PC Law Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Database connection and login errors

A firm opening PC Law in the morning to find a database connection error is one of the most common complaints, and it is rarely a PC Law defect. The usual causes sit on the server or network side.

• The database service on the server did not start correctly after a reboot or update
• A network interruption between workstation and server during peak login times
• The server ran out of available connections because too many sessions stayed open overnight
• Antivirus or a firewall rule blocking the database port after a security update

Slow reports and billing runs

Reports and billing runs that used to take a minute and now take ten are a strong sign that the underlying database or server has outgrown its current resources, a pattern explored in more depth in our guide on why PC Law is running slow.

• Database grown large without routine maintenance or reindexing
• Server RAM or CPU under strain from other applications running on the same box
• Disk nearing capacity, which slows every read and write operation
• Reports run during business hours competing with normal user activity for server resources

Sync and multi-user conflicts

• Two users editing the same matter simultaneously without proper record locking configured
• A workstation left disconnected mid-session, leaving a stale lock on a record
• Network drops between workstation and server during a save operation, corrupting a partial write
• Time entries or billing changes that appear to vanish because they were saved to a local cache rather than the shared database

Printing problems on invoices and trust cheques

Printing issues in PC Law are almost always a driver, print server, or template configuration problem rather than an application fault. This becomes especially frustrating with trust cheque printing, where a misaligned template can waste physical cheque stock.

• Outdated or mismatched printer drivers on the workstation
• Print server queue backed up or stuck on a previous failed job
• Trust cheque template not matched to the specific cheque stock in use
• Network printer offline or on a different subnet than expected after a network change

Server and network causes behind most of these problems

A theme runs through nearly all of the issues above: the server and network environment PC Law depends on. An aging server, a network share with intermittent connectivity, or a disk approaching capacity will manifest as different symptoms in PC Law depending on what the user happens to be doing at the time, which is why the same underlying cause can look like a login error to one user and a slow report to another.

Firms that also run Primafact on the same server should review both applications together when troubleshooting, since a resource constraint affecting one often affects the other, as covered in our guide to running Primafact and PC Law together.

When the problem is genuinely a PC Law software issue

Not every problem is infrastructure. Bugs tied to a specific PC Law version, unexpected behaviour after a vendor update, or licensing errors need to go to PC Law's own vendor support, as described in our broader guide to PC Law support for Ontario law firms. A good IT provider will help distinguish which side of that line a given problem falls on rather than guessing.

A practical troubleshooting sequence

1. Note exactly what happened, which workstation, what time, and what task was in progress.
2. Check whether the issue affects one workstation or the whole firm.
3. Confirm the server and database service are running normally.
4. Check network connectivity between the affected workstation and the server.
5. Review recent changes: updates, new hardware, or network configuration changes.
6. If the issue persists after ruling out infrastructure causes, escalate to PC Law vendor support.

Frequently asked questions