PracticePanther Legal Software Reviews

Pros

Before PracticePanther we had started an Excel spreadsheet to log our contacts for conflicts checks. We created a joint email account with Gmail so our email would be centralized and that also gave us a central calendar that we all had access to in order to set appointments, record deadlines, etc. We also created a Dropbox account for file storage.

While everything was low cost or free, all the parts felt scattered. PracticePanther pulls it all together in one beautiful, user-friendly interface. Now, instead of having to pull up 5 or 6 different apps/websites, we are able to pull up just one site and have everything right there. All of the components of PracticePanther are really easy to use. The entire program is designed for efficiency and ease of use. Color-coding allows you to see and understand your financial details in mere seconds. Tasks, events, and timekeeping are easy.

Cons

I would like to see the software integrate with more programs. Quickbooks is great, but my brain works better with Wave Accounting; LawPay is great, but being able to integrate with PayPal also, would be even better. However, these are minor things and not worth seeking a different program I like as much as Practice Panther. I had shopped around quite a bit before choosing Practice Panther; I doubt I would find anything I like as much.

Hands down, our favorite thing about PracticePanther is the superior support staff. If you have a problem and leave a message after hours in the chat box, you get a response generally within the hour. There is also training videos and a help center that will help you find the help that you need.

Pros

Price - either $59/mo or $49/mo if paid the year in full.
Fee to bill clients on-line: $.20 per transaction plus 1.95%
Workflow customizable - Yes, you can customize the workflow on different case-types.
Activity Log - easy access history.
Create Contact on the fly as creating matter - easy to create a Contact during the process of creating a matter.
Intake form for new clients - Yes, can put a link on your website so new clients can fill-out a new client form, and that info will auto fill into the client's PP account.
Time tracking timers - you can have multiple different timers open and running at the same time and assign them.
Mobile App - there is no mobile App, but the site is mobile optimized.
E-file integration - there is No e-file integration.
Color assignments - there are up to 6 colors that you can assign to parties & roles.
Task customizable - Yes, you can customize task flows.
Easy to create and merge documents - Yes, it's very easy to create and merge documents with the program.
PDF-auto convert - No, it cannot auto PDF convert a document.
Create documents that can merged - Yes. This program makes it easy to create documents that can be merged.
Support - Yes, support seems to be free.
Notify client when upload a document - Yes, you can notify a client a document gets uploaded that you want them to review or be aware of.
Email syncing - very good syncing with Gmail and Outlook.
Emails linked to a matter - Yes. Easy to link emails to a matter.
Client Portal - Yes.

Cons

The only thing that kept me from staying with PracticePanther, is that MyCase allows you to be able to set future billing to go out to a client(s) and forget it.
PracticePanther has a bit of a 'workaround' if you get the client's Visa/Debit card on file, but many times clients are uneasy giving you their card number.
With Criminal Defense clients that need to make monthly (or future) payments on a retainer amount, MyCase allows you to set-up future dates where a client will be emailed a bill, which they can tap on a button and pay on-line. This is the main thing that made me go with MyCase.
But if not for that, I would have stayed with either PracticePanther or Smokeball. Smokeball had/has the slickest software for being able to send emails from (either) Outlook or Gmail, and a small window at the bottom allows you to connect that email to a matter. Smokeball's software also made/makes it very easy to sync a Word document with a Client/Matter.

Alternatives Considered

MyCase and Smokeball

Reasons for Switching to PracticePanther Legal Software

I ended up going with MyCase because it has the auto future filling of clients. But if MC didn't have that, I would have gone with PracticePanther or Smokeball.

Pros

Clients can pay online.
I honestly can't think of anything else to say.

Cons

Where do I start?

The time keeping function is terrible. You cannot edit start and stop times. You cannot start and stop multiple timers in the mobile app. The software auto-saves frequently, and when it does, it moves the cursor in the entry to the end of the text. This is annoying. You cannot start a timer and then add the client-matter without causing the time to round up.

The syncing with G Suite is bad. The software will not sync with all the fields in Google Contacts, and the "custom fields" in PracticePanther do not sync into Google Contacts. This results in a lot of duplicate data entry, which is what I was trying to void with practice management software. The software does not sync will with Google Drive well at all either. Apparently, you can't have any folders in Google Drive with the same name. For example, Client_01\general and Client_02\general would result in an error and none of your Google Drive documents will be visible in PracticePanther.

