Pathagoras

Vorteile

Sits on top of your OWN documents, and can be set up by mere mortals. Markup experience is helpful, but absolutely not necessary. The main person who implemented this at our practice just turned 70, and we have taken advantage of more and more features. If I could give a sixth star for service I would, as the person who develops the software does all of the customer service and is incredibly responsive for bug reports, usage suggestions, and troubleshooting setup.

Can be used by even beginning staff without a lot of technical sophistication, and saves a tremendous amount of time.

Nachteile

Because of the many things it can do, and the multiple ways each method is implemented, it can be a little cumbersome to decide a quick route to the solution you want. Trial and error solves it fairly quickly.

Because of the software stack it is built on (Word), it is occasionally buggy and has to be restarted. I suspect this is mostly due to Word and its Visual Basic for Applications implementation, because as stated in the Pros the customer service is excellent.

Vorteile

If I could give Pathagoras 10 stars, I would. I don't usually write reviews, but this one deserves this review (and more). I invested in Pathagoras in the mid-2010s and it has completely transformed my law practice by making complex transaction legal documents simple to draft. Using the software reduces errors and speeds up our turn around time significantly. For context, I took what was a half-day project and turned it into a half-hour long process. Since the software is plain English (and not complex coding), I was able to code the forms and have maintained the forms myself (I have no coding background). Also, [sensitive content hidden] (the software's creator) is always eager and ready to help troubleshoot issues. When we migrated our systems to the most recent version of Windows, there were some strange things that came up as part of that migration (not just with Pathagoras, but that was part of it). [sensitive content hidden] has been there to help us fix it from the start. Even my IT consultant said Pathagoras has the best customer service she's ever encountered! Thank you, [sensitive content hidden]!

Nachteile

Because my forms are so complex and long, sometimes it takes a while for the software to process. Since it's running in Word, you can't use any other Word related programs without causing more delays (i.e. Outlook). But, while it's working in the background, it gives me (or my team) an opportunity to get up and stretch - and we know we all need more of that!

Vorteile

This software is a great value and time saver. It helps us create a template out of any Word document. It protects our templates by allowing us to pull up a new document from a drop down list and start fresh with each client. Great personal customer support.

Nachteile

We encounter glitches sometimes with running the software. Hard to tell sometimes if it is Pathagorus or Word.

Vorteile

It is simple to use while also having very robust options.

Nachteile

I can think of no Cons for this program.

Vorteile

I really enjoy that Pathagoras lives ontop of word. We don't have to use any other software or become locked in to a certain way of operating. This provides us with flexibility. The software has been easy to use and setting up documents is easy.

Customer service is also top notch. You get a very fast response to any questions you may have and they are interested in making sure you are successful with their product.

Their is a ton of documentation that is provided that includes examples of how to approach solving a problem, along with guides on how to build your automation process.

Nachteile

There are a ton of different things that can be done with this software and sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how to approach solving a particular issue. There is no "right way" which is both great for flexibility and sometimes difficult.

The documentation that is available is fantastic and covers all of the features that are needed to automate documents, I just wish it was a little bit easier to navigate. I also initially experienced some minor UI issues but those went away quickly.

Vorteile

I love this software, and have previously reviewed it. But if you want superior customer service, you can't beat this product. I was playing with the software on a sunday and had questions. I emailed customer service - not only did I get several emails in reply, but the [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] called and remotely did an install of an update I hadn't done. On a Sunday !
Always a helpful and quick response.

Nachteile

There are more features, and more power than I know what to do with. Is that a problem? I can grow into it.

Vorteile

It can be used immediately, even by people with little to no programming experience, and supports and encourages step-by-step learning.

Support is absolutely top-notch.

Nachteile

There's really nothing about Pathagoras that I don't like, except the fact that it's for Microsoft Word.

Vorteile

Intuitive and easy to install and use. Robust capabilities. Amazing support if you do experience any issues.

Nachteile

It is restricted to Word. I hate Word but I love this software....so I am using Word.

