Thursday, October 29, 2026
How Law Firms Keep Clients Updated: Every Option, Compared
Clients call for updates when they have not heard anything in a while. Every firm solves that problem somehow, whether it is a paralegal returning calls or software that texts each client for you. The options fall into five groups, and each one asks different things of your staff and your clients.
This guide walks through all five, names the tools in each, and says who each one fits. Every vendor fact links to the vendor's own site.
Full transparency: we build Quilia, and it is our pick below. We are not a neutral party, so weigh what we say about our own product with that in mind. Where another tool is the better fit, we say so.
Our pick: Quilia
Most client update tools solve half the problem. They tell clients what is happening, then leave the firm to chase clients for what the case needs and to re-type whatever clients send back. Quilia closes both halves:
- Updates go out on their own when the case changes phase in your CMS.
- â„š, Quilia's digital case assistant, asks each client for what their file is missing, by name, by text.
- Clients answer by text, with no login, or in the app if they prefer.
- Answers land in your CMS fields, so nobody types anything twice.
- It works on every case type, not just personal injury.
The five ways firms keep clients updated
| Approach | What clients get | Who does the work | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI that reaches out to clients | Texts or calls that ask what the case needs | Software, with staff for what needs a person | Quilia, Hona, HelloCounsel |
| A client app or portal on top of your CMS | A branded app or portal with automatic updates | Updates go out from CMS phase changes | Case Status, CasePulse, CaseActive |
| The portal built into your CMS | A login to check case status and messages | Staff post updates in the CMS | Clio for Clients, MyCase, Filevine, CASEpeer, Smokeball |
| Automated messaging inside your CMS | Texts and emails triggered by workflows | Workflows you configure | VineConnect for Filevine |
| Staff calls, email and texts | A person, when someone has time | Your staff, every time | Phones, email, texts from staff phones |
1. AI that reaches out to clients
The newest approach flips the direction. Instead of waiting for clients to check a portal, software contacts each client, asks about what the case needs, and passes along what only a person should handle.
Quilia
Quilia is a client app with a digital case assistant, â„š, built around one idea: the case file should stay current without staff chasing anyone.
What clients experience: a text from â„š about their own case, by name, asking for the one thing their file is missing, such as a new appointment, a document or a detail about their job. They reply by text with no login, or use the native iOS and Android apps or the web app. When they have a question for the firm, they text it, and it lands in CaseChat on their case.
What happens automatically: phase updates go out when the case changes status in your CMS. â„š writes each answer and upload into the matching fields in Clio, Filevine, 8am MyCase, 8am CASEpeer, SmartAdvocate, Litify, Neos, Smokeball, Salesforce, PracticePanther and other systems. Staff can also text clients three ways: from CaseChat, from a group text that includes Quilia's number, or through â„š, and every thread is saved to the case. After a case closes, happy clients get a Google review request.
Result: fewer status calls, a case file that fills itself in, and staff time spent on the conversations that need a person.
Personal injury is where Quilia started, and firms also use it for workers' comp, family law, immigration, Social Security disability, estate planning and other case types. It is HIPAA compliant, and pricing is quoted on request. Request a demo to see it on your own cases.
Hona
Hona combines intake, a passwordless client portal and two-way texting with an AI case manager, Lia, that texts or calls personal injury clients between appointments. Hona integrates with Filevine, Clio, MyCase, CASEpeer, SmartAdvocate, Litify, Neos, Smokeball, Salesforce and more. Pricing is not public, and Lia is priced separately by case volume.
HelloCounsel
HelloCounsel builds AI agents for reception, intake, case opening, medical records and client communication, each handling calls, texts and emails from tasks in your CMS. It is built for personal injury, mass tort, workers' comp and Social Security disability firms, covers calls after hours and on holidays, and prices by call and case volume.
How they compare
If you are comparing Hona with other tools, this is the group to look at. All three reach out to clients rather than waiting for them, but they cover different ground. Hona pairs outreach with intake and a portal, for personal injury firms. HelloCounsel's strength is the phones and records requests. Quilia focuses on getting what each case file is missing, on every case type, and writing it into the CMS so staff never re-enter it.
2. A client app or portal on top of your CMS
These tools connect to your CMS and turn its data into updates clients actually see, usually in a branded app or portal.
Case Status says it is trusted by 600+ firms. Clients log in without a password and get updates at every stage, along with secure messaging, documents and video walkthroughs. A satisfaction question tied to Net Promoter Score lets it ask happy clients for Google reviews and referrals automatically. It integrates with Litify, Neos, MyCase, Clio, Filevine, SmartAdvocate, Smokeball, Salesforce and more. Pricing is not public.
CasePulse is a branded client portal for firms on Needles, Neos, LawBase and Litify, on the market since 2017. Its forms send client answers straight to the connected CMS. Every plan includes unlimited cases, messages and files, billed month-to-month from $250 per month with no per-case fees.
CaseActive is the one tool here that also works without a CMS, with intake forms, e-signatures and case updates built in, or connected to Filevine, CASEpeer, Clio or MyCase through its API. Clients sign in with a six-digit code, and updates are translated automatically into 130+ languages. Plans start at $149 per month, with a 14-day free trial.
