CARET Legal Reviews

“powerful program that covers everything

Pros

I rely on a powerful application that manages everything I need, from case management and client lead intake to complete firm accounting. For the most part, it's easy to use and navigate, which makes daily work less stressful. The built-in CRM combined with truly full accounting for both operating and trust accounts, plus triple reconciliation, keeps our entire workflow streamlined and accessible. I no longer have to hop between a dozen different programs or worry that something will slip through the cracks, which saves time and reduces errors.

Cons

There are some minor UI quirks that can be irritating and the most frustrating one is how activating a full subscription works. Instead of a simple click here, pick your plan, enter your payment method experience, I have to go through a multi-step process that requires involvement from both the sales department and support team before the account is considered active. I've sent several suggestions to Zola for features I'd like them to add or improve and if they incorporated those enhancements, it would likely become a category killer and rapidly dominate the market. That said these missing pieces are nott dealbreakers for me as they do not change my overall positive rating but I'd love to see those improvements implemented as soon as possible.

“Super easy and very user friendly

Pros

Honestly Zola Suite has been incredibly easy for me to navigate. They assigned an onboarding specialist to walk me through the tools but I actually did not need that help. Plus I find the interface and workflows very user friendly and natural to use.

Cons

There really isn't anything I dislike about the platform. If I had to nitpick, I'd like the Zola email feature to let an opened message be popped out into its own window or tab so I could easily copy and paste from other emails or search through my inbox while the current message stays open. It's not a major issue for me and there are simple workarounds, but that small change would make multitasking inside the email tool nicer.

“Perfect practice management tool

Pros

There are so many features I really like in the Zola suite. Such as I find the Matter section flawless, the calendar works well and I consider the client intake forms absolutely essential.

Cons

Honestly I don't have any complaints as I consider it a flawless practice management solution.

“Love the built-in email

Pros

I am a big fan of the built-in email as it fits right into my workflow and the customer support has been genuinely helpful when I have needed assistance.

Cons

There are some shortcomings with the reporting tools and I think they need improvement to better meet my needs.

“allows us to save emails

Pros

I'm really impressed by the integrated email viewer as it even lets me save emails directly into the system.

Cons

What I miss is a single, comprehensive page per matter that gives me a clear summary of everything related to that case.

“Setting tasks is a big positive

Pros

I've found that setting tasks, tracking deadlines and managing my calendar are huge positives.

Cons

Honestly the more I use it, the more I love this software.

“Great capacity of management

Pros

For me, the platform is impressively capable at handling management tasks because it deals with document storage and administration, case files, task tracking, client records and even calendar management. I also appreciate that it includes built-in email and presents a clean, approachable interface. Additionally, it runs in the cloud so I can access it from any browser and there are native apps for iOS and Android, which makes it convenient to use on mobile devices or desktop without extra setup.

Cons

I don't really have any major complaints because I find the program very robust and practical and I like the way it links with other tools, especially the built-in email integration. I do think its billing feature is solid, yet I would welcome improvements in generating reports and month-to-month balance summaries as better reporting capabilities would be genuinely helpful for tracking financials and reviewing account activity.

“perfect for job capturing my billable time

Pros

I find Zola Suite excellent at tracking every minute of billable work I do. What I like most is the email integration, which ensures that each of my messages gets included on my invoices and billing records.

Cons

I wish there were more integrations for Mac users. Right now the program works more smoothly on a PC because the plugins aren't functional on my Mac, which limits how I can use it.

“Enables work from any place

Pros

Being able to work from anywhere in the world, on any device and at any time, while carrying a much smaller share of the administrative overhead that comes with dealing with multiple firms, has been a huge benefit for me. As a practice professional I have to be as efficient as possible and not needing to bring on a separate administrative assistant saves me money and lets me be more effective for my clients. The platform has been exceptional and I've already recommended it to colleagues, some of whom are now subscribers.

Cons

Honestly it's an excellent program and I struggle to come up with many things I dislike about Zola Suite.

“Functionality and regular updates

Pros

I really like the product's functionality, the built-in email features, the responsive customer service and how they continually release updates to address customer needs.

