CosmoLex vs Firm Central

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Our analysts compared CosmoLex vs Firm Central based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Legal Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Firm Central Software Tool

Product Basics

CosmoLex is an end-to-end practice management solution that combines CRM, case management and accounting workflows. It helps maintain complete visibility over legal matters by connecting active cases to associated calendar entries, documents, contacts and emails. Businesses can automatically track time and expenses and create digital invoices with a single click. Uncover missed payments and commissions with purpose-built reports. It can manage trust and operating accounts in compliance with state and federal regulations.

Other capabilities include task management, a legal calendar with automated notifications, and a public calendar to send out firm-wide notifications, meeting announcements and alerts.
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Firm Central is an end-to-end cloud-based solution that provides firms with a centralized interface to manage legal matters, accounting, calendaring, time tracking, billing and client communication. Users can track time and expenses efficiently from multiple devices and create flexible payment options and custom invoices for clients. Monitor legal workflows using its legal calendar with custom rules templates, deadline assistance, permissions-based access and multiple viewing options. Dashboards and reports provide up-to-date data-driven insights.

It offers robust data security with encryption, compliant servers and 24/7 security monitoring. It also provides continuous data backups and seamless integrations. Users can access it from anywhere, from any device.
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$89/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$40/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Android
Chromebook
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Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
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Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
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Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
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24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Flexible Contracts: Avoid long-term contracts and cancel subscriptions without any hassle. 
  • In-House Accounting: Offers robust accounting capabilities, and subscribers don’t need to integrate additional services. 
  • Seamless Accessibility: Access the cloud-based platform from any device with an internet connection. 
  • Prompt Customer Support: Get almost instantaneous live chat responses during support hours. 
  • Data Security: Safeguard the firm from potential malpractice suits with a secure and centralized data repository. 
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  • Comprehensive Reports: Get detailed daily, weekly and monthly reports of billable and non-billable time tracked. Maximize accuracy by cross-checking before billing. 
  • Easy Access: Directly access Westlaw’s legal research network from the homepage. 
  • Customizable Dashboard: Customize the dashboard with status bars for crucial functions. 
  • Simplify Collaboration: Collaborate with clients and team members by integrating with SharePoint. 
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  • Time and Expense Capture: Add timecards to relevant activities and automatically scan case records of unbilled events. Use a single timesheet to track daily billable tasks and activities. Instantly log direct and indirect expenses in compliance with regulations. 
  • Legal Billing: Create and mail bulk invoices. Customize built-in invoice templates with relevant information, including last payment, billing cycle, legal services, the total balance due, firm’s logo and additional financial information. Supports UTBMS codes and actions. 
  • Payments: The CosmoLexPay portal facilitates credit card processing for online invoice and trust retainer payments. Send automated reminders when the retainer balance falls below the minimum amount and add replenishment amount to invoices. 
  • Law Office Accounting: General ledger accounting supports direct and indirect matter expenses. Automatically assign invoice payments to related general ledger accounts and create custom charts of receivables. Import bank statements and track accounts payable and write-offs. Generate preconfigured management and financial reports. 
  • Credit Card Processing: Process payments for a flat fee. Offers bookkeeping services associated with credit card transactions. Allow clients to pay via credit card for trust retainers, fee prepayments and ongoing invoice payments. 
  • Bank Reconciliations: Get real-time access to bank feeds and automatically match new transactions with book transactions. Automatically import and log credit card statements. Leverage adaptive mapping rules to correct payee names and post matter-cost related transactions. 
  • Accounts Payable: A central dashboard tracks all payees, including office bills and vendor credits. Set up recurring payments for rents and utilities and differentiate client-related expenses from firm bills. Link vendor bills to associated client matters. 
  • Fee Collection and Revenue Distribution: Specify the distribution percentage to automate payments to billers, matter owners, working attorneys and originating attorneys. Run finance productivity reports based on billing and collection data. 
  • Calendar and Task Management: Create custom workflows with specific due dates and assign them to new or existing legal matters. Delegate tasks to team members and connect calendar entries to associated cases. 
  • Email Management: Automatically file emails in respective client-matter folders. Set up permission-based access to safeguard sensitive information. Group billable emails into relevant categories to declutter the inbox. 
  • Document Management: Securely store case-related documents in compliance with data protection laws. Assign role-based permissions at the matter level to protect confidential documents. Create folders with custom labels to aid document searching capabilities. 
