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AbacusLaw Logo

Law practice management for future-focused firms

Last updated: November 2023

AbacusLaw Reviews

Overall rating

3.9

/5

374

Rating criteria

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend7.9/10

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Pros and cons

We considered other law office management systems, but I was impressed with the comprehensive nature of Abacus and it’s clear and easy system.
I love the ability to change the screens to suit our needs and the ability to create and run simply reports on my own without having to pay a fortune to have one created.
It has grown with us over the years and is consistently updated. In addition it has outstanding customer service.
Technical support is sad. So many of the people we get have no idea what the problems are or why the program is doing something it should not be.
This can be frustrating and annoying. When updates are made, we are not notified of the changes and must learn how to use or work around those changes.
After we upgraded, AbacusLaw has been terrible. It changed the decade from "19" to "20" in all client birth years, which will have to be corrected manually.
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374 reviews

Recommended

MM
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Marie M.

Owner

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Review source

Overall Rating

All the Bells and Whistles

Reviewed 4 years ago

Transcript

Marie: My name is Marie. I'm the managing attorney and owner of a small law firm in a legal industry field and, out of five stars, I would give Abacus a five. This has been several years ago, but my first experience with case management software was Time Matters. The data import for the firm I was at when we migrated over to Time Matters had a glitch and we didn't necessarily discover it right away. As we began saving documents to client folders, we uncovered the issue that they would just go places we didn't know where to find them. We learned soon that there was a data import issue. It took several weeks to resolve that. I was not at that firm much longer after that and so I began looking for my own software, in the process of the move, and knew that Time Matters was not necessarily for me. At some point later, I switched from AbacusLaw, actually, to a different software that, at the time, was offering cloud-based software thinking the cloud would be helpful. This was before the Abacus Private Cloud. I quickly learned that Cleo, the software I switched to, was not for me. It did not have the bells and whistles that I was accustomed to with Abacus. The feature of being remote was definitely a perk. It did not have the other features I desperately needed and had grown accustomed to through Abacus, including the triple reconciliation that's required for trust accounting for attorneys. There were some document access features and organizational features. There were calendaring issues between the software and my Google calendar. And I never really felt like I had the true picture of what my day was going to look like because we were always checking and double-checking, including our manual calendar, with that software. So that was my experience with two different case management softwares, including accounting features with them. The main reason I selected Abacus is because it had a case management and an integrated accounting service, so the double entry was not an issue. For instance, when I set up a client contact in AbacusLaw, it automatically opened that same contact in accounting. By the same nature, when I entered in the matter and linked the matter itself with my accounting program, I didn't have to go into accounting and then create the matter anew. The two systems spoke together and they communicated with each other, so it saved time. It looked like it was going to be a pretty seamless transition and, in fact, it was. I ended up staying with Abacus over the years because it has everything a small office, and even a large law office, needs. I have colleagues that use it who are in larger firms and we all find the same benefits are available to us regardless of the size of our offices. The key is making sure that it meets your practical needs and that you know how to use the software. Learning how to use it as not difficult. I have found that Abacus offers all of those features. When I first opened my office, it couldn't have been easier to integrate Abacus. It was as simple as a download on a server and entering information. Starting a new firm with basic information and just migrating clients over from a prior firm was super easy. Migrating over to the Abacus Private Cloud similarly was very easy, largely because they handled that process. I just had to share some basic information and be available when they needed me. Both experiences have been very positive. What I would recommend if you are in the market for a case management software and if you're in the market for an accounting software that works alongside that case management software, you might be asking yourself questions about access to tech support, access to help resources should something go wrong. We don't think about that necessarily on the front end, but I can tell you that that would be an important feature to consider. I have found that Abacus has a very good support system. When I call with questions, usually because I've misunderstood something on my end, or misentered something, they quickly walk me through the problem and resolve it. I've been very pleased with that feature. Ease of use and just an intuitive program, I think, would be important as attorneys. We don't have time to get into outdated forms of technology. We need something that looks like a Windows base that we're used to seeing or something that operates much like an app that's ... Includes all of our features, including our emails, our calendars, our client documents and I have found that Abacus has all of these things. So if you're looking for one program that does it all AbacusLaw would be where I would go and start.

