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Neil Brown, who runs the small English law firm decoded.legal, published an update on Nov. 6 describing the free software he uses for work. His setup includes Debian on his laptop and self-hosted services, with Syncthing replacing Nextcloud for file syncing; he also reports unresolved hardware and email-calendar issues.
Neil Brown, who runs the small English law firm decoded.legal, published a November 6 update describing the free software he uses for the firm’s day-to-day work. The account documents a setup spanning office applications and self-hosted services, including a move from Nextcloud to Syncthing for file synchronization.
On his client computer, Brown says he uses Debian with GNOME on a ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6. He uses Thunderbird and mutt for email, LibreOffice Writer when exchanging Word documents, and Markdown tools including pandoc and typst for other document work. For presentations, he writes in Markdown and uses reveal.js to produce slides. His other listed tools include Firefox, Evince, Xournal++, Bitwarden with a vaultwarden server, and paperless-ngx for scanning and document management.
Brown says most of the firm’s server-side tools are self-hosted, with Signal as the exception. He lists Postfix and Dovecot for email, Syncthing for file synchronization, Radicale for calendar and contacts, InvoicePlane for generating PDF invoices, Kimai for time tracking, EspoCRM for matter management, and WireGuard for VPN access. He says he uses Intel NUC computers for much of the server infrastructure, alongside a smaller number of Raspberry Pi devices.
The update also describes limitations and pending work. Brown reports that his laptop’s Thunderbolt and USB-C ports are unreliable for data, although they work for power, and says he may need to replace the machine. He says recurring calendar invitations cause problems in Thunderbird, while ikhal handles them correctly. He also plans to move the firm’s email infrastructure and is interested in evaluating Stalwart.
How the Firm’s Software Choices Work
Brown’s account offers a practical example of how one small law firm organizes document production, time tracking, invoicing and communications using free software. It is a description of his own workflow, not an independent test or evidence that the same tools will suit every firm.
The setup also illustrates the operational trade-offs involved in self-hosting. Brown has direct control over many services, but maintaining them and addressing problems such as unreliable hardware or email migration are part of the work. His decision to replace Nextcloud after finding it more troublesome than helpful shows that using free software does not mean every chosen application stays in place.
For lawyers considering similar tools, the account identifies specific applications for common tasks while leaving important firm-specific questions unanswered. It does not assess regulatory compliance, security performance, costs, or the time needed to administer the systems. Those factors would need separate evaluation before adopting any software in a legal practice.
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A Continuing Software Update
Brown says he began running decoded.legal on free software on both client and server systems around five years ago. He previously wrote about the experience after roughly a year and published another update in 2024. The November 2026 post responds to a recent question about what he uses now and notes that much of the setup remains similar, although some services have changed.
One of the larger changes is the shift from Nextcloud to Syncthing for file synchronization, paired with Radicale for calendar and contact services. Brown says he was not getting on well with Nextcloud and that it caused more problems than it solved. He also stopped running a Jitsi server after several years, saying he was using it little because he usually joins meetings hosted by other people; he now offers Signal instead.
“I just was not getting on with it, and it was causing me more problems than it solved.”
— Neil Brown, decoded.legal
Open Issues in the Setup
Brown’s post is a personal account and does not provide independent measurements of security, reliability, cost or compliance. It does not say how much time the firm spends maintaining its servers, what backup and recovery arrangements it uses, or how it evaluates software against legal-sector obligations.
Several practical matters are also unresolved in the account. Brown has not identified a replacement laptop, and he has not yet moved the email infrastructure or reported an evaluation of Stalwart. He says Thunderbird has trouble with some recurring invitations but does not specify which invitations or explain the cause.
Planned Hardware and Mail Changes
Brown says he may replace the ThinkPad because of its unreliable data connections and intends to move the firm’s mail infrastructure. He says he wants to look at Stalwart, but gives no timetable or decision about whether it will replace Postfix and Dovecot.
The post does not announce a broader change to decoded.legal’s software approach. Brown presents the update as a snapshot of tools currently in use, with further adjustments possible as hardware and service needs change.
Key Questions
What is the news about decoded.legal?
Lawyer Neil Brown published a 2026 update on the free software he uses to run the small English firm, covering desktop applications, self-hosted services and recent changes.
What changed since Brown’s previous setup?
Brown says he replaced Nextcloud with Syncthing for file synchronization and uses Radicale for calendar and contacts. He also stopped running Jitsi and now offers Signal for video calls.
Which software does he use for legal documents?
He uses LibreOffice Writer when exchanging Word documents with other lawyers, and writes other material in Markdown using tools including pandoc and typst.
Does the account establish that the setup meets legal compliance requirements?
No. It describes Brown’s own software choices but does not provide an independent compliance assessment or details about the firm’s security and recovery procedures.
What changes is Brown considering next?
He may replace a laptop with unreliable Thunderbolt and USB-C data connections and says he needs to move the firm’s email infrastructure. He is considering evaluating Stalwart, with no timeline given.
Source: decoded.legal
