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About Centerbase

Centerbase Review: Law Practice Management Software

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Lawyerist Rating for Centerbase

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Rating Breakdown

Our Rating: 4.3/5

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: 3/5 (based on 1 rating)

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

Composite Rating: 3.9/5

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

3.9/5

Overview
Featured Rating

What is Centerbase?

Centerbase is highly configurable, full-featured law practice management software for small- to medium-sized law firms. Among its features is advanced workflow automation that can be customized for a firm’s needs. Law firms looking for a comprehensive all-in-one system will definitely want to make Centerbase part of their review.

Starting Cost: Custom

Pros
  • True All-in-one
  • Excellent Accounting
  • Document Management
Cons
  • Limited Intake
  • Complex Initial Set-up
  • Not for Solos
Overview
Featured Ratings

Centerbase 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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Centerbase Review: Law Practice Management Software Video

Compare with Other Law Practice Management Software Products Download the Field Guide

Product Details

Apps
  • Android
  • iOS
  • Web
Installation
  • Cloud
Software Integrations
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • NetDocuments
  • LawToolBox
  • Quickbooks Online
  • Stripe

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 Centerbase Similar Products

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Centerbase

3.9/5

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Pros
  • True All-in-one
  • Excellent Accounting
  • Document Management
Cons
  • Limited Intake
  • Complex Initial Set-up
  • Not for Solos

CosmoLex

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Pros
  • True All-in-one
  • Timekeeping & Billing
  • Advanced Trust Accounting
Cons
  • Limited Intake
  • Complex Initial Set-up
  • Lack of Integrations
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Rocket Matter

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Pros
  • Client Portal
  • Integrations
  • Project Management
Cons
  • Limited Intake
  • Simple Document Management
  • Basic Templates
Read Rocket Matter Review

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Pros
Cons
  • Expensive
  • Not for Solos
  • Lack of Integrations
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Smokeball

4.1/5

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Pros
  • On-premises Option
  • Document Automation
  • Advanced Trust Accounting
Cons
  • Complex Initial Set-up
  • No Google Integration
  • No OSX Application
  • Not for Solos
Read Smokeball Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I use Centerbase?

As a cloud-based practice management solution, Centerbase can be used from any modern browser. Which means that PC and Mac users can benefit from it. Centerbase also has a mobile app for iOS and Android.

What is the price of Centerbase?

Centerbase doesn’t list their pricing on the website, so users would do well to contact them directly for a quote.

Is Centerbase secure?

Centerbase uses SSL and 256-bit AES encryption on their data in transit and at rest, respectively. This is industry standard and is generally considered bank-grade. To their immense credit, they have an entire page dedicated to their security, data privacy, and platform up-time on their website.

Does Centerbase integrate with Microsoft 365?

Yes. They sync with Outlook, Microsoft Calendar, and Microsoft Word.

Does Centerbase integrate with Google Workspace?

As of this review, Centerbase does not directly integrate with the Google Workspace universe.

Can Centerbase handle my Trust Accounting?

It is likely that they can handle your firm’s trust accounting. With fully integrated law firm accounting software, they can handle all but the most complex attorney trust account issues.

Can I accept online payments with Centerbase?

Yes. Firms can accept payments through their built-in Centerbase Payments powered by Stripe.

Does Centerbase integrate with Zapier?

As of this review, Centerbase does not integrate with Zapier.

Can I automate documents with Centerbase?

Yes. Users can automate documents using a basic mail-merge feature that is built into their overall document management functionality.

Is Centerbase compatible with both PC and Mac?

Yes. As a cloud-based platform, they are compatible with both PC and Mac.

Additional Details about Centerbase

Some Assembly Required

Centerbase is powerful software that must be customized to a firm’s needs and workflows. It takes longer (and costs more) to set up than many other cloud-based law practice management software products, but the trade-off is that firms get a system that works exactly how they want it to work. Implementation and training cost extra. The company partners with consultants on all their rollouts, and firms must hire a certified consultant—who is not employed by Centerbase—for training and configuration. The fees depend on the consultant.

Native Document Management Tool

Launched in January 2024, this integrated feature allows law firms to manage documents seamlessly within the Centerbase platform, eliminating the need for third-party solutions. It leverages Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint, ensuring a cohesive experience for users.

Automated Time Capture

While many LPMS products offer multiple timers and even sophisticated integrations between timers and VOIP tools, for example, Centerbase goes further. It offers a plug-in that integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Word. Record time on emails without leaving Outlook and on Word documents as part of the file saving process. Automated time capture is a premium feature.

Mapped Drive

Users can open and save files directly to Centerbase via a software utility that maps Centerbase’s storage to the firm’s network. The company includes a minimum of 1 TB of firmwide storage, and an additional 20 GB per user, with each subscription package.

Updated Accounting Tool

For an additional fee Centerbase offers a complete accounting package. Firms can bill clients, manage attorney and firm expenses, and create an accounting journal to better track bills and invoices, and pull in live bank feeds for all accounts.

Continuous Improvement

The company updates its software every 2-4 weeks, based in part on customer feedback.

Security

The company hosts its own servers, has multiple data centers, and owns its own infrastructure. They use 256-bit AES encryption for data at rest and 256-bit SSL encryption for data in transit.

Who Centerbase is for

With all its features, Centerbase is probably overkill for most solos. It is best suited for firms of 5 or more lawyers that can take advantage of its advanced workflow automation features and are willing to invest time and money in training and implementation.

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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Centerbase Community Reviews

3.9

Based on 1 Rating

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  • pmichalski says:
    April 8, 2019 at 11:07 pm

    Centerbase Customer Support is Appalling

    (3)
    Centerbase is a powerful product but customer support is the worst I have ever experienced for any software product–I predict it will be their downfall. Perhaps they treat larger firms better, but their attitude toward a small firm is appalling and arrogant. Centerbase’s customer service model is to require you to use a third-party “partner” at $200/hour. The Centerbase system touts customizability as a key feature; however, if your customization causes a glitch (which is easy because documentation is primitive), Centerbase will charge you $200/hour to fix their system. Their attitude toward a small firm is “too bad”–even after you have invested hundreds of hours in implementation.

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