LM
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Laiba M.

Law Practice, 51-200 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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AbacusLaw

Reviewed a year ago
Pros

For me, the software runs without a hitch. There are many functions, some of which I haven't yet fully utilized.The scheduling tool is fantastic and very flexible to my needs. Most functionalities are simple to learn how to use. You can carry your job everywhere you go thanks to it.Additionally, the application has a fantastic client database with notes .

Cons

This software usage is effective. apart from The only drawback I can mention is that updating can occasionally be a horrific experience.

Vendor response

Laiba, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review of AbacusLaw. We love hearing from happy customers like you!

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Patricia V.

Legal Services, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support

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DO NOT BUY THIS SOFTWARE - HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Reviewed 3 years ago

It was a horrible experience. I am happy that we are finally out of AbacusLaw. If you are considering this software please reconsider.

Pros

The software sounds amazing when described by the sales team. Unfortunately they are overpromise and under deliver.

Cons

The cloud functionality does not work, the billing program glitches. It does not sync with outlook. It is a horrible process to be released from the contract. We paid $5,000 for upgrades and customization but never received them. We are now being charged $750 to get our data out after we switched.

SS
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Shar S.

Legal Services, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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I love Abacus!

Reviewed 4 years ago
Pros

I was first introduced to Abacus at my prior law firm. I was familiar with a different case management software from another law firm. I was happy to be able to convince my current employer to obtain this very useful tool for our firm. I use it daily and am nearly lost without it. The main function for our office is the calendaring system which is amazing and is easily customizable for our needs. I am aware that the software does 80% more; however, it is an excellent value just the way we utilize it.

Cons

The only negative thing I have to report is, years ago for some odd reason, the customizing I had done to the trial calendar disappeared. Customer service individual who was extremely patient and knowledgeable, was able to correct it and return it to my customized settings.

LR
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Leigh R.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

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My experience with Abacus

Reviewed 4 years ago

Generally Abacus suits my purposes well. I cannot imagine the effort it would take to switch to another system, there is so much critical information in my system that has accumulated over the years and which I can, and do, access.

Pros

I have been using this software since 2000, I think. I don't know all the tricks, but to manage time and client information it is wonderful.

Cons

When not updated regularly it doesn't function as well. Sometimes updating can be a nightmare.

Vendor response

Hi Leigh! My name is Natalie and I'm on the Marketing Team at Abacus. I wanted to reach out and say thank you for the feedback! It's great to hear that AbacusLaw has been a great resource for you during this crazy time. I wanted to reach out to see if you would be interested in being one of our first customers to film a video review? We'd love to include you in this cool new project! Please let me know if you are interested! Thank you, Natalie

KS
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Kate S.

Legal Services, 1-10 employees

Used other for 2+ years

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Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support

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Abacus Law is not a good product

Reviewed 4 years ago

Really terrible. We have had an unworkable system and yet we are expected to still pay $860 a month and they have our prior cloud services and files held hostage and refuse to release files. DO NOT USE ABACUS LAW!

Pros

We have had the worst customer service. The program has constant problems (not synching, billing is a nightmare, lost entries) and it has cost my firm $100k in lost billing and administrative time on hold trying to reach the support team.

Cons

Billing, mobile app, customer service,. In fact, I can’t think of a single aspect of this program that has worked well without issue or that I would say I liked.

Vendor response

Hi Kate, We are so sorry to hear you've had a bad experience. I have raised your concerns to our client services leadership team. We would like to make sure you are set up properly for success with our solutions. Sincerely, The AbacusNext Team

BB
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Brandie B.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend5/10

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Abacus Law has its ups and downs.

Reviewed 4 years ago

I do not think I would recommend it. I would change software but for the time consuming nature or changing billing software.

Pros

Adding billing entries to a client's account is easy and very user friendly.

Cons

There are issues with the accounting features, and sometimes adding a credit or correcting a mistake made in prior billing cycles compounds past issues.

