CARET Legal Reviews

“Incredibly easy for managing practice

Pros

Managing my practice feels so much simpler with Caret Legal. As everything from case files and documents to invoicing and email is kept in one neat and user friendly system. The automation features cut down on repetitive tasks, the billing tools are clear and easy to use and their customer support has been reliably excellent too. Overall it's dependable, efficient and has genuinely made my everyday workflow smoother.

Cons

Although the interface is clean and the support team is helpful, I find creating custom reports to be a pain. I cannot build those reports myself as I have to ask their team to put them together which reduces flexibility and sometimes delays getting the insights I need to run my practice.

“Frequent issues, things disappear

Pros

I am really grateful that email is integrated into the program. Every message I compose is billed to the matter but only when it actually works.

Cons

My experience has been spoiled by recurring glitches. As calendar entries vanish without warning, emails fail to attach to their matters and billing records get messed up. When I contact customer support they tell me their engineers do not know what's causing the issue.

“allows seamless communication with microsoft

Pros

Because our setup integrates with Microsoft, communication flows smoothly across tools and it saves us a lot of time by removing the need to jump between multiple applications.

Cons

There is not much about it that bothers us since it meets our requirements well but I do find that some of the more advanced features are not as user friendly as they could be.

“Completely used to this program

Pros

As a law firm, I am fully accustomed to this software. I find it handy for keeping our books and for organizing and tracking our clients legal matters.

Cons

Payroll is the one thing I don't use this program for. My employees clock in and out through QuickBooks and that is the system I use to run payroll and pay my employees.

“Adding innovative updates but support lags

Pros

I have noticed they continuously roll out creative new updates and features even though while onboarding can be rough at times and a few bugs need fixing. But they are clearly putting effort into staying current with the fast-moving legal tech space. Plus our account manager deserves special mention as as they have been fantastic and consistently stood up for us whenever we have run into problems and are proactive about helping us navigate changes and updates.

Cons

We deal with an outsourced technical support team and I have had ongoing communication problems. The company moved its support offshore several years ago. At that time, customer service was genuinely helpful but now even small issues can create multiple tickets and long, tangled threads. This messy back-and-forth stretches problems out and makes quick resolutions difficult.

“Love the time-saving calendaring feature

Pros

Overall I am really impressed with Caret Legal's calendaring feature because it saves me a lot of time and helps prevent errors. I also like how documents are organized and stored which fits my workflow well.

Cons

However it can be unreliable at times as it occasionally glitches or goes offline, which is frustrating and inconvenient. Moreover it does not always calculate federal deadlines correctly and accurate federal deadline calculations would be extremely useful in my practice.

“Seamless workflow from time to billing

Pros

What I really like about CARET Legal is how naturally the workflow flows from tracking time to preparing prebills and finally producing the completed invoices. It has seriously reduced the administrative busywork that used to take up a lot of my time. The automated parts of the billing process are a major plus because they let me concentrate on higher-value work instead of getting stuck in repetitive manual tasks. Setting the system up was relatively easy too and the support team has been quick to respond and helpful while we tweak things to fit our practice. Their responsiveness made the transition much smoother and that hands-on assistance has been a big help as we learn how to make the software work best for our needs.

Cons

One area I'd like to see improved is the trust account functionality. Right now I cannot easily have a trust balance applied across all matters for a given client and that limits flexibility. It would also be great to have a bulk option to apply partial trust payments to multiple prebills at once, instead of having to handle each prebilled item one by one.

“All in one solution

Pros

I am using a single platform that handles billing, document management, e-mail integration and task management. It is a combination I have not seen bundled together in other software.

Cons

Because everything is centralized here, when something malfunctions it impacts the entire firm and can drag our processes to a halt until it is fixed.

“Very user friendly and easy

Pros

For me, Caret is incredibly user-friendly and easy to use. I can find any matter quickly by typing just a few letters of its name into the search box.

Cons

It does occasionally freeze, though that's rare. When it happens, I either reach out to support or simply exit the app, wait a couple of minutes and then try again.

“Allows focus on important tasks

Pros

We can concentrate on the tasks that matter because the system handles processes we'd otherwise have to do by hand. Plus it is so user-friendly that our long-time employees quickly get comfortable navigating and using the software.

Cons

I have not faced any problems worth mentioning. I am really happy with the software and the way it's simplified our workday, making routine tasks noticeably less of a hassle.