Vorteile

It was logical and incremental. The developer knew what you needed and when you needed it. It is a feature rich program .

Nachteile

It takes time to learn. But once into it, it is very rewarding.

Vorteile

Its virtually unlimited flexibility. I can prepare any documents my company needs using Pathagoras.

Nachteile

Truthfully, I don't have problems/issues of any kind with Pathagoras.

Vorteile

I'm someone who only uses a computer to work, I use it as a typewriter, letter-sender, and telephone and nothing else. So, using any computer program that's "fancy" or "complex" makes me nervous. Years ago, when my associate said, "Let's use Pathagoras to help us write the highest quality contracts," and she showed me how easy it was to use to use the program, I was immediately on board. We've been using Pathagoras for almost *twenty years* now and it's the most treasured product on my computer. I'd die without it at this point. It's so easy to update the underlying template to change over the years and easily access a treasure trove of past drafted sections to use going forward. And, more importantly in some ways, the customer service is *highly personal and immediate.* I recently had my hard drive crash and it wiped out my Office Suite so I had to repurchase and reload it. When I connected the new Word to Pathagoras I couldn't get it to work so reached out to [sensitive content hidden], the developer. He personally emailed me back within ONE HOUR and quickly scheduled a video call to go onto my computer and connect Pathagoras to the new Word, and voila, my office as back in business. This meant the world to me that a customer as old my my law office would be important enough for [sensitive content hidden] to drop everything and get my office up and running again, practically overnight. What a treasure!

Nachteile

There is nothing about the program that isn't optimal. I love it and have never had a problems with using it.

Vorteile

I've been using it for about 10 years now to make templates and fill in the data (names, addresses, phone numbers, case numbers, judges, etc.) If I had to look all these things up it would take me forever. To me this product is a must have. I looked at using Form Tool for a while because of their I saw that you could make a questionnaire for your forms... Well - I didn't realize it but Pathagoras will do that too, and even better.

Nachteile

It is a bit of a challenge if you want to do "everything" with it. You can use it quickly by putting placeholders in your templates and then filling them in from your records with a touch of a button. That's pretty easy and I used it that way for a long time. But I'm the kind of person who digs in and wants to use ALL the bells and whistles and that is challenging because this software does SO much. As the documentation says - don't try to do it all at once (like me).

Vorteile

Pathagoras makes document generation easy, even for those of us who are not technically inclined. Every attorney has to generate the same basic forms over and over again - pleadings, wills, trusts, contracts, leases and so forth. With Pathagoras it only takes a few minutes to convert a document into a form - so you never have to cut & paste again. Doing so cuts down the error rate of cut & paste to zero, saves time and every document looks just as it should with no real time or thought required - leaving you the time and energy to focus on the substance of documents, not the format or details. Pathagoras has saved me a huge amount of time and saved me from untold embarrasing errors. I use the basic features of the Pathagoras, which is all that I need. But Pathagoras is well suited for those with more sophisticated needs as well, it has amazing capabilities. If you can see the value of doing it right, one time, then enjoying quality documents thereafter, Pathagoras is for you. If you are a hopeless cut & paster, there is a better way - Pathagoras. Before investing in Pathagoras I used a few other programs and they all were over my head and hopelessly complex for me.

Nachteile

Nothing. At times I have had small issues with formatting and the support has been amazing. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] apparently never sleeps and is endlessly patient. Not to mention that the support pages and explanations of how to do things are amazing - and [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] is kind in not pointing out that I could have solved my own issues by reading a bit more carefully.