Cons

Although the price is somewhat higher than what competitors charge, I think it will be worth it because the features I care about are included and work well for me.

“Easy to keep track of time

Pros

Really appreciate how simple it is to log hours, enter time and review entries. It keeps multiple matters, clients and documents organized easily and the mobile phone app is a big help too.

Cons

I do wish there were a way to enter time once and have it applied across several matters or different clientsthat would save a lot of repetitive typing. Normally it doesn't take much longer to do this by hand, but having a time-splitting tool would be a welcome addition. Also, because this runs in a web browser as cloud-based software, the email-sending functions can be a bit slower to load than native Outlook integration.

“Favorite is quick support staff

Pros

One thing I really appreciate about Zola is how fast their support team responds to any technical questions I throw at them. I also find them to be very friendly.

Cons

One issue I've run into is that I can't assign specific tasks to individual people within separate legal matters, which makes tracking responsibilities harder than it should be. I wish there were a way to click into a particular matter and immediately view the firm's progress on that case, plus a clear breakdown of who is handling each task and the timelines for completion. It's possible that I'm missing a feature or haven't figured out the workflow yet, so this might not be a failing of Zola itself.

“Function and ease of use

Pros

For me, the functionality and user friendly usability were excellent. I also thought the training they offered was outstanding and genuinely enabled me to feel comfortable using the system within just one day of starting.

Cons

I didn't like the lag at first, but I later realized the delays were caused by our office network rather than being a problem with Zola Suite itself.

“Integrated email is great

Pros

Having an integrated email system is fantastic as it means one fewer program I have to juggle. Plus the mobile app keeps me connected for communications, billing and gives access to every matter anytime. I also really like that my firm only needs a single platform to handle all of our needs.

Cons

Occasionally the email feature glitches but I find Zola reacts fast and they're constantly introducing new features.

“Everything is in one program

Pros

What I really like is that everything is consolidated into a single application such as calendar, e-mail, documents, billing and more. I can also sign in from anywhere and from any computer.

Cons

If I switch away from the calendar to use another feature, it automatically jumps back to my personal calendarand since I don't maintain a separate work calendar, that can be inconvenient. Zola's team is addressing this, though and promised it will soon default to the attorney calendars I rely on every day.

“record time & calendar events

Pros

I appreciate that the system combines a spot for logging billable time and scheduling calendar events, while also integrating the accounting functionality so everything related to time tracking and billing stays together.

Cons

What I find most frustrating is having to first enter the time and then separately confirm that the related task is finished as bundling those steps into a single workflow would save me a lot of time and reduce repetitive clicks.

“Ease of use and great training

Pros

For me, the thing I appreciated most about the program was how user-friendly it is, along with the excellent training that came with the software.

Cons

I wasn't happy with the initial lag we experienced at first but that problem was eventually fixed and in the end it turned out to be an issue on our office's side rather than anything wrong with Zola Suite itself.

“Perfect for mobile time tracking

Pros

Having a mobile app makes everything so much simpler. I really appreciate that attorneys can log how long they were in court, driving, or handling other matters right from their phones, which has made tracking billable time and avoiding missed entries far easier for me. Another huge plus is that I can add an extra user without buying an entirely separate premium account, which I find amazing and very cost-effective.

Cons

I'm frustrated that the online time page only shows a matter number. I often can't tell which client that corresponds to just by looking at the automatically generated client numbers and there's no way to rename the matter number at creation time. I have to create the matter, then go back in, edit it and manually change the matter number to a surname or something meaningful, which feels clumsy and wastes time.

“Easy to learn and incredible functions

Pros

I liked how easy it was to pick up navigating Zola. Additionally, I did not need any extra coding because Zola provides powerful built-in features covering almost everything I require.

Cons

Up until now I haven't run into any major problems during my use. Once the app glitched on me briefly, but support responded quickly and fixed the issue without delay, which I really appreciated.

“Everything needed found in one

Pros

For my law practice, I find everything I need contained within one software program, including comprehensive case management, document management and billing capabilities.

Cons

However I find the email features need improvement as while they work to an extent, they're fairly limited. I also expect read/receipt confirmations in today's electronic environment, especially for legal work. These significant limitations make the app frustrating to use.