Clio is web-based legal practice management software for solo practitioners and small firms. It is designed to replace multiple different systems (like document management, case management, and accounting software) to streamline the amount of technology that small firms need to manage.
$49
per month
8am™ MyCase
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
8am MyCase provides web-based practice management software designed for solo and small firm legal professionals. MyCase aims to offer a secure, all-in-one legal practice management solution to alleviate the burden of high caseloads, poor client communication, and practice management operations. The product aims to help users spend less time managing their firm and more time practicing law. MyCase can be accessed from any device or computer so users can manage documents and…
$49
per month per user
Smokeball
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Smokeball in Chicago offers their flagship cloud-based legal case management application featuring time tracking, file and document management, billing, and legal form generation.
N/A
Pricing
Clio
8am™ MyCase
Smokeball
Editions & Modules
EasyStart
$49
per user/per month
Clio Grow
$59
per user/per month
Essentials
$89
per month per user
Advanced
$129
per month per user
Complete
$159
per month per user
Basic
$49
per month per user
Pro
$99
per month per user
Advanced
$119
per month per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Clio
8am™ MyCase
Smokeball
Free Trial
Yes
Yes
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
All pricing tiers have a 7-day free trial. Discount available for annual pricing.
The UI is far better than MyCase. For RocketMatter, it was 6 vs. half dozen. But for a dumb name, our firm may have chosen rocket matter. They do many of the same things.
Clio has the gravitas of having been first and longest to the cloud based law practice management system. …
I switched from MyCase to Clio and haven't looked back. MyCase is decent, but I felt like I could use basic timekeeping/invoicing software for less $$ than MyCase.
Clio has more features, and looks to be working to continually improve.
CLIO Grow is custom-tailored for law firms to use off the shelf with some advanced customization options. CLIO Grow has some superior API integration options that integrate with answering services, online chatbot, website contact forms to capture new leads and automatically …
Clio offers integrations such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Zoom, Dropbox, and more. This allows me to customize my tech stack to fit my specific needs. Clio’s mobile app is more feature-rich, offering time tracking, document access, calendaring, and even …
I prefer MyCase over the alternative practice management services out there simply because it's easy to use and straightforward. The user interface is clean and intuitive. Practice Panther comes close in that regard but still feels clunky and out dated. It makes me feel like …
Clio was really hard to set up (even adding clients) back in 2013. It was also way more expensive than MyCase. I've also looked into Lawcus, Practice Panther, and a few others. I decided to stay with MyCase because they add new features all the time, and it's a local company.
Prior to using MyCase, my firm relied on AbacusLaw for its CRM program. I have also used Amicus Attorney prior to that. AbacusLaw and Amicus Attorney were local area network programs using an onsite computer server. I started using MyCase so that I would have an entire …
LawPay is how I started my journey. It has been an excellent payment processor for my practice. CosmoLex is the platform I used previously - it just wasn't as robust as MyCase. I've worked in Clio environments with co-counsel on several projects. I think MyCase to Clio is a …
Clio allows our law firm to track all aspects of a matter, such as documents, emails, time entries, tasks, and notes, in one place. This is ideal for our mid-sized law firm, which handles general litigation, personal injury, and family law. A feature we appreciate is the client portal's secure way to share updates, documents, and invoices.
It is great for taking credit card payments, managing calendars, sharing and accepting document uploads and maintaining digital files. The app is better than nothing, however is vastly inferior to the web version. The time entries should show on the first screen whether they are marked as billable or non-billable without having to enter each specific time entry
1. Small and medium-sized law firms: Smokeball is specifically designed for small and medium-sized law firms, making it well suited for this type of organization. 2. Firms looking to streamline their workflow: Smokeball's range of features, including document management, time tracking, email management, calendar management, and task management, make it well suited for firms looking to streamline their operations and increase efficiency. 3. Firms looking to improve collaboration: Smokeball's centralized document repository and task management system make it easy for teams to collaborate and access information, making it well suited for firms looking to improve collaboration among team members.
Provides an interface with NextChapter Bankruptcy.
Provides an interface with the forms on our website and landing pages to allow for easy transmission of potential clients into our Clio system from these sources with little human intervention.
Its billing, invoicing and payment integration makes the billing cycle for clients easier.
Trust accounting. This is an area of great concern as little mistakes can lead to serious consequences.
Client management. By posting all client documents we have significantly reduced postage and rather than getting a phone call, the clients can see what is happening in their case.
Scheduling. This is a great way to keep on top of calendars and a better way to avoid missing deadlines.
Document Management: Smokeball provides a centralized document repository where users can store and organize all their case-related documents. This helps to improve document accessibility and collaboration among team members.