  • Integrations: Featured integrations include OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, NetDocuments and Dropbox. 
  • Client Portal: Provide clients with a secure two-way communication channel. Request specific documents and get automated notifications when a document is uploaded. Send digital invoices and accept credit card payments. Add, edit and revoke viewing permissions based on requirements. 
  • Trust Accounting: Use the built-in trust accounting feature to manage individual client ledgers and bulk invoice payments. Automatically import bank statements and perform three-way reconciliations. Run in-depth accounting reports and track third-party payments. Transfer funds from trust to general accounts and print disbursement checks. 
  • Audit-Ready Reconciliations: Run monthly reconciliations. Maintain complete oversight over bank statements and transactions. 
  • Trust Reports: Access numerous trust reports, including trust ledger balance, trust activity, trust client balance and more. 
  • Security: Employs bank-grade 256-bit SSL encryption for data during transit and at rest. Secures user accounts with username and password and two-factor authentication. Assign security levels and roles at the user level. 
    • Data Backups: Backs up firm data every few hours. Encrypts and stores information in multiple physical locations. 
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  • Matter Management: Manage legal matters, tasks, contacts, deadlines and documents from a single platform. Automate the client intake process and store an unlimited amount of documentation and files. 
    • Matter Search: Identify specific legal documents and files with the global search function. 
  • Collaboration: Securely share case files and calendar entries with all team members and counsels. Encourage collaboration between counsels and clients with a dedicated client portal. 
  • Task Management: Assign tasks to staff members, set reminders for important events and appointments and keep track of notifications. Monitor document reviews and updates and perform conflict checks across the client database. 
  • Time Tracking and Billing: Track every single minute of billable time with the Firm Central Time & BIlling portal. Create and operate trust funds, run reports and issue expedited invoices for faster payments. 
    • Financial Reporting: Generate reports with custom datasets to identify profitable practice areas, aging receivables, referral values, important clients and more. 
    • Financial Dashboard: Get real-time access to firm financials, outstanding bills, WIP, year-end reconciliations and more through a single interface. Use the dashboard insights for agile decision-making and strategic future planning. 
    • Time and Expense: Log billable hours with multiple timers from any computer or mobile device. Integrate time tracking and billing capabilities to directly invoice for the time entries. 
    • Billing: Prepare tailored payment plans and payment options for clients. Edit invoices and accept credit card payments with the ClientPay portal. 
  • Accounting: Manage separate trust and operating accounts with purpose-built accounting software. Process invoices ethically and in compliance with industry standards. 
    • Reports: Run regular accounting reports to measure profitability, discounts, write-offs, bank reconciliations, account transactions and more. Stay on top of the firm’s financial health to make informed decisions. 
    • Eliminate Error: Automate data entry to eliminate duplicate data and human errors. 
    • Compliance: Prepare an audit trail for all trust account transactions and simplify year-end reconciliations. Set up internal controls to protect financial data from leaks. 
  • Legal Calendar: Manage deadlines, events, hearings and more with the integrated legal calendar tool. 
    • Deadlines: The Deadlines Assistant automatically computes the deadlines of ongoing projects based on the rules set by the firm’s jurisdiction. Set up custom rules if required. 
    • Calendar Sync: Add, edit and update events in either the built-in calendar or Microsoft Outlook and automatically synchronize entries. 
    • Multiple Calendar Views: Allow all staff members to view the legal calendar for a holistic awareness of deadlines and appointments. Drill down on specific entries by matter and permissions. 
  • Mobile Application: Retain full control over legal matters and tasks while away from the office. Use the mobile application to securely access legal documents, matters, contacts, calendars and more. Track time and process expenses on the go. 
  • Security: Secure firm files and documentation in transit as well as in storage. Additionally, solve any data residency requirements with U.S.-based servers hosted by Thomson Reuters. 
    • Data Encryption: All connections to Firm Central servers are routed via HTTPS sessions with 256-bit SSL and TLS encryption. 
    • Compliance: Ensure the data security standards of the firm are compliant with SOC 2 Type II and AICPA regulations. Physical data centers are ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified. 
  • Client Portal: Provide clients with an encrypted communication environment for secure collaboration with counsels. 
    • Communications: Share documents, bills, case updates, messages and more with clients in real time. Monitor all client activity and maintain a record of all communications. 
    • Self-service: Clients can check case files and matter information, receive push notifications and upload documents. 
    • Security: Maintain ABA ethics mandates with the self-service portal. Use permission-based controls to decide who gets access to what items and documents. 
  • Westlaw Compatibility: Subscribe to Westlaw for built-in case citation flags and integrated global search and research tools. 
  • Integrations: Integrate with multiple Thomson Reuters applications under the same platform. Available inclusions include Westlaw legal research, Westlaw Form Builder, Practical Law and Drafting Assistant. 
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Product Ranking

