Errors & Day-to-Day Problems
PCLaw 4 will not open, shows an error, will not print or post, or runs slowly. We find the cause and fix it, usually in one remote session.
Older PCLaw Versions
PCLaw 4 Support, Long After the Vendor Stopped
Your firm still runs PCLaw 4, and it still holds your books, your trust records and your client history. We support PCLaw 4 every day: fixing errors, repairing data, moving it to new computers, and upgrading it when you are ready.
Work led by Saimoon Bhuiyan, a PCLaw Certified Independent Consultant
What We Do
Help With PCLaw 4, Whatever Has Gone Wrong
The work is done remotely, by people who know PCLaw 4 and the versions on either side of it.
Data Repair
Out-of-balance ledgers, trust listings that no longer agree, damaged indexes and failed integrity checks in a PCLaw 4 database, repaired without losing history.
Data Recovery
A PCLaw 4 database that will not open after a crash, a failed disk, a virus or a bad restore. We work from whatever you have: the live files, an old backup, or a failing drive.
New Server or New PC
Moving PCLaw 4 off an ageing computer. We test it on the new one with a copy of your data first, so you know it works before the old machine is switched off.
Year-End & Reconciliations
Closing the year, reconciling bank and trust accounts and producing the reports your accountant and law society need, in the PCLaw 4 you already use.
Upgrade or Move On
When you are ready, we upgrade PCLaw 4 to a current version or move your data to other software, with balances checked before and after.
Your Situation
Running PCLaw 4 Today
PCLaw 4 is one of the earliest versions still in daily use. A firm on it has usually had the same database for a very long time, often on the same computer, set up by someone who has since left.
That is where the risk sits. The data is fine until the computer fails, and then the installer cannot be found, the backup turns out to be years old, and nobody remembers how it was configured.
We have worked with databases this old many times. The first thing we do is make a safe copy and confirm that it opens somewhere other than your one working computer.
- The vendor no longer provides technical support for PCLaw 4
- The software does not stop working when support ends
- Your records must stay readable for as long as your regulator requires
- A tested backup matters more on an old version than on a new one
First Call Checklist
What we ask, so the first session is useful
If you do not know the answers, we find them with you.
- The exact version, from Help > About PCLaw
- Where the data is stored
- The date of your last good backup
- What changed just before the problem began
- Whether you still have the installer
Your Options
Four Sensible Paths From PCLaw 4
We set out what each one costs and involves, and you decide. None of them has to happen this month.
Stay, With Protection
Keep using PCLaw 4, with tested backups, a saved copy of the installer and someone to call. Often right for a firm that is winding down or changing software within a year or two.
Upgrade to Current PCLaw
Convert the PCLaw 4 database to a current version. We run the conversion on a copy first and compare the balances before the real upgrade is scheduled.
Move to Other Software
Take your clients, matters, unbilled work, receivables and trust balances to Clio, Soluno, Leap or another system, reconciled to PCLaw on the day you switch.
Archive It
If the firm no longer enters new work in PCLaw 4, we leave you with a read-only copy that still opens, for the years you must keep the records.
FAQ
PCLaw 4 Questions
Yes. We support every PCLaw version from PCLaw 4 onward, including PCLaw 4. We do not require you to upgrade before we will help.
No. The vendor has retired PCLaw 4 and no longer provides technical support or fixes for it. The software keeps running, but when something goes wrong you need an independent specialist.
It depends on the exact release and how it is installed. We test your version on the new computer with a copy of your data before you replace anything, and tell you plainly whether it works as it is, needs adjusting, or needs an upgrade first.
In most cases, yes, though from a version this old it may take more than one step. We convert a copy of your database first, compare the trust, receivables and general ledger balances before and after, and only then schedule the real upgrade. A current version needs an active plan with the vendor.
Very often, yes. Stop using the computer, do not restore over the damaged files, and call us. We copy what is there before attempting anything, so no attempt can make matters worse.
Yes. The data is what matters, and it can be worked on, moved or upgraded without the original discs. Tell us what you have and we will tell you what is possible before any work starts.
Yes. All of this work is done remotely over a secure connection, for law firms across Canada and the United States.
PCLaw 4 Support guides
All resourcesPCLaw
PCLaw End of Support: Your Options on an Older Version
The vendor now supports each PCLaw release for a limited time. Here is what end of support means in practice, how to tell where your version stands, and the choices open to you.
Read article MigrationHow to Move PCLaw to a New Server Without Losing Data
Replacing the office server is the riskiest routine event in a PCLaw system's life. This is the checklist for moving the program, the data and every workstation safely.
Read article PCLawThe Complete PCLaw Database Backup Strategy Guide
How to back up PCLaw properly on both the c-tree (Workgroup) and SQL Server editions, how often to do it, and how to prove a backup will restore before you need it.
Read articleTalk to Someone Who Knows PCLaw 4
Tell us the version and what is happening. You will hear back from a PCLaw specialist, not a call centre.