CARET Legal Reviews

“Accounting and timekeeping are great improvements

Pros

I've noticed that the accounting and timekeeping features are major improvements.

Cons

Honestly the Zola Mail experience has left me really disappointed.

“Customization and integration features are the best

Pros

I've been enjoying the app's customization options, especially how it combines email messaging with a built-in time tracker.

Cons

Even though I picked the non-attorney option in my firm's settings, the label 'attorney' continues to show up. I'm hoping they will fix this so it doesn't lead to any confusion for clients or colleagues.

“offers a lot of accounting features and control

Pros

From my experience, Zola provides more accounting features and much more granular control than any case management system I've used before.

Cons

I find that Zola feels less polished and in my opinion, is not as self-explanatory or user-friendly as some of the earlier systems I've worked with.

“Support team is very efficient

Pros

As a newcomer to the software, I've been impressed by how quickly the Zola support team addresses my questions and resolves any issues I faced while learning the program.

Cons

My only regret is that there aren't more online tutorials available to help me explore and master all of the program's features.

“provides all client files on hand

Pros

Being able to store every client file electronically and have them available instantly has been a game changer. Getting paid is simpler since I can send invoices through the client portal. I can charge for each step I take on a file and the system reminds me to do it. Lately I've captured more billable hours. Trust accounting and transfer ledgers are simpler, which makes tracking funds easier.

Cons

The built-in email feature in Zola Suite feels a bit unreliable, so I rely on the Outlook plug-in and use Outlook for mail. Statements of Account need to be prepared individually per client. I can't display every client statement at once to review them, which means I have to maintain a roster of unpaid clients or generate a different report beforehand if I want to run my statements.

“Easy to use and customizable

Pros

I have found it extremely easy to use and I can tailor it to fit exactly what I need. The more time I spend poking around, the more capable the tool proves to be. It genuinely simplifies a wide range of tasks. Over the years I have tried many different CRMs and this one stands out as both the most simple and the most powerful. On top of that it is very affordably priced. It genuinely handles all of my administrative duties.

Cons

For me, the only real gripe is that searching through emails feels a bit clunky and slow, although it's not something that ruins the experience.

“First program that reduce workload

Pros

After having switched between three different practice management systems over the last ten years, I finally feel like ZolaSuite actually delivers on the promise of reducing our workload. From my experience, other cloud-based programs demanded a lot of upkeep and ultimately gave us very little beyond something that felt like a Google calendar paired with a basic invoicing tool. Overall it presents a really user friendly interface and includes complete accounting functionality. The program is so clean that our team has been able to rely on most of its features without having to pick up the phone for support or sit through YouTube tutorials. Even the accounting side is simple and supports quick, on-the-go adjustments. I admit I was initially uneasy about how simple the accounting was from a security standpoint but that concern eased once I saw how clear and readable the audit feature is. There are fingerprints everywhere and by that I mean you can easily see the trail of activity when you need to.

Cons

I feel the forms feature could use a bit more polishing and development before it matches the rest of the platform.

“Fully integrated with amazing options

Pros

I've found it to be a fully integrated platform that offers fantastic ways to connect tools like Roost, email, LawPay and QuickBooks. Their onboarding and customer service are excellent and I also love that they handle marketing for us.

Cons

Honestly I can't think of anything negative, everything has been working great for me so far.

“Very user friendly

Pros

For me, what stands out is that regardless of what we ask or the questions we have, zola will reorganize things to simplify workflows for our firm. Plus it is flexible and very easy to use.

Cons

I find the calendar function frustrating because it doesn't suit how our business operates as although we keep using it, it's annoying and hard to manage.

“good customization and support

Pros

In my experience, whenever our team runs into problems or comes up with suggestions to make ZOLA better, we generally see those requests included in the following updates. Randi has been fantastic with us from day one, especially after our office had tried three other systems before switching to ZOLA. What I appreciate is the ability to tailor our files to the specific practice areas we work in. We have the flexibility to set up folders and custom fields exactly how we need them.

Cons

I'm frustrated by the delays when incoming emails arrive into ZOLA as messages come into my Outlook noticeably faster than they appear in ZOLA. For large attachments I currently have to send them via Outlook and then save that email into ZOLA afterward, which is inconvenientthough I'm aware the team is working on a fix. I'd like to see ZOLA prioritize task templates so that opening a file would auto-assign relevant tasks to staff members. It would also be helpful if saving any document into ZOLA could trigger a billing entry prompt and an option for copy charges. The activity log could use much more detail in my view: when a document is deleted or moved, the log should clearly record which staff member performed the action so management can follow up when necessary. Finally, when a calendar event is removed, the deletion entry should identify the original event name rather than just saying that a calendar event was deleted. That added transparency would make investigating accidental changes or mistakes far easier for partners and administrators. More actionable audit trails would improve accountability across the firm.

“the best legal management tool

Pros

I love that it includes full accounting! Unlike most legal matter management systems which only offer a few financial reports, Zola provides complete accounting so I can actually run a P&L for my business.

Cons

Ultimately my impression was that this platform was painstakingly built to include nearly every detail you could want, yet in the end my big boss insisted on a solution that required QuickBooks, so I was left unable to move forward.

