Every single person I've dealt with at Abacus, from initial sale to professional services to tech support, has been patient, professional, knowledgeable, and effective. I've dealt with too many companies who virtually disappear after making the sale. The people at Abacus are nothing like that; their service and support are first rate.

The software uses a customizable database structure, so you can create or modify forms and fields to make them relevant for the types of cases you handle. In areas where aspects of the program are not wholly intuitive, Abacus's knowledge base and online instructional videos are very helpful. Abacus tech support is amazing.

AbacusLaw links to MS Outlook, but not to any other email/calendar client (and I had to quit Outlook for another more reliable email/calendar solution because Outlook is extremely problematic in key, basic areas). I feel like I should be able to drop an email message from any email application -- or any file, for that matter -- into an AbacusLaw matter. I do wish the client portal (for exchanging documents with clients) were available.

Since using AbacusLaw calendaring for trials and deadlines is much easier than before

Relatively easy to use and set up. Calculates trials, deadlines for various reports and court filings

The thing I dislike the most about AbacusLaw is the creating of new reports takes more computer knowledge then it should.

I really thought Abacus was a better product than it has turned out to be. It can't do basic things that an accounting system can do. It's a so-so product.

I liked that it could integrate with our business systems as they are.

The add-ins do not work consistently and have more cons than pros. The reporting is not very good and making deposits that are not client checks makes no sense. The system is good for basic legal clients, but anything more complex and there's issues. You can't just double click on a number in a report to get more information on it like many other software programs. If you print a check, you can't change anything about it with an edit; you have to delete the entire thing to make small changes. There is also no way to track time reductions truly. Entering time takes forever because you have to go into each matter separately and enter your time instead of a large platform to enter time for each matter on one sheet. Editing bills takes so much longer than it should because of how it has to be done.

When I consistently enter time, the software works smoothly for me. Creating invoices is easy, as is correcting time entry errors. If I fall behind the software has no impediments to catching up on time entries. I've looked at switching to another program and concluded that the benefits of functionality I will not use are not worth the learning curve.

The bottom line is that Abuscu does everything that I need and has added bells and whistles that would be valuable in my practice. Once I figure out how to use a function it works well for me. Learning how to use most functions easy. Beyond basic time tracking, adjusting my working style to Abacus Law has been an obstacle. The problem is mine than the software. I've learned to use certain functions that would be valuable to me, but I have not been able to adopt them. I don't think another application would be better. The bottom line is that Abuscu does everything that I need and has added bells and whistles that would be valuable in my practice.

The software feels like it was written 20 years ago and not updated to a better user-interface. I wish that there were a simple to use app for my smartphone. Abacus may have that for its cloud product, but the cost difference made me lose interets. The online help is daunting, but the telephone support is terrific. It's an adequate balance. I wish there was a way to export billing data to Quickbooks. My accountant knows QB. I can't impose on him to learn Abacus accounting. I'm using a program that tracks my computer use by app and even collects screenshots. Something like that would be a wonderful addition.

On the law side of Abacus it is substantially a good system to use. The organization, ease of use, and the multiple tools allow the law side to run smooth and easy with little to no problems. Things such as client entry, event posting, and much more have become much easier over time with the multiple updates and fixes. Overall the law side software is a well created system.

The Accounting side of Abacus has many little problems within it that overall cause the functionality of abacus to become less effective. Things such as tables not communicating with each other and the software crashing due to simple tasks such as voiding checks are some of the many problems that occurs. Without fixing these issues, the overall effectiveness and efficiency of abacus accounting will only continue to diminish.

We have used Abacus since 2010, so 10 years. Abacus helped us to automate law billing. The program also features an excellent data base for notes as well as emails per client. It is fast in terms of locating electronic documents. Its technical support is also helpful.

The biggest feature to improve would be Abacus message slips. I have been trying for over a year to fix the app's propensity to suddenly disappear and then, days later, inform me of the number of messages I have received. BIlling software can be improved dramatically to make it more user friendly.

The cost vs other comparable software is the primary reason why this software was chosen. Additionally (just as important to us) is that the data is stored on our network and not the cloud.

The legal billing and trust accounting functions are great. However, the rest of the accounting functionality really stinks. I like how for billing, you can schedule a bill to e-mail or print and it automatically does it (e/m or print) when you finalize the bills.

I'm used to QuickBooks. I hate that I can't drill down to detail from reports. I hate that I can't type a vendor's name when I tab to the field when entering A/P (you have to open the search window and search for the vendor...there's no way to fully navigate through data entry without taking your hands off the keyboard). Data between the "Law" program and the "Accounting" program becomes "out of sync" frequently. There's a script to run to attempt to fix it, but it takes hours to run.

