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Filevine Review: Law Practice Management Software

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Lawyerist Rating for Filevine

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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.

4.3/5

Overview
Featured Rating

What is Filevine?

Filevine is law practice management software that emphasizes customizability. This makes it extremely versatile and customizable to each law firm’s needs. It boasts client intake capabilities, matter management, document management, and in-depth workflow management.

Starting Cost: Custom.

Pros
Cons
  • Complex
  • Basic Task Management
  • No Client Portal
Overview
Featured Ratings

Filevine 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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Filevine Review: Law Practice Management Software Video

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

Product Details

Apps
  • Web
Installation
  • Cloud
Software Integrations
  • Dropbox
  • Google Calendar
  • Google Drive
  • NetDocuments
  • OneDrive
  • Microsoft Office 365 Calendar
  • Domo
  • Slack
  • Captorra
  • Primafact
  • Vinesign

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 Filevine Similar Products

Select another product to compare:

Filevine

4.3/5

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Pros
Cons
  • Complex
  • Basic Task Management
  • No Client Portal

PracticePanther

4.7/5

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Pros
Cons
  • Simple Document Management
  • Basic Templates
Read PracticePanther Review

Rocket Matter

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Rocket Matter Logo
Pros
Cons
  • Limited Intake
  • Simple Document Management
  • Basic Templates
Read Rocket Matter Review

Actionstep

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Pros
Cons
  • Complex Initial Set-up
  • Not for Solos
  • Basic Templates
Read Actionstep Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I use Filevine?

As a cloud-based law practice management platform, it can be used from any computer running a modern browser.

What is the price of Filevine?

Not all features are included in Filevine’s core product. There are three add-ons that one can purchase in order to include things like OCR, intake tracking, and automated timekeeping. As of this review, Filevine does not post its prices on the website. Interested users should contact them for a demo and more information.

Is Filevine secure?

Yes, client information is protected at rest and in transit with secure socket layer (SSL) encryption, which is what banking platforms and other popular law practice management platforms use.

Does Filevine integrate with Microsoft 365?

As of this review, Filevine integrates only with the Office 365 Calendar.

Does Filevine integrate with Google Workspace?

As of this review, Filevine integrates only with the Google Calendar.

Can Filevine handle my Trust Accounting?

Yes. They can handle all but the most complex trust accounting. However, users may find that they need to add features onto the core product.

Can I accept online payments with Filevine Review: Law Practice Management Software?

As of this review, Filevine does not have built-in ePayments capabilities. However, they integrate with some of the top accounting software, and LawPay can usually be worked into a firm’s payment processing even without direct integration.

Does Filevine integrate with Zapier?

Yes. Filevine integrates with Zapier. Although, potential users would be wise to check specific triggers and actions to make sure they can connect the specific products they would like to.

Can I automate documents with Filevine?

Yes. Filevine recently purchased Outlaw, a document automation and contract management platform. They have been incorporating the software into their own platform. This has allowed them to go beyond simple mail-merge style document automation. However, users will need to add on the Docs+ features in order to access these capabilities.

Is Filevine compatible with both PC and Mac?

Yes. As a cloud-based platform, they can be used by both Mac and PC users.

Additional Details about Filevine

Document management

Filevine is a document management pro. Not only are most of their integrations in this area, but they include built-in optical character recognition (OCR) for PDFs and images. OCR would certainly be helpful to attorneys with the occasional discovery overwhelm.

Recently, Filevine purchased and incorporated Outlaw into its platform. This gives the software high-caliber document automation and contract management capabilities. As of this review, Filevine is still rolling out and improving these capabilities.

Security

Filevine is serious about security. With a vice president in charge of security, it’s definitely got the full-time attention of the leadership team.

Third-party Integrations

With an Open API, Filevine offers the ability to integrate their platform with a host of other apps. For those who aren’t quite as savvy, they also have a Zapier integration. And as of this review, Filevine integrates with Office365 Calendar, Google Calendar, Smith.ai, and Vinesign.

Who Filevine is For

Personal-injury firms and other process-oriented practices will likely find the best results with Filevine. It can track documents, evidence, and specific facts of your case. It also comes with phased workflows to help you build internal project and task management. This makes it a good fit for any small firm that wants to customize law practice management software to the firm’s own needs. It’s an especially good fit for firms that are starting to struggle with growth, as it is set-up to be run with many users. However, it’s probably overkill for solos, but those who have strong processes will still likely find Filevine worth a review

Alternatively, although the platform is very versatile, it requires more effort to set-up than many other LPMS systems. The Filevine team will certainly help you get started, but this is not a simple turn-key solution.

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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Filevine Community Reviews

Based on 11 Ratings

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  • Aaron H. says:
    September 19, 2022 at 11:22 pm

    Run Away as Fast as you Case!

    In my opinion, this is the worst decision you will EVER make! I paid Filevine ALOT of money just to be handed a product that in my opinion was not functional for a law firm and basically they expect you to program their version of sales force. I told them I am not a computer programmer and expected a functional law firm management product and would not be going forward. Even though I paid them thousands (five figures) and was never able to implement their product they now are threatening to send me to collections.
    • Colby S. says:
      September 28, 2022 at 4:01 pm
      Hi Aaron, sorry to learn about your frustration with the functionality of our product.

      At Filevine, we strive to create products that simplify legal work, but sometimes we learn we are falling short with the functionality of our product. We appreciate your honest review and would like to work with you to ensure that our product works for you. If you would like to discuss this issue further, feel free to reach out to our team at info@filevine.com.