Time Tracking: Smokeball automatically tracks time spent on a case, eliminating the need for manual time tracking. This results in improved billing accuracy and helps the firm to accurately bill clients for the time spent on their cases.
Email Management: Smokeball integrates with a user's email account and automatically categorizes emails as they come in. This helps users to quickly find and access important emails, reducing the amount of time spent searching for information.
Document management. It's still far easier for me to create Word templates and just use Word.
Centralized filing of client files. Like I said, I use Word. I work on a Mac and use Mac's tag structure. Clio should find a way to gather all files that have a certain tag and allow me to access them through Clio. Instead, I use Hazel and DropBox.
Case planning and budgeting. I use OmniFocus for project management, a self-created Excel spreadsheet for project budgeting and a cloud-based service for Gantt charts. How hard would it be to add robust project management tools to Clio?
Search feature for stored documents and information. Evernote has Clio beat hands-down, but I don't put client-sensitive information (only caselaw) on Evernote.
Case notes. This feature may be useful for high-volume practices, but I never use it.
Use of AI (should not be integrated into MyCase, especially with legal services that require a high-level of confidentiality which AI cannot guarantee)
Payment Reconciliation (sometimes invoices don't show up, nothing in Help Center about how to remedy)
Billing (doesn't consider that billing contacts for a case may change based on who can pay)
User Interface: Some users have reported that the user interface could be improved to make it more user-friendly and intuitive.
Customer Support: Some users have reported long response times and inconsistent quality of customer support, which could be improved to provide better service to users
Mobile Accessibility: Currently, Smokeball does not have a mobile app, which limits accessibility for users who are frequently on the go.
We have been able to streamline our task management and everyday office procedures by using Clio to its fullest potential. We have a hire client retention rate because we can easily keep track of leads and follow ups. Clio Draft is saving us time on drafting legal documents and correspondence espondence. Overall, we are able to save time and money on everything tasks
Clio is intuitive and easy to learn. Even new staff or attorneys with limited tech experience can quickly navigate through tasks, matters, billing, and calendars. This reduces training time and increases productivity, especially in a busy mid-sized law firm. Because it’s cloud-based, Clio can be accessed from any device, anywhere. Whether I am working in the office, at home, or in court, I have full access to my cases, documents, and time entries.
It is so easy to use. We've had multiple people join our team and they don't have any issues using it right away. It's also easy to use new features as they're developed. I think everyone should have and use a simple case management platform, and MyCase is my usual recommendation.
When I contact them, I am told that the person who can help me cannot be reached but that I should call back. When I call, I cannot get ahold of anyone who can help. Sales/support does not respond to my emails. Maybe if you are part of a large firm they treat you differently.
One of the things we liked most about Tabs3 when we used that system was its support. PracticePanther was step behind in support when we switched to it, but when we switched to MyCase, it actually seems to be a step ahead of Tabs3. The chat support feature has saved me hours on dealing with issues both internally with users and externally with clients trying to navigate the client portal.
We did not use any other practice management software, but I did evaluate Rocket Matter as a potential alternative. Rocket Matter does not have the same robust intake software that Clio Grow does and therefore it was not even a plausible alternative for us to implement. Clio is constantly updating and evolving based on feedback from users and that makes it the kind of program that can grow with your business needs.
Prior to using MyCase, my firm relied on AbacusLaw for its CRM program. I have also used Amicus Attorney prior to that. AbacusLaw and Amicus Attorney were local area network programs using an onsite computer server. I started using MyCase so that I would have an entire cloud-based legal CRM program. At the time its best competitive feature was that the program was entirely cloud-based and that online retrieval of documents and client contact information was easily retrievable. The best contribution of these features is not just improving team collaboration, but improving efficient communication with clients by allowing them online access to their case file and secure communication with the client portal. Our Intake staff uses Clio Grow as a CMS (Contact Management System) despite some intake features being added my MyCase in the past year. Clio Grow has a Kanban board interface to manage incoming leads and improve intake team collaboration. MyCase's intake feature is new and less robust and intuitive to use compared to Clio Grow (formerly Lexicata). From the beginning, G Suite has always been an integral tool for email and calendar management. MyCase offers email and calendar support but G Suite is easiest to use on multiple platforms and hardware devices compared to MyCase.
Organization: I know where to go for my case details
Efficiency: I just leave a window open on one screen logged into mycase and I can instantly modify/update matter details
Billing: integrated credit card payments/invoice updating is nice. Invoicing is a lot easier than prior platforms I used given you can email the invoice out directly from the platform, and see when it has been viewed.