The software billing feature is terrible. First, you cannot have multiple companies or entities tied to the same individual. Thus, if you have a contact who owns multiple businesses that are clients, you will not be able to list all those businesses under the client's name. To make matters worse, you can only email invoices to individuals who are listed under the company. I had to create multiple dummy contacts called "Accounts Payable" just so that I could email my clients their invoices.

I ran out of space.

Pros

Super easy to use! We love that we can create custom fields for a contact or matter and have really enjoyed the automation portion of the software. The templates are easy to create and automatically pull the information from the contact and matter sections that we need.

Cons

Under Matter, instead of editing the whole section, it would be nice if I could hoover over the field I only need to update.

I also wish I could highlight text in the matter or notes section.

I create multiple matters under one client and some of the information in the fields is always the same. It would be nice if I could select an option so any time I create a new matter for that client, the information in the matter auto fills for any new case going forward.

Alternatives Considered

CosmoLex, Smokeball, Tabs3 and Clio

Reasons for Choosing PracticePanther Legal Software

Had to upgrade every so often and had to log onto our server to use. With PracticePanther, I log in from anywhere.

Switched From

Tabs3

Reasons for Switching to PracticePanther Legal Software

Price and ease of use

Pros

I've been a PracticePanther user for four years now. The most important factor in my selecting PracticePanther was the ease of use. With my prior software, I had to hire independent contractors and pay for "maintenance agreements" just to have access to the help desk. With PracticePanther, their support team can assist. More important, they have videos that will walk you through the process of setting up the various systems and integrations. Finally, I love the integrations. PracticePanther integrates with Microsoft Office, Box, Dropbox and Quickbooks. Your information stays in it's original locate with seamless access from PracticePanther.

Cons

Initially, there was a big push to produce new features. I'm not seeing new features coming out as frequently. However, I would note the quality of the new features, e.g., workflows with conditional logic and e-signatures.

Pros

I like being able to bill, take credit/debit card payments, and tell clients their balance with the app while in court. There are simple reports and a great dashboard to see how much is outstanding, to be billed, and the amount in my trust account. Practice panther has cut down on the time it takes for billing and made my office more efficient.

Cons

I print checks directly from practice panther, which takes several steps, but it makes it easy to add the cost to the client's billing. I would like the software to allow a report of vendors/payees' payments over various time periods as it does with tags and categories.

Alternatives Considered

Clio

Reasons for Choosing PracticePanther Legal Software

I used to use quick books for billing, but it is not as geared to attorneys as practice panther. Contingency cases were especially difficult. Practice panther even has a feature for evergreen retainers.

Reasons for Switching to PracticePanther Legal Software

quick books was overly cumbersome with numerous unnecessary features. Practice panther has needed features for a law firm that are not available in quick books. It is much easier to use than quick books.

Pros

I like the intuitive interface, clean look, and the ability to customize my own workflows.

Cons

I would like to see a private server capability added in instead of having to rely on Box. One that we can access via VPN would be helpful. I wish we could add in a bit more automation customization. For example, I would like to be able to send my clients a customized email with attachments and helpful info before specific events, rather than the generic reminder email. I would also like the ability to create conditional logic in certain events.

Alternatives Considered

Clio

Reasons for Choosing PracticePanther Legal Software

There was much more functionality and customization available with PP than Abacus.

Switched From

Abacus Private Cloud

Reasons for Switching to PracticePanther Legal Software

The main reason I initially chose it was price and interface look. Now I wouldn't change for anything because it is constantly evolving with my firm's growth and provides all the support we need.

Pros

Practice Panther has two features I really like. First, the design of the software makes it easy to work with. Second, it comes ready to use "out of the box," with very little learning curve required.

Cons

Practice Panther is for generalists, in my opinion. If you are an estate planner, you can use it. Family law, no problem. Real estate law, you can't go wrong. However, if you want specialized features unique to a particular practice area, then Practice Panther is probably not going to suit your needs. I switched from it because I needed software that was tailored specifically to personal injury.

