Easy Conflict Checking Through Easy Soft’s Law Office Billing Software

This week's special topic what lawyers need to do to keep themselves in compliance and ready to defend against an ethics inquiry or a lawsuit.

As a second example, let's consider the conflict checking system. And for the sake of argument, let's continue with the premise that the answer is as easy as Easy Soft's legal software , specifically, “Easy Trust” trust accounting software and “Easy TimeBill” law office billing software .

You get hired by a client. There is an opposing party. If you can remember the names of your current clients, what about your former clients? Opposing clients? Other members of the Board of Directors? Witnesses you've grilled on cross-examination? Co-employees listed on e-mails but not charged? Opposing counsel? Judges?

Grievance committees and malpractice carriers alike expect that, as a routine part of business, lawyers will have a conflict control system that is used no less than when a new client calls for a consultation and when you offer to represent a client. Ideally, it is used at multiple points during representation, as well, such as before issuing subpoenas to testify at trial.

Easy TimeBill law office billing software contains a unique database feature that allows you to build a database and search the database for conflicts with the simple click of a button. The Easy TimeBill data base feature of our legal software encourages you to enter the names of all persons associated with a case – not just the parties. When you input the names of witnesses, counsel, and the judge into our legal software , you go the extra step to build aggregate data in one database, ready to search.

The Easy TimeBill legal billing software also allows you to enter the names of former clients and people associated with their cases. If you have not previously used an automated client conflict system, this will help you to establish one. Even if all you do is enter the names of the parties from cases you have closed out within the past few years and then continue to use this system going forward, you will have a foundation for a conflict check system using Easy TimeBill legal software .

Why not treat today like an opportunity to upgrade and automate your conflict checking system? Easy Soft offers a free trial of our attorney billing software , along with a 30-day money back guarantee, and personal support operators.

Separate, corner office not required.

Preferences of an attorney billing

The profession of a lawyer is too hectic and busy; therefore, to assist them in retaining their records and account, they need the access to attorney billing software . On the other hand, some other software's available does not includes the required options. A law firm billing software has to carefully cowl all the particular needs of record maintenance, billing and accounting that are necessary to legal practice in U.S. , in reference with its laws.
Before selecting a lawyer billing software, a lawyer ought to ensure and take into consideration whether or not that exact software offers them what they require. If one vital section is left out, then the efficacy of the software condense noticeably and can even be insignificant as a lawyer ought to retain the record physically. Billing and accounting are inter-connected and if a crucial part is ignored it doesn't serve the aim at all. When considering a legal billing and accounting software, attorneys ought to take into account the options and scale for future up gradation.
Consider the required preferences of an attorney billing software:
•  A provision to produce bill with arrangements with clients either on an hour basis, on a set fee basis, on a retainer plus hour basis or on a possibility basis as may be beforehand decided. The law firm billing software keeps a track of each and every single case and concerned expense for every client. In retainer plus hour billing basis, the law software automatically gives an alert when resources go below the outlined level.
•  An element that keeps track of each and every single case, to be billed hours and associated expenses in esteem of numerous cases for a sole client on a matter primarily based on record maintaining basis.
•  An aptitude to maintain a track of all dues received towards to be billed hours and for expenses in harmony with the State defined code of ethics to reply all audit doubts when heave.
•  An aspect that maintains ideal trust accounts in esteem of retainers paid by clients to adjust with active federal and State laws, keeping attorneys secure from any charges of carelessness in future case of audits.
•  A lawyer might require reports and statements at any time and also the law firm billing software effortlessly supply this. A lawyer may need to be alerted to the outstanding receivables and have weekly, fortnightly or monthly statements to make sure that flow of money is maintained via customary billing.
As the practice of a lawyer grows, he wants software that can nearly handle all his back office functions. Besides, it ought to be uncomplicated to work, be terribly user-friendly and supply a range of statistics and reports when required also archiving previous cases and creating them accessible whenever required in future. A legal billing software as this protects ample amount of time for attorneys and lets them focus in their clients and cases.
Attorney billing software or the law firm billing software aids lawyers to computerize their occupation with simplicity.

Law Office Billing Software As Easy as a Good Pair of Black Shoes

Ahhh. The versatility of Easy Soft. Our legal billing software called “Easy TimeBill” can be used when billing on an hourly rate, a fixed or flat rate, and a contingency fee. One program - all types of legal billing.

For hourly fee practices, our legal software is designed to record your receipt of client advance retainer deposits, balances, expenses remitted, and invoices paid. Easy TimeBill law firm billing software has screens for time billing, complete with a visible clock, and a feature to set your minimum billing increment. And it has expense screens to list and describe expenses as incurred on a file.

