AI features include document classification, key date extraction (deadlines, notice periods, renewals), and obligation detection. AI provides suggestions and relevance scores — it never makes final decisions.

Question 30

Is AI use logged for audit purposes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every AI action is logged with what was analyzed, what the AI suggested, and what the attorney decided. Human overrides are tracked for defensibility.

Question 31

Is it ethical to use AI in document review?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when used appropriately with human oversight, proper supervision, and full auditability. Batesly's AI features are designed to satisfy the attorney's duty of competence (Model Rule 1.1) and supervision obligations (Model Rule 5.3) while preserving the attorney work product doctrine.

Question 32

Which AI provider do you use?

Accepted Answer

We use Anthropic's Claude models deployed through Amazon Bedrock, running entirely inside our AWS perimeter with zero data retention for model training. We can provide our Data Processing Agreement covering the AI provider relationship upon request.

Question 33

Can you migrate data from our current system?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We offer migration support from common legal platforms including iManage, NetDocuments, Clio, MyCase, and others. White-Glove Migration includes hands-on data transfer, validation, and onboarding — contact us to discuss pricing for your firm.

Question 34

How long does onboarding take?

Accepted Answer

Onboarding time depends on the volume of data being migrated and the complexity of your current setup. We provide guided onboarding for all plans and work with you to get your team up and running as quickly as possible.

Question 35

What support is included?

Accepted Answer

All plans include email support. Professional plans and above include priority support. Enterprise+ includes a dedicated account manager and custom onboarding.

Question 36

What if I need help after onboarding?

Accepted Answer

Our support team is available via email at support@batesly.io. We also provide help documentation, training materials, and periodic webinars for customers.

Question 37

What happens if Batesly goes down?

Accepted Answer

Our infrastructure is built on Railway with managed database services that include automated backups. We are committed to resolving incidents quickly and communicating transparently with affected customers.

Question 38

Can I cancel at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Monthly plans can be cancelled at any time — your access continues through the end of your current billing period. Yearly plans continue through the end of the yearly term.

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