Alternatives Considered

AbacusLaw and Clio

Reasons for Switching to PracticePanther Legal Software

As I recall, Practice Panther was more affordable than Abacus, and I liked the design of the product better than Clio.

Pros

PracticePanther is a 360 solution for your law firm. Its built on a robust API that allows you to connect to other tools to increase your productivity.

Cons

Similar to Clio, and other competitors, there is simply a lack of certain features, but the team is eager to learn of our needs and works to implement updates as quickly as possible.

Alternatives Considered

Clio

Reasons for Switching to PracticePanther Legal Software

PracticePanther is forward thinking and Clio seems to operate in a more defensive, retroactive manner.

Pros

The user experience from the moment a client logs onto our website, uses the embedded intake form, to create a client profile to PP is seamless. This is just one of the time-saving tools we have discovered. This automated way of working and being able to integrate systems has forced M Legal to rethink how we work and more importantly, how to we can simplify our working processes.
While many of us worked with CRMs in the past, most of them were clunky and stand-alone systems that could not work with other applications or software. PP has made managing clients much easier, where our lawyers are in control from the moment a case is initiated, all the way through to billing clients.
We have experienced our fair share of poor technical support teams when using other software programs. With PP, despite the time differences between Miami and Sydney, their technical support team are always available, whether it is through the chat portal, email or by phone. Each technical person is professional, knowledgeable and continues to take care of your matter until it is resolved. Further, they always have something new to teach you about the PP system on each call. I cannot express how impressed we are, with what we consider as stellar service from this tech support team.

Cons

Naturally, a product such as this is not going to have universal application across all legal fields. I would say that in the immigration space the status of a case is really important, so having a status bar that is customisable would be a feature that could be improved. Also, a lot of our data from clients are taken from in-take forms - we require intake forms that are easier to build and that have the capability of storing more information. While these are work in progress type issues, this certainly does not take away from PP's product, which we believe is a well designed and thought through CRM system.

Pros

Beautiful layout, easy to use, functions as a basic CRM, matter and time management, and billing program all in one.

Cons

Flat fee billing is not well thought out, and the billing module presents clients with a reckoning of my operating account as well as their trust account. (I understand Panther may have made the operating account info optional by now, or that is in their near term plan.)

Pros

It's easy to learn the basics. The calendar is good, it's helpful that they show tasks there. Searching is great. It's totally adequate if all you do is bill for time and integrate with Quickbooks.

Cons

Panther has no report on Items (e.g. how much of your revenue is from Document Drafting vs Litigation). To get such a report, you MUST integrate with Quickbooks. But the biggest problem is that Fixed Price billing (what they call "Flat Fee") is worthless.

Fixed Price billing was clearly an afterthought, and their implementation has not changed at all since the early days when I started using it: 1) It does not let you assign an Item as you can with time entries, so you can't easily tell Quickbooks that a Fixed Price invoice was for a trademark application, not doc review; 2) You can't assign a lawyer to a Fixed Price billing, so you cannot get a report to help you pay everyone proportionally to their Fixed Price billings; 3) Fixed Price matters become immediately billable even if no work has been done, so you must manually keep track of when it's time to invoice for a Fixed Price matter, and there's no report on billable Fixed Price matters; 4) When entering time on a Fixed Price matter, there's way no way to check whether you are about to exceed the budget, and no way anywhere to compare budgeted vs actual.

If you're a modern firm moving to fixed price as much as possible, you'll spend a LOT of time looking for work-arounds, and you'll find that implementing your work-arounds will chew up any time saving you might have gotten from using the rest of the software.

I can't wait to change to software that does Fixed Price right.

Pros

It's very hard to pinpoint what I like the most about PracticePanther since there are so many features I rely on for my law practice. I very much like that I can find everything related to a contact or matter in one place. All emails and their attachments, notes, documents, billing, payments, calendar, "to do" list (Tasks), time entries, and communications for a contact and matter can be found in PracticePanther. I use the templates and workflows on a daily basis, which save me time and keep me on track. With a simple click I can send an online questionnaire to a client that, once completed, is kept in the client account.

The tags allow me to filter and label my contacts and matters any way I want. I use PantherPay for online payments which is very easy and shows all payments in the billing account immediately.

