# Practice Area Software for Law Firms

HammerLex pre-configures itself for your practice area — pick a vertical and get the right matter template, custom fields, and (where it applies) a deadline rule set, ready on day one. Maintained by The Hammer Lex.

URL: https://hammerlex.com/practice-areas/

## TL;DR
- **Pick your practice area** at signup or in settings — General, Family Law, Estate Planning, or Corporate/M&A.
- HammerLex **seeds vertical-appropriate starter content** automatically: a matter template, relevant case custom fields, and a deadline rule set for litigation-adjacent verticals.
- The platform **hides fields that don't apply** — e.g. docket number and court name are hidden for non-litigation verticals (Estate Planning, Corporate/M&A).
- Changing your vertical later is **idempotent**: HammerLex fills in only the missing starter content without duplicating or overwriting what you already have.
- **General practice** is fully supported too — the complete platform, without a vertical preset.

## Practice areas
| Vertical | Starter content included |
|---|---|
| [Family Law](https://hammerlex.com/practice-areas/family-law.html) | Matter template + case custom fields (case type, filing county, children/custody, opposing party & counsel) |
| [Estate Planning](https://hammerlex.com/practice-areas/estate-planning.html) | Matter template + deadline rule set (reviews) + fields (instrument, grantor, beneficiaries, trustees, funding); litigation fields hidden |
| [Corporate & M&A](https://hammerlex.com/practice-areas/corporate-ma.html) | Matter template + deadline rule set (closing timeline) + fields (deal type, counterparty, deal value, stage, diligence); litigation fields hidden |
| General | Full platform, no vertical preset; switch to a practice area any time |

## How it works
At signup or in settings, choose the practice area that matches your firm. HammerLex seeds the starter content for that vertical and adjusts the UI — hiding litigation-only fields like docket and court name for non-litigation work. The complete platform (intake and conflicts, billing, deadlines, documents, client portal, and matter profitability) is available regardless of vertical.

## Why practice-area setup matters
The fields a family law paralegal needs are not the fields a deal lawyer needs. Most tools make you build custom fields, templates, and deadline rules yourself before you can open a matter. HammerLex ships that configuration as a starting point you fully control — rename fields, add your own, adjust templates. Because the setup is idempotent, changing or adding a vertical later fills in only what's missing.

## FAQ
**Which practice areas does HammerLex support?** General, Family Law, Estate Planning, and Corporate/M&A. Family Law gets a matter template and custom fields; Estate Planning and Corporate/M&A also get a deadline rule set.

**Can I change my vertical later?** Yes. It's idempotent — HammerLex seeds any missing starter content without duplicating existing records.

**Do I lose features if I pick a vertical?** No. The full platform is available in every vertical; the vertical just pre-configures templates, fields, and (where relevant) deadlines, and hides fields that don't apply.

Related: [all features](https://hammerlex.com/features.md) · [compare platforms](https://hammerlex.com/compare/index.md) · [book a demo](https://hammerlex.com/contact) · [free tools](https://hammerlex.com/tools/index.md)