SILQ: From Sibling Startup to Legal Tech Leader
How Australian Legal Practice Management software SILQ grew from a single Barrister’s administrative solution into a nationwide platform for Barristers and Solicitors.
SILQ: A Sibling Collaboration
The story of SILQ begins in 2002 with a simple yet profound sibling collaboration between twins Steven and Katherine (Kate) Richardson. Kate, a junior Barrister excelling in her craft, was struggling with the administrative burdens of her profession. “When Kate went to the bar, she was in demand,” Steven recalls.
Kate found herself overwhelmed by administrative tasks such as matter tracking, billing, and cost disclosures, which were consuming valuable time that could have been spent on client work.
Enter the partnership of legal and tech. Steven, though not from the legal world, had technical expertise. “Kate had the legal knowledge, and I had the technical expertise, so between the two of us, we worked out what needed to be in there to start with,” he explains. This partnership laid the groundwork for what would eventually become SILQ, a comprehensive Legal Practice Management software designed to streamline the administrative workflows of Australian Barristers and Solicitors.
Identifying the Challenges
Kate’s initial challenges stemmed from inefficiencies in existing systems. She was advised by her tutor to maintain a ruled book to track invoices she sent and payments she received, a method that quickly became cumbersome.
“Starting as a junior Barrister, you do a lot of smaller matters. These require a lot of administrative work – the high volume of small tasks (and invoices) made manual tracking impractical. When you can’t track things accurately, there’s the possibility of errors and loss of income,” explains Kate.
Kate recognised the need for a more efficient and accurate solution, so she turned to Steven for help. “Her administrative side of things was out of control, so she asked me to write her a program to help track her matters, billing, etc.,” Steven recalls. This request marked the beginning of SILQ’s development, driven by the real-world needs of a practising Barrister.
Kate, now a senior silk at the NSW Bar, highlights the transformative impact SILQ has had on her practice. “Using SILQ changed my practice in ways I hadn’t anticipated. It allowed me to get out of the administrative weeds and focus on my clients. It streamlined my billing, matter management, and improved my overall efficiency,” she says.
Building the First Version: Prioritising Essential Features
The first version of SILQ focused on core Legal Practice Management needs. “The first version, compared to now, was pretty basic. It was mostly about matters, time entry and billing with document generation,” Steven explains. The focus was on creating a user-friendly system that could efficiently handle the essential tasks of matter management and legal billing.
The feature set was deliberately kept minimal. “At that stage, we didn’t have a big list of potential features; those came over time from user feedback,” Steven says. This approach allowed them to focus on building a stable and reliable foundation upon which additional features could be added as the software evolved.
Realising the Potential: From Helping One to Helping Many
The turning point for SILQ came when other Barristers began taking notice. “Once people started paying for the software, I knew it had potential,” Steven recalls. The shift from a tool designed to help his sister to a product with market potential was a significant milestone. “I find that many people will want to be supportive and positive, but it is different to someone actually paying you money for what you have done.”
Kate also recognised this shift. “As recognition of the software spread, it became clear that what Steven had built was not just a personal solution but a tool that could benefit the broader legal community,” she says. This realisation marked the beginning of SILQ’s journey from a family project to a commercial product.
Expanding Horizons: Pivoting from Barristers to Solicitors
Initially, SILQ was focused solely on Barristers, but client demand soon prompted a pivot. “We had Solicitors wanting to sign up to our Barrister product, so I realised that there was a place for us to have a Solicitor version,” Steven explains. This demand-led expansion, launched in 2012, enabled SILQ to grow its client base and serve a broader segment of the Australian legal profession.
The transition from a Barrister-focused tool to a comprehensive practice management solution for Solicitors required significant adjustments. This expansion underscored the importance of flexibility and adaptability in software development.
To further tailor the software for Solicitors, SILQ undertook the Trust Accounting certification process with the NSW Law Society. Achieving this certification helped SILQ build legitimacy as it entered the Solicitor market, allowing Solicitors to eliminate the stress of monthly Trust accounting and maintain compliance with ease.
Today, SILQ continues to operate with clients’ needs at the forefront. SILQ considers all client feedback, meaning SILQ clients are co-creators of the software, just as Kate was on day one.
Continuous Improvement: Balancing Client Feedback with Market Trends
SILQ’s development has always been driven by client feedback and market trends. “It’s a combination of what people ask for, how many people ask for it, whether I feel it is likely that other people will value it, what competitors are offering, reading industry articles to sense what the market is doing, and what the development cost versus what the potential benefit is,” Steven explains. This balanced approach ensures that SILQ remains relevant and valuable to its users.
One of the most significant challenges SILQ has faced is moving the software online. “The hardest challenge has been moving the software online,” Steven says. “There are a huge number of technical challenges that are required to convert an existing desktop product into an online service that is available 24/7 and actually works well.” Despite these challenges, SILQ has successfully transitioned to a cloud-based legal software platform, offering greater accessibility and convenience to its clients.
Where to from Here? Future-Proofing Legal Practice
As SILQ looks to the future, the focus remains on helping Australian law practices stay ahead of regulatory requirements and industry changes. One of the most exciting developments is the upcoming launch of comprehensive Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance features, designed to simplify AML compliance for legal practitioners.
The new AML capabilities will include enhanced Know Your Customer (KYC) tools that streamline customer due diligence processes with integrated verification and risk assessment. Client Matter Cards will provide comprehensive matter management that captures and tracks all the information needed for AML compliance in legal practices, from client identification through to matter type tracking to determine whether it is designated.
SILQ is also committed to future-proofing practices with technology that adapts to regulatory changes, such as CDR-compliant bank feeds that ensure practices stay ahead of evolving financial reporting requirements. SILQ’s CDR-compliant bank feeds recently won the 2025 Australian Business Award for Software Innovation.
What sets SILQ apart is not just the technology, but the support behind it. With Australian-based customer support, users have access to local expertise that understands the unique requirements of the Australian legal market. There are no lock-in contracts, giving practices the flexibility to choose SILQ based on value, not obligation. With competitive, affordable pricing, SILQ Legal Practice Management software remains accessible to practices of all sizes—from sole practitioners to established practices.
Through continuous improvement and client-centric development, SILQ has evolved from a sibling project into a trusted and innovative tool for Barristers and Solicitors. The journey underscores the importance of collaboration, adaptability, and a commitment to addressing real-world challenges in the legal profession—values that continue to drive SILQ forward today.
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