Abacus worked fairly well initially as a server based small number of user platform. At the time, few system integrated accounting with the LPM main product. New features were overpromised and half-baked.

Tech support and customer support evaporated over time. Systems crashed routinely and Abacus had no reliable answers for tech updates from Microsoft.

We got hit by the Microsoft update. Their executive knew what the issue was and the solution right off. He did a good job of scheduling the fix; offered alternatives; and got the problem fixed.

Number of passwords needed to obtain support; but that is for my protection; but still annoying to have to go over them all the time

It's nice to always have our contacts and cases in one place. There are still many things we need to learn to use this program to its full potential.

Everything is in one program and able to access it all easily

We always have problems with our updates each year. Abacus is really good about fixing it but still a pain to have to call tech support to get it fixed.

Forced subscription model on an outdated program. The program had difficulty with a 4-person law firm. There were numerous issues with duplicate contacts, duplicate emails, multiple scheduling issues, and failed to easily integrate with other applications such as Outlook 2016. We also were forced onto a subscription model, costing approximately $300/month. We received zero updates during that time, despite numerous complaints to the sales team. We purchased a high-end server ($4,000) to run Abacus, thinking the hardware was the cause of the latency issues. This solved nothing. At the end of our contract, our salesperson told us that the software would continue to function, but support would be terminated. This was a lie. The software was restricted to read-only mode and we were locked out of our data. We were then given the option of paying a $275 reinstatement fee, plus increased monthly fees to get the software up and running on our own server again. This was the last straw and we migrated to a much better solution. Abacus is an outdated system that requires significant upkeep. The hardware requirements are not included in their pricing model. Their hosted solution was also garbage, as it failed to integrate with the local programs. Their software is incredible slow and simple tasks (such as printing an invoice) takes 5-10 minutes to accomplish. I would stay away from this product at all costs. One final warning, because their system is so outdated, once you start entering data, it cannot be exported to be migrated to a new system. Their poor design forces you to remain on their system or feel the pain of a weeks long migration system. Again, stay away from this outdated system at all costs.

Nothing. It is complete garbage. It is outdated and shouldn't be on the market.

Poor design, simple tasks are overly complicated, they force an over-priced subscription model, doesn't integrate with other programs, does not integrate directly with phone calendars, created duplicate entries for contacts, cannot migrate data.

It was great until we were forced to upgrade.

Ease of use. Accessibility for all paralegals and attorneys for file information.

After we upgraded, AbacusLaw has been terrible! It changed the decade from "19" to "20" in all client birth years, which will have to be corrected manually. It now locks people out on a frequent basis, occasionally limits their access (will not let them edit notes they have already entered). I was told by an Abacus Support Tech and our company's IT person that Abacus is not meant to be opened and left open. We have been told we need to only open it to do what needs to be done, then close it back out. To leave it open (and we are not even talking about overnight), will cause it to lock up and refuse to allow anyone but the administrator (me to get into it.) I then have to contact our IT guy and spend time that I don't have to get it closed down and re-opened. It is so frustrating on the part of every one of us who uses it!! It is a pain to have to log into Abacus just to check an address, get a telephone number, etc., then log out, only to have to log back in a little later, and on and on.

For the last 20 months my entire law office has been run on Abacus Private Cloud. It has worked flawlessly, with great, responsive, USA-based tech support (for set up issues and as needed thereafter). APC enabled me to put my entire law office into a private cloud environment, in an industrial data center custom-built solely for this purpose, dedicated to the legal profession, and managed by top-notch professionals in the data center industry; this is something I could never have achieved on my own, or through another vendor. The benefits to my law practice from Abacus Private Cloud are: - - My data is secure and safe in the Abacus Private Cloud data center. No more local data backups, because all data is on the private cloud server, and is backed up there. - - My local equipment costs are drastically lower than before I switched to a private cloud. I eliminated the three desktop computers that I was previously accessing remotely. - - I don't need costly application software on each local access device. All law office applications can be run on the private cloud server, not on local hardware. The local devices are there simply to display and interact with the private cloud server. - - My private cloud server can run any software, whether related to Abacus or not. Therefore, I can run the application software that my meets the specific needs of my law practice, regardless of the vendor. - - My local IT and tech support costs are $0. - - My staff and I have become totally mobile, without sacrificing efficiency. This means that each employee, as needed, can work on their own schedule, and from any location with cell phone coverage, electricity, and an Internet connection. This creates a flexible, modern, and dynamic work environment, resulting in a better quality of life, happier attorneys and staff, and a better work vs. life balance for all involved. - - All law office applications and data are accessible 24×7 for each user via any device: desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. - - Private cloud technical requests (e.g., email configuration, remote access from a new device, etc.) are promptly resolved by the Abacus Private Cloud support staff. - - System reliability (uptime) is outstanding. In sum, this is a truly great product, at a reasonable price, with great customer support. I highly recommend you get it!! Thanks.