  • Evan K. says:
    March 6, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Moves your cases forward

    We’re a 12 attorney personal injury firm in Pennsylvania, and switched from Needles to Filevine in late 2016. It has really changed how we practice. Filevine is very mobile friendly, allowing us to work seamlessly from our various satellite offices, from home, or vacation. The big difference between Needles and Filevine was that Needles felt like a repository where we went to view and deposit information. Filevine feels more like a living/breathing system, that helps move cases forward. The feed keeps my entire team in the loop, and makes tasks easy to assign and monitor. The texting feature is a huge time saver, and our clients love it. Compared to Needles, which was stagnant for years and years, Filevine is constantly improving.
  • Scott S. says:
    March 5, 2020 at 4:28 pm

    Changed My Practice

    We researched and tried several different practice management systems before settling in on Filevine in 2018. There was a learning curve as with any practice management software – but they have great videos, webinars, chat features, and support. Best of all – they constantly ask for feedback and what attorneys want to see next…and then they do it. By way of example, I spoke to my CSM about a pretty easy fix to a feature. The next day the fix was installed. You can tell Filevine wants to be on the leading edge and does so by constantly upgrading their features. The hardest part is keeping up with all of the new features being implemented what seems like weekly. Highly recommend.
  • Kayla G. says:
    March 5, 2020 at 1:48 pm

    Best decision we ever made!

    We made the switch from Time Matters to Filevine in July 2019 and it was definitely the best decision we ever made. The interface is fully customizable (and easy to do so!) for your practice. My staff loves that they can ask me to add a field and it’s done within 5 minutes. The reporting features have allowed easy oversight to ensure each case is fully worked as our firm continues to grow rapidly. The top 3 features my staff raves about are texting, Filevine fax and document generation. It’s really taken our firm to a whole new level! I also have to say Filevine’s support is incredible – they’ll work with you personally to help you accomplish your goals and vision. I cannot recommend Filevine or their team enough!
  • Adam K. says:
    March 5, 2020 at 1:31 pm

    Love it/them

    We started with Filevine over a year ago and we’re still on our old case management software. Why? Because we’re taking our time to customize Filevine to our liking. (We’re about 1 month away from migrating to Filevine). I’ve reviewed and toyed with other software but nothing is as customizable as Filevine. You can use their out-of-the-box solution or you can tailor it to exactly what you want or need. There is a slightly complex learning curve, but once you figure out the basics, you’ll see how you can morph it into what you want.

    Their customer service is fantastic – very responsive and very amenable to receiving ideas on how to improve their product.

  • Charles G. says:
    March 5, 2020 at 1:21 pm

    I highly recommend Filevine

    I have been a FV user for over 2 years and it has become our 1 stop shop as we moved our CRM to filevine, it manages case management, documents, tasks, and has OCR for document management. It has been a very easy transition and once we started we never looked back. What I love best about it is the beautiful reports from Domo and its ease of use. Finally, FV is committed to developing new features in their regular updates and invites feedback. This is new for me and a welcome treat.
  • Stephanie C. says:
    March 5, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    Long Time User

    We have been with Filevine since 2018 and I have been working with them since 2017. I absolutely love this system, especially if you work in Mass Tort, as we do. This system is constantly evolving and I have never seen a system that has made it such a priority to be constantly improving itself. The Support team is the easiest group I have ever worked with and the most knowledgeable. I love the ability to customize this program in a way that I would be unable to with any other system. With anyone criticizing it for the set up, I encourage you to reach out the Filevine support team as they will walk you through the process. One of the biggest criticisms in the past was the templates, but 1) Filevine members are often happy to share templates and 2) Filevine recently hired staff just to work on improving their templates. There are now member support systems with Facebook and a listserve and Slack so that fellow members can share ideas. The Legal X conference was one of the most informative conventions I have ever attended. I have recommended this firm to several firms and they are all pleased with the system.
  • Oscar D. says:
    March 5, 2020 at 12:39 pm

    Using Filevine to it's fullest potential!

    “There’s got to be an easier way!”
    YES! Filevine is the “easier way”. Our firm has been able to increase productivity by utilizing Filevine’s powerful automation tools. But the most robust and amazing tool of all……. DOCUMENT GENERATION! I’ve set up Filevine to generate all our complex documents and pleadings, saving us time by not having to create case caption pages/case shells. It can also generate your lengthy service list. Are you currently paying for another software that generates info onto PDF court forms? Save your time and money; just have Filevine generate that for you! YES! Filevine can plug information into PDF files.

    The set up time for Filevine is a bit of a time investment. However, it’s completely worth it!

    Overall, Filevine is a great software!

  • J Tyler W. says:
    November 21, 2019 at 11:30 pm

    New Customer and love it!

    It’s very intuitive and easy to use, even for the luddites in the firm. We also manage non-case internal projects with Filevine, and we’ve found that to be successful. All plaintiff side PI firms should consider Filevine.
  • Ryan M. says:
    October 28, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    Our Firm's Nervous System

    We’ve been with Filevine since May of 2017. We were first attracted to it because of its great user interface and texting from the file. Since that time we’ve been blown away by the features that Filevine has added and the ease at which we are able to customize it. For the first time, all information – notes, texts, emails, and documents are in the Filevine file and easy to access. We recently added OCR capability and this means that Filevine can search in our documents. It makes finding things easier than ever. The reporting features are especially strong and easy to build. We do love its integration with Domo. Document automation is first rate. Filevine is best in class without question.
  • Leslie N. says:
    November 15, 2018 at 10:38 am

    AVOID!!!

    Honestly, I would leave it -5 stars if that were an option. Filevine is the worst practice software I have EVER encountered. It takes eons to set up and even THEN it didn’t work.

    Stay away!!

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