Vorteile

First, this program offers more functions than anything else I have seen and it is still being upgraded with improved and new features. Second, most people will talk about the easy bracket "pathagorizing" a document and use which is great, but in my practice I am required by the Court Clerks to use a lot of the standardized Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) .pdf forms. Oh YES!, you can bracket (I use the deep method) the cells in the Adobe(R) pdf form and the variables used in Word(R) can be placed in the pdf. Third, Excel(R) isn't left out. I've created (by example for estate administration) a comprehensive spreadsheet that is used to manage most aspects (Decedent name, address, age, etc.; Heirs and spouses names, addresses, etc.; if selling property to pay debts requiring a special proceeding, respondents names, addresses, etc.). With a few keystrokes all those variables can be downloaded into a database file for use in Word(R) documents or selected variables directly into a document. Fourth: Calculates numbers, and dates (i.e. 30 days from date A), or insert Excel(R) into Word(R) documents. Fifth: Variations on dates (1/1/2020 or 01/01/2020 or January 1, 2020 or 1st day of January 2020, etc.), and dollar amounts. Sixth: I haven't even gotten to BIG document assembly. Seven: Maybe this is a Con, but what I've learned only scratches the surfaces of its capabilities. Eight: Real, old time support. No answering robot. Real person.

Nachteile

Nothing! But to nit-pic the online manual is good but would like to have more YouTube how to videos and webinar/seminars.

Vorteile

I've been using Pathagoras for the past 5 years - and I can say it's the single greatest technology change I've ever made in my law practice. With a little effort, all of my pleadings, letters, etc. are completely automated. With a few clicks, all needed variables are filled in, as well as appropriate he/she, Mr./Ms., auto spelled out dollar amounts, etc, and preparation errors are cut by 95%. With no more effort, custom optional clauses (as lengthy and complex as you wish) can be easily incorporated into the forms, and basically anything that could be created on a "if/then" flow chart, can also easily be incorporated into a Pathagoras-MS Word document forms. The time needed to draft and proof read forms is cut by 80%. With emails becoming such a large part of a law practice, form emails with variables are also easily created on MS Word, and then cut and pasted to emails as needed. Whatever effort is needed to convert your existing forms to Pathagoras-MS Word document forms will easily return a huge profit in time savings over just a year of using them. In short, I highly recommend Pathagoras, and the customer support is second to none.

Nachteile

Really nothing. The cost is more than reasonable, and it's a huge productivity boost.

Vorteile

Comments from a satisfied long-term user.

Nachteile

I like it because I was able to Pythagoras one of my basic forms during the first 15 minutes following the most simple user manual.

Vorteile

Pathagoras makes document drafting exceedingly efficient and easy. By using Pathorgas, I am able to create templates and draft even complex documents in much less time than prior to using the program. It is very feature rich and can assist with simple to complex document automation. The support available is by far the best support I have ever received for a software product. I highly recommend this product. If there were more than 5 stars, I would give this product and the support team a much higher rating.

Nachteile

As in any new software product, there is a learning curve. The basic functions are easy to learn. The more robust features take time to learn. However, the support for this product, both tutorials and available customer support, greatly help reduce this learning curve.

Vorteile

That it is so easy to transform your Word documents into Templates that are then so easy to call up and fill out. It's is seamlessly integrated into Word and your staff will immediately produce perfect documents. Creating divorce docs, used to take about 60 minutes and there were always mistakes, once we installed Pathagoras it literally and unbelievably now takes 10 minutes. And then there is support, have a question, they are on your computer in minutes, problem solved. Get Pathagoras and you too will soon be writing a great review for them.

Nachteile

The only thing I don't like is that I feel guilty that it costs so little, seems wrong.

Vorteile

Pathagorus is intuitive, easy to use, and logical. It allows us to automate and customize the preparation of document sets to an unbelieveable degree, all while working easily with our pre-existing forms. Everything in the program is visible. Nothing happens behind the scenes where you can't see or fix or control it.

If I was going to create document automation software myself. Pathagorus is what it would be.

Nachteile

I have not found a single con. I even love the manual. Customer service has been incredibly personal and responsive. I was even provided with a custom solution for a particular need.

Vorteile

I'm not in legal. I'm a consultant in domestic, high-ticket construction-design and sales. In addition to customized building-design I produce a myriad of documentation that encompasses project feasibility, design-proposals, costing-briefs and building-specifications.

