Categories:

#10

PracticePanther is ranked #10 in the Legal Billing Software product directory based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub. Compare the leaders with our In-Depth Report.

PracticePanther Pricing

Based on our most recent analysis, PracticePanther pricing starts at $49 (Per User, Monthly).

Price
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Starting From
$49
Pricing Model
Per User, Monthly
Free Trial
Yes, Request for Free

Training Resources

PracticePanther is supported with the following types of training:

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars

Support

The following support services are available for PracticePanther:

Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Help Desk
Knowledge Base
Tickets
Training
24/7 Live Support

PracticePanther Benefits and Insights

Why use PracticePanther?

Key differentiators & advantages of PracticePanther

  • Never Miss Billable Hours: PracticePanther excels in time and expense management, with our data showing that it offers 96% of all key requirements out of the box. You can manage retainers and set custom hourly rates, item prices and contingency rates. It supports multiple time clocks and helps you log billable and non-billable hours accurately. You can also add uniform task-based management (UTBM) codes while creating time and expense entries to set benchmarks.
  • Improve Client Experiences: Another strong suite is the platform’s client and contact management module, which has received an 89 rating from our analysts. You can design unique client intake funnels to capture all required information. Clients get individual portals to submit documents, track cases and pay invoices. You can use the built-in two-way messaging system or send emails and text messages from the software interface. The platform maintains a communication log and enhances client outreach with email campaigns and lead-tracking tools.

Industry Expertise

PracticePanther supports firms across a range of specialties, such as bankruptcy, civil litigation, criminal law, family law, health law, immigration, intellectual property, labor law, other practice areas, personal injury, real estate, tax law and traffic law.

PracticePanther Reviews

Average customer reviews & user sentiment summary for PracticePanther:

User satisfaction level icon: excellent

613 reviews

92%

of users would recommend this product

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Based on an aggregate of PracticePanther reviews taken from the sources above, the following pros & cons have been curated by a SelectHub Market Analyst.

Pros

  • Ease of Use: Many users find PracticePanther easy to use, with an intuitive interface that makes it accessible for beginners without extensive coding experience.
  • Comprehensive Features: The software addresses critical legal practice management needs, offering tools for billing, invoicing, time tracking, case management, document handling and client portals.
  • Efficient Automation: PracticePanther offers automation for client onboarding, billing and document handling, streamlining workflows and saving time on repetitive tasks.
  • Easy Accessibility: The cloud-based platform, along with its mobile app, helps users access tasks and stay in touch with their operations from anywhere.
  • Streamlined Client Experiences: The platform offers client onboarding automation, unique portals and internal messaging tools that help simplify and streamline client-attorney interactions.

Cons

  • Performance Issues: Some users report the software being slow and unresponsive, particularly during peak usage times.
  • Bugs and Errors: A few users reported calculation errors in trust accounting and time tracking due to bugs and cookie issues.
  • Documentation Quality: The software’s documentation could be clearer and more user-friendly, particularly for new users.
  • Limited Reporting: The solution offers limited pre-built reporting templates and dashboard visualizations. However, the vendor offers assistance in designing custom ones.
  • Integration Challenges: Users have reported faulty integrations with third-party tools, especially with Zapier, Jubilee and Record Grabber.
  • Billing Limitations: The platform offers limited billing customizations and requires users to manually open each bill to see its content, making the review process slow and cumbersome.

Researcher's Summary:

During testing, I found PracticePanther relatively straightforward to set up. Customizing the platform with my firm’s logo and name was a breeze. Creating matters, assigning tasks and syncing calendars felt intuitive. Even integrating Panther Payments for online payments was smooth sailing. While the interface could use a design refresh, it’s functional and easy to navigate.

One standout feature is the matter creation process. The ability to categorize matters with tags and custom fields is beneficial. PracticePanther’s flexibility in handling different billing structures, including flat rates, hourly rates and retainers, is a major plus. The platform's automatic alerts for depleted retainer funds are a time-saver.

I'm also impressed with its document management capabilities. The integration with cloud storage and the version history feature is invaluable for maintaining document control. Creating custom templates for different document types is a convenient touch.

While PracticePanther offers a solid foundation for legal practice management, it presents some notable limitations. The billing process is particularly cumbersome. The absence of a streamlined review function, forcing users to open each invoice individually, significantly hampers efficiency. This contrasts sharply with other platforms that offer more intuitive billing and reviewing navigation.

