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2 2011 LexisNexis Practice Management Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. PCLaw is a trademark of LexisNexis Practice Management Systems, Inc. LexisNexis, the Knowledge Burst logo, and lexis.com are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license. Time Matters is a registered trademark of LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. HotDocs is a registered trademark of Matthew Bender & Company, Inc. Other products and services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. This product contains software written by Eric Young and/or Tim Hudson. No part of this Application, Help Systems, Manuals, or related materials may be reproduced, transcribed, stored in any retrieval system, or translated into any language by any means without prior written permission of LexisNexis Practice Management Systems, Inc. Further, all users of the Application are governed by the License Agreement and Limited Warranty. Use of the Application acknowledges acceptance of the License Agreement and Limited Warranty. LexisNexis Practice Management Systems, Inc. 123 Commerce Valley Drive East Suite 310 Markham, ON L3T 7W8 Canada

3 Table of Contents Installing PCLaw...1 Written Tutorial...19 Getting Started...53 Working With Persons in PCLaw...57 Time and Fees...93 Client Costs Trust Bank Client Receipts Additional Data Entry Tools Billing Special Billing Working With Invoices Custom Billing Accounts Payable Customizing Reports PCLaw Settings Assigning Security Calendaring Using Front Office Creating Templates Closing the Month/Year Applying Taxes and Levies Managing PCLaw PCLaw Mobility Table of Contents ii

4 Mobile Modules Reports Overview Index

5 Chapter One 1

6 2 PCLaw User Guide

7 Chapter One 3

8 Installing PCLaw PCLaw Requirements... 6 Installing PCLaw... 8 Preparing a Set of Books PCLaw User Guide

9 Chapter One 5

10 Chapter 1-1 PCLaw Requirements Contents Requirements Workstation/Stand Alone Considerations Server Considerations Requirements It is important to install all the latest service releases and critical updates for your operating system. To increase productivity and performance, we encourage you to consider the number of users accessing the data simultaneously and how large the database may become as your practice grows. The following topics are covered in this section: Workstation/Stand Alone Considerations Server Considerations. Workstation/Stand Alone Considerations The following are the requirements for a computer running PCLaw: Minimum Recommended Processor Pentium II Pentium IV Memory (RAM) Windows MB 256 MB Windows XP 256 MB 512 MB Windows Vista 32bit 512 MB 1 GB Hard Drive Space 1 GB available to PCLaw 2 GB or more for data growth (in stand alone environments) Network 10 Base-T Ethernet 100 Base-T Ethernet** Operating System Windows 2000 Windows XP 32bit (Home) Stand-alone Windows XP 32bit (Pro.) Network Screen Resolution 1024 x 768, 32-bit color resolution Higher resolutions supported, individual preference may vary Browser Application Internet Explorer 6.0 with all critical updates **Wireless networks are not recommended for security reasons Internet Explorer 7.0 with all critical updates 6 PCLaw User Guide

11 Server Considerations We assume all servers are comprised of a high reliability and high performance component structure. It is important to keep your system up-to-date with the latest service releases of all your software. For optimal functionality, we provide the following requirements for a dedicated server computer running PCLaw: Minimum Recommended Processor Pentium III Small Network - Pentium IV 3.0 GHz with HT Technology Large Network - Pentium IV 3.0 GHz, HT, dual processor Memory (RAM) 512 MB 2 GB Hard Drive Space 2 GB available (on a high performance disk) 4 GB, high performance disk sub-system (ex. R.A.I.D.) Network 100 Base-T Ethernet Gigabyte Ethernet** Screen Resolution Browser Application 800 x 600, 16-bit color resolution Internet Explorer 6.0 with all critical updates Higher resolutions supported, individual preference may vary Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) with all critical updates **Wireless networks are not recommended for security reasons For PCLawPro Enterprise, in addition to the server considerations listed, the following must be installed prior to installing PCLaw: Server Software Minimum Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition All operating systems are supported with the use of SQL Express however, we recommend using Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows 2003 platforms Recommended Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard or higher as MSDE is no longer supported by Microsoft. For these versions of MS SQL, Windows 2000 Server products or Windows 2003 is required. Chapter One 7