DA
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Debbie A.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend6/10

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Great calendering program.

Reviewed 4 years ago

Abacus if the only legal software I have used. it was is in place when I started with the firm and I have never had any formal training. There is so much more to Abacus than we utilize but to get the help I need, it costs extra. I was not at the firm for the initial set up so if there was any training offered, i did not get it. We briefly switch from Abacus to another produce but it did not meet our needs so we switched back.

Pros

Deadlines are a big and important part of our every day function. Abacus calendaring makes it easy to keep track of the deadlines and also important hearings and meetings. Customer service is always very helpful.

Cons

Abacus Knowledge Base does not always have helpful information when I need to figure out something new. When adding a new attorney the last name box is highlighted, when you tab to the next box it is the ID box instead of the first name box or another box that you actually need to add information. This is frustrating because an ID number is not something you change or add each time you add a new name. When adding a "bill to" person, an accounting screen for the billing is opened. When you click the box next to Open Advanced Billing Options on save, then done, extra steps have to be taken to actually get to the billing screen to enter additional information. We don't us Abacus forms because they are not easy to set up. With the forms we do have set up, many times we have to make adjustments each time we use them so it is not worth the time or hassle to do so and we end up creating the document with out using Abacus forms. It costs extra for any help to create these forms.

EA
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E. ALLAN T.

Law Practice, self-employed

Used daily for 2+ years

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Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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Longtime user very satisfied

Reviewed 5 years ago

My experience with Abacus has been great, so I'll very likely continue to use it until I retire, probably within the next ten years.

Pros

The close coordination of the client management software with the accounting software is very nice... I've used Abacus for close to eleven years and like it very much.

Cons

There are a few little quirks here and there, but not serious, and if I did a little more research or asked for help I could probably figure them out, like how to automatically put my letterhead on invoices printed from Abacus.

Vendor response

Hi E.Allan, Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We would love to feature you as a customer of ours if you are interested? Please let me know! Natalie Lara AbacusNext Marketing Team

YP
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Yunus P.

Legal Services, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

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  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support

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Buggy Software, Bad Tech Support, Expensive

Reviewed 5 years ago

Absolutely do NOT sign a contract with Amicus. The company is the worst sort of "bait and switch" you can imagine. And you will be stuck with a contract and poor software/poor support and nothing you can do about it. When my users went down from 4 to 2 they refused to adjust and am forcing me to pay for 2 licenses I don't need. This is outrageous, especially considering how poor the product is.

Pros

Claims to let you run lawyer practice management software. Usually has a technical or sales problem. See "dislike" below as comments hard to separate.

Cons

Support not knowledgeable and very slow. Sales are greedy and will not adjust contracts based on your needs. In concept this is a good software, but the execution is miserable and the company always makes excuses for their poor product but takes forever to fix them, if they even do.

LC
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Lindsey C.

Legal Services, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

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  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support

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Hands down would NOT buy

Reviewed 5 years ago

I would highly recommend choosing a different case management software. The program does not feel like it was designed by attorney's, and the company clearly wants to lock users in to a long term contract because they know their product is inferior and it is the only way they can retain their customer base.

Pros

I really have not found anything I like about this software. If I had to pick something, I would say the timer function works fairly well.

Cons

This software is the worst case management software I have used. The software repeatedly freezes and it is not intuitive or user friendly. Billing, which ties into AbacusAccounting, is extremely difficult to use. Unlike in other software, you cannot just edit a pre-bill with ease. It also lacks the integration that other software has. When you take into account the long term contract of five years, the inability to terminate that contract without buying it out, and the terrible customer service, the product actually costs you more than any time you would theoretically save using it. Furthermore, you are permitted to add users but never to cancel a user, effectively meaning if your Firm face a downturn, you would still be locked in to pay for users no longer with the Firm.