“Very user friendly all-in-one platform

Pros

Caret Legal is incredibly easy to use and it organises our workflow by keeping documents, invoices, calendar entries and case notes all organized together in a single place.

Cons

To be honest I do not have any complaints. We use it across every part of our law firm and it supports all of our daily needs without issue.

“a complete tool for our practice

Pros

Once we set it up, it truly worked as a single platform for everything. It handled matter management, billing, trust accounting, emails and document storage all in one place, so I was not jumping between different programs anymore. The workflow automation has been a real time saver. After spending upfront hours mapping task flows for intake, litigation stages and document follow-ups, the process now runs smoothly and eliminated a lot of the who's doing what ambiguity that used to slow us down. The email integration stands out as being able to tag emails directly to matters without Outlook add-ons was huge for keeping conversations tied to the right file automatically. I also appreciated the reporting. The dashboards give visibility into time entries, productivity and bottlenecks and the financial reports are noticeably more robust than simpler practice-management tools I have used.

Cons

I did not love everything. As the learning curve is pretty steep. I mean it is not something you learn in an afternoon. Getting staff trained took a decent chunk of time and even after that everyone still hit frustrating moments. It is powerful but far from simple. The interface feels a bit dated and cluttered compared with newer platforms as it is not the most user friendly UI I have used and sometimes accomplishing basic tasks required too many clicks. Pricing also sits on the higher end though I could see the value but it still felt expensive, especially for modules and features we rarely used day to day. Updates can introduce hiccups as well. Such as when it rolls out new features something might break or things slow down occasionally. It has not caused disasters but those interruptions are annoying. Support is mixed too such as our dedicated rep was helpful, yet ordinary support tickets sometimes took longer to resolve than I expected.

“love the responsive customer service

Pros

One thing I really like about CARET is that their customer service is consistently responsive. They generally seem genuinely committed to fixing issues when they come up.

Cons

Sometimes I come across random glitches, extremely slow periods and occasional downtime. Those problems can be really frustrating for my team and disrupt our work.

“complete all in one office solution

Pros

As the office manager for a small family law firm, Caret Legal has made our daily operations so much simpler. We used to juggle multiple programs for billing, scheduling and documents, but now it is all unified in one platform. Also it is well-organized and user friendly making it easy to use for our entire team. The time tracking, task lists and calendar keep everyone coordinated and the Outlook integration is a huge benefit. Creating bills and invoices is also pretty easy and we get a clear overview of every case's status. Our Customer Success Manager has also been the best as he is always quick to answer questions and solve any problems. Overall it saves us time and keeps the office running efficiently. So I'd highly recommend it to any law firm wanting to streamline their workflow.

Cons

The Outlook integration can be glitchy sometimes. I would also love to have the option to build my own custom reports and the matterscapes feature does not quite cover everything we need.

“Perfect for any remote work team

Pros

The fact that it is a web-based system is a major advantage for us. With so many remote employees, it is very good knowing they can log in just as easily from the road as they can from the office.

Cons

There are still a few bugs they are ironing out but the team is very good about asking for feedback and responding to it. Also the initial setup for some things can take a while but once it is done, the experience is pretty smooth.

“An all-in-one hub

Pros

One of the best feature of Caret is having everything accessible online from any location such as documents, tasks, the calendar, events and time entries. The mobile app also works perfectly.

Cons

I wish I could make the box at the top of the screen bigger or smaller. I also want a special folder for my favorite things that I can see right away when I open the program.

“Unusable and messy accounting functionality

Pros

My only favorite thing about this tool is having all our information consolidated in a single, central location.

Cons

The accounting functionality is a complete mess, it is missing a lot of essential components that you'd expect from an accounting system.

“Managing Partner

Pros

None. This is a POS program. DO NOT MIGRATE FROM AMICUS ATTORNEY!

Cons

This program is wholly deficient. I made a huge mistake in "migrating" from Amicus Cloud. THe data migration was a disaster. Our email does not integrate. Payments are not properly credited, Stay away from this company and this product!

“Seamless for global teams

Pros

Since Caret is cloud-based, our different international offices can use it seamlessly. We often use the mobile app over the desktop version because the layout is so well-designed.

Cons

Documents can take a moment to load at times but once they are open, there are plenty of useful tools available.

