Why PC Law Is Running Slow

Start by isolating the scope of the slowdown

The single most useful diagnostic question is whether the slowdown affects one workstation, several, or the entire firm. A single slow workstation points toward that machine's hardware or network connection. A firm-wide slowdown almost always points toward the server or the shared database.

Server resource limits

A server that was adequately sized when PC Law was first installed can become strained as the firm grows, the database expands, and other applications share the same hardware.

• Insufficient RAM causing the server to swap memory to disk under load
• CPU contention from other applications, such as Primafact or a backup job, running at the same time
• Disk approaching capacity, which slows every database read and write
• Server hardware simply aged past its useful service life

Database maintenance that gets overlooked

PC Law's underlying database benefits from routine maintenance, including reindexing and integrity checks, much like any database-driven application. A database that has run for years without this maintenance accumulates inefficiencies that show up as slower reports, slower searches, and longer billing runs.

• Schedule regular database maintenance during off-hours
• Monitor database size growth over time to anticipate storage needs
• Address any recurring error messages promptly rather than letting them accumulate

Network causes of slow PC Law performance

Because PC Law is a shared, database-driven application, every workstation depends on a stable, low-latency connection to the server. Network problems that would be a minor annoyance for web browsing can seriously degrade PC Law's responsiveness.

• Wi-Fi connections introducing latency compared to wired connections
• Aging network switches or cabling causing intermittent slowdowns
• A network shared with heavy traffic from other applications, such as large document transfers in Primafact
• VPN connections for remote users adding latency to every database query

Workstation-side causes

Not every slowdown is server or network related. A workstation with insufficient RAM, an aging hard drive, or too many background applications running can make PC Law feel sluggish even when the server itself is healthy. This is worth ruling out before assuming a firm-wide infrastructure problem, and it is covered in more detail from the hardware planning side in our guide to Primafact workstation replacement, which applies equally to workstations running PC Law.

When slowness points to a bigger infrastructure decision

If a server has been patched, resourced, and maintained properly and PC Law is still consistently slow for the whole firm, that is usually a sign the server has genuinely outgrown the firm's current needs rather than a fixable configuration issue. At that point, planning a server migration to new hardware, sized properly for current and future use, is the more sensible path than continuing to troubleshoot symptoms.

Firms running PC Law alongside Primafact on the same server should review both applications' resource needs together, since a slowdown in one can be a symptom of the shared server being under strain overall, as discussed in running Primafact and PC Law together.

A diagnostic sequence to follow

1. Confirm whether the slowdown is isolated to one workstation or affects the whole firm.
2. Check server resource usage, CPU, RAM, and disk capacity, during the slow period.
3. Review when database maintenance was last performed.
4. Test network latency and speed between an affected workstation and the server.
5. Rule out workstation-side causes on any individual machine reporting the problem.
6. If all infrastructure checks come back clean, escalate to PC Law vendor support to rule out an application-side issue.

Frequently asked questions