I also like that new features are made available regularly - the software is always improving!

Cons

1) Would like for clients to start, save, and continue an intake form at a later time and have them receive a copy of their answers after being submitted.

2) The timer buffers endlessly if the page has not been refreshed. I realize you are working on this. :-/

3) If a client has a PP account with another law firm, that client cannot open a new account with my firm using that same email address. Is there a way to fix this?

4) Would love to have conditional/dynamic fields in the intake forms.

Pros

I love the IT help, the invoicing system and the templates feature. I had a lot of questions and needed a lot of help in the beginning. Being able to schedule times to discuss my issues with the IT guys at PracticePanther was great. The fact that they can take over your computer remotely so they can see what you see in real time is even better. Their response time to non-scheduled issues is pretty fast. I have also found their FAQs and how to videos to be extremely helpful but having a live person to speak with who can access your computer is just as good as having someone standing next to me while I work.

The invoicing system is phenomenal. It keeps track of all of my client banking accounts. I can see at any time how much is in my IOLTA account, how much is in my operating account, how much a client owes, how much a client has paid and how much I have billed a client but not yet invoiced. I can do this client by client, matter by matter or as an overall total. LawPay is free if you sign up through PracticePanther which is awesome because it handles my credit card transactions and when a client pays, it automatically updates my invoicing and accounts. PracticePanther also knows how to deduct things from a client's retainer when sending out an invoice so you don't have to worry about that either. Their timing device feeds right into the system. It is awesome.

Pros

One of the best features of the software is not so much a feature but the logic employed in designing the flow of data. I have used a number of the more popular programs and can heartily recommend this as the best I have found. The ease of use makes it a top choice if you have staff that will use it. I am a single solo and it is not one of my concerns yet. But, I can't see anyone not understanding the flow of information. The automation is superb. Document assembly is easy and logical. One of the best features is the Forms generator. Email the form to your client or prospective client - they fill it out - and it goes right into your data. No need to waste time inputting names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and any other data you would like to have handy in your file.

Tracking time is a breeze as is generating invoices, tracking retainer accounts, tracking trust accounts and more (I find the accounting component more than meets my needs).

Over time you will come to rely on the information in the program over the physical file. It has become my organizational hub for all that I do.

Cons

I would like to see a thick book explaining all the capabilities and limits. The support people are great and can answer any question - I just like to read it and push the software to its limits. I have used PP for some time - moving to another package for some time. At twice the price - it did less. In my brief time away the product dramatically improved & I am back and very happy.

Pros

It's very intuitive which makes it easy to use.
It integrates well with Law Pay.

Cons

It gets hung up a lot.
The program is down for long stretches during the workday.

Pros

I really like two features the most. First, is the absolutely fabulous customer support that I receive. I get answers within less than 60 minutes from the time I contact them. Second is the ease of use. Practice Panther is almost intuitive in its use. If the answer doesn't jump out at you, there are tons of training videos available and the online customer help is spot on.

Cons

I use the basic Essential Monthly Plan. It is the lowest cost but the value is exceptional. I do wish I had some of the additional features in the higher priced plans but those don't fit my budget currently. Those features I can supplement with my own documents or programs.

Pros

This is a really easy to use program, that covers everything from client information, billing, document management, time tracking, and reports that are actually used a lot and simple to both run and understand. It comprehensively runs our entire office and makes our jobs A LOT easier. Plus, it's accessible from any phone, tablet or computer wherever you are.

Cons

E-mails pose a little difficulty in responding back and forth, because you have to start a new e-mail each time, although it may be because we don't have ours set up right. But it's still workable, and when they are saved into the program, it's as clean and easy to use as the rest of the program.

Pros

We are just getting started with the software and have been implementing only for a few weeks. I will update my experience again in about one month.
Although we were efficient, we were not hyper-efficient before Practice Panther. Also, although we are a very systematic firm with set processes, our significant growth made it impossible for us to sustain the systems without a practice management software. From what I have seen, Practice Panther allows us to become hyper efficient because of the following:
1. We are now able to input data one time rather than several times allowing our staff to work on more things and learn more substantive tasks.
2. Inputting information then populates forms and sets up matters.
3. We are able to task and monitor the tasks without relying on memory, sticky notes, pads of paper and task lists.
4. All of the information is now in one place without the need of navigating through various portions of our database.
5. Our clients are happy with the immediate availability and access to their documents without having to request it via email and the ability to communicate through the portal.
6. I believe that the system will allow us to increase capacity and scale our practice.Our model is simple. We try to make the experience for our clients seamless and effortless through the use of portals and constant access to the resources of our firm. The technology will allow us to compete against larger firms.

