{{Short description|AU Law practice management software company}} {{COI|date=February 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox company | name = LEAP Legal Software | logo = | logo_caption = | logo_alt = | type = Private | industry = {{Unbulleted list|Software Development}} | fate = | predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = --> | successor = <!-- or: | successors = --> | founded = {{Start date and age|1992}} in Sydney, Australia | founder = Christian Beck | defunct = | hq_location_city = Sydney | hq_location_country = Australia | area_served = {{Unbulleted list | Australia | Canada | Ireland | New Zealand | United Kingdom | United States}} | key_people = {{Unbulleted list | Christian Beck (CEO) | Nik Samuelson (COO) | Vahdat Dastpak (CTO)}} | products = {{Unbulleted list | LEAP | LEAP 365 (Software as a service}} | revenue = {{Unbulleted list | US$50 million (2019)}} | owner = | num_employees = 950 | num_employees_year = | parent = | website = leaplegalsoftware.com }}
'''LEAP''' '''Legal Software''' is a privately held technology company that develops practice management software for the legal profession which includes legal accounting, document assembly, management and legal publishing assets.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-06 |title=LEAP Legal Software Acquires WealthCounsel and ElderCounsel {{!}} LawSites |url=https://www.lawnext.com/2022/04/leap-legal-software-acquires-wealthcounsel-and-eldercounsel.html |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=www.lawnext.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== History == LEAP Legal Software was founded in 1992 by Christian Beck.<ref name=":2">Blackbird Ventures [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dl7_x_-ej4&t=71s "LEAP Co-Founder Christian Beck"] 4 June 2015</ref>
In 2010, LEAP Office 10 was launched at the NSW State Legal Conference.<ref name=":4">[https://web.archive.org/web/20170607011425/https://www.legalpracticeintelligence.com.au/300-people-attend-launch-of-leap-office-10/ "300 People Attend Launch of LEAP Office 10"] Legal Practice Intelligence, 30 August 2010</ref>
LEAP also purchased BING! Software, a family law precedents business.<ref name="auto2">Squillante, Neil. [http://blog.technolawyer.com/2016/09/leap-365.html "LEAP 365 Offers Practice Management and Document Assembly Everywhere You Go"] TechnoLawyer 22 September 2016</ref>
In 2012, LEAP Expedite was replaced with a rewritten cloud product. LEAP began rolling out the cloud version of its software to law firms in Australia in January 2013.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2019-06-06|title=LEAP Legal Software Announces Major New Expansion Initiative Into The United States|url=https://www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk/leap-legal-software-announces-major-new-expansion-initiative-into-the-united-states/|access-date=2022-02-15|website=Today's Conveyancer |language=en-GB}}</ref>
LEAP expanded to the UK and US markets in 2014<ref name=":1">[https://www.legalpracticeintelligence.com.au/leap-legal-software-is-now-in-the-uk/ "LEAP Legal Software is now in the UK"] Legal Practice Intelligence, 13 November 2014</ref> and 2015.<ref name=":6">Needham, Lisa. [https://lawyerist.com/128133/leap-moves-document-assembly-cloud-office-365s-web-apps/ "LEAP Moves Document Assembly to the Cloud with Office 365's Web Apps"] Lawyerist.com, 13 September 2016</ref>
LEAP 365 was the first software-as-a-service legal application for the Australian market.<ref name=":5">Butler, Stephen. [http://www.alpma.com.au/a-survival-guide-for-legal-practice-managers/cloud-computing-explained-for-a-law-firm "Cloud computing explained for a law firm"] Australasian Legal Practice Management Association, 25 June 2013</ref> LEAP 365 was released for the UK and US markets at an event at Yankee Stadium on September 12, 2016.<ref name="auto2" />
In 2019, LEAP entered into a joint venture with LexisNexis Legal Professional to operate PCLaw.<ref name=":0" />
In 2024, a Melbourne lawyer using LEAP's AI software was referred to complaints body after AI generated made-up case citations in family court.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Josh |date=2024-10-10 |title=Melbourne lawyer referred to complaints body after AI generated made-up case citations in family court |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/oct/10/melbourne-lawyer-referred-to-complaints-body-after-ai-generated-made-up-case-citations-in-family-court-ntwnfb |access-date=2025-09-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawyers |first=Sydney Criminal |date=2024-09-09 |title=Lawyer Caught Out Submitting AI Generated List of Fabricated Cases to Court |url=https://nswcourts.com.au/articles/lawyer-caught-out-submitting-ai-generated-list-of-fabricated-cases-to-court/ |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=NSW Courts {{!}} New South Wales Courts |language=en}}</ref>
== Software == All LEAP data is stored in AWS (Amazon Web Services) in dedicated facilities around the world.<ref name=":0" />
