Every file arrived, but some amendments are attached to the wrong matter. A successful import count would miss that problem. Law firm data migration requires checks on the relationships between records as well as the records themselves. Agree on those checks before the transfer, while the team can still explain what each source field means.
Check Items as You Prepare. Your Checks Stay on This Page.
Before the Transfer: Define the Record Relationships
Worked example: a Pennsylvania firm is moving matter records from a legacy tracker into a new practice system. One client has several matters, each with different contacts and document folders. The migration owner needs a map of those relationships before deciding how fields will transfer.
During the Trial: Include the Difficult Records
A clean demonstration file is not enough. Select authorized test records that include closed and open matters, long names, missing fields, multiple contacts, and documents with linked amendments or versions. Use appropriate protected or fictional data in a test environment according to the firm’s instructions.
Before Acceptance: Reconcile Meaning and Access
Ask the lawyers and staff who use the records to check a representative sample. Can they find the correct matter, distinguish the current document, and see only the information their approved role permits? A migration vendor’s successful job report is one input to acceptance, not the entire decision.
Keep the reconciliation record, unresolved exceptions, and authorized acceptance together. If the team changes the mapping after a failed test, repeat the relevant checks against the revised output. Do not allow a corrected sample to stand in for an untested final transfer.
| Check | What It Can Reveal |
|---|---|
| Count | Missing or unexpectedly duplicated records. |
| Relationship | A document or contact connected to the wrong matter. |
| Use | A record that imports but cannot be found or used by its intended role. |
After the Transfer: Preserve the Handoff
GAO’s follow-up on IRS modernization separates moving information from retiring the older system. A firm should make those decisions separately too. Confirm who can access the source during reconciliation, what happens to historical records, and the authorized point for any retirement.
Maintain a recovery plan and the original source references for as long as the approved process requires. Name the person responsible for later correction requests. The firm should be able to explain where the new record came from and how a discrepancy will be investigated after the migration team leaves.