SurePoint acquires Cole Valley Software

SurePoint acquires Cole Valley Software

The deal is the first to integrate CRM technology into practice management and financials

SurePoint, a legal technology company based in Cincinnati, has acquired Cole Valley Software, a maker of customer relationship management platforms for lawyers.

A SurePoint statement says the transaction will result in the creation of the industry's first real-time CRM platform integrated into practice management and financial data.

A joint statement says the combined firm hopes to help law firms holistically manage and grow client relationships by combining SurePoint's cloud-based management platform with ContactEase's CRM solution. The new company will have 150 employees in all, mentioned a spokesperson to The Global Legal Post.

According to Tom Obermaier, CEO of SurePoint, "We share similar perspectives and histories, client bases corresponding to middle market clients, complementary cultures and values, the ability and desire to turn two platforms into one comprehensive solution for all legal management needs."

Cole Valley's ContactEase platform was founded in 1991 and has been adopted by 90percent of businesses nationwide. Business developers are using the platform with Microsoft Outlook and HubSpot to capture competitive intelligence on clients, prospects and other contacts. The software also tracks and reports business development activity, according to the company.

Jennifer Whittier, President of Cole Valley, said that incorporating ContactEase into SurePoint's platform "made sense for the next step in the growth of this technology".

Our approach to providing visibility to every aspect of a client relationship will now be complemented by financial information, which will allow lawyers to generate new business avenues, she said, adding that the company anticipates law firms will welcome the possibility of having access to a single source of information.

As the level of technology adoption in the legal industry continues to skyrocket amid the pandemic, a number of legal tech companies have resorted to M&A to expand their footprint. London's BigHand acquired Iridium Technologies earlier in Feb 2022 to enhance its analytics offerings. US legaltech giant, Epiq has also acquired Canadian alternative legal services provider Simplex Services on December 2021 for an undisclosed sum.

New York-based legal operations company, Brightflag has purchased Joinder in November, which was developed at Orrick's tech incubator for corporate legal teams.