Vendor response

Hello Lindsey, We're sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with AbacusLaw. We want every user to see the benefits of our products and design our offerings with your interests in mind. One of the best ways to make the most of your technology and see positive ROI is to invest in product training. Your customer success manager will be reaching out to you soon to check in and escalate any issues to our Support team. All the best, The team at AbacusNext

AS
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Amanda S.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend5/10

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Easy to use and customize, terrible customer support

Reviewed 6 years ago

I've enjoyed using Abacus for many years. I used the cloud based option which was really great aside from the cost for storage space and it's limitations. I'm not crazy about their support team, but it wasn't a huge problem because it usually worked fine on it own. There are limits to the reporting, but they are also very customizable within those limits. Creating custom mail merge documents is a breeze.

Pros

I like the ease of making documents and templates with Abacus. It is very customizable and easy to use. I like having the matters and names databases and being able to cross reference cases with people. The reporting is good, but could use some work so that you can pull reports from 2 different databases at once (i.e. the addresses of all of the clients or providers for all active matters).

Cons

The draw back with Abacus is that it doesn't give you check lists or ways to case manage very well. It's easy to use and customize, which is good, because their customer services is slow and not great.

Vendor response

Dear Amanda, Thank you so much for taking the time to review AbacusLaw. At AbacusNext, providing excellent products is very important to us, so it's good to hear we're delivering on that promise. I'm sorry our client service hasn't met your expectations; please feel free to get in touch with me if I can help. On behalf of all of us at AbacusNext, thank you for your patronage. We look forward to being of service for many years to come. All the best, Katie Ternes Marketing Coordinator AbacusNext (858) 882-4882

NK
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Norm K.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

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Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend3/10

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Problems with Support

Reviewed 6 years ago

Three of four years ago, I would have given five stars on all categories. Things have changed. In addition, the new owners increased annual license fees 40% last year.

Pros

It is a comprehensive software product for a law office, with case management, document management and billing. Our firm has been using it for 12 years.

Cons

The original founder of Abacus had very high standards. Tech support was very good. You could always connect quickly with a knowledgeable tech support specialist. In addition, for the first 7 or 8 years we used it, it was virtually bullet proof. It rarely, if ever, had a crash or issue of any kind. In more recent versions, you started to see more crashes or technical problems. But, at least the support was good when needed. The founder sold the company a couple of years ago. They acquired Amicus, several other products and most recently HotDocs. The quality of their tech support has significantly deteriorated. For example, we had a crash using the billing component, with a window that popped up with an error code this morning at roughly 9:00 a.m. Called tech support, was on hold for ten minutes, then prompted to leave a message. Left message at 9:10 a.m. this morning. In fact, both I and the user of the workstation left messages. It is 3:15 p.m. and Abacus has not called back.

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Verified reviewer

Law Practice, self-employed

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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Long Time AbacusLaw user

Reviewed 6 years ago

The flexibility in creating rules for events is a great tool. For a solo practitioner AbacusLaw is a godsend.

Pros

Completing forms and inputting data is easy and intuitive. Being able to keep track of events in AbacusLaw is so much easier than with other programs i have used (like Outlook).

Cons

Some forms are not compatible with Dragon Naturally Speaking which is frustrating.

TF
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Tami F.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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Have a law office? you need ABACUS!

Reviewed 6 years ago

I feel that if you are an attorney, or work for one, you need AbacusLaw. They have pre-created tasks that you can begin with, or you can create your own specific guidelines for whatever type of law you practice. I had created a timeline that was "to-the-day" for bankruptcy documents to be filed in the Federal Court, and other tasks with clients to complete and file in a timely manner- it was a well-oiled timeline! If somebody practices family law, ie: divorces, child custody, child support- you could create a timeline to file documents as required. Personal Injury attorney or Estate Planning- Criminal law, so many options - Abacus is the program (tool) that helped me to get my jobs done, on time!