12 Chapter 1-2 Installing PCLaw Contents About Installing PCLaw Installing PCLaw on the First Computer Installing PCLaw on Subsequent Computers Installing PCLaw Pro About Installing PCLaw PCLaw can be installed on a single computer or on multiple computers in a peer-to-peer or client/server environment. Choose your installation method from the following and perform the associated procedure: Installing PCLaw on the First Computer Installing PCLaw on Subsequent Computers Installing PCLaw Pro Preparing a Set of Books Installing PCLaw on the First Computer To cancel the installation, click the Exit Setup button at any time during the installation wizard. 1. Close all applications that are running on the computer. 2. Insert the PCLaw product disc into your CD-ROM drive. 3. If the disc starts up automatically, the product menu appears. If the disc does not start up automatically: On the Windows task bar, click the Start button, then click Run. In the Open box, type D:\autorun. (The letter D represents your CD-ROM drive). Click OK. The product menu appears. 4. To proceed with the installation, click Install PCLaw (Standard Version). If you are installing PCLaw Pro with the SQL database option, a valid and fully configured Microsoft SQL server must exist prior to installing. Read Installing PCLaw Enterprise in this chapter prior to continuing. 8 PCLaw User Guide

13 The Welcome window appears. 5. Read the license agreement thoroughly. If you agree to the terms, click Accept. The installation continues and the Data Set Create/Attach window appears. If you do not agree with the terms, click Don t Accept. The installation is cancelled. 6. To install PCLaw on a single computer: Select Create a new data set and click Next. To install PCLaw on the first computer in a network environment, select create a new data set for use by multiple computers and click Next. The Enter Product Key window appears. Chapter One 9

14 7. Enter the product key you are provided and click Next. The Select Destination Directory window appears. If you purchased the Satellite and/or Express add-on module(s): The Extra Module Keys window appears. Type your license key(s) in the provided boxes and click Next. The Select Destination Directory window appears. 8. The default location for PCLaw is displayed. If you want to choose a different location in which to install PCLaw, click Browse. To accept the specified directory, click Next. The Ready to Install window appears: If this is the first computer in a network installation, you have two directories to specify. The shared (network) components determine where to install the files to which all users must have access. The non-shared (local) components determine where to install the files to which the local user must have access. 9. The Ready to Install window displays what is about to be installed on the computer and where it is about to be installed. Verify the information presented and click Start. If you specified that PCLaw will be used by multiple computers: The Network Station Setup window appears. Read this window carefully. PCLaw will not install on a workstation that does not have full access to the folder you specified for the shared (network) components. If you purchased the Satellite module: The Satellite Station Setup window appears. This window tells you how to install Satellite on the remote computers. 10 PCLaw User Guide

15 10. Once the PCLaw installation is complete, we recommend you restart your computer. If you do not receive a message to restart your computer at this time, the Initialize Data window appears. Click Later and restart your computer, if required. Chapter One 11

16 Installing PCLaw on Subsequent Computers After the first computer has PCLaw successfully installed, you can install it on another computer. To access the installation file, the computer must have full access rights to the computer where the shared (network) components were installed. Do NOT use the PCLaw Product Disc on successive installations. 1. Close any applications that may be running on the computer. 2. On the Windows task bar, click Start. 3. Click Run. 4. In the Open box, type {shared components}\common\install\setup.exe. 5. Click OK. The Welcome window appears. 6. Read the license agreement thoroughly. If you agree to the terms, click Accept. The installation continues and the following window appears. If you do not agree with the terms, click Don t Accept. The installation is cancelled. 7. Select attach to an existing data set. Click Next. The Select Destination Directory window appears. Do not make changes to the shared (network) components location. It may result in installation errors during future updates. 12 PCLaw User Guide

17 To change the location of the PCLaw program files on this computer, click Browse for the Non-shared (local) components. Click Next. The Ready to Install window appears. 8. The Ready to Install window displays what is about to be installed on the computer and where it is about to be installed. Verify the information presented and click Start. 9. Once the PCLaw installation is complete, the Successful Installation window appears. Click Finish and restart your computer, if required. Installing PCLaw Enterprise PCLaw Enterprise editions are supported on Microsoft SQL Server version 8 and higher, as well as Microsoft SQL 2005 Express. One must be installed on your server prior to installing PCLaw. SQL Connectivity software may be required on your workstations to connect to the server. Ensure you have connectivity to the server from all workstations intending to install PCLaw. Configuration of a SQL server and workstation connectivity is usually performed by your network administrator. For your convenience, if you do not already have a SQL server installed, MSDE and connectivity software can be installed from the PCLaw product disc. To access these components, click Install PCLaw Enterprise (SQL Version) from the main product menu. Two SQL components are available: Install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and Install Microsoft SQL Connectivity. To proceed with the installation, after the SQL components are successfully installed and configured, click Step 2 Install PCLaw on this computer. Use Installing PCLaw on the First Computer (from step 5) and Installing PCLaw on Subsequent Computers. Chapter One 13

