In 2003, TimeSlips abandoned their Mac users.
No warning. No migration path. Just a memo that said, basically, “Thanks for your money. Good luck.” That moment changed everything for me — and it’s why I’ve spent the last 22 years building independent legal software that lawyers can actually trust.
Attorneys who had built their entire practice on that software were suddenly stranded. Years of client records, billing history, trust accounting — all trapped in an application that would never be updated again.
I watched it happen. And I decided: never again.
I Didn’t Build Independent Legal Software to Get Rich
I built it because lawyers needed something reliable, and nobody else was stepping up.
I wasn’t chasing a market opportunity. I wasn’t pitching VCs. I was a developer who happened to know time tracking and billing inside out, watching attorneys flood my inbox begging for help.
So I helped.
Twenty-two years later, I’m still here. Same guy. Same phone number. Same mission: build software lawyers can actually trust.
The Buyout Offers Never Stop
I get acquisition offers monthly. Sometimes weekly.
Private equity firms. Competitors looking to “consolidate.” Holding companies that want to add TimeNet Law to their portfolio of legal software brands — right next to all the other companies they’ve hollowed out.
I had months-long discussions with TimeSolv about selling. This was right before they got acquired by ProfitSolv. I’m incredibly glad I walked away.
Because I watched what happened next.
TimeSolv, Rocket Matter, CosmoLex, Tabs3 — all owned by the same private equity firm now. Clio has raised over $5 billion and just got hit with an antitrust lawsuit for allegedly trapping lawyers in their ecosystem.
When attorneys search for “alternatives,” they often end up with another company owned by the same people they’re trying to escape.
I knew this was coming. I could see the playbook years ago: roll up the industry, squeeze the customers, optimize for EBITDA instead of user experience.
I wanted no part of it.
The Last Few Years Were Hard
I’ll be honest: it hasn’t been easy competing against companies with billion-dollar war chests.
There was a period where people wondered if TimeNet Law was going away. I get it. When you’re one developer going up against marketing machines that spend more on Google Ads in a month than I’ll make in a year, it’s easy to look small.
But small isn’t the same as going away.
Small means I answer the phone when you call. Small means I can ship a feature request by lunch. Small means no board meetings, no investor pressure, no “we need to hit growth targets so let’s raise prices 40%.”
Small means I give a damn about every single user — because I can.
Why Independent Legal Software Matters More Than Ever
Here’s what I want you to know:
TimeNet Law is not going anywhere.
This is my life’s work. My passion project. I’ve poured thousands of hours into this software, worked with hundreds of law firms, obsessed over every detail. I’m not handing it over to some holding company so they can turn it into another subscription trap. You deserve to own your tools, not rent them.
The legal tech industry is consolidating into a handful of mega-vendors who see attorneys as revenue units. Prices are going up. Support is going down. Data portability is becoming a joke.
That’s exactly why independent legal software matters more than ever.
You deserve software built by someone who actually uses it. Someone who picks up the phone. Someone whose success depends entirely on your success — not on impressing a board or hitting an exit multiple.
If you’re fed up with the PE-backed giants, check out our Privacy Fortress — we built TimeNet Law to keep your data yours, not to monetize it.
22 Years In. Just Getting Started.
I started TimeNet Law because attorneys got abandoned by a company they trusted.
I kept building it because I fell in love with the work — with the craft of making software that genuinely helps people run their practices.
And I’m still here because the industry needs at least one option that isn’t owned by private equity, isn’t harvesting your data, and isn’t going to get acquired next quarter.
When you become a TimeNet Law customer, you’re not getting a vendor. You’re getting a partner.
And that partner is me.
— Perry
Try TimeNet Law free and see what independent legal software feels like.