By contrast, let's say you are billing on a fixed fee, perhaps for a house closing or an individual bankruptcy. Our attorney billing software offers you the choice of ‘fixed fee plus cost' or a ‘periodic fixed fee bill.' You can still record the billable hours and document each step of your professional services, but our legal software will ensure that when it generates the monthly invoice, it will not exceed the terms of the fixed fee arrangement.

Or, if you are in a contingency fee arrangement, such as a personal injury case, Easy TimeBill allows you to enter expenses and generate monthly invoices for those expenses. Our law office billing software includes a closing statement to include receipt of settlement funds, deposit of those funds in the trust account, the expenses to be deducted against, the percentage to be paid to the firm, and the balance to be released to the client.

What's particularly handy if you have a blended case practice is that our legal software will help you with accurate billing to each type of client. When you are first hired by a client, you enter a new client on one screen, including fill-in fields with the type of billing for the file. You only have to enter this information once. Our legal billing software will remember that information for all future bills.

You might think that a single computer program that offers this many features would be expensive, but Easy TimeBill is easy on the wallet. Licenses start at $249 and include free technical support for one year.

I See You Through the Network of Law Office Billing Software

Easy Soft TimeBill is all the legal billing software your law firm will need. From individual password log-in to individual billing rates to automated finance charges on past-due accounts, Easy Soft designs legal software specifically for attorneys and their staff.

Just one of the key features of the Easy Soft attorney billing software is its network capability. Within the law office environment, networking is critical for efficient and timely task completion. Computer server technology allows attorneys on different floors and in different buildings to communicate with each other concerning client matters. Our law office software has also developed to the point that an entire law firm can use one program linked in to one database that serves as a network for all of the billing activity of the entire firm.

For the manager of law office billing, the permissions for the network settings within Easy Soft legal billing software allow him or her to see every member of the firm. Is the new associate properly entering time upon return from court? Is the seasoned paralegal using routines within the law firm billing software for daily time and expense entry that will minimize omissions and maximize profitability?

With Easy Soft law office billing software you can also limit the permissions of what data is available on a person-by-person basis. Particularly if you are using the billing software in connection with the trust accounting software , you can limit what is seen on the screens of associates and support staff. Our billing software can put everyone in the firm on the same system, but allow for added confidentialities when and how you find appropriate.

All of our Easy Soft legal software products are network capable, and programs like Easy HUD allow various members on the closing team to input information as it becomes available, sharing the work through the development process to the printing of even the HUD-1 . And, all of our products have free trial down loads and a 30-day money back guarantee.

When Easy Soft law office billing software is part of your firm's work environment, you take advantage of what network technology offers to add value to your bottom line. Why not watch a ten minute video on our Easy Soft website to gain an introduction into the network and other features of our product? The download of the free trial takes only a few more minutes.

Just think, with your selection Easy Soft network-capable legal software , within about fifteen minutes, you could be on your way to Easy Street.

Easy on Those Forms for Divorce Settlement

Easy Soft family law software is designed to help attorneys, regardless of skill level, from a new attorney to a mid-career attorney to an experienced attorney, and one of the best features is the form library included with each program that helps you fulfill your filing requirements in divorce cases.

For attorneys just starting out in matrimonial and family law, Easy Soft's Divorce Financial Software means you don't have to struggle with a blank sheet of white paper and a statute book. Our legal software will guide you through input of basic case information to populate repetitive fields in mandatory forms. It will produce entire sample documents to get you started. And it is organized to encourage new attorneys to point, click, and learn by browsing through the library of documents.

If you are a mid-career attorney and perhaps you even already use a competitor's program, we invite you to download a sample of Easy Soft's law office software to take it for a test drive. When you have many cases to work on, core efficiencies help increase your bottom line and reduce the risk of error. You might want to partner our family law software with our law office billing software and our attorney trust accounting software to experience just how much impact Easy Soft can bring to your bottom line.

Why switch over to Easy Soft family law software if you are an advanced practitioner? To make your job even easier. You can add your own documents to the Easy Soft program library and insert the commands to have those documents populate from our one-entry central information screen. And, you might have noticed that because your documents are so customized, you sometimes forget the basics. Using “Divorce Financials Software” to automate your approach will ensure that critical provisions appear in every document, every time.

Easy Soft is a dedicated legal software company with more than 21-years of experience and more than 15,000 clients. Each of our products can be explored on a free trial basis and purchased with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Every program also comes with 1-year free technical support.