“packed with the best features

Pros

I rely on its case management, email syncing and the ability to handle multiple tasks at once.

Cons

Support was outstanding during our first two years using the product, but lately it's essentially vanished. Responses now take days or even weeks, which is incredibly frustrating. If we don't get this sorted promptly, I'll be forced to explore alternative vendors later this week to resolve our problem.

“Love the journal entry feature

Pros

I really appreciate the journal entry capability. My team and I rely on journal entries to record expenses in a summarized way instead of having to log every single transaction individually. For instance, QuickBooks does let you make journal entries, but their guidance tends to steer people away from that approach. Many general ledger packages are form-driven, meaning they focus on entering each transaction as it happens. That method feels restrictive and can easily lead to missed items. Using journal entries lets me summarize monthly bank and credit card expenses without losing the level of detail I need to review individual charges.

Cons

When I create a credit memo it ends up generating what looks like 'phantom cash.' The standard process seems to convert the credit into an operating retainer: the credit posts to the Retainer Liability account while the offsetting debit shows up in our bank account. Because no actual cash was received, our bank balance becomes inflated on the books. To correct that overstatement I have to make a separate manual journal entry to eliminate the so-called 'phantom cash.'

“Streamlined processes focus your time

Pros

Because of smooth workflows, I can spend my time on priorities while still addressing the needs of every client's case with Caret today.

Cons

I have trouble tracking workflows, making time tracking tricky.

“Nothing useful, a frustrating experience

Pros

I couldn't find anything worthwhile in CARET. A few of their instructors were genuinely earnest and tried to help, yet the migration team never managed to get my data configured correctly for everyday use.

Cons

As a sole practitioner running a very small law office, I was charged $2,500 by CARET to migrate my files because they told me my data was 'complicated'twenty years of PC Law records. After two months, the migration still wasn't finished as everything that did make it over was corrupted, with A and L codes changed which I still don't understand. I repeatedly told them that LEDES billing and LSS billing formatting were absolutely essential, yet after those two months CARET still hadn't set up my billing properly. They have refused to return my money. Maybe their service is aimed at larger firms, but for me this was an extremely frustrating experience that wasted time and money.

“Horrible service and constant glitches

Pros

I have found Caret Legal casts a very wide net because the software is extremely comprehensive, which I like. Plus its biggest advantage for me is serving as a true all in one platform.

Cons

What frustrates me is the customer service it's terrible as the software glitches constantly, leading to significant downtime and I end up speaking with outsourced staff who take notes promising callbacks that never actually happen either.

“Promises a lot but delivers little

Pros

When I first signed up, it was promoted as a complete, all-in-one case management and accounting solution. Lately, though I have noticed that customer support responsiveness has worsened since ZolaSuite was acquired by Abbacus.

Cons

I've been consistently frustrated by the customer support experience. The first-line agents only handle very basic troubleshooting, the second-tier team tends to push you toward scheduling a training session and the groups who actually need to make changes or resolve issues rarely respond at all.

“Love Caret!

Pros

I find this product to be quite easy to use. The capability to log time and create invoices directly within the platform is a significant advantage for me.

Cons

I found it challenging to track and save emails, which led me to search for a different product.

“Not suitable for us!!

Pros

I thought this product was good when it had customer support available. However, the lack of decent support now is disappointing. Taking five days to add a new employee is unacceptable and really hampers my business.

Cons

I've noticed that customer support has been outsourced offshore. They've started using a VoIP solution, but it's a low-quality one, making it very hard to hear and understand the tech support on the line. Also, it's quite difficult to even reach a technical person, and when I do, they often seem disinterested and at times even outright defiant. For example, when I asked for help adding a new employee recently, I was simply directed to watch videos. I responded that if I could have done it myself, I wouldn't have asked for assistance. They should reconsider their place in this market, and I don't intend to continue using their services after this experience.

“Only did a trial and felt disappointed

Pros

We signed up for this platform because we needed integrated billing that connects directly with our invoice system.

Cons

I ran a trial and explored the various features to see how they work in practice.

“Seamless transition to all in one

Pros

I've been really impressed by how seamless the switch from Zola to CARET Legal was. Being able to handle billing, time tracking, scheduling, accounting and reconciliation all within one system feels like a major advantage. Thanks to CARET, I don't have to juggle three or four separate subscriptions anymore.