With seamless, robust Word integration I'm able to harness Pathagoras' ability to grab data from Word and Excel data-sources to allow me to quickly create information-rich, beautifully-presented proposals and support-documentation. Before, I was putting these documents together; however the 'cut-and-paste' approach I was using was exhausting, sometimes inconsistent and very time-consuming.

I'm now moving to a heavily-automated document-assembly workflow, and the investment I'm making in setting this up is already very rewarding. (And personal support from Pathagoras for specific document-assembly challenges has been fast, flexible, generous and 100% resolving of any problem I have proposed. And I'm in Australia, 13 hours ahead of Virginia).

Nachteile

Not much. Only that I need to think through the 'legal' examples in the help-documentation and apply them in a non-legal setting.

Vorteile

It's easy to get started "pathagorizing" your documents. I haven't yet learned all the ins and outs of the program because it was so easy to learn what I needed to start creating templates just using Pathagoras' basic features. We have been able to quickly and easily make a whole library of templates for our law firm which has significantly cut down on the time it takes for attorneys to review and edit drafts. The few times we have had any issues or questions we reached out to customer support and got help right away. Definitely recommend Pathagoras.

Nachteile

The only thing we would change if we could is to make Pathagoras work for Word Perfect. However, in searching for document automation programs, we couldn't find any that work with Word Perfect, so we have been making the switch to Word.

Vorteile

Pathagoras is very easy to use. I like having the ability to tailor the software to our needs - you can create simple and complex documents. I also like having control of my forms and the ability to go back and improve our form documents as we learn more about the software. The software is very user friendly and the customer service is AMAZING - all of our questions were answered quickly.

Nachteile

I have nothing negative to say about this software or the company.

Vorteile

Usability is great. The learning curve to put this software into action is not steep at all. Extremely helpful tool if you need to create redundant documents. Also, the [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] is EXTREMELY accessible. All around fantastic experience.

Nachteile

No issues at all. We looked into the competitors and very quickly realized this was the solution for us.

Vorteile

The software has transformed the way we practice law. Gone are the days of having to find templates, cutting and pasting, and changing grammar. Pathagoras offers an intuitive process that lets you automate documents. With a few clicks, attorneys can create their own pleadings, discovery responses and correspondence. There are an endless number of utilities and features that allow you to streamline multiple areas of your practice.

Nachteile

There is nothing that I do not like. Getting up to speed on all of the different features takes some time but there are great publications on the website, and the developer is incredibly responsive to any emails that you send asking for guidance.

Vorteile

Pathagoras tremendously reduces the amount of time and mistakes when it comes to document production. Their customer service is by far one of the Company's best attributes. One of Pathagoras's best features - the ability to adapt the program based upon the firm's individual needs. While there are multiple features to Pathagoras, each customer has the ability to choose what features they want to use. Pathagoras is a great way to ease into the modern world of document production, as a user can use it as little or as much as they desire.

Nachteile

If you have no prior coding experience, it may take you longer to learn the ins and outs of the program. The initial set up can be time consuming, as individual documents need to be coded and tested to ensure they work properly. However, once the initial set up is complete, the time to prepare documents is greatly reduced.

Vorteile

This has transformed my document production process. Previously I was relegated to manual production of a huge number of reports on a weekly basis. With the help of the Pathagoras team, this program completely automated the production of customized legal reports for dozens of clients. I am (and I'm sure the clients are) extremely grateful for the efficiencies this has provided.

Nachteile

Pathagoras is best used in medium-length documents. If the document gets too large sometimes it's safest to break it into pieces before processing.

Vorteile

I have purchased a number of systems in the past but none were able to perform like Pathagoras. They were either too complex to be useable or too simplistic. This is the Goldilocks for me - just right. I was able to set up documents that could be part of a system for producing my documents that anyone could use. For me it is not just about productivity, but also consistency and quality. I had no trouble learning the system. Then, as I ventured into more complex areas I asked for and received prompt support and suggestions. It was a nice change not to have to hire somebody to write things for me. Although I have answered that I am a sole practitioner at present, I have in the past had a larger firm that I ran on best practice principles.