Pros

I have worked for two separate law offices since 1998. My first time using Abacus in 1998 (we call her "ABBY") I felt a little overwhelmed- but as I learned HOW the system worked- I LOVED it! I rely on ABBY for everything! I like knowing WHERE the client's file is, whether it is on someone's desk or in the attorney's briefcase, or tucked away in the filing cabinet- it saves time when searching a large or even small office for a file- just click on the client's Matter and look for "LOCATION" and BAM! it tells me the last entered location! ABBY keeps track of notes, events, tasks/to-do's, court hearings, appointments- anything that is important to your office. When a client comes in to the office or calls, I can easily pull up ABBY and see what notes or tasks that others have placed in the system for that client, then I can easily help the client do what they need to do, like print out documents for them to sign - or maybe collect a payment for something- I can help the client without having to pull others away from what they are doing. I have found ABBY to be an AWESOME TOOL for the law office- ABBY is right up there with the scanner, copier and telephone! Cannot run a business without any of those!!

Cons

the ONLY 'bad' thing, is if the HUMAN does not enter their tasks or to-do's, or utilize ABBY as intended. ABBY is like a car, she is not going to go anywhere unless you put the tasks, to-do's, hearings, location of a file, etc. in her. Train the employees to utilize ABBY for your office's needs, and there will be no 'negative' anything regarding ABACUS.

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Verified reviewer

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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Great legal software

Reviewed 6 years ago

It's been very good for our firm, as it really has great calendaring and reminder features. The user interface is very easy to understand and assists all of us with keeping the pleadings, documents and correspondence well-organized. I had one issue and the tech support assisted me immediately and then followed up to make sure my issue had been resolved.

Pros

I really enjoy how easy this software is to use by everyone in the office, attorneys. paralegals, and assistants. The software enables our office to keep our clients' files very organized and easily accessible. The calendaring is essential to our litigation practice as everything is streamlined and managed in a very logical manner. I am an attorney and the technology is geared for all of the legal professions and types of practices.

Cons

It has so many great features that i have not been able to utilize it to its full capacity as of yet.

MW
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Michael W.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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AbacusLaw is Essential for Saving Time and Money

Reviewed 6 years ago

Our experience with AbacusLaw has been very beneficial in keeping matters organized and running smoothly. And also, knowing that if any issue should arise, it will be promptly seen to by their very capable IT team, which may be what makes AbacusLaw essential. Their team is always courteous and ready to serve you in a timely manner. As far as the software itself, there is rarely a problem.

Pros

Organization is key, so being able to link matters with the calendar and pull up events with so little effort makes my job much easier. I cannot imagine running a law firm without this program. It makes all the difference when you are in the business of billing clients based on time spent on their particular matter. The full scope of events, dates, time and time spent are at the ready, saving a tremendous amount of time. AbacusLaw is incredibly functional. This software has it all, and I feel that our small firm isn't implementing the software to it's fullest capabilities. This is apparent as there are helpful suggestions each morning when I login and go to my calendar.

Cons

There is little to not like about the software. I suppose if it were free and could read my mind, but...

ES
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Eric S.

Legal Services, 11-50 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

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We have relied on this software as one of our primary organizational tools for over five years.

Reviewed 7 years ago

It is a mostly comprehensive business-management tool

Pros

The Abacus software, now on Abacus Private Cloud, almost always is functioning properly, and is accessible from anywhere, anytime. After our experience, we would now not use anything that is not cloud-based, particularly being in a city highly prone to power-outages, floods, and hurricanes. We have found the software to steadily improve in features and speed. The customer service is the best I have experienced very particularly in the software industry. The techs are all very knowledgeable and carefully resolve every inquiry. They are also available very quickly, an absolute anomaly in the software business. The calendering component, as others have observed, is a key strong-point. The linking in of all events, documents, e-mails, and notes into one accessible electronic folder provides the convenient efficiency that you will frequently use. It is possible to scan documents directly to the cloud case file from your local computer - an important step-saver. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, when installed, functions on the APC desktop. You will need reasonably strong, consistent Internet connections. Airport terminals are mostly unusable work locations even with a "jet-pack" or cell-phone "hot-spot."

