5 best Mac apps for lawyers in 2025

Lawyering is detail work. Drafts, versions, scanned exhibits, PDF bundles, email trails. You need to move fast without missing a clause or a deadline. The right Mac apps help you draft and review. The right search layer helps you surface the exact clause, page, or email without digging through folders.

Here are five Mac apps that earn a place on a modern legal workstation in 2025, plus how Fenn turns your files into private, clause level recall.

Download Fenn for Mac. Private on device. Find the moment, not the file.

1) Microsoft Word

Most contracts still live in Word at some point. Redlines, comments, and tracked changes are the default.

Why it matters for lawyers

• Drafting and negotiating contracts, policies, and pleadings

• Track changes for negotiation history

• Easy export to PDF for signatures and bundles

With Fenn

Export signed or final versions to PDF and keep Word versions where needed. Point Fenn at your matter folders so you can later search:

• “NDA that limits liability to fees paid in the last 12 months”

• “MSA version that added data processing clauses”

Fenn surfaces the relevant files and pages so you can open them and check language in context.

2) A strong PDF tool

Preview, Adobe Acrobat, or another PDF tool is where most final documents end up. Courts, counterparties, and clients expect PDFs.

Why it matters for lawyers

• Executed agreements and scanned signatures

• Court filings and bundles

• Evidence packets and exhibits

With Fenn

Index PDFs across matters. Fenn understands both digital text and OCR text from scans. You can search across everything and surface exact pages:

• “Contracts that mention termination within 30 days”

• “Pages that reference governing law New York”

• “Exhibits that contain email between Alice and Bob in 2024”

Instead of opening every file, you go straight to the clause or segment that matters.

3) Apple Mail

Email threads are where so many facts live, approvals, negotiation, and scope discussions.

Why it matters for lawyers

• Negotiation history for contracts

• Client instructions and approvals

• Informal agreements that later need to be proven

With Fenn

Add Email (.emlx) as a source, pointing Fenn to your Mail storage folder. Then ask in natural language:

• “Email where the client agreed to a 60 day notice period”

• “Messages from opposing counsel about discovery extensions”

Fenn surfaces the messages that match, so you can open them in Mail and capture the evidence or context you need.

4) Notes and knowledge base app

This might be Apple Notes, Obsidian, Notion, or another tool. The key is that you have one place for your own reasoning and procedure.

Why it matters for lawyers

• Matter summaries and strategy notes

• Checklists for common workflows, like discovery or closings

• Research notes and case law snippets

With Fenn

Index your notes alongside contracts, PDFs, and emails. Then you can ask:

• “Strategy note about early settlement for the ACME dispute”

• “Checklist for loan closing that mentions UCC filings”

Fenn surfaces the relevant note with the right lines highlighted, so you can open it and refresh your memory quickly.

5) Fenn, your private file search for legal work on Mac

Fenn is a file search engine for macOS that understands your content. It runs on device by default, so your client material stays on your machine. You choose which folders and app libraries to index, then search with one shortcut.

Fenn works across:

• Contracts and pleadings in Word and PDF

• Scanned documents and exhibits with OCR

• Images and screenshots that contain text

• Notes and internal memos

• Apple Mail messages stored on your Mac

• Audio and video recordings, for example hearings or calls

You search in natural language or with more precise modes. Fenn surfaces the files and pages that matter so you can open them and work.

Search modes that match legal work

• Semantic mode
  Ask the way you think. “Contracts that auto renew unless notice is given 60 days before expiry.”

• Keyword mode
  Exact phrases for defined terms, clause labels, or statutory references.

• Hybrid mode
  Combine semantic and keyword so you catch paraphrases and exact strings in one query.

• Exact mode
  Force literal matches when every character matters, like citation formats or clause headers.

Switch modes with a shortcut, then act on the surfaced results.

Agent Mode for contract triage and discovery

Agent Mode lets you ask one complex question and have Fenn do the first pass across a matter folder or entire archive.

Examples:

• “List NDAs that have unilateral confidentiality and termination within 30 days. Show the relevant clauses.”

• “Find service agreements that reference uptime of 99 point 9 percent and show the remedies.”

• “Surface pages in discovery PDFs where the counterparty discusses pricing or discounts.”

Agent Mode works best on higher memory Macs. It also runs on 16 GB. If you want help tuning settings on your Mac, contact us.

Quick setup checklist for lawyers

1. Install your core tools, Word, a strong PDF viewer, your preferred notes app, and Apple Mail if you use it.

2. Install Fenn on an Apple Silicon Mac. Sonoma 14 or later is recommended.

3. Add sources in Fenn, matter folders, contract repositories, scanned document folders, evidence bundles, email storage, and your notes directory.

4. Let Fenn index on device.

5. Use your keyboard shortcut to search, starting with Semantic mode. Switch to Keyword, Hybrid, or Exact when you need tighter control.

6. Turn on Agent Mode for contract reviews, triage, and light discovery passes.

Download Fenn for Mac. Private on device. Find the moment, not the file.

See also

• Contract triage on Mac with Agent Mode

• Search inside scanned PDFs on Mac

• Search Apple Mail on Mac, open the exact message

• Windows Recall on Mac, private alternative with Fenn

• Turn your Mac into a private AI agent