We hope you stay, but we believe your data is yours — always. This guide explains exactly how to export everything, close your account, and what happens to your data afterwards. No hidden fees, no lock-in, no tricks.
Praxis is built on a simple principle: you own your data. We will never hold your data hostage, charge export fees, or make it difficult to leave. Every piece of data you put into Praxis can be exported in standard, open formats that any other software can read.
Before closing your account, export all your data. We recommend doing this methodically, one module at a time.
Go to the Import & Export page → click vCard for contacts or GDPR ZIP for everything
| What | Format | Contains |
|---|---|---|
| All Cases | CSV / Excel | Case number, title, type, status, court, assigned lawyer, created date, notes, all custom fields |
| All Contacts | CSV / Excel / vCard | Name, type, email, phone, organization, address, linked cases |
| Case-Contact Links | CSV | Which contacts are linked to which cases, with roles (client, opposing counsel, etc.) |
Tip: Export contacts as vCard (.vcf) if you want to import them directly into Outlook, Google Contacts, or your phone.
Documents synced to your cloud provider are already yours. For Praxis Cloud files:
/CaseNumber/PieceNumber - DocumentTitle.pdfFor Praxis Cloud files: If you use Praxis Cloud storage, all files are downloaded in their original format (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, images, etc.). Nothing is converted or compressed.
For synced providers: Files synced to OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or Nextcloud are already in your cloud — no export needed for those.
Go to the Import & Export page → click Harvest CSV
| Format | Contains |
|---|---|
| CSV / Excel | Date, description, case number, hours, hourly rate, billable flag, billed status, total value |
Exported time entries include all history — from your first entry to the most recent. Filter by date range if you only need a specific period.
Go to the Import & Export page → click Octopus or Exact Online for accounting CSV
Important for Belgian law firms: Belgian law requires you to retain invoices for 7 years. We recommend keeping the exported PDFs and CSV in your archives.
Expenses are included in the GDPR ZIP export
| Format | Contains |
|---|---|
| CSV / Excel | Date, description, category, amount, case number, billable flag, reimbursement status, receipt file references |
Attached receipt files (photos, PDFs) are included in the Documents export.
Go to the Import & Export page → click iCalendar
Notes and tasks are included in the GDPR ZIP export
Case-linked emails are included in the GDPR ZIP export
Note: If you use IMAP/Exchange integration, your emails are already on your mail server — the Praxis export only includes case-linked copies.
Go to the Import & Export page → click GDPR ZIP
This creates a single ZIP file containing everything in open JSON format:
praxis_gdpr_export_20260603/
├── manifest.json (export metadata, record counts, source)
├── cases.json (all cases with full details)
├── contacts.json (all contacts)
├── time_entries.json (all time entries with rates)
├── deadlines.json (all deadlines and reminders)
├── invoices.json (all invoices with line items)
└── expenses.json (all expenses)The manifest.json contains metadata about the export: date, Praxis version, total record counts, and a GDPR compliance notice.
Tip: For specific formats, use the individual export buttons instead: Harvest CSV for time entries, vCard for contacts, iCalendar for deadlines, Kleos ZIP for case structure, Octopus/Exact Online for accounting.
Before closing your account, verify that your export is complete:
Send an email to support@praxislegal.be with subject "Cancel subscription" and your account email. We'll process it within 1 business day.
| When | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Immediately | Subscription is marked for cancellation. You keep full access until your current billing period ends. |
| End of billing period | Your account enters read-only mode. You can still log in, view data, and run exports. You cannot create new cases, time entries, or invoices. |
| 90 days after cancellation | Your account is deactivated. You can no longer log in. Data remains on our servers for the deletion grace period. |
| 180 days after cancellation | All your data is permanently deleted from our servers and backups. This is irreversible. |
When we say "deleted", we mean it:
What we keep: Only anonymized, aggregated usage statistics (e.g., "X firms used feature Y") that cannot be traced back to you. We also retain your invoice history to us (your Praxis subscription payments) for our own tax compliance — this is standard.
| When | What You Can Do |
|---|---|
| Before billing period ends | Cancel the cancellation — everything stays as-is, no data lost |
| During read-only period (90 days) | Reactivate your subscription — all data is restored immediately |
| After deactivation (90–180 days) | Contact support — we can reactivate if data hasn't been deleted yet |
| After 180 days | Data is gone permanently. You can create a new account and re-import from your exported files |
If you're the firm administrator cancelling a team account:
Our export formats are designed to be compatible with major legal software:
| Target Platform | How to Import |
|---|---|
| Kleos | Use Kleos CSV import for cases and contacts. Documents must be re-uploaded manually. |
| Clio | Clio supports CSV import for Matters, Contacts, and Time. Use their bulk document upload. |
| Cicero/Fidura | Contact Cicero support for CSV import assistance. Document folders can be mapped to their file system. |
| Any other software | CSV and Excel files are universally supported. iCal works with any calendar. vCard works with any address book. |
| Microsoft 365 | Import .ics into Outlook Calendar, .vcf into Outlook Contacts, upload documents to SharePoint/OneDrive. |
| Google Workspace | Import .ics into Google Calendar, .csv into Google Contacts, upload to Google Drive. |
| Custom/Developer | Use the JSON export manifest for programmatic import. All data follows standard schemas. |
If you prefer to export programmatically, our REST API supports full data retrieval:
# Export all cases
GET /api/cases?format=json&limit=0
# Export all contacts
GET /api/contacts?format=json&limit=0
# Export all time entries
GET /api/time?format=json&limit=0
# Export all documents (metadata)
GET /api/documents?format=json&limit=0
# Download individual document
GET /api/documents/{id}/downloadSee the API Documentation for full details. API access remains available during the read-only period.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to:
We respond to all GDPR requests within 30 days as required by law.
Our support team will assist you with data export, verification, and smooth transition to your new platform. No hard feelings.