Docketwise Reviews

“overpriced and misleading”

Pros

Absolutely nothing worked out well for me. I won't be doing business with this company again. The software barely works and it does not integrate with Clio the way they advertise.

Cons

Customer support was terrible and the billing practices felt misleading. It is also far too expensive for what is basically just a glorified PDF form filler.

“Packed with geat features”

Pros

Docketwise makes case preparation much easier for both attorneys and clients. It comes packed with features that really improve the overall experience without feeling overwhelming. A lot of software includes extra tools that take forever to learn but it has a quick learning curve and feels essential for immigration practice. They also keep their forms updated regularly and offer questionnaires in other languages which adds a lot of value. Overall it's an excellent investment for an immigration practitioner.

Cons

I'd still like to see is the ability to create custom intakes in other languages. The standard intake forms are already available in multiple languages for immigration matters which is very helpful for clients who do not speak English but having that same flexibility for custom intakes would make it even better.

“provides pretty handy notes”

Pros

Being able to send forms to clients for them to prefill has been really helpful. I can also jump back in and make changes whenever I need to which saves time. Another feature I really love is leaving notes for myself so I can return later and remember exactly what I was working on.

Cons

One thing that would make this tool even better is having a built-in texting feature inside the application. If they add that, it would be a 10/10 for me.

“Helps staying on top of every case”

Pros

This has been the most helpful tool for keeping all of my clients' cases on track. It allows my team and me to stay organized, manage everything in one place and keep up with our priorities without things slipping through the cracks.

Cons

when USCIS releases a new edition of a form, the printed version may still show the older edition while the online version reflects the updated one. That can be a little confusing although it has only happened to me a few times.

“fast visa filing support”

Pros

Being able to e-file the forms we use for our clients has really helped organize the visa application process.

Cons

There are times when chat customer support takes a while to respond although it only happens occasionally and not all the time.

“indispensable for immigration cases”

Pros

I rely on this tool heavily to manage my caseload efficiently. Overall it has become an essential part of how I keep everything organized and moving forward.

Cons

I haven't run into any downsides with the service.

“excellent for immigration cases”

Pros

Compared with the other systems I have used for immigration cases, Docketwise has been by far the best. It's very user friendly, packed with features and the customer support team is outstanding. They even provide free training which has been incredibly helpful. After having such a difficult and expensive experience with FileVine, switching to this tool was a huge improvement.

Cons

A translate button would make it even better and the reminder system could definitely be stronger. The templates also take some work to set up but even with that they are still very useful to have.

“I simply love it”

Pros

It covers everything I need for case management and does it at a very cost-efficient price. I absolutely love it.

Cons

If you use this app alongside another platform such as MyCase, it ends up creating a separate system which is not the best.

“poor support and no refund”

Pros

Honestly there wasn't anything positive to mention. They didn't provide any training or guidance on how to use the software.

Cons

Pretty much everything was disappointing. They take their fees and then seem to have no concern for customer service. Billing is done annually and they refused to offer even a prorated refund.

“Helps organize client details fast”

Pros

Keeping each client's information precise and well organized is really convenient and being able to pull it up with just one click makes the whole process much more efficient.

Cons

One thing that feels limiting is the lack of daily case tracking. You can get that feature by paying for an upgrade but it seems reasonable that every user should be able to view daily case updates since that would clearly add value to the service as an immigration platform.

“Really simplifies workflow”

Pros

The platform guides you through entering information in a very simple, step by step manner which makes the whole process easy to complete.

Cons

The address history section could be more tailored to each form. It would help if the title clearly showed how many years are required depending on the application and the same applies to employment history. Also, when clients are given access to complete part of the information, they sometimes cannot add dates or edit the street name.

“Has a clean interface”

Pros

Filling out forms takes much less effort now and the interface is clean and easy to work in.

Cons

At times I think certain features could use more user-specific customization instead of expecting users to adjust to the system. Also it would be better if the platform were more flexible and adaptive especially for things like digital signatures.

“Great for billing and client control”

Pros

Billing and client management have been really helpful and being able to send charges automatically has saved me a lot of headaches. Overall it is a very efficient system.