To Trust or Not to Trust? - Trust accounting

To trust or not to trust may well be a question as serious for attorneys as Shakespeare's famous “To Be or Not to Be.” In the words of the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct: “The knowing misuse of trust funds by an attorney will almost invariably result in disbarment.”

At Easy Soft legal software company, we understand the essential principles of legal bank accounts and bookkeeping. We know that you need a business operating account that is separate from your Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts. We understand that having to balance two bank accounts each month causes anxiety, particularly if the IOLA account contains deposits from several clients or from one client on several matters.

What we also know at Easy Soft is that automated processes reduce the risk of human error.

With our suite of law office software , you can run your operating account, write checks for routine expenses, enter deposits, and reconcile the computer entries against your monthly bank-issued statements. With our legal software , you can also make deposits to your IOLTA account, separately designated to the individual client, and maintain a running log for each client, even though the deposits are aggregated. Likewise, with Easy Soft legal billing software , you can write checks from the IOLA account for appropriate expenditures and payments to the firm, and you can reconcile the monthly bank statement to the computer entries.

Easy Soft's attorney billing software also contains built-in features to try to stop you from making math mistakes before they happen. If you try to write a trust account check for a client invoice that exceeds the client's own balance, “ Trust Accounting Software ” will instantly show a computer alert. This alert within our legal software is an important feature to try to stop you from mistaking the account total balance for the individual client balance.

Here at Easy Soft, we're not just asking you to take our word for it that our legal software is the best legal software on the market. One of our customers, Attorney Jason Flynn, offered this recommendation: “My firm would not function properly without the assistance of Easy Time Bill and Trust programs.”

Properly used, with Easy Soft's legal billing software you will neither a borrower nor a lender be and, from trust account worries, you will be free.

What’s in a Glance? - Law Firm Billing Software

Once a month, attorneys review client invoices. It refreshes what has been accomplished and shows what is due, overdue, and on deposit

Because of the high hourly rate commanded by attorneys, working on a case for even a few hours in a month can put the upcoming billing over the retainer balance.

Why not use Easy Soft's law office software to keep each client's retainer balance in front of your eyes on the billing screen as you record your billable time?

If you want to maintain an active conversation with your client about billing, then you need Easy Soft's “ Easy TimeBill ” and “ Easy Trust ”. When you purchase our legal software you'll see trust and billing information on the same screen. This way, if you have a client coming in for a meeting, you can ask them to refresh their retainer deposit and anticipate an upcoming bill. Or, use our legal software to remind you to send out a letter updating your client on how much has been accomplished and requesting authorization to provide professional services beyond the initial deposit.

What this legal billing software screen design will also tell you is when you need to consider disengaging from representation of a client. Have the past one, two, or even three months of billing gone unpaid? The further along in the proceeding, the more difficult it may become to disengage, especially if you are in a state or a field of expertise that requires judicial permission to terminate the client representation.

With Easy TimeBill, when you open a new client or a new matter for a repeat client, you input any “minimum retainer balance required.” Completing this field in our attorney billing software allows your computer to turn into your office manager of client accounts. When the monthly bills are prepared, our legal software automatically looks at the current retainer deposit and compares it to the minimum retainer deposit. It adds a request to refresh the retainer deposit in addition to asking for the bill to be paid in full.

Here at Easy Soft, our programmers have been hard at work for more than twenty five years and 15,000 customers to create the best legal software on the market. We look forward to hearing from you that Easy Soft was love at first sight.

Unlimited Growth Potential - Attorney Billing Software

At Easy Soft, we're optimists. We even program our legal software with features full of optimism.

Take our legal billing software , for example. We've built it to fit your firm today and the firm you might want to grow, tomorrow. You can purchase Easy TimeBill today with a single license and add additional billers as you hire them. For offices with more than three simultaneous users, select our “enterprise” attorney billing software for the best price.

Or, consider the feature of unlimited numbers of clients. With Easy TimeBill legal billing software , you can enter as many clients as hire your firm. Each client is assigned an individual client number to organize time and expense entries. At month's end, no matter how many of those unlimited clients need invoices sent out, our legal software will instantly organize every new time and expense entry and create individual invoices.

Repeat business? That's also not a problem for our legal billing software. If the same client hires you for more than one matter, Easy Time Bill will assign a unique sub-number for each matter. You can even use different billing rates for different projects under the same client.

At Easy Soft, all of our legal software is ready to grow with your firm. If you move your offices to a new location, make one set of changes to the law firm's address and all future documents will automatically populate with your new address. If you go from a sole proprietorship to an LLC or if you add another partner to the name of your firm, just make those changes once on a main data screen, and let our law office software do the rest.