Abacus is probably best for an office with existing procedures and forms that is willing to make a significant investment into customizing and maintaining Abacus, including having at least one Abacus-designated point person who develops intensive understanding of Abacus. A point about customization: you need to think through your process. For some, a more "plug and play" program may help you to figure out your process.

Potential flexibility because of many functionalities. We use it every day to track matter activity, coordinate schedules, meet deadlines, retrieve critical information, and bill clients.

Cannot use many features without hiring expensive Abacus professional because program is not intuitive. Numerous online resources, including knowledge base and trainings, but difficult to find what I need when I need it. Reports and queries: Odd that in our present "plug and play" world, reports are poorly formatted and queries difficult to use. Email integration: Does not integrate with our google suite, only Outlook. Customer Support: Expertise and availability has declined, although still reasonable, if more time consuming.

As usual, Customer support was very helpful. He called when he said he would and did his best to resolve the issues over which he had control. Where the issues related to Amicus and he could not resolve them himself, he has pointed me in the right direction so that at least I can try to get them resolved in the future if he can’t do so whilst I am on annual leave. In my view, Customer support assistance is really the only redeeming feature of the support provided, with no one else showing any real interest in helping me. The product could be excellent but is let down by speed and support issues. Now I only bother to contact Customer support as he is the only person who has really shown any interest in trying to resolve issues.

The product has a number of useful features which make it good for use in legal work. The ability to store all documents and correspondences within a file and send them by email or move them to different files are excellent, as is the ability to generate template documents and amend as necessary

The product is often slow and cumbersome to use, with numerous glitches which never seem to get resolved. we are based in the UK and were told that we would have 24 hour support, but this simply hasn't happened. I have had some issues with Outlook, copying and pasting and documents not attaching to emails for three months now and, whilst Customer support has made every attempt to try and sort these out, he is only able to do so during US working hours (which means from around 3pm UK time) and, despite his commitment and many efforts, the problems are still not resolved which, I understand, is because there is a bug for which there is so far no fix.

I am a sole practitioner concentrating on Worker's Compensation, Personal Injury, and Municipal Court cases. My calendar and "corporate knowledge" of my cases has improved a lot. My staff likes the software. I highly recommend it.

I have been using Abacus since 2004. I just transitioned from using on my local server to having it and my IT hosted on the Cloud. Abacus is logically organized in a flexible way that allows me to categorize my notes in a way which really suits my practice. It is pretty easy for my staff to learn. It has an abundance of features, including some that I have not yet explored. As an Attorney, I really like the calendar and reports function. As an employer, I really like its document production feature.

Occasionally I have problems printing envelopes from a separate envelope printer, especially when adding a new computer to the network.

I am in the process of finding a different database. I pay almost money per month for technical support. I have been waiting for a week for an answer back from them currently. When they did the update it converted all the date of births to 2000 .... so if you were born in 1995 it shows your date of birth 2095. They tried to tell me a year ago that my contract had expired and wanted me to sign another 5 year contract. I was willing to sign a 3 year and they refused. They continued to charge my credit card for their support after that date. Turns out I did have another year with them and my contract was not expiring. They are HORRIBLE!!!

It's a database. It does what it is supposed to do... when it is working. However, it is impossible to get technical service.

Technical support is non-existent. I have tried multiple times to get an answer to a simple problem, and have been told everything from I don't have a contract with them to it's not their problem. Instead of attempting to help, they smart off and are rude and ridiculous in their responses. My IT people were working with abacus to install an update. It did not work and abacus did not respond to calls or emails for a full week. Then after refusing to get off the phone until someone spoke to me, the guy said they just needed to do a couple things and would I like him to do it then. Thirty minutes later it was working. We spent an entire week without it because they simply would not respond to us. They kept saying someone else had our account but that person was always on the phone with another customer, Managers did not return my phone call either.

Check out other options if you want a cloud bases case management program before going with APC. I am waiting for my 5 year contract to expire and then reevaluate my options. I would like to have more control over "my cloud" and have local, on the scene tech support like we used to enjoy before we were forced to upgrade to APC, or else pay a high price for non-supported, prior versions of the software.

It is nice to be able to access the case management software through the cloud. It allows you to take you work with you where ever you go - which can be a good thing or a bad one.

