AbacusLaw is a good fit for firms that want access to a private cloud server and desktop software. It’s also great for firms that need a wide range of seamless features like contract management, billing, calendar, client history, and more. However, it’s probably not a good fit for firms looking to work directly from a fully functioning mobile app (although AbacusLaw does have a responsive website).
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More About AbacusLaw
AbacusLaw provides tiered, cloud-based solutions for law firms, providing everything from case management to a full desktop in the cloud that could replace an entire IT department. With AbacusLaw—the base case management software—you’ll get a calendar that functions as a look-a-like Outlook, custom designed for people with task-heavy jobs. Like most case management software, Abacus Law links your matters to your calendar, your clients, your documents, and your emails. From pre-set matter styles to pre-written forms for many jurisdictions (that can also auto-fill certain information), Abacus Law can streamline the basic needs of your practice.
Upgrading to AbacusLaw Gold delivers more robust tools, including time tracking, billing, and accounting. You can bill directly from case matters and run detailed reports from your accounts, trust balances, aged accounts receivable, and more. You’ll have access to over 100 standard accounting and billing related reports, and can even have additional reports built out for an additional fee.
You can work within the Abacus Private Cloud, although it is possible to run it locally. The Abacus Private Cloud integration will give you far more robust backend support. Running everything in Abacus Private Cloud means you get nightly backups of your AbacusLaw database and all your documents and forms. You also get automatic updates and system enhancements. Integration will also let you link all incoming and outgoing emails from your Outlook account directly into AbacusLaw, so emails can be added to matters seamlessly. However, this integration might be cost-prohibitive for smaller firms.
Features
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Website
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www.abacuslaw.com |
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Starting Cost
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$69/user/month |
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Apps
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Installation
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Case/Matter Management
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✓ |
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Client/Contact Management
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✓ |
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Task Management
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✓ |
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Calendar
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✓ |
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Timekeeping
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✓ |
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Conflict Checking
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✓ |
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Email Client
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✗ |
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Text Messaging
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✗ |
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Document Management
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✓ |
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Document Assembly
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✓ |
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Secure Client Portal
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✓ |
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Basic Bookkeeping
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✗ |
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Trust Accounting
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✓ |
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Full Accounting
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✓ |
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Billing & Invoicing
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✓ |
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Online Payments
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✓ |
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Software Integrations
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Open API
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✗ |
Confirmed - You will spend $$$$$ and have lots of downtime
See pricing at the end of this review block.
You will lose your connectivity a few times a month when you really need to be working, you will call support (who are great) and they will not be immediately available, so you will WAIT.
And you will wait every time a Lacerte update needs to be run at least twice a month during tax season when you really need no interruptions in your work plans. That will take 30 minutes to an hour per update depending on how fast they respond. Try to get them to run other fixes at the same tine to minimize frustration around the WAITING.
You will wait for a half hour to an hour to hear back from Support if you do not get them right away, which is more than half the time. Then there is the time it takes them to fix your connectivity, run updates, etc., while you cannot work in the cloud.
I used it for two years, until the frustration of too much downtime became ridiculously interruptive.
I tried to terminate a few months into an unannounced autorenewal and they refused to reduce any of the $570/month for a 2-user cloud environment for the remaining 9 months. And yes, I was very polite when I asked, explained it is not a good fit for my firm and they truly showed they did not care about me.
RUN AWAY
I’d leave zero stars if I could. This product used to be the best on the market when it wasn’t in the cloud and have CONSTANT technical support issues. No one is available when you call. They call you back, sometimes never, sometimes hours later. This is not efficient for a law office. They lock you into a contract and then don’t hold up their end of the deal. I’m very seriously considering moving to a different software company and paying for both of them for the remainder of my dreadful contract. I figured it’ll be worth the aggravation. Over $300 a month for one attorney is insane for the little that is offered. RUN AWAY. Don’t even bother with the demo.
Tim T.
I have been practicing law for more than 35 years and have used numerous vendors for software and cloud services. Abacus is one of the worst I have experienced. The support is somewhere between non-existent and utterly incompetent. Don’t walk away, run.
