TechnoLawyer: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture

Regarding a recent discussion about accounting and time-billing solutions for a new practice, TechnoLawyer member Pat Cunningham weighs in as follows: "I agree that PCLaw is the right answer for accounting and time and billing. Now with version 7, you also have case management, contact management, calendaring and document management, so you get both for the price of one. I suggest you take a look at PCLaw 7 for starting your practice. But get some help from a consultant to get you off on the right foot, set up you templates, and show you how to save time using the system. A little training is very important."

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Accounting/Billing expert Caren Schwartz writes in with a tip for QuickBooks users: "Many of my clients use QuickBooks to handle trust accounting. Usually we setup a separate company with a very simple chart of accounts. The way I recommend handling the transactions is to make sure you have a customer name on the detail line in EVERY check that you write, and to always use the customer name as the received from for every deposit. Then it is easy to setup a report that shows the transactions and the balance for every customer."

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A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Regarding a recent Question seeking a time-billing solution, TechnoLawyer member Manning Huske writes: "I suggest you look into AbacusLaw Gold for a complete case management, calendar, time-keeping and accounting package. No need to buy separate software for any of the other functions."

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A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

TechnoLawyer member Darren Cantor writes in with this quick take on TimeReporter: "I have used TimeReporter with my handheld and Timeslips 9.1 and now 11. Love it. Allows me to capture time that I otherwise likely would have lost while traveling from one courthouse to another, or in trial out of town, or otherwise away from the office. Minor inconveniences, like unavailability of references (like I said, minor), but overall, very much worth the cost."

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A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

TechnoLawyer member Robert Rowlett recently asked for time-billing software recommendations for a new solo practice.  TechnoLawyer member Roy Ackerman suggests PCLaw, writing: "Get your hands on PCLaw. It is the simplest program to use and rather cheap. It will let you track your time (even internet browsing to look up case info), coordinates with your Outlook, and meets accounting standards."

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A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

TechnoLawyer member Al Goldberger also has nice things to say about TimeReporter: "It's one of the few software combos in the office that works perfectly. We have used it for about 2 years and the sync is flawless. This is a great program."

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A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

TechnoLawyer member Kevin Thompson recently asked whether anyone used TimeReporter with Timeslips.  TechnoLawyer member Mike Millen responds: "It's great. l love it. I've had no sync or database problems. It will pay for itself in a matter of days when you capture that first bit of "lost time" on the road."

About Quips
A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Regarding a recent question about a simple time-billing/accounting solution for a solo, TechnoLawyer member Stuart Rudoler writes: "I've just started solo practice and am using QuickBooks Professional Services 2004. It seems to work pretty well and I've gotten it running without consultants, though it did take a few calls to my accountant."

About Quips
A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.