Additionally, the lack of advanced features, such as integrated legal research tools, is a drawback for firms that rely heavily on online research. Although the software can track time, the absence of connections with research websites and tools means manual timekeeping, which can be error-prone and time-consuming.

Despite these shortcomings, PracticePanther is well-suited for solo practitioners and small law firms with relatively straightforward caseloads. Its ease of use and core features, such as matter management and document handling, make it a viable option for firms that prioritize these functions. However, for larger firms with complex caseloads or those that require advanced features like robust reporting and analytics, PracticePanther may fall short.

Key Features

  • Case Management: Store detailed user information with ease, along with tags and follow-up updates, making it easy and organized.
    • Remote Access: Get quick overviews of all case-related information, including contacts, tasks, calendar entries, documentation and more. Automatically sync firm databases for unobstructed remote access from any device with an internet connection.
    • Contacts and Matter Management: Keep legal matters organized and up-to-date by adding relevant contacts, notes and bills. Limit access to sensitive matter information with controlled permissions. Securely collaborate with team members and share and recall data.
    • Conflict Search: Link contacts to matters for checking on conflicts of interest and parties represented by the lawyer.
  • Document Management: Manage all your documents in one place and set up automation to reduce repetitive tasks.
    • Centralized Repository: Store and manage all legal documents and files securely in a single location. Enhance efficiency by electronically sending documents for signatures, auto-populating client information, and creating custom templates to streamline document creation workflows.
    • Organized Access: Avoid wasting time searching for documents. Organize files by client and matter for easy retrieval. Use custom tags to categorize and filter your firm's legal documents.
    • E-Signatures: Expedite the document approval process by offering electronic signatures via email, text message or the client portal. Create and send multiple documents for eSignature in batches simultaneously.
    • Cloud Integration: Connect with leading cloud storage platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Box.com. This eliminates the need to switch between platforms and helps you sync all document changes automatically.
    • Customizable Templates: Boost document creation speed by uploading and using pre-defined templates. Automatically populate templates with your firm's information and client data. Track document progress through a dashboard with status indicators (incomplete, completed, in progress, overdue) and assign conditional tasks as needed.
  • Legal Billing: Never miss a billable hour with automated time and expense tracking tools.
    • Customizable Invoicing: Create professional invoices tailored to your firm's branding. Include client information, activity logs, notes and more. Assign specific billable rates based on user, activity, matter or contact for accurate fee calculations.
    • Integrated Payment Processing: Accept payments through various methods, including custom payment links, the client portal, phone or in-person transactions using Panther Payments, the native payment processor.
    • Billing Reports: Gain insights into your firm’s performance by generating detailed reports. Analyze billing trends and collections data, identify top-billed practice areas, and filter reports by custom tags, bank accounts, payment methods, contacts or matters.
  • Trust Accounting: Manage trust and operating accounts while automating compliance with IOLTA, ABA and all 50 state bar regulations. Stay informed about retainer balances by setting up automatic alerts. Receive notifications when trust account balances fall below pre-defined thresholds and perform daily three-way reconciliations for oversight of your trust account activity.
  • Legal CRM: Organize client data, gain a holistic view of cases, automate client onboarding and sync new client data from automated intake forms.
    • Custom Tags: Categorize contacts by client type (existing, potential etc.), professional contact or any other relevant category using custom tags. Use these tags to filter data and gain insights into your client base.
    • Client Portals: Provide clients with a secure online portal. They can access uploaded documents, communicate with your firm, review invoice balances and make online payments. The platform automatically populates client information from their intake forms to create accurate profiles.
    • Workflow Automation: Streamline client follow-up with automated workflows that trigger tasks and events based on pre-defined conditions. Automate appointment scheduling and send automatic reminders to clients, ensuring timely communication.
  • Calendaring: Create time entries, confirm client meetings, manage tasks and stay on top of court rule deadlines using a centralized calendar system.
    • Visualized Deadlines: Use color-coded tags to visually identify deadlines and events associated with specific contacts, matters and tasks.
    • Automated Time Capture: Convert appointments and events into time entries with a single click, ensuring all billable hours are captured and accurately allocated to the appropriate client.
    • Court Rule Integration: Connect with LawToolBox to sync pre-set and custom court rule deadlines with your PracticePanther calendar and workflows, keeping you ahead of important legal dates.
  • Integrations: Connect to a host of essential applications to improve the firm’s productivity and automation standards. Some popular applications it supports integrations with include Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, Box, Dropbox, Outlook, Google Calendar, Apptoto and many more.
  • Security: Protect firm data against vulnerabilities with 256-bit military-grade encryption. Limit platform access to authorized IP addresses and enable two-step authentication. Maintain client confidentiality and HIPAA compliance with Box.com’s secure storage capabilities.