Absolutely the WORST program ever!!
I absolutely HATE this program. I’ve been using the AbacusLaw and AbacusAccounting since 2008, and it is the most frustrating program around. It was pretty good at first, but now that they changed to the subscription, there are constantly so many problems. It’s hard to get any support as they’re always blaming one department or another and keep sending me back and forth and nothing gets resolved. Support can’t help me with the accounting program, so I have to PAY HOURLY to get their professional accounting help, when the issue is clearly a software issue!! Also, I have been paying for legal calendaring rules and it hasn’t even been updated since 2016 and it’s now 2020!!!!
Torture
Abacus Law is the most archaic, glitchy, awful software that I have ever used and it gets worse every day. I keep getting locked out and after going through several tech support people (who do try their best), I was told that the software is not supported by Windows 7 and that I needed to migrate my software and all the info that is on my server to a different place and then install Windows 10 and then reinstall everything and its on me.
I even tried to get on Abacus cloud a while ago and they told me that my internet is too slow. I don’t know how that’s possible when my internet is super fast.
Horrific Company and Horrible Service
Promised to have my cloud system set-up in a week and lied. They are a horrible company. Buyer beware. Do not do business with them.
Terrible service for out-dated product
The price is far higher than similar products, the product is technologically behind (despite promises when I signed up for the product over two years ago that they had a demo and would have a final product any day now of a fully functional app for calendar integration, they still do not, and their calendar has many glitches syncing with Outlook, the only way to sync their calendar to a phone), and their treatment of customers is DEPLORABLE. For instance, I paid to upgrade to a feature which they said would remove a problem I was experiencing with their program, and when it did not fix the problem, they refused to downgrade my monthly subscription to my prior price/ service or refund my fees. They also told me I needed another license when I took on another employee, then when I discovered I was already paying for enough licenses, refused to downgrade me back to the correct number so I continue to overpay for multiple uses I do not need. I pay almost $700 per month as a solo practitioner now for a subpar product. Stay away from this company!!!
Moved on
Used Abacus for five years. Clunky, confusing and not easy to use. I couldn’t find anyone to handle the billing and editing the bills was a pain. Numerous client complaints over bills; twice found myself in fee aribitrations where the arbitrators were confused by the bill format. Done.
Perfect program for our small office
Our office has been using Abacus for over six years now. We also us the cloud based services. I am not a techie person, but the program is user friendly and the IT/support staff invaluable. I honestly don’t know what I would do without the cloud based service. I am able to log on anywhere in the U.S. If I plan to travel out of the U.S., I need only notify the tech support and they will set this up for you. Bookkeeping and billing with Abacus billing is a huge time saver. There is no other program out there I would use other than Abacus.
This Company and Software are Horrible - Stay Away
This company is absolutely the worst. I had used Amicus in the past, and was a fan, but the virtual private cloud service is expensive, and the “implementation” of it was chaotic to say the least. I made the mistake of buying into their hype. I hope that this will warn others about the same. It started in April. At least four different people contacted me about various aspects of the service, an appointment was set with one person who never called. When I called him, he had no idea what I was talking about since the person who had made the appointment never informed him about it. When I was told after the fact that the service was not going to be available until November, 2018 (this was in April), I informed them that I did not want to proceed with the service, and requested that it be stopped. I heard nothing from this request, or anyone from Abacus, for the next thirty days. I was contacted by someone else who never acknowledged the original email to those with whom I had first been in contact. After telling that person, again, that I was not proceeding, I was passed on to a “customer ambassador”, who was extremely rude and threatening. I have since been hit with an ‘early termination fee’ of the full amount of the price of the service, even though nothing was started.
With all the other services out there, stay away from AbacusNext. I should have listened to the other warnings about the service that have since seen on Google reviews, and Michelle, above. I hope this keep someone else from making the same mistake.
This software is terrible
This software has issues billing, losses calendared events, and repeatedly freezes up. Our office utilized the private cloud version which came with a steep price and poor support. If you prefer to spend more time on the phone with software support and less time on your practice, this is the software for you.