Affinity is a capable product let down by ageing architecture — clunky bank feeds, end-of-month lockouts, and an interface that hasn't kept pace. Law App is 100% cloud, rebuilt from the ground up in March 2026, with full general accounting built in.
Affinity isn't a bad product — it's a dated one. The issues we hear most often are structural, not superficial.
Affinity locks the system before the new month can be opened. For a firm with 30 to 150 staff, that's a hard stop on billing, trust processing, and reporting — at exactly the wrong time of month.
Bank feed reliability is one of the most consistent complaints from Affinity users. Reconciliation shouldn't require manual workarounds on a platform you're paying a full subscription for.
Affinity requires workstation installation for full functionality. That means IT overhead, Windows dependency, and limitations on remote or flexible working — in 2026.
The integration ecosystem around Affinity hasn't kept pace with the market. Firms needing modern connections — InfoTrack, eInvoicing, AML tools — are finding gaps.
These are architecture problems, not configuration problems. They can't be fixed with a settings change or an update. If your firm is running into these walls consistently, it's worth looking at what's actually changed in the market since Affinity was built.
Law App was rebuilt from the ground up in March 2026. No legacy architecture. No installation. No add-ons required.
Browser-based. No installation, no Windows dependency. Your team works from the office, from home, from anywhere — on any device.
Full general ledger with branch and department coding. P&L by office or team. No end-of-month lockouts. Process and reconcile whenever your firm needs to.
Built in — not integrated. Bank reconciliation, BAS, accounts payable and receivable, journals. No Xero, no MYOB, no extra subscription.
Full Australian compliance. Multiple trust accounts, controlled money, statutory deposits, and audit-ready reporting — all included.
InfoTrack built in. Peppol/eInvoicing compliant. AML compliance tooling being built directly into the platform — no third-party tool required.
At 50 to 150 staff, per-user pricing is a significant overhead. Law App is priced per file opened. Add staff without the bill going up. On-charge the file fee as a disbursement.
Time, value, fixed fee, per item, per unit. Delegated write-off authority, WIP visibility at partner level, interim billing and progress invoices.
Full document management with Australian legal templates included. No separate DMS subscription. Generate and store documents directly within matters.
AUSTRAC enrolment opened 31 March 2026. Full obligations from 1 July 2026. AML tooling is being built directly into Law App — one system, no separate tool.
We're not here to be unfair to Affinity. It's a product that worked for a lot of firms. But the gap between what it is and what's available now is real.
| Feature | Law App | Affinity (Lexis) |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud native | ✓ 100% browser-based | ✗ Workstation install required |
| General accounting | ✓ Built in, included | ~ Available, older interface |
| Branch & department GL | ✓ Full branch/dept coding | ~ Limited |
| Bank feeds | ✓ Reliable, built in | ✗ Clunky — consistent complaint |
| End-of-month process | ✓ No lockout | ✗ End-of-month lockout |
| Trust accounting | ✓ Full Australian compliance | ✓ Available |
| Pricing model | ✓ Per file opened | ✗ Per user per month |
| Contract length | ✓ Single year only | ~ Multi-year |
| Data location | ✓ Azure Australia East | ~ Not always Australia default |
| AML compliance tools | ✓ Being built in | ✗ Not available |
| InfoTrack integration | ✓ Built in | ✗ Limited |
| Rebuilt / actively developed | ✓ Rebuilt Mar 2026 | ✗ Not visibly updated |
The firms that wait until they're genuinely frustrated — until the bank feed has failed one too many times, until a month-end lockout has cost a billing cycle — tend to make rushed decisions. Rushed decisions in practice management software are expensive.
There are also two specific pressures on mid-size Australian firms right now. AML Tranche 2 obligations take full effect from 1 July 2026. If your practice management software doesn't have AML compliance built in, you're adding another tool, another subscription, and another integration to manage.
The second is simpler: Law App was rebuilt from the ground up in March 2026. The technology stack is current. The platform is actively developed. The support team is in Australia and answers the phone. If you're going to move, moving to a platform that's just been modernised is a better starting point than waiting.
AUSTRAC enrolment opened 31 March 2026. AML compliance tooling is being built directly into Law App — no separate product required. If you're on Affinity, you'll need to handle this separately.
A 60-person firm on per-user pricing at $120/user/month is spending $86,400 a year before add-ons. Law App's per-file model ties your cost to your volume of work — and the file fee can be on-charged to the client.
We don't believe in lock-ins. One year at a time. If Law App isn't working for your firm, you're not trapped.
Kelly Mills has been in Australian legal software for 15 years. She'll give you a straight answer — no pressure, no sales deck, no script.