“great customer service

Pros

Overall the service is reliable and honestly their customer support stands out as exceptional. Working at a small firm, I appreciate how much they do for our team and how responsive Zola is whenever issues pop up. Over the time I've been with them, I've watched the company expand significantly. Their staff always comes prepared and genuinely seems eager to assist. I've submitted a handful of suggestions and noticed their updates address many of them. One feature I wish they'd add is Remote Online Notary functionality. Also, the email mapping works really well for us.

Cons

I'd love to see more integrations, especially with document automation tools and online notary services, though Zola has been improving fast. Since a number of law firms I know still use WordPerfect, it would be helpful if they offered deeper integration there. Every so often the Outlook connection gets a little flaky, which may be an Outlook problem, but it can become frustrating. That said, I don't have many complaints overall because they usually respond and resolve concerns fairly quickly.

“Interface is very easy to use

Pros

I find the interface very easy to navigate and genuinely user friendly. It includes most of the features I'd expect from a law practice management platform, so I rarely feel like somethings missing. Their customer service has been genuinely helpful and quick to respond when I need assistance. I also like having the CRM built init's a useful add-on and syncs smoothly with the rest of the system, unlike some other vendors offerings. Plus being able to customize certain fields is a big plus and helps the software actually fit what I need and want.

Cons

Even though the platform provides custom fields, I'd appreciate deeper customization options for some specific fields and matter tabs. It would also be great to have more control over task templates and the ability to automatically generate task lists for particular matter types that functionality would make the system even more useful for my workflows.

“Accounting and support are fantastic

Pros

Zola Suite's accounting and time-entry tools are really easy to navigate and their support team is outstanding and it is part of what you pay for with the subscription. Since I am no accountant, I rely on them to walk me through pretty much everything.

Cons

I find the email viewer clunky it hogs so much screen space that you can't see much of anything else and having a separate pop-out window for composing messages feels awkward. Aside from that nuisance, the rest of the app works fine for me.

“Easy to use with nice interface

Pros

For me, Zola is really simple to use and the interface is very pleasant. It has helped my office grow over the last couple of years.

Cons

I'd really love for them to make zDrive available to Apple users, because currently Mac users can't access it. Also, I would welcome a feature that lets me preview documents inside the app instead of downloading every file each time I want to review it.

“Track litigation documents and drafts

Pros

What I appreciate is how the system lets every attorney access litigation documents and enables me to monitor the multiple drafts of written discovery and briefs.

Cons

I find that emails don't refresh automatically and I'm forced to download documents just to view them. I wish Zola offered a way to open files directly inside the platform instead of making me save them locally first. I also struggle when trying to upload audio and video files to the site.

“simple billing and time tracking tool

Pros

I find billing and keeping track of my time with this software extremely simple. I also find the Tasks feature invaluable for remembering deadlines and similar items.

Cons

I've noticed Zola Suite still has a handful of glitches that need ironing out. On certain days, several features aren't available. Sometimes saving emails from Outlook into the platform's email page is more complicated than it should be. If Zola Suite fixed these issues, it would be almost perfect.

“Full-featured accounting tool

Pros

What initially drew our firm to Zola Suite was its robust, full-featured accountingit allowed us to stop using QuickBooks altogether, which was a huge plus. Beyond that, we've grown to really appreciate several other tools like the email integration, bulk billing and the CRM leads functionality. We connected our website to the CRM tab and that makes following up with prospective clients much easier. The interface is well laid out and the individual case pages are especially helpful because they gather all the information and updates for a given matter into a concise, single view. We also love the Z-Driveit lets us edit documents from anywhere and prevents competing copies from ending up on different computers.

Cons

Because we use G-Suite for email and our calendar, syncing hasn't been a problem for us, but I do find Zola's email integrationparticularly the searchnoticeably slower and less responsive than native Gmail. I wish the platform included a few more communication options, like the ability to text clients directly. There was a learning curve on the accounting side when we migrated from QuickBooks, though we've worked through those issues. And overall I would like the app to feel a bit snappier when pages load as it's not a major problem, but it can be a minor frustration.

“ideal for integrated accounting and case management

Pros

Before I launched my own firm I had only occasional experience with case management software. In prior roles I had access to Amicus Attorney and Needles, yet both felt clunky and non-intuitive, so I frequently created workarounds and leaned on my paralegals to keep things moving. While picking software for the firm I made a point of focusing on platforms that combined accounting and case management, since I did not want to learn or pay for several different tools if a single solution could handle both. That approach narrowed my choices down to Zola Suite and a couple of other options and after trying each one I chose it. What I like best about it is the integrated accounting with case-management capabilities, an interface I find basic and customer support that responds quickly and helpfully.

Cons

On the accounting side I would really prefer native receipt management similar to what QuickBooks offers. Right now I rely on Expensify as a workaround, but having built-in receipt capture and handling inside Zola Suite would be far more convenient. The system also isn't ideal for tracking settlement histories in my plaintiff practice, where I repeatedly face the same defendants across multiple matters. It feels to me like Zola wasn't originally designed from the ground up for a plaintiff personal injury practice and some of the workflows require manual workarounds. Still, with a few adjustments I've been able to make it function well enough for my needs so far.

“simple to use

Pros

I am really impressed by how user-friendly it is as mainly I can figure things out on my own the first time because the interface is so user friendly, so I seldom need anyone's help.

Cons

One limitation I've run into is that some customization options are restricted to personal preferencefor example, I can't include our phone number in the address block on invoices.