Cons

This is a powerful software tool. As such, except for the calendar, it is not a "plug & play" system, except for the most computer-fluent users. To fully utilize its comprehensive features will take a commitment to initial as well as ongoing learning while taking the daily, time-consuming steps to precisely link all activities back to the case file. However, the added work will and must obviate the paper file. The queries, forms, and reports functions are all very valuable but are far too complex to user-initiate, and each requires ongoing custom installation by the provider. Cost-effective file collaboration with outsiders is not possible, therefore an added cloud account and the expense is required along with the time of copying and moving sizeable files. Changing accounting from existing into the integrated system is a major transition to be carefully evaluated in advance. Maintaining the current accounting system, at least temporarily, will be required. This software must be your primary organizational tool as it will grow into a weighted expense that is justifiable only if it is the key resource. The software does crash daily when trying to interact with Outlook for file linking of e-mails. It can usually be resolved with a quick re-start. Initiating printing is quite slow and getting slower but understandable with a remote server. Microsoft Office, Adobe Pro, and Reallegal depo transcription all work very well here. Some other applications do not at all.

FN
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Frank N.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

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Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support

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Everything was fine until we went to the Abacus Private Cloud

Reviewed 7 years ago

Check out other options if you want a cloud bases case management program before going with APC. I am waiting for my 5 year contract to expire and then reevaluate my options. I would like to have more control over "my cloud" and have local, on the scene tech support like we used to enjoy before we were forced to upgrade to APC, or else pay a high price for non-supported, prior versions of the software.

Pros

It is nice to be able to access the case management software through the cloud. It allows you to take you work with you where ever you go - which can be a good thing or a bad one.

Cons

Abacus Private Cloud does not play well with anything but MS Office 365. I had to buy a more expensive version of Dragon Naturally Speaking Legal and there is such a lag between dictation and text, that the Dragon software never gets used. We also use Essential Forms for our Judicial Council Forms in CA. APC tech support has left me hanging for over 2 weeks, and countless hours trying to figure out software that they had previously installed on their server for our use. It also seems like every time I call support to change something, there is a horrendous charge.

MA
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Michelle A.

Law Practice, 11-50 employees

Used daily for 1-2 years

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  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support

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Worst Experience Ever. If I could give zero stars I would!

Reviewed 7 years ago

Do not make the mistake of believing that this product will do anything for you other than cause you countless hours of grief.

Pros

Any pros of this software are so far outweighed by the cons that they are not worthy of even mention.

Cons

This software is absolutely horrible. I had high hopes for this software after having been given rave reviews about Amicus Attorney and calling to get more information. The salesperson convinced me that after describing my firm's needs, we were better suited for Abacus, which was owned by the same company. After purchasing the software, it took more than 8 months for them to figure out how to migrate our data from our existing billing software, a process that they represented they were very familiar with during the sales calls. When we finally made the transition to this software we quickly learned that it is not at all user-friendly, they provide no guidance on how to use the software or how to set it up, large portions of data mysteriously changes by itself (today the originating attorneys on hundreds of our chases mysteriously changed to reflect the names of our support staff members). The calendaring system is supposed to be able to sync seamlessly with Outlook. This is a joke. Items randomly disappear from attorneys' calendars or appear on the wrong attorneys calendars, when entered. Some items sync from Abacus to Outlook and others don't with no rhyme or reason. Their call center is horrible. You cannot get the same person on the phone twice, and you cannot request to speak with a particular person so there is no consistency of service. Each time you call to describe a problem you are having, you have to start from the beginning because they do not keep any records of your past calls. The people who answer the phone have no idea how the software works and always tell you that they have to research your question and get back to you. Oftentimes you never receive a call back and when you do they still don't know how to assist you. I could go on and on...

BS
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Barb S.

Legal Services, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

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Great Salesmen, Terrible Service - a business liability

Reviewed 7 years ago

Time capture for billing, full accounting software.

Pros

Strong database with a lot of features and the unique Outlook add-in to bill emails straight into the integrated accounting software. The add-in will make you very dependent really quickly if you bill for time reading and responding to emails.