18 Chapter 1-3 Preparing a Set of Books Contents About Preparing a Set of Books Preparing a Set of Books About Preparing a Set of Books The first time you open PCLaw after you install the program, you are prompted to prepare your set of books. Your answers form the backbone of your System Settings, which can be changed later at any time from within the program itself. Preparing a Set of Books Review this section before starting PCLaw for the first time to ensure you have all the answers to the questions asked. 1. On the Windows task bar, click Start. 2. Highlight Programs > LexisNexis >PCLaw. The Select Set of Books window appears. You can also double-click the PCLaw shortcut icon on your desktop. 3. Highlight <uninitialized set of books> Click OK. The Tip of the Day window appears. 14 PCLaw User Guide

19 The Tip of the Day gives you helpful hints for using PCLaw. To see all the new features in PCLaw since the previous version, click What s New. To see another tip, click Next Tip. If you do not want to display these tips, de-select the check box Show this Welcome Screen the next time you start PCLaw. To continue preparing your set of books, click Close. The Data Initialization window appears. 4. You have three choices on this window. Although preparing a new set of books is discussed in this section, you must contact our support department for detailed documentation on the remaining choices. Choose from the following: Prepare a new set of books Choose this option for a new PCLaw installation. Convert an existing set of books Choose this option if you have an existing copy of SoloPRO, LegalPRO, or PCLaw version 2.5 and lower. Consult the conversion documentation provided to you prior to proceeding. Import Utilities must be installed in order to perform a conversion. Other data source Choose this option if you are converting from a third-party software system. The available software conversions are displayed in the dropdown menu. Import Utilities must be installed in order to perform a conversion. After you have made your selection, click OK. The Preparation Wizard s Welcome window appears. 5. The Welcome window itemizes the information required to prepare your set of books. Depending on your answers and/or selections during the Preparation Wizard, some of the following screens may not be displayed. To continue, click Next. The Firm Name window appears. If you are preparing PCLaw Enterprise: the Microsoft SQL Server Preparation window appears. Select the SQL Server where PCLaw data should be located and the authentication method your firm uses. To avoid log-in issues, PCLaw recommends you use SQL Server authentication. Once you have made your selections, to continue, click Next. The Firm Name window appears. Chapter One 15

20 6. Enter your firm s name in the box provided. Make sure the name accurately reflects the name to appear on client invoices, financial statements, and reports. To continue, click Next. The Firm Address and Phone Numbers window appears. 7. Enter the address and phone numbers for your firm in the boxes provided. To continue, click Next. The Start Up Date window appears. For United States systems: The G/L Accounting window appears. Select whether or not you want to use G/L accounting and click Next to continue. 8. Enter the date on which you have opening balances. If the firm has just started, use the business start-up date. Opening balances are entered after completing this Preparation 16 PCLaw User Guide

21 Wizard. Transactions that occur before the start date should be entered in your previous system. All transactions that occur after the start date are entered into PCLaw. To continue, click Next. The Business Type window appears. 9. Select whether your firm is a sole proprietorship/partnership or a corporation and enter the business number your firm uses for taxation purposes. To continue, click Next. The Bank Account window appears. 10. Enter the number of general bank accounts and trust bank accounts you want PCLaw to create for you initially. You can add additional accounts at any time from within the program. Once you have entered the number of accounts in the provided boxes, click Next. 11. For United States systems: The Accounting Method window appears. Select the accounting method used by your firm. If you are not sure which accounting method to select, contact your accountant, law society, bar association, or government taxation department. Once you have made your selection, click Next. Chapter One 17

22 The Taxes window appears. 12. Select whether your firm charges taxes. For sales tax, enter the rate for fees and disbursements, the dates that sales tax became effective and whether or not you subtract sales tax paid on purchases from your firm s sales tax remittance. For GST/HST/VAT, enter the rate for fees and disbursements, whether or not this tax is calculated after sales tax is added to the total, and whether or not PCLaw makes new matter taxable by default. Once you have made your selections, click Next. The Timekeeper Information window appears. 13. For each timekeeper in your firm, enter the appropriate values in the spaces provided. You are only limited to the number of timekeepers purchased with your PCLaw system. Only three rates are displayed during the preparation wizard. Enter an unlimited number of rates in PCLaw using the Rates Categories and Lawyers and Rates features. To continue, click Next.