Cons

My main wish is for stronger email integration and an easier way to save contacts, plus support for group email billing. Also, I've noticed that the client portal can be a bit confusing for some of my clients to navigate.

“CARET software is simply outstanding!

Pros

This software is truly remarkable. With Caret Legal, I can manage my legal files exceptionally well. It offers various benefits, including accounting, generating basic reports, and managing my time effectively.

Cons

Up to this point, I haven't had much to complain about regarding Caret Legal.

“Helping me get better

Pros

I appreciate being able to track the time I spend with each client accurately and effortlessly assign fees and expenses.

Cons

Honestly, I had to invest a bit of my time in learning how to maximize the software's potential and become familiar with it.

“Full of issues

Pros

Theoretically, this program is designed to simplify the billing process for clients, keep tabs on billable time, and provide a central location for accessing documents, emails, case notes, accounting records, and reports.

Cons

The program does not operate correctly. I constantly face errors that impact productivity due to the many issues we deal with daily.

“Nothing much to like

Pros

Caret prepopulated my answer when asking what I like most. What I would say is that Zolas cloud-based setup is my favorite part. As I am able to sign in from anywhere, at any hour and consistently reach all the tools and information I rely on.

Cons

One of the main reasons I picked Zola/Caret was its accounting capabilities. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to use that featurewhich I had relied on since 2019because there appears to be a PLAID connection issue between the app and my bank. Since May I can't reconcile my accounts using the "download and review" function. That has added several extra hours to my monthly workflow. As a solo practitioner, I simply don't have that kind of spare time. I've been contacting Caret repeatedly starting in early June. Their most recent reply suggested I should switch banks I've been with my current bank since 2006, which felt neither reassuring nor helpful. How am I supposed to know a new bank wouldn't produce the same problem? I also notice that follow-up only happens when I initiate contact, rather than the company proactively updating me with progress or solutions.

“Easy timekeeping but difficult CRM

Pros

I am able to link it with Box and I find the time tracking feature simple and convenient to use.

Cons

Dealing with junk and spam leads in the CRM is a nightmareI have to remove each one by hand and I can't even delete a contact's card until every junk/spam lead tied to it is gone. I've looked for a bulk-delete option, but there isn't one, so clearing out trash takes forever. Overall the CRM feels lacking when I compare it to other systems I've used. The calendar is frustrating too: fixing, updating, or deleting an instance of a recurring event is surprisingly clunky and I often accidentally drag an appointment just by hovering over it. Like the CRM, the calendar isn't nearly as user-friendly or convenient as competing products.

“Great service but lacks workflows

Pros

Most of the time customer support is excellent. I also appreciate that it lets me build reusable templates.

Cons

It lacks workflow functionality. The intake forms don't integrate with the custom or matter fields and I can't send an electronic engagement agreement directly through Caret.

“good sorting but no shortcuts

Pros

For my workflow I sort by date to view work during set periods

Cons

I wish it had text shortcuts to speed up entering notes or descriptions of commonly used phrases like "tc" for "Telephone conference with...", "hrg" for "Hearing", etc.

“Very glitchy and inefficient system

Pros

I appreciate the wide range of reports available. Being able to glance at the dashboard and quickly get a sense of how the firm is performing has been priceless for me. I'm not sure how it stacks up against rival products, though.

Cons

The CARET/Zola system is extremely glitch-prone. I notice there are many redundant steps built into the platform and it feels like every few actions require me to invent a workaround which wastes time and isn't efficient. I also want the ability to send clients a direct link to pay their initial retainer like we can for the operating account. On top of that our contacts data causes major headaches and there isn't a clear way for me to correct it, which is really aggravating.

“Email option in caret is terrible

Pros

being able to set my own Default Screen is good as it appears the same every time I log in.

Cons

Personally, the e-mail features lack the flexibility Outlook offers. If Caret Legal is going to integrate with Outlook, there should at least be a choice for how I want my Outlook to behave. Almost everyone I know uses Outlook and frankly the e-mail functionality inside Caret is awful. There are additional issues and I keep a running list of them. Maybe I ought to start keeping that more formally. Also, many billing settings frustrate me and a number of them can't be changed.

“Seamless and efficient client organization

Pros

For me, Zola stands out because it offers a wide range of distinct features that help keep client organization smooth and efficient.

Cons

I find it frustrating that Zola occasionally runs into technical problems.