Oh, and we nearly forgot to mention just one more great feature. When you land that über-big client you were dreaming you'd land, yup, you guessed it: Easy Soft's law firm billing software has an endless number of digit places ready-and-waiting for that billing, too!

Legal Billing Software To Enhance Revenue Flows

Cash flow governs profitability. This applies as much to lawyers as it does to any businessman or professional. However, lawyers have a different billing and account system, governed by state and federal laws. They need specific legal billing software that incorporates their needs and handles not only billing but also managing back office accounting and trust fund accounts that can stand up to any future audit or scrutiny. Legal time and billing software built around a lawyer's needs saves him time, ensures compliances and enhances revenue flows.

Lawyers use four broadly classifiable billing and accounting methods. These are: hourly billing, fixed fee billing, retainer based hourly billing and contingency billing. Separate itemized account of costs involved in each case along with the actual lawyer's billable hours have to be maintained in respect of each client and each case of the client separately should there be multiple cases from the same client. Competent, affordable yet feature rich attorney time billing software includes these facilities.

A lawyer has to maintain matter based record keeping. In a lawyer's case he has to be very precise and specific in billing and accounting for each case, in respect of his billable hours and his expenses even though all the cases relate to only one client. The law office billing software handles this quite competently, freeing an attorney of all worries about accounting.

The right attorney time and billing software ensures compliance state regulations freeing the attorney to concentrate on his cases instead of having to check whether all his billing and accounting procedures are in conformance. Meticulous records are archived for future retrieval in case of audits or checks.

Any attorney considering legal billing software will certainly want it to handle client retainers separately where they deposit advances in trust accounts. The right billing software takes care of this effortlessly and seamlessly, blending it with the rest of the software and functions.

The beauty of this law office billing software is that it has been designed in coordination with legal professionals, is user friendly with a short learning curve and has an intuitive interface, designed to work for the maximum benefit of the lawyer. The legal time and billing software reduces burden on the attorney, generates bills automatically and keeps perfect track, enhancing revenue flows.

Legal Billing and Accounting Software Take Drudgery Out Of A Lawyer’s Life

Given the complexity of billing and accounting in a lawyer's operations, the more clients he takes on, the more time he has to spend on maintaining accounts. This can become drudgery, eating into his time and preventing him from devoting more time for the cases in hand. Legal billing and accounting software take drudgery out of a lawyer's life. If an attorney chooses wisely and goes in for lawyer billing software that does all that he has been doing manually, he saves a lot of time and energy handling routine billing and accounting tasks. Computerized and automated, these tasks can be done fast. Though expensive, the investment in such attorney billing software is easily recouped considering that the lawyer now becomes more efficient and has more time to devote to existing as well as new clients. Almost all lawyers using the right lawyer billing software report an increase in productivity and revenues.

There is a huge market for attorney billing software and in their rush to capture a market share developers usually leave out features, make the software cumbersome or heavy code-wise, making it slow and prone to errors. The user interface is complicated and not easy to navigate with features commonly required hidden behind menus and sub-menus. Incomplete and buggy software can hamper rather than help lawyers in their billing and accounting functions and for this reason alone lawyers have become cautious in selecting a software that actually works the way they want it to. The perfect legal billing and accounting software for most lawyers is the one that does all that they used to do manually, smoothly and flawlessly. The right attorney billing software has a very intuitively designed interface and navigation structure plus additional features that prove quite helpful such as compiling all relevant documents pertinent to a case in one folder for archiving and retrieval at any time in the future.

A well planned and integrated legal billing software would have these features and naturally include what is expected of it such as keeping track of each client and his billable hours plus expenses separately, issuing bills when the amount of advance amount falls below a pre set level. The lawyer billing software would naturally handle billable hours where no advance is received and bills are issued periodically in respect of billable hours and expenses. In cases where lawyers work on contingency basis and an account is created on this basis, the software would keep track of expenses and the percentage of amount to be billed when the lawyer inputs “completed” against the case. Attorney billing software lawyers appreciate usually has these features in addition to keeping track of retainers and trust accounts and matter based record keeping that is extremely important to avoid confusion and mix-ups and importantly, comply with federal and state laws in that regard. These are the basic minimum required to work flawlessly regardless of the number of cases and time period.

