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About Amicus Attorney

Amicus Attorney Review: Law Practice Management Software

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Lawyerist Rating for Amicus

i

Rating Breakdown

Our Rating: 2.8/5

Our rating is based on our subjective judgment. Use our resources—including our rating and community ratings and reviews—to find the best fit for your firm.

Community Rating: 2/5 (based on 3 ratings)

The community rating is based on the average of the community reviews below.

Composite Rating: 2.5/5

The composite rating is a weighted average of our rating and the community ratings below.

2.5/5

Overview
Featured Rating

What is Amicus Attorney?

Amicus Attorney is a Law Practice Management Software (LPMS) platform that has been around for a long time. Along with CARET Legal, AbacusLaw and Amicus Cloud, it is one of a few LPMS products offered by CARET. Although it can be cloud-based, it is not accessible through a browser. Which makes it a hybrid solution. As such, it is a local application (run directly on your computer, tablet, or phone) who’s data can be stored at your office (on-premises), or in a private cloud.

Starting Cost: custom

Pros
  • On-premises Option
  • Timekeeping & Billing
  • Document Automation
Cons
  • Complex Initial Set-up
  • Not for Solos
  • Not Cloud-based
Overview
Featured Ratings

Amicus Attorney Review: Law Practice Management Software Features

Customer Experience & Support

/5

Price & Value

/5

Security

/5

Innovation & Future-Proofing

/5

Overview
Featured Rating
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Amicus Attorney Review: Law Practice Management Software Video

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Product Details

Apps
  • Web (self-hosted)
  • Windows
Installation
  • On-Premise
  • Hybrid
Software Integrations
  • Dropbox
  • G Suite
  • HotDocs
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • Timeslips
  • Outlook
  • QuickBooks
  • Microsoft Word
  • Tabs3

Core Features

For Law Practice Management Software, the following are essential features, and you should therefore expect to see a check in every box in this section.

Yes
No

Case/Matter Management

Matter management is the defining feature of law practice management software, of course. However, some software is targeted at specific practice areas and may implement case management in different ways in order to manage information specific to those practice areas.

Client/Contact Management

Managing clients and other contacts is a core feature of law practice management software.

Task Management

Basic task management includes creating tasks with due dates that can be associated with cases/matters and assigned to different lawyers. Some products stick to pretty basic task management, while others offer enough features to make any Getting Things Done devotee happy.

Calendar

As with email, this feature means a full calendar client, not just an integration with Outlook or Google Calendar.

Timekeeping

Timekeeping is a core feature of practice management software, essential for lawyers who bill by the hour but useful even for those who don't.

Conflict Checking

An actual conflict checker is more than just a search box. This applies to software that actually has a conflict checking feature. Implementation varies, but at a minimum you should be able to search the entire database for matching names. It should check for conflicts accurately and intuitively, allow for a lateral hire to input their conflict database into the system, work quickly when new clients call, and comply with the rules of professional conduct for checking conflicts.

Email Client

Does it include a full email client? (Alternative solutions that don't amount to an email client, like plugins for Outlook or Gmail, do not earn a check for this feature. See software integrations, below.)

Text Messaging

Can you send and receive text messages and associate them with your matters?

Document Management

Basic document management allows you to add documents and associate them with your cases/matters.

Document Assembly

Loading your firm’s document templates into your law practice management software can save time and ensure consistency. This check means basic document assembly suitable for form letters, invoices, etc. For advanced document assembly, you’ll probably need additional software.

Secure Client Portal

Basic Bookkeeping

This means basic checkbook register–style bookkeeping, which is more limited than full accounting. You should be able to keep track of your operating accounts and reconcile your balances, but you may still need full accounting software.

Trust Accounting

This means you can track your client trust accounts, including expenses and payments. It is normal to see trust accounting without basic bookkeeping or full accounting, in which case you will need something else for accounting.

Full Accounting

Some software includes full double-entry accounting features, making additional accounting software unnecessary.

Billing & Invoicing

Does the software allow you to send bills or invoices?

Online Payments

Payment processing is increasingly offered either as an included or add-on feature, especially with cloud-based law practice management software.

Open API

Compare Amicus Attorney Similar Products

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Amicus Attorney

2.5/5

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Pros
  • On-premises Option
  • Timekeeping & Billing
  • Document Automation
Cons
  • Complex Initial Set-up
  • Not for Solos
  • Not Cloud-based

LEAP

4.3/5

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Pros
  • Cloud-based
  • Timekeeping & Billing
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Cons
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Pros
  • Customizability
  • Intake
  • eSignature
Cons
  • Simple Document Management
  • Basic Templates
Read PracticePanther Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I use Amicus Attorney?

Amicus is a traditional Windows-based program that has server and client (i.e., end-user) parts. The firm can either host the server portion themselves or have Abacus host it on their Private Cloud product. Accessing Amicus via a Mac or mobile devices requires using a secure remote connection, either via the Private Cloud or that the firm sets up itself.

What is the price of Amicus Attorney?

Amicus does not publish pricing. You must contact the vendor.

Is Amicus Attorney secure?

If the firm self-hosts Amicus, the product is as secure as the firm’s network and remote connection software. If Abacus hosts Amicus on its Private Cloud, the vendor provides 256-bit AES encryption and boasts several compliance certifications.

Does Amicus Attorney integrate with Microsoft 365?

Amicus provides a desktop-based connection to Outlook. This connection applies to an individual computer and is specific to Outlook.

Does Amicus Attorney integrate with Google Workspace?

Amicus can sync between itself and Google Contacts and Calendar via a utility running on the Amicus server, either self-hosted or on the Private Cloud. It does not sync with Gmail or other Google Workspace products.

Can Amicus Attorney handle my Trust Accounting?