23 The User and Admin Password window appears: 14. On this window, enter the name, user name, and password for each person who requires access to PCLaw. You can leave the general user boxes empty and enter users and passwords later from within PCLaw. The ADMIN user must have a password. This user gives access to all the features in PCLaw. Passwords are case-insensitive; LEGAL, Legal, and legal are all considered the same. Once you have entered and confirmed the password for, at least, the ADMIN user, click Next. The Front Office window appears: 15. PCLaw allows you to select whether or not you want to track documents, s, phone calls, phone messages, and appointments, as well as whether you want to use the Safe Custody feature. To enable Front Office, select the check box Enable Front Office features. Click Next. The Front Office Options window appears. Configure the front office features you want to use and click Next. Chapter One 19

24 The Ready to Prepare window appears: 16. The values you provided during this Preparation Wizard creates the set of books for your firm. A default set of codes, including type of law, task codes, explanation codes, and general ledger accounts are also installed. To complete the preparation phase, click Finish. PCLaw creates your set of books and the program launches automatically after completion. The Register window appears. 17. Contact PCLaw Technical Support, during regular support hours, at the number provided on this screen to receive a registration code. You have thirty days to register your copy of the software, after which, you are locked out of PCLaw. To register your software now, type the code provided by Technical Support and click OK. To register your software later, click Skip. PCLaw is launched.

25 Chapter Two 21

26 Written Tutorial Starting the Tutorial Exercise 1: Creating a Matter for a New Client Exercise 2: Adding Another Matter for a Client Exercise 3: Receiving a General Retainer Exercise 4: Recording Time and Fees Exercise 5: Displaying the Status of Matters Exercise 6: Recovering Client Costs Exercise 7: Billing a Client Exercise 8: Processing a Payment from a Client Exercise 9: Using Quick Timer Exercise 10: Handling Trust Funds Exercise 11: Working with the General Ledger Where to Go From Here PCLaw User Guide

27 Chapter Two 23

28 CHAPTER 2 Starting the Tutorial Contents About the Tutorial Starting the Tutorial Navigating Through PCLaw PCLaw Toolbar Pop Up Help About the Exercises About the Tutorial PCLaw helps you manage most aspects of your firm s business. As a result, it includes a large number of features. Take the time to explore PCLaw through this tutorial. By doing so, you will develop a better understanding of how PCLaw works and you will increase your confidence that you are using PCLaw properly. This chapter explores some of the core features of PCLaw using simple, typical scenarios, and basic exercises. There are also exercises for those who plan to work with trust accounts or use PCLaw for general ledger accounting. The exercises will take you through typical procedures for handling a client s matters. You should do the exercises in order; the basic exercises will take approximately two to three hours to complete. You will work with the Experimental Set of Books, so your actual set of books will not be affected. The tutorial concludes with an additional case study that you can use to test the skills you have gained. This chapter assumes you have a basic familiarity with Windows. If you are new to Windows, you should review your Windows documentation first. The Tutorial s Experimental Set of Books This tutorial uses the Reif, Black, and Brito Experimental Set of Books provided with PCLaw. These have been set up for a fictitious law firm: PCLaw Law Firm. The firm has three lawyers, two of whom have default billing rates. It uses the Modified Cash method of accounting for a U.S. system, and has two general bank accounts and one trust bank account. Only lawyer names and rates have been entered; there are no matters in the system initially. 24 PCLaw User Guide

29 Starting the Tutorial 1. Click Start > Programs > LexisNexis > PCLaw. 2. Click PCLaw. 3. In the Select Set of Books window, select <Experimental Books>. 4. Click OK. If you want to follow along in this tutorial, select the option for Reif, Black, and Brito. If you have used the experimental set of books and entered data, you may continue with transactions you have entered. 5. The Tip of the Day window appears. To close the window, click Close. 6. The Auto Appointment Report Settings window is displayed. This is used for initializing the Calendar. Since the Calendar is not used in this tutorial, click Cancel. You are now in the main PCLaw window. You should see PCLaw Law Firm in the title bar and the Quick Step menu in the middle of the screen. Navigating through PCLaw PCLaw provides multiple tools to easily find your way through the program. Quick Step: An Alternative to Pull-down Menus Quick Step provides an alternative to the pull-down menus for accessing PCLaw features. It consists of three main areas: Quick Step Group Buttons - provide panels of task buttons organized according to the way that you do business, rather than the program structure Task Buttons - provide a quick method of accessing commonly used features rather than having to navigate through several levels of pull-down menus Help Panel - provides a quick overview of the various PCLaw features. Chapter Two 25