I Simply Can’t Do Without Lawyer Billing Software

A lawyer's life is always busy. On the one hand, as a lawyer I have to handle cases in the courtroom, prepare the matter and have time for new clients. On the other hand, and this what irked me the most in the past was that I had to spend a lot of time in keeping track of billable hours, expenses and accounting in respect of each case for each client. I considered this activity unproductive but could not delegate the work to anyone else. Mix-ups in billing also led to some misunderstanding with a few clients. That's when I started looking around for the right lawyer billing software to take care of all these matters and save me time as well as hassles. Lawyers are cautious and I was no different. I asked my colleagues whether they were using any software and took time off to explore each one. I had to look around quite a bit. While most of the software in use could do a lot, there was something or the other missing that meant I would have to take care of it manually. Until I came upon this legal billing and accounting software that seemed to do everything that I was doing manually. I double checked it in detail before deciding to buy it and I was glad I came across this attorney billing software .

What does this legal billing software do for me? It does everything I used to do manually covering the following functions:

• It handles and maintains records of each client and each case separately. In cases taken on a retainer cum billable hour's basis, it keeps track of the advance amount and issues a billing notice when the amount falls below a preset limit. The attorney billing software also keeps track of expenses incurred in each case separate. I can see at a glance the billable hours, advances and the expenses.
• The lawyer billing software handles billable hours beautifully. It maintains separate records for each client and for each case of each client in case I handle more than one case for the same client. Billable hours are kept separate from expenses and invoices can be issued in time as the software automatically issues alerts for outstanding issues. This has helped in a healthy revenue flow.
• When I enter details of a case I can put it down as a contingency case and that means I raise a bill only when I win the case.
• What I liked about this legal billing and accounting software is the way it handles trust funds and advance/retainer amounts that have to be accounted in compliance with state and federal laws. Now I need not fear any audits; the records are maintained immaculately.
• Another factor that impressed me was the way it handled matter based record keeping—no mixups, no confusions even when there were multiple cases for each client.

These are the main points. What particularly impressed me was the way it compiled all documents relating to my cases in separate folders and archived them for printing, conversion to Word or PDF facility, emailing from within the software and porting to mobile phones for review while on the go. Now I know all my records are in perfect order and accessible anytime in the future.
Needless to say my life has become less stressful in a way and more productive as well as satisfying. I can now focus more on existing clients and take on new clients. With the additional revenue I expect, the cost of this lawyer billing software will soon be recouped.

Attorney Billing Software Reduce Stress and Increase Productivity

As the number of clients increase, the stress levels and time consumed in keeping track of billable hours and back office accounting increases in proportion and some lawyers might very well find themselves spending as much time on accounting and billing as they do on their cases. This situation causes stress; stress because they have to account rigorously in order to keep perfect accounts that stand up to any future audits and also stress because they worry that they are not being as productive as they would want. Attorney billing software helps lawyers drastically cut down on the time they spend on keeping track of billable hours and accounts, leaving more than enough time to either relax or take on more cases. Stress, as a result, vanishes.

The right legal billing and accounting software takes on complete responsibilities and carries out all functions in respect of billing and accounting, particularly from a lawyer's view point in conformity with federal and state laws. Comprehensively designed, structured and easy to use lawyer billing software covers all aspects of billing and keeping track of each client. This includes:

• Keeping track of billable hours for each client and maintaining a separate record for each case for each client and a separate record of the expenses incurred against each case.
• Where cases are handled on fixed fee basis the attorney billing software automatically issues a bill when notified of a completion, showing the fees amount and the expenses separately, posting these amounts to account heads by itself.
• In the same way, cases handled on contingency basis will be handled by the legal billing and accounting software accordingly, issuing a bill for the fees once the case is shown as complete and won.
• In cases of retainer plus hourly basis cases, lawyers can set the limit below which a billing alert will be issued by the lawyer billing software . Again, in this case, the advance, hours billed and expenses are accounted separately for each case, even though a lawyer may handle several cases on behalf of a single client.

A comprehensive and well designed legal billing and accounting software considers billing and matter based record keeping as integrated aspects of the software. With such software, it is easy for attorneys to maintain separate accounts for each case even though he may be handling several cases for one client on different billing basis. There is no confusion and distinct records are maintained according to each matter in hand.
Since a lawyer's accounts are subject to audit and query at any time, leading to severe penalties if there are discrepancies, the attorney billing software should as a matter of course include a provision for compiling complete records and accounts of a case under one single head that can be accessed at any later date. Useful features like outputting to Word, Excel or PDF files and portability to mobile phones improves functionality.
In the main, by reducing the work load on an attorney, the lawyer billing software frees attorneys of stress in this direction and helps them utilize the time freed up to concentrate on present cases or take on more cases and generate more revenue.

My Search For The Right Attorney Billing Software

A lawyer never has any spare time. The more cases I take on, the more work I have to do in the background. Billing and accounting take up more of my time that I could profitably spend on cases. I had heard of attorney billing software but was a bit confused as to which one to select for my needs. For me the right legal billing and accounting software would have to include everything I did manually. I short listed a few popular law firm billing softwares available and considered their features and compared them against what I needed. For me the ideal software would have to include features I listed below.