LEAP Legal Software introduced mobile app integration in mid-2013.<ref>Legal Practice Intelligence [https://web.archive.org/web/20170608014044/https://www.legalpracticeintelligence.com.au/how-lawyers-are-using-mobile-devices-the-leap-experience/ "How Lawyers Are Using Mobile Devices - The LEAP Experience"] Legal Practice Intelligence, 23 June 2016</ref>
=== Integration with Microsoft === LEAP was integrated with Microsoft Office in 2002. In January 2016, LEAP completed an integration with the new Microsoft Office 365 software allowing complex document assembly to occur in the cloud rather than the desktop.<ref>Needham, Lisa. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170626003908/https://lawyerist.com/leap-moves-document-assembly-cloud-office-365s-web-apps/ "LEAP Moves Document Assembly To the Cloud With Office 365's Web Apps"] Lawyerist.com, 13 September 2016</ref>
== Leadership == * Christian Beck, Founder<ref>{{Cite web |title=LEAP Leadership - Christian Beck|url=https://www.leaplegalsoftware.com/christian-beck/ |access-date=2021-11-29|website=www.leaplegalsoftware.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Leadership {{!}} LEAP Legal Software |url=https://www.leaplegalsoftware.com/leadership |access-date=2025-09-25 |website=LEAP GLOBAL}}</ref> * Nik Samuelson, Chief Operating Officer * Vahdat Dastpak, Chief Technology Officer, LEAP Dev
== Corporate development == === Acquisitions === LEAP Legal Software has acquired several companies and brands: * Law Perfect in 2007<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.leaplegalsoftware.com/david-hill/|title = LEAP Leadership - David Hill}}</ref> * BING! in 2008<ref>[https://www.legalpracticeintelligence.com.au/leap-legal-software-pty-ltd-acquires-the-bing-family-law-software-business-2/ "LEAP Legal Software Pty Ltd Acquires the BING Family Law Software Business"] Legal Practice Intelligence, March 14, 2010</ref> * LegalPax in 2008<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leap.com.au/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212025321/http://www.leap.com.au/|url-status=dead |archive-date=12 December 2008 |title=LEAP Legal - Legal Software for Law Firms and Conveyancers |date=December 12, 2008}}</ref> * LawWare in 2012<ref>LEAP Legal Software Acquires LawWare [https://web.archive.org/web/20170626013411/https://www.legalpracticeintelligence.com.au/leap-legal-software-acquires-lawware/ "LEAP Legal Software Acquires LawWare"] Legal Practice Intelligence, 29 April 2012</ref> * Peapod Legal Software in 2013<ref>Venables, Delia. [http://www.infolaw.co.uk/newsletter/2016/09/cloud-based-software-lawyers/ "Cloud-based software for lawyers"] InfoLaw, September 2016</ref> * Edgebyte in 2014<ref>Insight Legal [https://web.archive.org/web/20170626013533/http://www.insightlegal.co.uk/services/data-migration/lawbyte-from-edgebyte/ "Lawbyte from Edgebyte"]</ref> * Easysoft, Perfect Software (Perfect Books) in 2015<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk/main-news/interview-with-richard-hugo-hamman-executive-chairman-of-leap/ |title = Interview with Richard Hugo-Hamman, Executive Chairman of LEAP |date = 3 November 2015}}</ref> *DivorceMate, Softdocs & Infinitylaw in 2021<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=A Powerful New Partnership Emerges in Canada |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/a-powerful-new-partnership-emerges-in-canada-882206303.html |access-date=2022-02-15 |website=www.newswire.ca|language=en}}</ref> *Bradley Software in 2022<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bradley Software |url=https://www.bradleysoftware.com/ |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=www.bradleysoftware.com}}</ref> *WealthCounsel in 2023<ref>{{Cite web |title=Company {{!}} LEAP Legal Software |url=https://www.leaplegalsoftware.com/company |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=LEAP GLOBAL}}</ref>
==== Internal start-up: InfoTrack ==== Initially a division of LEAP known as LEAP Searching, InfoTrack was launched as a separate company in 2012 and has since been brought under the umbrella company of Australian Technology Investors.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.afr.com/leadership/rich-lister-christian-beck-raises-350m-for-infotrack-to-disrupt-legal-sector-20171103-gzekdy|title=Rich lister raises $350m in super money to disrupt the legal sector|date=2017-11-20|work=Financial Review|access-date=2018-04-27|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20170626020016/https://www.legalpracticeintelligence.com.au/the-launch-of-infotrack-online-searching-service-and-information-broker/ "The Launch of InfoTrack Online Searching Service and Information Broker"] Legal Practice Intelligence, 20 March 2012</ref> It had a reported annual revenue of A$144 million in 2015.<ref>Thompson, Sarah et al.[https://web.archive.org/web/20170626020708/https://www.aconex.com/sites/default/files/afr_infotrack_moves_towards_ipo_starters_gun_210316_0.pdf "InfoTrack Moves Towards IPO Starter's Gun"] The Australian Financial Review, 21 March 2016</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Companies based in Sydney Category:Software companies of Australia