AbacusLaw

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.

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.

Pros

Their support is absolutely the best. In the very unusual event that I need support, they always remember me, are friendly and super knowledgeable. Usually I am asking for a workaround to make their program do something it isn't designed to do. They could just impress me off, but they really try to make it work the way I need it, and they usually find a way. Having client info at my fingertips makes me look very efficient and very competent.

Pros

1. Affordable: Having purchased similar software years ago and having paid an amount for it, I knew that the cost of a new firm management software that handled both front office and back office matters was going to be a major obstacle for me. Particularly if I wanted the software to be resident on my computer as opposed to web-based. But, with the monthly payment plan that Abacuslaw offers, it was very easy to sign up.
2. Complete management solution. There are very few programs around that offer both a full management software and a full accounting software to attorneys. Most of the software out there offers a billing component, but not a full accounting solution. With Abacuslaw, I can have both for the same price. I don't have to have another accounting software like QuickBooks pro to handle the accounting of my office.
3. The software is very easy to use. Most of the time, I can figure things out by myself without much training. But, to the extent I need training, I can find videos on YouTube or worst case scenario, I can sign up for their affordable one on one instructions.
4. Really good support staff: My questions or problems are usually answered and resolved on the same call into the office. Very responsive and knowledgeable support staff and extremely cooperative and helpful.
5. I've done lots of research. Not too many companies with the same level of service and features for the same price. Highly recommend it.

Cons

1. Glitches. While support staff is very responsive, the number of glitches is at times distracting. I would say that I average about maybe one glitch every three months or so. But it is dealt with very soon.
2. Data migration: The only major problem I had with Abacus law was their data migration. I was migrating from Amicus online and they could not transfer my data. Finally, the only thing they were able to migrate was my case information. I had to reenter my financial data myself. My suggestion is to make sure that they understand what format you are migrating from and get a firm commitment from them that they can handle the migration without problems.
In the end, though, the drawbacks are so small, compared to the benefits that the minor complaints I have don't even register.

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.