Billing
I compared legal time and billing software for the billing features. I looked at the software's capability to keep track of each client and hourly billing with expenses shown separately for each case I handle on behalf of each client. Then I considered whether the attorney time billing software had a provision for fixed fee billing showing the fees and expenses separately. The attorney billing software I wanted to buy should have these facilities as also account retainer based cases separately, issuing a bill automatically when the retainer amount fell below a predefined limit. I also wanted the legal billing and accounting software to maintain records of cases taken on a contingency basis and issue a bill only on successful completion. I wanted software that could do all these and maintain the billable amounts and expenses amounts separately. I also wanted it to maintain trust based accounts separately where needed according to State laws. I did not want to spend a lot of time in case of future audits, searching for causes of discrepancies and satisfying queries.

Matter Based Record Keeping
In my line of work it is important to maintain perfect records of billing and accounting for each client and in case of multiple cases on behalf of the same client, separate accounting and record keeping of each case. I wanted a comprehensive, easy to use lawyer billing software that would automatically maintain matter based records individually for each case even though multiple cases were connected with a single client.

User Friendliness
Since I had only a passing familiarity with computers and did not have time to spare to learn complicated procedures I searched for legal time and billing software that was user friendly, with an easy menu system and a short learning curve. It had to be intuitive, well designed, fast and easy to use from day one.

Record Keeping
I specially looked for a feature in the lawyer billing software that would maintain complete records of each individual case, cross searchable and linkable with client name, all in one folder and save these in Word or PDF format for printing or emailing any time in the future.

Mobile Portability
Though not absolutely necessary I looked to see if any of the best billing software for lawyers that I had short listed had mobile portability features.
Luckily for me, I happened to come across one such lawyer billing software that had all these features and was affordably priced too. What is more the developer has agreed to give one on trial so I can explore it before committing my accounting and billing tasks to this software.

Points to Look For When Choosing Attorney Billing Software

Accounts and billing are important for any attorney just as much as the legal practice is. Unfortunately the complicated maze of record keeping can eat into his time. Time spent on accounting and billing is not billable time and hence not profitable. This procedure can be done manually, using a worksheet or by going in for a sophisticated, automated attorney billing software. The best billing software for lawyers reduces time and provides full functionality. With so many vendors offering law firm billing software , a lawyer can find it difficult to make a choice without knowing in depth the features of the legal billing and accounting software . A lawyer's choice becomes easier when he checks the software to see if it includes all the features required for accounting, billing and record keeping. Accounting and billing related to a lawyer's activities are quite different from other services and moreover, they are governed by State laws.

A lawyer's accounting and billing covers the following functions and a law firm billing software should desirably include all these. These are :

Billing

The legal time and billing software should have an easy provision to bill on an hourly basis for each client and if a lawyer is handling more than one case for one client, accounts and records should be kept separately. If a lawyer is working on a fixed fee basis as happens in mundane traffic violation matters, the attorney time billing software should have an easy method to generate bills and a list of expenses separately. Lawyers usually work on a retainer cum billing basis and would naturally expect the software to have a provision to bill when the retainer falls below a pre-determined figure. In cases where lawyers work on a contingency basis, the legal billing and accounting software should be able to maintain expense list and billable amount separately and then issue a bill only on successful completion of the case.

Matter Bases Records

An important and must-have feature of any legal billing and accounting software is that it should keep separate accounts and issue separate bills for billable hours and expenses in respect of each case, even when it relates to a single client. A helpful feature of the software is that it should be able to keep records of all pertinent documents and forms in a single folder that can be accessed individually at the click of a button at any time in the future.

Retainer and Trust Accounts

Any lawyer billing software must have a provision to maintain accounts in respect of retainers deposited in attorney trust accounts according to local State laws so that in case of any audit in future, there is no discrepancy or a query against the lawyer.

In addition to these basic requirements, the best billing software for lawyers usually has a provision to compile all documents, forms and papers related to a single case in a single folder, save them in Word or PDF format. Any lawyer billing software not having these features would be incomplete and only complicate tasks so look for these before deciding on one.