Pros

The customer service reps are always available (through the website/app!) and are extremely flexible as far as meeting individual requests. The software overall is very intuitive and once the basic information is inputted, training other attorneys and staff is easy. The PracticePanther reps even offered to help with training and do individualized training as necessary!
The iphone app is simple yet you can do everything on it you need to - right from court. I never have to worry about missing court dates or even reminders to review certain files or specific documents because in less than a minute I can have a task set, reminders set, and it will popup as I set it. The calendar syncs with Google Calendar and they imported all of our client contacts from Quickbooks Online, saving us many hours of data entry.
We are getting into the more advanced functions like templates, workflows, and other automation and that's really where the software shines. You create the custom fields, you choose what information is important for every matter, and you can add-on as you are creating matters. The flexibility and ease of access to everything - including client files from DropBox, which can mirror any network - is unrivaled.
Really happy we went with PracticePanther. The amount of time saved having customer care/customer service always available is invaluable. Highly recommended for law firms of all sizes.

Cons

Still working on getting the office transitioned from a paper filing and calendaring system to online. So the one suggestion I would have is to maybe have an app for the calendar that is independent from the phone app - similar to google calendar.
Also, there should be a way to turn the default settings to "Do not email assignees" when a workflow is applied. But that's a tiny suggestion. Overall no major complaints.

Pros

I really love every aspect of this operating software. It saves me time, and frustration. It is also accessible from anywhere, and extremely easy to use.

Cons

There is nothing that I do not like. When I find something that can be "improved" such as adding sound to reminders... they added it into the software.

Pros

So many features and components of administering a law practice are included with PracticePanther that make the daily operation of the business more efficient. I used to use separate billing software, calendaring software - including court calendars for assorted federal and state courts, and task management software. PracticePanther replaced all of them and combines them in an easy to use format. Plus with the credit card payment feature, I now get paid faster (more than 14 days quicker on average) than I have ever been before. It is like having a part-time office administrator on staff.

Cons

I love PracticePanther's suite of features, but I wish it interfaced with my factual and legal research software so that engaging in online research could be automatically timed and the results saved in a way that is accessible through the PracticePanther website. For example, I use CaseText and if PracticePanther had an interface with CaseText, whenever I logged in to do research, I could enter the matter code and the time I researched was automatically billed to that matter and any cases I downloaded were linked to the matter in PracticePanther, I would be even more effective and efficient in getting work done and getting paid for it.

Pros

The dashboard allows me to see, at a glance, my productivity and earnings for the month. I can add important calendar dates and reminders to the page quickly and get a high-level view of everything that I am working on at the time.

Practice Panther also integrates with Google calendar, mail, and apps which is great. It allows me to assign emails to certain folders in gmail and then see the communication string within the program. I can put a calendar entry on my phone while away and it will sync into the app.

It is a great tool to help track and grow my practice.

Cons

As I mentioned above, Practice Panther is newer than the others. There are some features that are coming down the pipeline, but not implemented yet. For instance, the trust accounting process is a little buggy. Some features take some getting used to, but all of this is countered by the fact that they are friendly, nice, and excited to make the program the best it can be.

Overall, well done Practice Panther!

Pros

Integrations with Gmail and WealthCounsel have been absolutely critical and it is so easy to send a client an electronic invoice/receive an online payment. I also really enjoy the workflow function - this is amazing for task tracking and automatically tracking deadlines. Another great feature is the Activity Dashboard that keeps you on track with daily activities.

Cons

It takes a bit to fully immerse yourself in this software and utilize all functions. The template function is a LOT but once you do it a few times you can figure out the ins and outs.

Alternatives Considered

Clio

Reasons for Switching to PracticePanther Legal Software

It seemed smaller and easier to manage