Cons

Horrible support and inaccurate sales information. Each time there is an update, we had to end up calling in to fix the problem. If we were lucky, we got an experienced tech. Otherwise we ended up going through several until the problem was fixed. We would spend hours on the phone each time for days in a row and the problems would completely prevent us from working for a day or more. The down time was costing us too much money and client retention issues. Finally after 5 years we had enough and cancelled the program based upon the original salesman's representations that we paid for the program for 2 years, then after that we could pay for maintenance but we would have a usable stand alone program. We found out that is untrue when we cancelled. We were not given the opportunity to retrieve our information, billing or financials unless we paid for a month-to-month account and tech fee. In response, the company would not return our phone calls.

JD
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Judith D.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

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  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
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  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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I have used Abacus for over 10 years, and have found it to be extremely intuitive to use.

Reviewed 7 years ago

I am a very effective in my billing using this software.

Pros

When using Abacus to manage cases, the process is as simple as doing the client work, then billing the time, and finally creating an event to either follow up on what was done, to perform an additional task, or to appear in court on a specific date. I can then move from client to client, not have to remember anything because I will always know the exact status of each client's matter. And if a client calls, I don't have to pull a file to update them on the status of their matter.

Cons

With the most recent version we have had an unusual number of things that are not working the same way they worked prior to the update. While the support staff seems capable, they are on the West Coast and I am on the East Coast, so I end up staying at the end of the day to resolve issues.

KS
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Kayle S.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 6-12 months

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  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

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Support is nothing short of phenomenal! We switched from Amicus to Abacus and are very happy.

Reviewed 7 years ago

We did the switch because of the buy-out of amicus but have been very happy with the change. We are doing everything through the cloud and it has been seemless.

Pros

Probably the most is the support. I put off my first support call for a long time--waited until I had a good chunk of time because I assumed I would be on hold forever. Not the case. The person that answered the phone (no hold time) was the person that solved my problem with ease. They explained what they were doing so that I could handle the next time if there was a next time and they haven't treated anyone in our office like they were dumb--even when they had no idea what they were doing. This has been the case each time we have called support. The transition, once all of our data was converted went smoothly and even our limited computer users had little problems from day one.

Cons

The least are probably things that I just don't understand how to do yet. We have only been using the software since January, so I try to spend a little time weekly learning a new aspect of the program. The one thing I wish it would do that amicus did, was in events, I could schedule events that would be added in once another even was completed. In abacus I can set dates out in advance, but they are not contingent on when something was completed. Hope that is something they are looking at for future upgrades. That is probably the only thing I miss from amicus.

Vendor response

Kayle, We are tremendously glad to hear that the transition has been a good one! To take a deeper dive into the features of AbacusLaw, we recommend joining our weekly half hour "Free Training Friday" webinars. You are also more than welcome to contact our support team at any time who will be more than happy to impart some tips so you can fully take advantage of our software. Watch past webinars and register for future ones here: https://www.abacusnext.com/webinars Best, AbacusNext

DB
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Devan B.

Law Practice, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

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  • Value for money
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  • Likelihood to recommend8/10

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Excellent Technical Support

Reviewed 7 years ago

Does just about everything I need to for law firm practice management, once I've tinkered with it enough.

Pros

Because I am a power user, I am able to make it do everything I want . There is not any other PM software out there that is as customizable. However, that comes with a cost in usability (more on that below). However, I have had excellent technical support. I had an issue that I could not solve on my own. I called CS and, although they were not able to resolve it in that session, I was impressed with the thoroughness of the work and the help offered. They went above and beyond to to try to ID the issue. After tinkering around more, I called back with more info and was connected to another tech who was able to resolve the issue. Both had excellent professionalism and telephone demeanor. I was very impressed by these two experiences and with the quality of the technicians. This was much better service than I expected and there are only a few companies who have provided this quality of support.

Cons

There is a cost to customizability. That is that it can be quite difficult for a non-computer-guy to set up beyond basic calendaring and contact tracking. The workflow and database relationships are not particularly intuitive. Even simple things like creating a search query take more computer knowledge than most attorney will have. Setting up reports or calendar rules is extremely user-unfriendly. Without my computer background I could never have done it. Because I'm a power user, I can adapt it to meet all of our needs. But out-of-the-box, it's a little too generic to be really useful for most attorneys, even with the "Special Editions." The attorney who referred me to Abacus uses it as nothing more than a calendar and client contacts and it's too expensive to use it that way.