Approach to Common Challenges

  • Caseload Management: The platform helps organize and prioritize cases efficiently through customizable tags, matter management and automated workflows.
  • Time Management: You can accurately track billable hours and improve time management with automated time tracking features and integration with calendar functions.
  • Billing and Collections: Streamline invoicing, payment processing and collections with customizable templates, automated payment reminders and detailed billing reports.
  • Client Communication: It lets you enhance client relationships through secure client portals, automated communication workflows and document-sharing capabilities.
  • Document Management: You can store, organize and access legal documents efficiently with centralized storage, version control and document automation features.
  • Financial Management: Manage trust accounts effectively with automated reconciliations, compliance features and real-time balance monitoring.
  • Team Collaboration: The platform enables you to improve team efficiency and communication through shared calendars, task management and document-sharing capabilities.
  • Compliance: Maintain compliance with legal and ethical standards through features like trust accounting management, automated notifications and document retention policies.

Cost of Ownership

Frequently asked questions regarding PracticePanther pricing include:

Q. Does PracticePanther offer a free trial or demo?
A. Yes, PracticePanther offers a seven-day trial period at no cost to allow potential customers to evaluate the platform before committing to a purchase. We recommend taking advantage of this to assess if PracticePanther meets your firm's requirements.

Q. What are PracticePanther’s pricing options?
A. PracticePanther offers the following subscription plans:

  • Solo: Charges $49 monthly for each user. This plan offers case management, document templates, real-time notifications, task and event workflows, native payment processor integration, and more.
  • Essential: Charges $69 monthly for every user. It includes custom fields, CRM tools, multiple bank accounts, custom security roles and more.
  • Business: Charges $89 monthly per user. It includes everything in the previous plans, along with internal messaging tools, client portals, custom intake forms, eSignatures, attorney revenue reports and more.

Q: Are there any hidden fees or additional costs associated with PracticePanther?
A. While PracticePanther offers a transparent pricing structure, it's essential to inquire about any potential additional fees. These include fees for specific integrations, payment processing or support services. It's advisable to clarify all costs upfront to avoid any surprises.

Limitations

At the time of this review, these are the limitations according to user feedback:

  • Customer support isn’t responsive at times.
  • Lacks a comprehensive knowledge base and product training resources.
  • Integration options are limited and create occasional glitches.
  • Sudden patches can cause stability and performance issues.
  • Existing LawPay users cannot get free access to the integration.

Demo Resources

  • Online Knowledge Base: Access a repository of articles, tutorials and FAQs for self-guided learning and troubleshooting.
  • Interactive Tutorials: Learn through step-by-step guided demonstrations covering various platform functionalities.
  • Video Tutorials: Watch informative videos explaining different features and best practices.
  • Dedicated Support Team: Receive expert assistance through email, phone or live chat support channels, available at a cost. The vendor also provides a dedicated success manager at extra costs.
  • Personalized Onboarding: Benefit from tailored training sessions to ensure a smooth transition and efficient adoption. The vendor also offers data migration services from other third-party legal solutions.
  • Webinars and Workshops: Attend informative webinars and workshops to stay updated on new features and best practices.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions regarding PracticePanther include:

Q. Is PracticePanther a CRM?
A. No, PracticePanther is not a CRM but offers customer relationship management tools and features. While it primarily focuses on legal practice management, it includes features to manage client information, interactions and relationships. It allows you to store client details, track communication and organize contacts, making it a valuable tool for building client relationships.

Q. How do I write off an invoice on PracticePanther?
A. There are two primary methods to write off an invoice on PracticePanther:

  1. Write-off function:
    • Open the outstanding invoice.
    • Click the "Actions" button.
    • Select "Write Off."
  2. Creating a credit note:
    • Open the outstanding invoice.
    • Click the "Actions" button.
    • Select "Apply Credit Note."
    • Create a credit note for the full invoice amount.

We recommend referring to the PracticePanther help center for the most accurate and up-to-date instructions.

Q. Is PracticePanther compatible with different operating systems?
A. PracticePanther is a cloud-based platform, meaning you can access it through web browsers on various operating systems like Windows, macOS and Linux. However, we recommend you check with PracticePanther directly for any specific compatibility requirements.
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