Choosing and using software
Per-case vs. per-seat: what immigration software really costs a three-case-a-month practice
Software pricing for law firms was built around seats because that is how enterprise software is sold. For a solo immigration attorney with one paralegal and a caseload that swings from two matters a month to eight, seats are the wrong unit. This guide shows how to put the two models side by side with your own numbers, and why Juke Immigration chose to charge per accepted case instead.
The two models in one sentence each
Per-seat: you pay a fixed monthly amount for each person who can log in, whether they use the system daily or once a week, in a busy month or a dead one. Per-case: you pay a smaller platform fee and then a fixed amount each time an attorney accepts a matter, so the bill tracks the work.
Do the arithmetic with your own numbers
Write down three figures: the number of people who would need a login (attorney, paralegal, assistant, receptionist who uploads documents), your average accepted cases per month, and your slowest month in the last year. Under a seat model, multiply the per-seat price by the login count and that is your bill every month, including the slow one. Under Juke's model the bill is $149 plus $49 times accepted cases: $296 in a three-case month, $247 in a two-case month, $541 in an eight-case month. The question is not which number is smaller on average; it is which bill you would rather receive in your slowest month.
The hidden seat
The person who costs the most under seat pricing is the one who uses the system least: the part-time assistant who only uploads documents, the attorney of counsel who reviews two files a quarter. Firms respond by sharing logins, which breaks the audit trail, or by keeping that person out of the system, which puts the documents back in email. Per-case pricing has no hidden seat; add everyone, because logins are free and only accepted cases cost money.
Why per-case aligns the vendor with you
A per-case vendor earns nothing from your pre-screening, your intake or your consultations; it earns only when you decide a matter is worth taking. That is why Juke's pre-screen is unlimited and free: screening more prospects costs you nothing and costs us something, and we accept that because it is how the firm grows. The fee is incurred at a deliberate act, an attorney clicking accept, and never by a paralegal, which keeps a billing decision and a supervision decision in the same hands.
Built for the firm that does this work
Juke Immigration gives solo and small immigration firms a free, unlimited client pre-screen, structured intake, document audits, USCIS form prefill and a branded client portal. Pay $49 per accepted case on a $149/month platform; founding firms skip the $997 setup fee.
Request an invite →What per-case does not fix
If your practice is a steady thirty cases a month with a stable team, a seat model may price out cheaper, and you should run the numbers rather than take our word. Per-case pricing is built for the small and variable practice. The platform fee covers the parts that exist whether or not a case is open: the portal, the pre-screen, the document checks and the data.
Questions to ask any vendor about price
What is the bill in my slowest month? Which people need a paid seat and which actions trigger a fee? Is there a setup or onboarding fee, and is it ever waived? What happens to my data if I stop paying? Can a paralegal trigger a charge? Juke's answers: $149; nobody needs a paid seat and only an attorney's acceptance of a case triggers the $49; the $997 setup fee is waived for founding firms; your data is yours; no.
Is per-case pricing always cheaper than per-seat?
No. It is cheaper for small and variable caseloads and can be more expensive at steady high volume. Run both models with your own login count and case numbers, and compare the slowest month, not the average.
What triggers the $49 fee in Juke Immigration?
An owner or attorney accepting a case. Pre-screening, intake, document uploads and consultations never incur a fee, and a paralegal cannot trigger one.
How many logins does Juke include?
As many as the firm needs. There are no per-seat charges; roles control what each person can do.
Is there a setup fee?
The $997 setup fee is waived permanently for founding firms. The platform fee is $149 a month.