Migrate from LawPracticeZA to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

LawPracticeZA matters are client files tied to a primary client. Each matter maps to one Account (if the client is an organization) or one Contact (if an individual). Matter type, matter description, and open/closed status migrate as custom fields on the Account or Contact record.

Because Dynamics 365 has no native matter concept, we create a Matter__c custom table to preserve the full matter record — including matter reference number, responsible attorney, practice area, and billing structure. The Account or Contact links via a lookup field.

Organizational clients in LawPracticeZA map directly to Dynamics 365 Accounts. Client name, registration number, VAT number, and physical address fields translate field-by-field. Individual clients map to Contacts. Physical address maps to Address1_Line1, postal address to Address2_Line1, and any industry or client-type metadata is preserved as custom fields on the Account record.

Individual clients without a company entity map to Dynamics 365 Contacts. The client name, email address, phone number, and postal address migrate directly. A custom field tracks whether this contact originated as a LawPracticeZA client. If the client has multiple postal addresses, each can be mapped to separate address fields (Address1, Address2) or stored as custom address records linked to the Contact.

LawPracticeZA fee earners (attorneys, paralegals, assistants) map to Dataverse System Users. Email matching resolves existing D365 users; unmatched fee earners are flagged before migration so your admin can provision accounts or assign records to a fallback owner. The matching process also preserves the user’s full name, employee ID, and billable rate, which are stored as custom fields on the System User record for future reference.

LawPracticeZA invoices migrate to Dynamics 365 Invoice records. Invoice number, date, total amount, and line items map directly. However, the legal-specific billing breakdown (WIP, disbursements, VAT, trust components) requires custom fields or a separate billing reconstruction plan. We recommend creating custom decimal fields for WIP and trust amounts, and an option set for VAT treatment, so that the invoice entity retains the full financial picture required for legal billing audits.

Work-in-progress time entries in LawPracticeZA have no direct Dynamics 365 equivalent. We migrate them to a TimeEntry__c custom table linked to the Matter__c record, preserving the fee earner, date, hours, rate, and description. These feed into the invoice mapping. Each TimeEntry__c record also stores the billable flag and any non-billable adjustment, ensuring that the full earning breakdown is available for reporting in Power BI.

Trust accounting — a legal regulatory requirement in South Africa — has no native Dynamics 365 Sales module. We export the trust ledger as a structured reference dataset and document it as a separate rebuild requirement outside the CRM scope.

Matter-level disbursements (court fees, search fees, courier charges) migrate to a Disbursement__c custom table linked to Matter__c. Each record preserves the disbursement type, amount, date, and whether it was billed to the client or paid from trust. We also retain the vendor name and reference number for each disbursement, which helps in reconciling external payments and provides an audit trail for billing disputes.

LawPracticeZA document attachments migrate to SharePoint document libraries connected to the corresponding Matter__c record. Inline documents attached to specific matter records are re-hosted in the Dynamics 365 SharePoint integration. The migration preserves original file names, creation timestamps, and author metadata, and configures SharePoint permissions to match the Matter__c access controls.

LawPracticeZA departments map to Dynamics 365 Business Units. Department-level permissions and reporting structures translate to Business Unit hierarchies in Dataverse security roles. Each Business Unit inherits the parent‑child relationships defined in LawPracticeZA, and we configure corresponding security roles to ensure that users see only the departments they are authorized to access.

LawPracticeZA activity records — logged calls, emails, and notes — map to Dynamics 365 Activities. Each activity preserves the originating fee earner (as Owner), the linked matter, the timestamp, and the activity description. We also retain the original activity type code and any custom classification flags, so reporting can filter on call outcome or email sentiment if those fields were used in LawPracticeZA.