Nachteile

What is there not to like! I suppose that if you want generic documents straight out of the box then this may not be the software for you.

Vorteile

The learning curve is steep, and when you quickly learn the basics it will become indispensable for creating forms for future use. Also, Pathagoras's principal, [SENSITIVE CONTENT], has provided the best customer service of any technology service I have ever used (and that is not an embellishment).

Nachteile

Because of Pathagoras's significant functionality, you will have to spend a few hours familiarizing yourself with it but after that, you are off to the races.

Vorteile

Instant Database and its multi-replace abilities

Nachteile

It only works with MS Word which is of course great software but overly complicated for the average user

Vorteile

It is so simple to learn and use. There are so many features that almost anything that you can imagine can be done. The challenge is thinking of all you can automate, not doing it.

Nachteile

My main language is french and some features ( like spell out a number) are english only.

Vorteile

This software makes producing error free documents a breeze! In literally seconds the raw data is converted into a finished product. It requires an investment in time to set up the form for the document you want to produce but once that investment is made, the returns are awesome! I love this software. It has literally doubled my throughput ability. And, the customer support is unparalleled.

Nachteile

I can't think of anything right now that I like least, but I attribute that to the fact that I am still learning the power of the software.

Vorteile

Easy setup. Quick to learn. Amazingly useful.

Nachteile

Apparently I have to say something here. But I have no complaints at all.

Vorteile

Pathagoras is very easy to use and it is so quick in processing documents. In my short time (about one year) using Pathagoras the program has cut hundreds of hours from my document preparation time. The value Pathagoras provides paid for itself within the first hour of use. Also, [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] is amazing with customer support - quick responses with valuable information.

Nachteile

There are no cons - Pathagoras is simply amazing and everyone should buy it.

Vorteile

We have been using for over 10 years and it is very user friendly. We really cannot live without it!

It continues to WOW us!

Nachteile

There is nothing about the program that I do not like.

Vorteile

Easy to use. Limitless options for formatting text to meet our needs. The program is amazing.

Nachteile

I have none at this time. I have not used all the features yet.

Vorteile

Fast and easy control using only Word to update fields and documents.
The creator is super helpful when questions arise and always gives extra tips to improve it's value.
Saves me from hiring an assistant

Nachteile

Many features I don't use due to learning curve and time required to update documents.

Vorteile

Intuitive enough to start using right away. If you take the time to go through the 7-day training (really 7 separate 15 minute lessons) you can start to grasp how the program can completely revolutionize your practice.

Nachteile

Functionality with pdfs. We have to use a lot of pdfs for real estate and estates, many of which are promulgated. To be clear, you can definitely still work with pdfs, just not with as much functionality as when working in Word.

Vorteile

It makes creation of a complex document, such as a trust agreement, much easier and smoother, without sacrificing the quality and attention to detail required in drafting. Customer support is most responsive and able to resolve any problems promptly.

Nachteile

It's a bit complex to administer - but, again, customer support is very helpful!

Vorteile

It increased productivity and drastically increased the quality of our work product.

Nachteile

None. The problems I initially had were remedied via the software support I have received.

Vorteile

It's flexible - there are usually more than one way to get the result you desire. I still have a lot to learn, but the program works well, and document assembly is smooth and transparent.

Nachteile

I would like some one-on-one training, but using the online manual is nearly as good. I like least that I don't know the entire capability of the program, but hope to improve that situation.

Vorteile

-Great way to learn documents
-Intuitive
-HUGE timesaver
-Great integration with electronic client file systems

Nachteile

If there was a "medium tier" training manual (longer than quick materials, shorter than the big manual) it would be a little faster to self-teach

Vorteile

Outstanding customer support and easy to use. It can be customized for your law practice. No coding knowledge required.

Nachteile

I am very happy with the product and the customer support. It's hard to find anything not to like about this item, however hoping it will be Mac compatible some day.