Abacus Private Cloud does not play well with anything but MS Office 365. I had to buy a more expensive version of Dragon Naturally Speaking Legal and there is such a lag between dictation and text, that the Dragon software never gets used. We also use Essential Forms for our Judicial Council Forms in CA. APC tech support has left me hanging for over 2 weeks, and countless hours trying to figure out software that they had previously installed on their server for our use. It also seems like every time I call support to change something, there is a horrendous charge.

Abacus Law is an important tool that assists with making certain there are multiple ways o access and check information that has been entered. It allows for quick search methods due to various features. Last names care linked to matters, so a potential client file may be entered in names prior to being entered a client in the matters feature. Any entity or person associated with a case can be linked, also providing another method of cross referencing other people associated with an individual case. Linked emails provides another easy way to check emails sent regarding a specific client.

Once client information is entered, other information may be linked and is very helpful when looking up a memo, phone message , email etc. for each client. Once an appointment is scheduled, it also is linked to the events feature, so the program allows for multiple ways to check that important information is stores and is accessible.

At this time the features provided are working well to allow for ease of sending messages, linking client information and researching stored client information.

I first purchased the gold edition of Abacus two years ago and installed it locally. It had its quirks, but we were satisfied overall. A few months in, though, it started crashing frequently during billing and time entry--every 4-5 time tickets and every 3-4 bills rendered. We spent more time re-starting the software than it took to render all of our bills. Abacus IT couldn't figure it out. Then it started to 'forget' the database location and we had to be on the phone with Abacus IT about once a week so they could fix it remotely. When Abacus couldn't figure out why it kept crashing, they guessed it was an incompatibility issue with our brand-new server and suggested we move to Abacus Private Cloud. Sounded fine. They housed and maintained the hardware and we didn't need server IT. Of course, the price went up by 200%. Seemed like a fair trade-off at first. Despite the representations as to stability and savings, it got worse. Our first billing run on APC crashed the software more frequently than it had on our own server. The next billing run was worse. It crashed after nearly every generated bill. At best the software would crash fewer than two dozen times during a billing run, no matter what IT tried to do. Finally, they just blamed it on us. It hasn't been fixed entirely to this day. To add insult to injury, we were told out of the blue that our virtual server was running low on storage space. We removed everything we could think of that we'd put on it and it still ran low. Abacus billed us for additional storage space despite our efforts, without explanation as to where the issue lay or any attempts to help. E-mails to IT were met with silence. Barring some sort of miracle, I cannot wait until our contract is up so I can cancel the agreement. It's ludicrously expensive for what it is and how often it fails to work, and all of the time spent with IT has cost more work hours than I want to admit. It's clunky, quirky, crashes frequently, and the software is unstable no matter which platform or hardware is in use. And buyer beware--Abacus doesn't guarantee the software will work and the cancellation penalty is essentially the equivalent of the value of your remaining contract. I am extremely unhappy with Abacus and feel like I was misled on the initial purchase, and misled again when told that switching everything to the cloud would improve stability.

Abacus has everything we need for our daily functions and makes basic accounting easy. We can access our client's many different ways (i.e.: name, matter, ID). I love the way the top bar is set up. The icons are used daily. I can print out reports for the partner within seconds. Easy transfer of funds from one client to another.

Sometimes when updates are made, there are problems with the monthly billing and client payments. After inputting the time tickets, sometimes the program freezes up and we need to shut down the system a couple of times and even need to call customer services for help. Also, when printing the invoices, even though I put them in alpha order, when they print out, they print out numerically or even one time recently just printed out (255 bills) in no methodical way. The same thing happens when inputting client payments. Instead of allowing me to input what I want to input, if I mark an invoice or invoices.

I appreciate that the court rules are listed/referenced in the events. I have found the program fairly easy to use; however, other staff in the office have struggled with it over the years.

As stated above, several staff in my office have found the software confusing and difficult to use. I've found some court rules in the software program do not match current laws - most specifically within the local court rules.

I do not think I would recommend it. I would change software but for the time consuming nature or changing billing software.

Adding billing entries to a client's account is easy and very user friendly.

There are issues with the accounting features, and sometimes adding a credit or correcting a mistake made in prior billing cycles compounds past issues.

For me, the software runs without a hitch. There are many functions, some of which I haven't yet fully utilized.The scheduling tool is fantastic and very flexible to my needs. Most functionalities are simple to learn how to use. You can carry your job everywhere you go thanks to it.Additionally, the application has a fantastic client database with notes .

This software usage is effective. apart from The only drawback I can mention is that updating can occasionally be a horrific experience.