Amicus offers some trust accounting features, like retainers and replenishment requests. However, most “heavy lifting” is done best in one of the several traditional, desktop-based programs that Amicus integrates with.

Can I accept online payments with Amicus Attorney?

Amicus offers online payments via Abacus’ APX PayNow solution.

Does Amicus Attorney integrate with Zapier?

Amicus does not integrate with Zapier.

Can I automate documents with Amicus Attorney?

Amicus has native document assembly software. It also integrates with HotDocs, also owned by CARET.

Is Amicus Attorney compatible with both PC and Mac?

Amicus runs natively on a Windows computer. It can be accessed on a Mac via a remote connection to a Windows computer or to the Abacus Private Cloud, if Abacus hosts your Amicus software.

Additional Details about Amicus Attorney

Desktop Application

Amicus Attorney runs on software that exists on your local machine. Although it can be accessed via mobile app, it is essentially a desktop platform. However, you are not limited to office-only access. This platform can be set-up to connect to your data (whether on-premises or cloud-based) from remote locations. Which allows your practice to be fully mobile while all data remains on your firm’s server.

The Private Cloud

As an alternative to on-premises installation, Amicus Attorney can be installed on a totally private virtual workspace. This means, you always know where your data exists. The private cloud offers all available features of the on-premises installation, can securely integrate with Office 365 and has full-spectrum security that ensures a secure and compliant experience for users. Ultimately, this would likely be a good option for attorneys who don’t want to maintain an office network, but want greater control over their data.

Web-based Option

Amicus Cloud, a separate LPMS offering, runs over the internet in your browser. It gives you the flexibility of cloud-based options with much simpler and streamlined features that you can access from your PC, Mac or tablet. While it does not have all the functionality of Amicus Attorney, it may be a wise option for solo attorneys, or small remote offices.

Who Amicus Attorney is for

Amicus Attorney has a wide-range of standard features that will work well for many small to medium-sized law firms. It comes with client management, matter management, document management, and document automation all built-in. It also has a calendaring system, and basic task-management. Additionally, it integrates with HotDocs, for those who need smarter document assembly. And, while it doesn’t have email or accounting built-in, it integrates with Gmail, Outlook, and QuickBooks.

Firms that want to host their own data while still allowing for some mobility, will find Amicus Attorney the most useful. However, it is not a comprehensive solution, and its owner, CARET, offers a fully-web-based product, CARET Legal, that also includes accounting. Attorneys looking for project management features beyond simple task management may want to look elsewhere. And when assessing price, you’ll want to take into account any integrations that you require.

Not sure where to begin? Download our Field Guide

Take the guesswork out of researching, purchasing, and implementing the right legal tech products and services for your law firm. Our Field Guide answers your essential questions and breaks down the features most important to your business, so you can buy with confidence.

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Amicus Attorney Community Reviews

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  • Evan Nelson says:
    August 27, 2020 at 2:12 pm

    good interface, outdated, not SMB friendly

    Our small practice of 5 staff has used Amicus Attorney (AA) since circa 2000. Other than TimeMatters there were no sophisticated practice management programs back then, to my recollection. There’s no doubt that this software has contributed to the success of our firm. We really loved it, until recent years.

    AA’s clear advantage is the interface. It makes more sense than that of Clio and PracticePanther, the two competitors we have explored actively. My staff is loathe to move away from AA because we can see AA’s layout for onscreen forms is better.

    However, that’s about where I would stop for the positives when compared to modern day competitors. AA is becoming so out-of-date, and the business model so unfriendly for SMB.

    – AA runs on a Windows computer dedicated to it at your office. There are frequent problems with MS-SQL that require a user with IT skills to troubleshoot. If AA goes down over a weekend, you either need to remote into the server or physically go into the office to reboot it. This is not like a modern day cloud solution, where the company maintains the software.

    – The user software is basically a proprietary browser/interface on your computer for viewing AA SQL database. However, it only runs on Windows. It can’t be run on a Mac. There is a web version to access your AA database remotely but it has only a limited subset of functions; you’ll want all your employees to be locked into Windows.

    – Also, AA’s user software doesn’t have scalable font size. On a computer with a super high display resolution, the AA font is too small to be readable. You must use a lower resolution like on an older computer.

    – It doesn’t run on an iPad or Android device. The makers of AA have sort of made apps for iOS/Android, but they are quite poor, IMHO.

    – Inserting merge fields into a Word or WordPerfect document is a bear! It involves installing macros and using a picklist.

    – AA doesn’t allow you to export any data, at all. Suppose you want cull a list of contacts in your zip code to send them an email blast – you can see them on the screen, but you cannot output that data to create a specialized email/mailing list. This inability to export data easily seems designed to bar people from getting their data out of AA to transition to another program.

    – Because of the way AA integrates with SQL, there is no native report writer. Only the most advanced computer user could ever hope to write a report. The AA company’s owner is happy to do it for you, at consulting rates/hour.

    – Can you make custom variables and screens for entering data? Yes, but it’s an all-day project.

    – The price of AA includes features that most small firms do not need, like integrated credit card charging, and portals for clients to access the data.

    – The contracts are three years in duration. You can add a user and pay for that — but you can never reduce. So, if you start with X employees and decide to reduce by 1 person — you’ll be paying for that lost employee’s AA license for the balance of three years, as there is no cancellation.

    In summary, this was a great that still runs reliably, but it is now past its prime. There are newer, more nimble competitors to consider.

  • Diane Paras says:
    February 27, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    Tech help

    The technical support is uneven. A few techs are very helpful but many don’t seem to care and don’t seem well trained. I wouldn’t subscribe to this again.
  • Anonymous says:
    August 21, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    Great features, but a little out of date.

    Amicus Attorney is full of features, but the interface feels out of date.

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