Legal Billing Software

How to select the right

Legal Billing Software solution

for your law practice.

Online Legal Software311 W. 37th St., Suite 311New York, NY 10018212-203-5310@OLSoftwareNYC

How are you currently keeping track of your time?

Are you missing billing any billable time?

How many hours a month do you spend working on legal matters?

175 hours? 200?

How many hours a month do you bill? 100? 150?

IF you used a system that kept track of time contemporaneously which allowed you to compare the work you did to what you proposed to bill, how many hours of that missing 50 or so hours a month could you bill?

An additional 5 hours? 10 hours?

What’s your hourly rate?

How much are you leaving on

the table?

Do the math!

Now that you know where you are and where you want to be…

What do you need to do to get there?

There are two basic business delivery models used to provide legal software: an installed solution and a cloud-based (software as a service) solution.

There are two basic types of program solutions, a stand alone solution and an integrated complete solution

The choice of each of these delivery models and types of solutions affects available features as well as pricing.

Installed solution

Installed software is purchased from a vendor and then installed by the law firm and maintained by the law firm on the law firm’s computers.

The law firm has the ongoing cost of supporting the law firms computers/servers and updating the software as required.

The software is licensed on a per device basis.

The software is only accessible where the licensed device is, presumably the law office.

Cloud-based Solution

A cloud-based solution is software licensed by a vendor which maintains the law firms data.

There is no upfront fee and the vendor charges a monthly fee which includes maintenance and software updates.

Software is licensed on a per user, unlimited device basis.

The software is accessible anywhere the licensee can log on to the internet.

You can read more about installed or online solutions at our website.

Stand Alone Solution

A stand alone solution for legal billing software creates a bill. That’s it. That’s how legal software was sold 30 years ago.

If you want any other functionality, like keeping track of time or calendaring, you’d need to purchase a separate program.

The different programs of a stand alone solution do not communicate with each other. Information needs to be typed multiple times.

Comparing information from one program to another is complicated and cumbersome.

An integrated complete solution

An integrated complete legal software solution combines the bill creation function with all of the related functions in one place.

Time tracking, Calendaring, Accounting and Document hosting are all on one platform and organized on a client-matter specific basis.

At the pre-bill stage you are able to compare what you remembered to bill against the client-matter specific entries in your calendar and your client-matter specific documents to find the work you did but forgot to keep track of.

You can send out a more complete bill.

Which solution works best for you?

IF you…

Don’t bill your time

Don’t keep track of time

Don’t need remote access

An installed solution might work for you…

constant contactDon’t need

1. Want to pay nothing up front2. Would like a risk-free trial3. Want included maintenance and updates, and 4. Like the ability to cancel at any time.

But if…

1. You need to keep track of time2. Do work remotely3. Have a loved one and/or a family, or 4. Just want to practice efficiently

And you…

What should you do?

For most lawyers, the cloud-based integrated complete solution works best

A cloud-based integrated complete solution would better support your

practice

How components of a legal cloud-based solution work together

Any complete legal billing solution needs to have a system of contemporaneously keeping track of time, typically a timer.

In order to find time that was missed there are two separate sources of information that are useful to compare to the time records for finding missing time.

Any complete legal billing system needs to compare a client matter specific bill to a client matter specific calendar.

Any complete legal billing system needs to compare a client matter specific bill to the client matter specific documents.

Those comparisons typically result in the finding of an additional 5% to 10% of the attorney’s proposed time billings.

Things to consider in selecting a provider: Where is the data stored?

Your data will be hosted by your provider.

1. Where are the servers? 2. Are they in the US or is the data kept outside the US?3. If you need the metadata how do you get it?

Clio is not an American company and has no employees based in the United States.

The support staff are not lawyers and apparently not provided much information as they were not able to answer an inquiry

as to where their servers were located.

Things to consider in selecting a provider: How is the data secured?

Most legal cloud providers encrypt their data to 256 bit level encryption, essentially scrambling your data, so it is less likely to be inadvertently disclosed.

Most legal cloud providers back up your data at a remote location.

Online Legal Software does both of those things.

Clio may transmit data totally unencrypted.

Rocket Matter uses a lower level of encryption.

Things to consider in selecting a provider: How is training conducted?

Different lawyers need different levels of support.

If you are a geek maybe you don’t need to have someone walk you through how to do tasks?

Most lawyers will occasionally need some questions answered.

How do the major providers handle needed training and ongoing support?

Online Legal Software Training and Support

You are trained by a US-trained lawyer

You have a call with the trainer who learns about your practice and sets up your firm site to reflect the nature of your practice.

You receive 60-90 minute individualized telephone and WebEx training session to learn all of the various functions of the system.

If you need them, you have an unlimited number of follow up calls and training sessions.

All training and support is included in the monthly charge.

Rocket MatterTraining and Support

Rocket Matter has available online tutorials and writings that inform how to perform the various functions associated with their program.

For a sophisticated and computer-savvy user these tools will largely answer your questions.

Otherwise…

If you want any individual training it is also available. A one hour session costs $150 and a package of 5 one hour session cost $500.

Clio Training and Support

Clio provides many resources on line to learn how to perform the functions associated with their software.

For a sophisticated and computer-savvy user these tools will largely answer your questions.

If you do have any questions the terms of service should be consulted. Technical support is only provided to Authorized Users with paying subscriptions, and is only available through email correspondence.

Clio has no employees in the United States but they do have a list of third party consultants in the United States who will charge you for services.

Conclusion

Most US lawyers who want to practice remotely and need to keep track of their time will be well served by a complete, integrated legal billing software solution.

If you are concerned about the security of your data and want to be trained by a lawyer who understands the software and practicing law, Online Legal Software provides your best solution.

Learn more…

Read more about the general consideration of legal billing software, see the forms used for various functions of Online Legal Softwareand see our calendaring forms at our website.

And you can always request a demo on-line

Or call us at 212-203-5310