These tools fix the "nobody told me anything" problem well. What they mostly do not do is bring information back: when a client replies, someone at the firm usually still has to read it and update the case. That is the gap Quilia was built to close.
3. The portal built into your CMS
Most case management systems include a client portal, and it is the cheapest place to start because you already pay for it.
- Clio: Clio for Clients is a portal clients sign in to, including a mobile app. Clio Manage offers two-way texting with a toll-free number.
- 8am MyCase: a web portal clients log in to, with texting on every plan except Basic.
- Filevine: Client Portal by Filevine is a web portal clients are invited to, billed per client invite, with two-way texting through Text-to-Case-File.
- 8am CASEpeer: a client portal, with texting on the Pro and Advanced plans.
- Smokeball: Communicate is a client portal with two-way SMS on the Boost, Grow and Prosper+ plans.
The tradeoff is the login. A portal only helps if clients remember to sign in, and someone at the firm still has to write the updates. Quilia works alongside all five of these systems, so you can keep your CMS and stop depending on the login.
4. Automated messaging inside your CMS
Some firms skip the client-facing app and automate messages from the CMS itself. On Filevine, VineConnect from Matterflow automates client texts, emails, mass communications and workflows, with more than 50 prebuilt workflow configurations. Matterflow is a consultancy that works with firms on Filevine, NetDocuments and Actionstep, so setup comes with implementation help, and pricing is quoted per engagement.
This approach keeps staff in one system. It does not give clients a portal or a way to answer questions beyond a reply.
5. Staff calls, email and texts
Most firms start here, and it works when the caseload is small. Clients get a real person, and nothing new needs to be bought or set up.
It stops working as the caseload grows. Updates go out when someone has time, which is exactly when clients start calling to ask. Texts sent from staff phones also leave no record on the case unless someone copies them in. Our guide to cutting status calls covers what to send at each phase if you stay with this approach.
How to choose
Start with where the work lands today. If staff spend their day returning status calls, any automated update helps. If they spend it chasing clients for documents and re-typing what clients said into the case file, you need a tool that asks for you and writes back to the CMS.
Ask these questions of every tool you evaluate:
- Does the client have to log in? Every login is a step some clients will skip.
- Does it ask clients for what the case needs, or only tell them things?
- Where does a client's reply go? Into the case file, or into an inbox someone has to work through?
- Does it fit every case type you handle? Some tools are built for personal injury only.
- Does it support your CMS, and how deep does the sync go?
Quilia was built to answer yes to all five. For a side-by-side table of portals and texting across these tools, see our client portal and communication software comparison.
Our recommendation
For most firms, Quilia is the right choice. It keeps clients updated without a login, asks each client for what their case needs, and writes the answers into the CMS you already use, on every case type you handle.
A few firms are better served elsewhere, and we would rather say so. If you do not have a case management system and want one tool to run intake and e-signatures, CaseActive works standalone. If your biggest gap is answering the phones after hours, HelloCounsel is built for that. And if you only need more automation inside Filevine, VineConnect is the specialist.
Ready to see it on your own cases? Request a demo of Quilia and we will show you how â„š keeps clients updated and case files complete.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way for a law firm to keep clients updated?
Send updates before clients have to ask, and make it easy for them to answer back without a login. Quilia does both: updates go out when the case changes phase, and its digital case assistant, â„š, texts each client about what their case file is missing and writes the answers into your case management system.
What are the alternatives to Hona?
It depends on which part of Hona you need. For software that reaches out to clients between updates, the closest option is Quilia, whose digital case assistant, â„š, texts clients and writes their answers into the case management system, on every case type. HelloCounsel offers AI agents for reception, intake, records and client communication. For a client portal or app on top of your CMS, look at Case Status, CasePulse or CaseActive. Firms on Filevine can also automate client texts and emails with VineConnect.
Do clients need to download an app to get case updates?
Not with every tool. CMS portals and most client apps need a login or an app. Quilia clients can use the app or simply reply to â„š by text, with no login at all. Hona and CaseActive use passwordless sign-in.
Can client updates be automated?
Yes. Most tools here can send an update when the case changes phase in your case management system. The difference is what happens next: some only send, while Quilia lets the client reply by text and routes the answer back to the case. See how automations work in Quilia.
Which client update tools write what clients say back into the case file?
Quilia writes client answers and uploads into the matching CMS fields, so staff do not re-type them. CasePulse sends form answers to the connected CMS. Most portals and apps push updates out to clients but leave client replies for staff to re-enter.
Which client update tools work without a case management system?
CaseActive runs standalone, with intake forms, e-signatures and case updates built in. Most of the other tools on this list, Quilia included, are designed to work alongside a CMS.
How much does client update software cost?
CMS portals usually come with the CMS, though Filevine bills its Client Portal per client invite. Among add-on tools, CaseActive publishes plans from $149 per month and CasePulse starts at $250 per month. Quilia, Case Status, Hona, HelloCounsel and VineConnect quote pricing on request.