EK
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Enita K.

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Mediocre at best. Don't waste your TIME and your $$

Reviewed 9 years ago

I would not suggest Abacus to anyone and tell everyone NOT to buy it. I have had it for 1 1/2 and I have to say I am disappointed and exhausted with having to use it. Before I did buy it, I had done much research on the software out there and for my solo practice, the price and the fact that they offered client and accounting made a lot of sense. So, I bought it. I can write about 10 pages of information as to why you should NOT get it. Here are a few: 1. They removed the payroll option and actually blocked you from using entirely (meaning that you could not manually punch in the information) and made you pay their payroll affiliate. Completely unfair and uncalled for. There was no warning that they were going to block you from using the existing payroll features. Only that they were not going to support it. Support and block are completely 2 different things. 2. To run a bill, you need to go or click at 15 places. Isn't that ridiculous. 3. I was able to email bills from abacus accounting. That stopped working and they could not fix it. 4. They do monthly training on separate issues (like billing, entering date, etc.). It sounds all easy at first, but when you actually start doing it yourself, oh boy. Good luck to you. 5. If you search for a client, after his name comes up, you can't click enter to open up his matter. You actually have to click on the name. Imagine doing that 50 times a day. 6. Even though you can create abbreviations on the billing so it types it for you, e.g., RAR, it types out Receive and review, you can't do the same when you are typing notes in the client's matter. You have to type it all out. Makes no sense. 7. Learning curve is HUGE. It takes forever to learn how to use. Time you don't have. 8. You can't email a batch of bills at one time. You have to click in a few places, type your client's name, find the bill, and then click email. Can you imagine doing that for 30 or 100 bills a month. 9. Everything is SO LABORIOUS. It takes 5x more work to just get one thing done than it should. 10. In certain screens, you can't maximize the view. It is locked so it is a small screen. I have to say that but for one rep, they are very professional. But honestly, who cares. If I have to spend hours on the phone to fix issues, what does it matter that they are nice. I am a solo and I don't have time to waste with Abacus. I wish you luck but consider my review before you start down a nightmare of issues.

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Cons

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SL
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Sarah L.

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Help received

Reviewed 9 years ago

To whom it may concern, I just had to take a moment to send an email to thank Dean for his invaluable, over and beyond customer service, he is a true asset to your company, and I hope that Abacus customer service management knows what a devoted, knowledgeable employee you have. I attended Dean's webinar on Mail Merge in Abacus on Wednesday on 12/16/2015, which was great, and a real informative webinar, that was well planned, easy to follow, and full of useful information. However, I am writing this email to acknowledge what Dean did for me afterwards. After the webinar, I had emailed Dean asking if he could help me create a query to generate a client list, (past, and current), that have an email address, with their phone number's and if he could help me make a excel spreadsheet with this information, which was not something my employer had paid for, but we desperately needed. She had been asking me to generate this list for the past two weeks, and despite my endless attempts, I could not figure out how to generate a query that would do this correctly. Within minutes Dean had generated a query, showed me how to use it, how to modify it, and how Abacus could assist our office in the future to generate letters, emails and help turn potential leads into paying clients. I was amazed, and so completely grateful, I joked with him that he single handily may have saved my job! I had to take this time to send this email because it is not often that I come across someone that is so good at their job, not to mention completely dedicated, with such excellent customer service skills. I will be recommending to the attorney I work for that we attend more webinars, and utilize Abacus and all its features for her practice, and as a tool to run a smooth, successful law firm. Again, thank you Dean, I cannot express my gratitude to you for going over and beyond to help me help my employer!!! Have a great holiday, and a Happy New Year!

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Vendor response

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with details about your experience with Abacus. Our team is committed to providing the highest levels of customer service to our clients, and we are happy to hear that that was the service you received. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you, we wish you much success!