Cons

Up to this point I have liked everything I have used so far.

“Perfect for immigration forms”

Pros

The interface is quite user-friendly. I managed to understand how to utilize most features after just a brief sales demonstration. My follow-up session with a "Customer Success Manager" mainly revolved around confirming the limitations of what I could do with the software. My clients have found it easy to interact with the immigration forms I've shared, which was my main reason for switching to Docketwise. However, I'm quite frustrated by the lengthy wait for e-filing the new USCIS naturalization form. This form was released a month ago, yet it's still not available on Docketwise. Given that I handle numerous naturalization applications, manually transferring client data from Docketwise to the USCIS portal is a big hassle.

Cons

I find the invoicing features to be surprisingly inadequate, especially considering that Docketwise is owned by LawPay, which is a well-known legal payment service. My previous practice management software allowed me to generate draft invoices for all clients with billable time or expenses with just a single click. This made end-of-month billing incredibly convenient; I simply reviewed and approved the drafts. However, with Docketwise, tracking billable expenses requires creating an invoice and manually adding the expenses to it. For billing time, I have to run a report to see which clients have billable time and then create individual invoices for each client, while trying to remember not to duplicate invoices for clients for whom I've already generated one to track expenses during the month. Additionally, the lack of ability to send an invoice to multiple contacts at once and to save customized hourly rates for each client are features that definitely need improvement.

“Easily accessible from both PC and Mac”

Pros

The software offers a thorough and effective way to create immigration forms and manage cases. It's also very convenient that I can access it on either a PC or Mac. Plus, the quick responses I receive to my technical inquiries are exceptional.

Cons

It would be beneficial if matters and contacts could be labeled as cases. I'm not quite there yet, but I suspect I will eventually come to appreciate the utility of the current setup.

“Didn't meet our expectations”

Pros

Docketwise enables notarios and paralegals to purchase licenses, which promotes unauthorized practice of law and the problematic behaviors that accompany it. This situation is incredibly disappointing. The customer service is lacking, which is unfortunate because the software itself is excellent. I would process all my billing through Docketwise if I didn't have ethical concerns about the company's practices. Unfortunately, there isn't an easy way to download all client data, so I've been stuck on a month-to-month subscription for three months now. The recent incident, which they insist was "DEFINITELY NOT A DATA BREACH," was the last straw. Client data was sent to individuals who had no business receiving attorney-client privileged information under any circumstances. Considering their eagerness to profit, even by allowing non-lawyers to use their software to impersonate lawyers, this marks the end of our relationship.

Cons

I've combined everything into the Pros section, as there's no need to separate them.

“Integrate easily with other tools”

Pros

It easily integrates with both LawPay and Zapier, improving its performance. This integration is particularly beneficial as it streamlines my payment processing and workflow automation, making my overall experience much more efficient and effective.

Cons

I wonder how we can merge families to have a single portal for access and case view since I currently need two accounts for both the petitioner and the beneficiary.

“Creating forms is easy with Docketwise”

Pros

Docketwise is simple to use and keeps immigration forms updated promptly. Plus, new features that facilitate my work are regularly added to the service. The client questionnaire, available in multiple languages, actively engages clients and reduces the time needed to prepare forms.

Cons

It takes some getting used to filling out a questionnaire style, especially since I was accustomed to directly completing forms. I think Docketwise could benefit from having more "synchronization" fields on its forms.

“Simple interface”

Pros

It's incredibly simple to use. The forms are regularly updated. I particularly enjoy the interface, which allows me to contact clients to complete the questionnaire.

Cons

If I encounter any issues, I reach out to customer service.

“Missing IOLTA reporting”

Pros

I haven't explored enough features to give a comprehensive review.

Cons

As a consultant working with law firms nationwide on operational matters, I learned from Docketwise that the required IOLTA account reports are not available when trying to set them up. This meant I had to create Excel spreadsheets for my client to use in documenting and reconciling the IOLTA account, which is required in most states. We informed Docketwise and shared the rules for several states, and I hope they will add this feature soon. Until then, I can't recommend this software.