#16

among all
Legal Software

#37

among all
Legal Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Billing And Payments Calendaring And Legal Docketing Client And Contact Management Dashboard And Reporting Document Management Matter/Case Management Mobile Capabilities Task Management Time And Expense Management 100 80 75 54 69 89 82 100 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 620 reviews
Good User Sentiment 141 reviews
94%
of users recommend this product

CosmoLex has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 94% when considering 620 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

74%
of users recommend this product

Firm Central has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 74% when considering 141 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.2 (7)
4.1 (5)
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3.8 (11)
4.71 (305)
3.68 (62)
4.7 (293)
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3.8 (15)
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3.0 (1)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated CosmoLex and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Billing and Payments and Platform, Security, and Compliances. CosmoLex stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Billing and Payments Award
Platform, Security, and Compliances Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Billing & Invoicing: CosmoLex streamlines the billing process, allowing users to easily generate invoices, track payments, and manage trust accounts. It also offers integrations with popular payment processors, making it easy for clients to pay their bills online.
Client Management: CosmoLex provides a centralized location for managing client information, including contact details, case files, and billing records. This can help law firms stay organized and efficient.
Time Tracking & Expense Management: CosmoLex makes it easy for lawyers to track their time and expenses, ensuring that they are accurately billing clients for their services. The software also offers features for managing reimbursements and generating reports.
Reporting & Analytics: CosmoLex provides a variety of reports that can help law firms track their performance and identify areas for improvement. These reports can be customized to meet the specific needs of each firm.
Business Accounting: CosmoLex includes features for managing a law firm's finances, such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general ledger. This can help firms save time and money by eliminating the need for separate accounting software.
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Data Management: It provides easy and secure access to client records and legal matters, according to 100% of users mentioning data management.
Ease of Use: According to 83% of users who reviewed this aspect, the platform is user-friendly and easy to learn.
Sharing and Collaboration: All reviewers who mentioned this benefit said they found it easy to share and collaborate on legal matters, especially with access to SharePoint.
Task Management: According to 67% of users who reviewed this feature, the legal calendar simplifies tracking pending tasks, assignments and deadlines.
KPI Monitoring: Everyone reviewing this element said that the customizable dashboard made it easy to track KPIs.
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Billing Issues: Some users report problems with generating bills, particularly with LEDES billing, which can cause delays and frustration.
Customer Support Concerns: There are reports of slow response times from customer support, leaving users feeling stuck with unresolved issues.
Learning Curve: The software's interface and features can be complex, requiring a significant investment of time and effort to learn effectively.
Limited Integrations: CosmoLex may not integrate seamlessly with all the tools and services a law firm uses, potentially leading to workflow disruptions.
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Functionality: Without integrations, it has limited functionalities, according to 57% of users mentioning this element.
Integrations: According to 71% of users who reviewed this feature, integrations can be buggy and expensive.
Service and Support: 64% of users who mentioned this aspect said they found the technical support lacking in knowledge and responsiveness.
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Is your law firm stuck in a legal black hole, struggling to keep up with the demands of modern practice? CosmoLex might just be the legal tech savior you've been searching for. CosmoLex has garnered a reputation as a comprehensive, cloud-based legal practice management solution that streamlines operations for law firms of all sizes. Users frequently praise its robust features, including time tracking, billing, accounting, calendaring, task management, and document management, all seamlessly integrated into one platform. This eliminates the need for multiple, disparate systems, saving time and reducing errors. However, some users find the extensive functionality overwhelming, especially during the initial setup and learning curve. The interface, while generally considered user-friendly, can feel cluttered at times due to the sheer number of features. Additionally, several users have expressed a desire for more customization options to tailor the software to their specific workflows. CosmoLex stands out from its competitors by offering built-in accounting features, a rarity in the legal practice management software market. This integration simplifies financial management for law firms, eliminating the need for separate accounting software and ensuring compliance with trust accounting regulations. CosmoLex is best suited for small to mid-sized law firms seeking an all-in-one solution to manage their practice efficiently. Its comprehensive features, ease of use, and competitive pricing make it an attractive option for firms looking to streamline operations and improve productivity.

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Firm Central provides legal practitioners with a capable practice management solution with direct access to Westlaw. It offers secure and fast web access to basic features, including time tracking, billing, accounting, and matter and task management modules. Access to Westlaw is an important asset and should weigh heavily on any acquisition decision. That said, multiple integrations can drive up costs and put a lot of pressure on the platform. Implementation and technical support can be hard to reach at times. Unless a Westlaw integration is absolutely essential to the firm, there are better options available in this price range.

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