The Hidden Cost of Building Your Own ADR Case Management System
You’re growing fast. Referrals are flowing in. Teams are stretched thin. So it makes sense: build your own tech solution so you can streamline the chaos and control your workflows, right?
Not so fast.
At ADR Notable, we’ve worked with enough organizations to see the same pattern over and over again. Firms believe their needs are so unique that off-the-shelf platforms can’t work. So they build their own.
Then six months pass.
That business? It won’t scale well. The person who championed the system? Gone. The workflows? In someone’s head or a spreadsheet. And now the tech you thought would save time is costing you momentum.
This post breaks down what you’re really signing up for when you decide to build your own ADR case management system—and how to avoid the long-term trap.
What You’re Really Signing Up For
Here’s the reality behind DIY ADR platforms:
- You’re not building software. You’re building a software company.
You now have to think about product roadmaps, bug tracking, user permissions, and system security. None of that helps resolve cases faster. - You’ve taken on a support desk.
When a form breaks or someone can’t log in, who do they call? That’s now your problem. - Every improvement becomes a sunk cost debate.
Is it worth spending $20K more to fix the thing your team hates—but you already spent $80K building? These tradeoffs paralyze progress. - You’ve added risk to your data.
Security, HIPAA, SOC 2? These aren’t optional. Without a dedicated infrastructure team, your platform becomes a liability.
Here are 10 more reasons most firms end up switching to a purpose-built platform—even after investing heavily in their own.
The Scalability Trap
Even if your custom-built system works in the beginning, it rarely keeps up with growth. What starts as a simple intake form or shared spreadsheet quickly turns into a bottleneck—especially as you onboard more mediators, manage more complex cases, or expand to multiple practice areas.
We’ve seen firms outgrow their internal tools in months. Features become outdated. Data gets scattered. Workflows vary across staff. The result? Inconsistent client experiences and rising internal friction.
That’s why choosing to build your own ADR case management system often leads to operational slowdowns, duplication of effort, and missed opportunities for scale.
Explore how ADR Notable helps you create a more organized mediation practice →
A Smarter Alternative to Building Your Own ADR Case Management System
ADR Notable gives you control—without complexity. Designed by a former GC, it supports:
- Customized workflows
- Consistent data tracking
- Built-in ethics safeguards
- Centralized communication
You don’t have to start from scratch. You can explore our platform features—including forms, workflows, case types, and automation tools—and shape them around your organization.
Real Firms, Real Outcomes
We’ve worked with firms that made the shift—from DIY builds and disconnected tools to ADR Notable—and saw immediate gains in consistency, visibility, and peace of mind.
“ADR Notable is not only the perfect platform for our case management needs as arbitrators of ‘No Surprises Act’ disputes, but also offers the best support team I have ever worked with across any industry! Their tailored approach to customer satisfaction is unmatched.”
— Angela St. Julien, MDR, CPG, LTCO; CEO of Yes Mediate
Learn how we’ve partnered with MTI to bring conflict resolution platforms to scale.
Want to Run the Numbers?
Instead of trying to build your own ADR case management system, let’s talk about a smarter path.
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