For many law firms, legal technology is the great equalizer. With the right technology, firms can run more efficiently, satisfy clients better, research cases faster, stay on top of tasks, and maintain an output that keeps them competitive with larger firms.

There’s just one problem: With the amount of tech available, making the right choice can be overwhelming.

To get you started, here’s a list of tech tools your firm actually needs:

Office 365: For running your office

If you’re using any technology in your law firm, it’s likely office productivity software (OPS). Encompassing word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, and email, productivity suites will provide—at the bare minimum—the functionality that you need to succeed in the world of business.

After years of running locally-installed versions of Office, a number of law firms are starting to embrace Office 365. It offers the same functionality as the original suite with the flexibility and accessibility of the cloud.

Learn more about Office 365.

LawPay: For payment processing

Is your law firm still using check-based payments? Consumer behavior is tipping in favor of the convenience and speed of credit card payments. In fact, in 2016, check payments made up less than 12% of total non-cash payments processed in the U.S., while the number of credit card payments processed both online and in-house has grown 8% annually each year since 2012.

But not all payment processors are created equally—law firms in particular must remain cognizant of compliance issues around handling trust payments and fund separation.

LawPay, built specifically for the legal industry (the name is a dead giveaway), ensures you remain compliant with IOLTA guidelines and the ABA Rules of Professional Conduct. It offers payment solutions in-house, via an online portal, and through a mobile card swiper, making it effortless for clients to pay you for your hard work—all at industry-low processing rates.

LawPay also powers Clio Payments, the integrated payment processor built right into Clio. Using Clio Payments, shared invoices can be paid with one click, and trust and operating payments are tracked automatically. The best part of Clio Payments? It’s included free of charge as part of your Boutique subscription.

Accepting credit cards can shorten time-to-pay by up to 11 days for law firms. Stop locking up your cash flow in checks and start accepting credit cards today.

Learn more about LawPay and Clio Payments.

Clio: For full-featured practice management

Behind every great law practice is a powerful practice management solution. If you’re looking for the best, Clio is the obvious choice. With cloud and mobile functionality, Clio gives you secure access to your firm’s information and management tools—anywhere, anytime. You’ll spend less time on administrative tasks like time tracking, matter management, and invoicing, leaving you more time to spend on billable work.

Also, Clio integrates with many of the other apps on this list (we have over 90 app integration partners in total), which means you’ll be able to run your entire practice from one place. If your law firm is a body, Clio is the nervous system, simplifying and streamlining the multiple moving parts that make today’s law firm successful.

Try Clio for free today.

Don’t miss out: These are just the first three items on our list of essential tech for your law firm. Get the full list here.