Maintain Accurate Records with Attorney Billing Software

An attorney's billing, accounting and book-keeping procedures are different, complicated, extended and time consuming. Moreover, attorney billing practices are governed by laws. An attorney with a bare minimum of staff would find it easy to maintain records, accounts and bill clients with the use of a law office billing software .
Developers of the law firm billing software have thoughtfully considered all aspects connected with a lawyer or a law firm's billing methods, accounting practices and record keeping in a comprehensively designed lawyer billing software . It is possible to maintain accurate records with the legal time and billing software . This is a great relief for all practitioners of the law since random audits are conducted and if there is a discrepancy in the trust accounts, it may render a lawyer liable to disciplinary action and even disbarment.
The importance and benefits of accuracy in trust account transactions is well known to lawyers. However, with a lot of work load, a number of clients and a number of cases per client, it is obvious there is a possibility of an error if accounting is done manually. For all trust account transactions where the advance deposit is maintained in a separate account and monies withdrawn according to hours billed, the law office billing software automatically adjusts each account, bills the client and also generates reports for greater transparency in dealings. An audit will never show up a discrepancy with the software handling each transaction with perfect accuracy.
Other than trust accounts where lawyers have to be extra careful, the attorney time billing software maintains matter based records with accuracy and zero errors. Successful lawyers have clients who entrust them with various matters. In each case relating to a client, the software maintains detailed and itemized account and bills the client separately according to the matter handled. This matter based record keeping and billing keeps every dealing transparent for both parties. Handling such detailed matter based record keeping and billing with ease, the software frees a lawyer to focus on handling cases in hand and in taking up additional cases to generate more revenue. The payback period of a law firm billing software is quite short considering the accuracy, enormous ease and convenience it brings to a lawyer's billing and accounting operations that follow state law defined code of ethics. In all cases the legal firm billing software keeps a separate account and track of lawyer's fees and itemized expenses related to each case.
These features are included along with easy billing and reporting according to billable hours method, contingency method, fixed fee and retainers method. In each case, accuracy in maintaining records and accounts without making any demands on the lawyer's time and in addition, presenting him with reports on demands mean a smoother cash flow and very few outstanding receivables.
Over and above being accurate in all accounting matters, the lawyer billing software gives lawyers great peace of mind and freedom. In a way the software, indirectly, helps lawyers earn more money and becomes an indispensable part of his legal practice.

Billing Software for Lawyers Keeps Track and Frees You to concentrate on Work

If there is one thing attorneys dislike but find it unavoidable, is to keep track of the hours they have put in for each client, the money received and associated with book keeping. As clientele grows, they have to devote more time to such book keeping activities and find it clashes with their main work: legal practice. If done manually, it involves long hours of work. An attorney billing software or a lawyer billing software, as it is known, uses computerized technology to help lawyers.

Most lawyers usually operate on an hourly billing model. If he has only a few clients, it does not take much time to keep track. However, as clients grow the work load increases. A legal time and billing software is just what a busy lawyer needs to remain up to date on the accounts side without losing focus of his practice.

Some lawyers work on a fixed fee basis, regardless of the number of hours or days a case takes up, with incidental expenses charged separately as they crop up with the progress of the case. In such cases too the legal billing software proves invaluable, keeping the fee separate from the various expenses that are all accounted separately. A lawyer can easily generate reports and print these for his and his client's convenience and for transparency in dealings.

Some lawyers work on a retainer plus hourly billing basis with expenses accounted for separately. A retainer or advance needs to be accounted for under a separate head and might complicate matters were it not for the sophisticated facilities of the legal billing and accounting software so easily available these days. At any point in time an attorney can review account status and if need be call for funds to top up the account.

Law office billing software is just as useful for those lawyers involved in personal injury cases, working on a contingency billing method. The law firm billing software has inbuilt utilities that permit him to calculate the claim amount, his percentage if he wins and the costs that he incurs, all under separate heads.

In each case, the lawyer simply enters the figures in a menu-based screen and the software takes care of most of the things in the background. Since accounts are always current, he never faces any problems with audit and can devote more time to working on cases, gaining more cases and generating more revenue. A well thought out and designed legal billing software will integrate all financial transactions in an easy to use interface with facilities to generate reports, bills and statements at the click of a button. In today's busy environment, the software is indispensable.

Billing Software for Lawyers Keeps Track and Frees You to concentrate on Work

If there is one thing attorneys dislike but find it unavoidable, is to keep track of the hours they have put in for each client, the money received and associated with book keeping. As clientele grows, they have to devote more time to such book keeping activities and find it clashes with their main work: legal practice. If done manually, it involves long hours of work. An attorney billing software or a lawyer billing software, as it is known, uses computerized technology to help lawyers.

Most lawyers usually operate on an hourly billing model. If he has only a few clients, it does not take much time to keep track. However, as clients grow the work load increases. A legal time and billing software is just what a busy lawyer needs to remain up to date on the accounts side without losing focus of his practice.

