ALB is a comprehensive UK Legal Practice Case Management solution that integrates all law firm processes into one system, including legal accounting, document management, time recording and client / matter management. The vendor states that their system is used by 700+ UK legal firms, and 68 per cent of them reported that ALB helps their fee earners save time every single day. They further state their customers gain real benefits in improved efficiencies, better management, consistent customer…
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PracticePanther
Score 8.5 out of 10
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PracticePanther is law practice management software. Customers include solo practitioners, virtual, small, and mid-sized firms worldwide. The core of PracticePanther software includes contact & matter management, time & expense tracking, invoicing, calendaring, reporting, permissions, tasks, templates, intake forms, document management & automation. A free trial is available for 3 clients / 3 cases.
$49
per month
Pricing
Advanced ALB Legal Software
PracticePanther
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Solo Plan (Billed Annually)
$49
per user
Solo Plan (Billed Monthly)
$59
per user
Essential Plan (Billed Annually)
$69
per user
Essential Plan (Billed Monthly)
$79
per user
Business Plan (Billed Annually)
$89
per user
Business Plan (Billed Monthly)
$99
per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Advanced ALB Legal Software
PracticePanther
Free Trial
No
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
No
Yes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
$83 per user, per month
No setup fee
Additional Details
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More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Advanced ALB Legal Software
PracticePanther
Considered Both Products
Advanced ALB Legal Software
Verified User
Professional
Chose Advanced ALB Legal Software
ALB Legal Software is a more efficient product than MyCase and PracticePanther mostly for the integration it allows and the "all in one" approach that it takes. It takes several different areas and functions of legal practice and puts in one platform eliminating the need to …
It has all you need built in right out of the box with all the core features you'd expect; Client Matter Inception process, Time Recording, Diary, Customisable Workflow modules, Billing, etc. Then there's all the extra modules which other products don't necessarily have; Wills and Deeds databases, Purchase Ledger (Accounts and Cashiers love everything to do with the accounts side), Laserform Integration, pdfDocs integration, OverVu integration for easy reporting.
Inevitably there will be compromises as with any piece of software. Especially one that covers off so many angles. The development tools could be stronger, the way addresses are handled seems to me to be overly complex. Having said that though, the software's primary purpose is to help Fee Earners and support staff provide services to clients and it does this admirably. You can't expect Visual Studio. I've seen users make a mess of the simplest of address databases with strong training provided so it might not be to my taste but I imagine they didn't develop it for fun.
My biggest gripe with the software is that some errors look severe. Other software would trap them in a more gentle manner. However, users quickly adjust to this and Advanced do some very clear monitoring to reduce them as the product mores forward.
It is perfect for law management as it has integrations with Lawpay, which is specific for operating and trust account billing. I am able to create custom intakes for a client to fill out, automated with a task when submitted, and then review and response. I am also able to use the forms for internal use to enter information and use templates to populate those fields onto documents that I create.
At times the dashboard and User Experience and User Interface do not follow a logical pathway. It can be confusing at times, but not extremely detrimental.
The client portal has also experienced some issues with the User interface and user experience functions as well.
There are some features that are available on one part of the software but not on others. E.g., when creating a task, you can add and make new tags. But during the creation of a workflow, when making a task, you can't make new tags. You have to make the task outside of the workflow space.
An event whereby you can invite outside users/clients without creating a client portal.
If the client portal was a bit more robust, I would like to use it. See the first item; I am unable to make tasks through workflows with links to be populated for my clients to make client task easier when I need to direct them to a different webpage to complete an item.
The usability is slightly above average. The all-in-one approach has been great and useful, but some of the functionality and user experience and user interface issues can affect usability. Some might be nitpicky, but not following logical pathways or ones that may pose issues for those that have disabilities can really create issues.
The support, if we are talking about technical support with the product itself when issues arise, is average. It's not terrible, but not great either. It is average and what you might expect. Some issues are delayed in getting responses and we constantly have to be upgrading to higher tiers or developers. Some responses are quick though. Response time could be improved, much like other organizations.
I love the Support team. Available through chat on any screen on your practice panther. They say they respond within 24 hours but it's usually at most 3 hours and they direct you a solution or that confirm no available solution. The team at PP is always helpful and know how to follow up with issues in a timely manner.
ALB Legal Software is a more efficient product than MyCase and PracticePanther mostly for the integration it allows and the "all in one" approach that it takes. It takes several different areas and functions of legal practice and puts in one platform eliminating the need to leverage 2-3 platforms sometimes i.e. timekeeping, document management, mobile access, client portal, etc. Keeping it under one roof helps.