“Very easy and simple to use

Pros

The tool is incredibly simple and user-friendly. What I like is how it pulls together my teams calendar, email and task lists into one place. Its timekeeping and billing features also make it really easy for me to monitor each attorney's hours.

Cons

For me, the contact management system feels somewhat disorganized.

“Love their quick customer support

Pros

I am really impressed with their customer support as they reply very quickly and seem extremely knowledgeable.

Cons

What bugs me is that I can't set up automated tasks which automatically fill in with due dates.

“well organized

Pros

I find it fairly well organized and easy to navigate.

Cons

From my experience, working in the cloud leads to noticeable delays in response time and the accounting features don't compare to QuickBooks.

“all documents in one system

Pros

With this system I can consolidate all of my documents into a single place that I can retrieve and review from any computer without hassle. I can save and access my files from anywhere, which makes remote work easy. Because I can create Matter files and nested subfiles, I'm able to organize and filter my documents more precisely within the system and then locate them much faster.

Cons

I find the billing module tricky until you've used it several times as it takes practice to feel comfortable. Also, I can't view invoices the same way my clients do unless I print them after finalizing, which is inconvenient. Apart from that, I think it's a solid system.

“Complete package and user-friendly

Pros

For my small firm, Caret provides a full set of tools we needtime tracking, invoicing, document organization and accountingall in one place. Plus I find the interface user friendly and simple to pick up and whenever I file a support ticket the team responds quickly and has been consistently helpful and knowledgeable.

Cons

There aren't many things I dislike about it. A number of useful capabilities are locked behind higher-tier plans, which I expected but still notice. At times the built-in help pages feel a bit thin and that can be frustrating when I'm trying to figure something out on my own. When that happens I submit a support ticket and they reply fast, but I would really like native Microsoft Teams integration.

“Nice when it works correctly

Pros

For me, APX is pleasant to use whenever it functions properly.

Cons

I don't understand why, when I'm making deposits, I have to repeatedly enter the same date and payment type for every single check in a deposit.

“Very simple yet logical tool

Pros

I find the navigation way too easy and I like that screens flow in a logical order.

Cons

What I really miss are built-in 'shortcuts'tiny acronyms or abbreviations that, when I type them, would automatically expand into full words, phrases, or sentences. Having those would make entering the same types of entries across many matters much quicker and less tedious. For instance: 'hrg' for 'Hearing,' 'ts' for 'Timesharing,' and 'MSA' for 'Marital Settlement Agreement,' etc.

“Easy to use with great support

Pros

I can easily work with the software as it is user friendly and I get quick responses from support.

Cons

I have trouble creating Contacts, especially when multiple people are tied to the same company as the system won't let me reuse company details to add a person's name, Email, or phone numbers, so I'm forced to set up an entirely new Contact each time.

“Everything about it is simple

Pros

Well I am really impressed with how easy it is to get around everything. Plus it feels well organized, adding details and downloading files is easy too. And overall it is extremely user-friendly as it serves as a complete, all-in-one solution with responsive, helpful support when I need it.

Cons

At the moment, I can't think of any drawbacks to mention there isn't anything that stands out as a problem for me right now.

“Failed to meet our needs

Pros

We opted for this product due to its promised ease of use and functionality, but unfortunately, it has not delivered on those promises.

Cons

Caret's acquisition of CARET has not gone smoothly. The email and calendar functions are glitchy to the point of being unusable. Customer service is either slow or unresponsive. We were promised a customer portal function, but it failed to meet our needs.

“Helpful timers but logs out

Pros

I find the timers incredibly helpful for tracking work. The time tab together with the calendar summary tool makes it easy to review schedules. The text messaging feature is handy once you get past the initial setup.

Cons

When my computer restarts it logs me out of every tab, so I have to reopen or sign back into each matter or tab individually which is a real hassle. Getting the text messaging feature set up was a struggle for our admins and the notification behavior around texts still feels messy and not logical. Also the tasks tab is not as user-friendly as it could be. it could definitely be simpler and faster to work with. On top of that the referral program has gone downhill. It used to be fantastic but now it's underwhelming. I don't get much visibility unless I'm willing to offer more than $100 per demo, which does not make sense as a lawyer's time is worth a lot more than $100 an hour and that's essentially what we give for a one-hour demo. In my view it's become not worth the effort and this change is doing more harm than good.