Some lawyers work on a fixed fee basis, regardless of the number of hours or days a case takes up, with incidental expenses charged separately as they crop up with the progress of the case. In such cases too the legal billing software proves invaluable, keeping the fee separate from the various expenses that are all accounted separately. A lawyer can easily generate reports and print these for his and his client's convenience and for transparency in dealings.

Some lawyers work on a retainer plus hourly billing basis with expenses accounted for separately. A retainer or advance needs to be accounted for under a separate head and might complicate matters were it not for the sophisticated facilities of the legal billing and accounting software so easily available these days. At any point in time an attorney can review account status and if need be call for funds to top up the account.

Law office billing software is just as useful for those lawyers involved in personal injury cases, working on a contingency billing method. The law firm billing software has inbuilt utilities that permit him to calculate the claim amount, his percentage if he wins and the costs that he incurs, all under separate heads.

In each case, the lawyer simply enters the figures in a menu-based screen and the software takes care of most of the things in the background. Since accounts are always current, he never faces any problems with audit and can devote more time to working on cases, gaining more cases and generating more revenue. A well thought out and designed legal billing software will integrate all financial transactions in an easy to use interface with facilities to generate reports, bills and statements at the click of a button. In today's busy environment, the software is indispensable.

The Right Attorney Billing Software Makes Life Easier For Lawyers

Unlike other countries, attorneys in the States operate on billable hours, quite different from methods employed in other businesses. In today's hectic world, as the workload on an attorney increases, he finds it difficult to keep track of the advances and the billable hours he has worked for each client. The best solution is an attorney billing software. The right legal billing software will take care of all financial related activities of a lawyer's firm. The right software handles matter based record keeping, trust activities, integrated billing, reports and summaries efficiently and in a user-friendly way so that even those with passing knowledge can use it personally.

Legal billing is done in a variety of ways:

• Fixed fee basis.
• Hourly billing is another method in use where the time an attorney spends on the matter along with incidental costs are recorded and a lawyer bills his client accordingly.
• In a retainer based hourly billing method, the advance paid by the client is adjusted against the hours a lawyer puts in and deducted from the retainer with additional requests for funds.
• In personal injury cases, most lawyers will usually work on a contingency billing basis where the amount of costs and fixed percentage previously decided upon are deducted from the settlement amount and paid to the lawyer. If he loses, he gains nothing.

If a mistake occurs in the billable hours then either it results in the lawyer incurring a loss or the client raising doubts, resulting in loss of goodwill. Legal time and billing software eases the burden of bookkeeping. The convenience of such law office billing software can be gauged from the fact that even if one client entrusts the law with separate legal matters, each is tracked and accounted for separately, avoiding confusion, disputes and doubts. A positive balance in one matter cannot be offset against a negative balance in another matter without the client's consent and thus the legal billing and accounting software keeps financial matters transparent for both the lawyer and the client.

A further benefit of using the law firm billing software is that it keeps complete audit track of all billing and related matters to comply with existing laws in each state. In the right lawyer billing software the client's advances are accounted for separately in attorney trust accounts to comply with laws. This relieves lawyers of this concern, helps them concentrate on their profession and generate more revenues. It is obvious that the benefits of using the right lawyer billing software with all the desired functions soon repay the costs of investing in one.

Legal Billing Software - Are Your Numbers Growing…for the Wrong Reasons?

It's the end of the month. Time to review your accounts receivable. If you compare the numbers to last month: they've definitely grown.

The good news? The firm's doing great, and work shows no signs of slowing down.

The bad news? Too many of your numbers are simply carried over from last month. What this means: there are balances going into arrears by 60 days, 90 days, and more.

If this happens once a year, it's no big deal. If this happens consistently from month to month and client to client, then it represents a waste of time, effort, bank account interest, and business proactivity. It increases stagnation, and decreases client commitment. What's more, the longer it takes a client to pay his or her bill, the more likely that bill is to go unpaid.

If this is you: don't panic. You're in good company. Regardless of size, law firms all across the country struggle with collections. You can throw manpower and energy at the problem. But if you haven't got a system in place to usher in your cash, then you're fighting a slow-and losing-battle.

We can help. Easy Soft's comprehensive legal time and billing software, Easy TimeBill, is designed to send out periodic and accurate reminders to your clients for balances due. In other words, the software does the work for you: it determines what the balance is, how many days your client has fallen behind, and any interest charges that apply. You simply click a few buttons-and off go your invoices: by email or printed snail mail.

Rig your collections system like a well-oiled machine. And your clients will start falling in line.

To learn more about any of our attorney time tracking software, call us at 800 905 7638.