30 Quick Step Panel with Task Buttons Help Panel Quick Step Group Buttons Click a quick step group icon to display the associated task buttons... and information about each task. The Quick Step Group Buttons organize PCLaw features into logical panels: Startup, Time/ Fees, Client Costs, Trust, Billing, Client Receipts, End of Month/Year, Firm, Accounts Payable, Utilities, and Practice Management. An additional button, Favorites, is provided for advanced users who wish to customize a panel for their own frequently-used features. When you click a group button, you see its associated tasks in the Quick Step Panel area. Click on any of the buttons in this area to go straight to the PCLaw window for that task. If you hold the mouse pointer over any of the buttons, a tip appears describing the purpose of the task. The tip disappears when you move the mouse pointer. The Help Panel displays information about the tasks shown. Every time you click a group button, a description of the various task buttons is displayed in this panel. Four buttons, Matter Manager, Calendar, PCLaw Web, and Resources, appear at the bottom of the Quick Step Menu regardless of the group button that is displayed. Quick Step Reports Each Quick Step Panel, with the exception of Utilities and Favorites, has a Report button that displays a menu of reports that are related to the tasks displayed. PCLaw Toolbar The toolbar, located below the pull-down menus, provides icons for frequently used tasks. You can determine the purpose of a button by holding the mouse pointer over it. The feature name pops up after a couple of seconds. New users may want the task names to appear on the toolbar all the time. If this is the case, right-mouse click anywhere on the toolbar and select Text. Use the same technique to hide feature names. 26 PCLaw User Guide

31 Pop Up Help Pop Up Help offers an alternative to typing frequently used information, making data entry faster and more accurate. Instead of typing information in a field you simply double-click in the field, click the down arrow at the right of the field or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+F1, and choose the desired item from the list that appears. You can tell if Pop Up Help is available by holding by the downward arrow symbol on the right side of a box. About the Exercises The following exercises involve a fictitious firm, PCLaw Law Firm, which is located in Buffalo, New York. The principal lawyers of the firm are Walter Reif, Richard Black, and Susan Brito. The firm has recently taken on a new client, Karen Maxwell, who has requested that the firm represent her in a liability suit, a real estate sale, and the preparation of a will. These three partners, in addition to their hourly rates, have already been added into the experimental set of books. In the exercises, you will learn how to add Karen Maxwell and the three cases into PCLaw. In addition to adding a client and matters, the exercises cover: recording time spent on these cases recording costs advanced creating a pre-bill and bill receiving client funds handling trust funds producing General Ledger statements (if you are using G/L accounting). Each exercise shows you how to use the required PCLaw features, how to check your work, and how to make corrections, if necessary. Chapter Two 27

32 Chapter 2-1 Exercise 1: Creating a Matter for a New Client Contents About Exercise 1 Entering a New Client and Matter Opening and Correcting a Matter What You Have Learned Additional Notes About Exercise 1 Karen Maxwell has come to Walter Reif to see about launching a product liability suit against Toothbreaker Foods, Inc. Mr. Reif feels she has a good case. Ms. Maxwell is a new client to the firm. Ms. Maxwell has asked that her bills be sent to her accountant, not to her regular address. Although Walter Reif is the lawyer responsible for Karen Maxwell s suit against Toothbreaker Foods, Inc., Susan Brito brought the business into the firm and will consequently receive a referral percentage of 25% of the fees. Your first step is to open a file on the case (in PCLaw, called a matter and to enter information about both the client and the matter. Entering a New Client and Matter This tutorial describes only the relevant fields in each window. Any fields not described may be left at their default values. All fields are described in detail in the on-line manual. At the end of the lesson, an Additional Notes section provides more insight on the fields you have just entered. 1. On the toolbar, click. The New Matter > Main tab appears. 2. Enter the following information. Press Tab to move to the next box or click in the next box with the mouse. In the Matter box, type a nickname for the matter; in this case, In the Client box, type a nickname for the client; in this case, 1. In the Opened box, to have the matter opened as of today s date, accept the default entry date. In the Type of Law box, press CTRL+F1 to display Pop Up Help. Double-click Litigation to select the type of law. 28 PCLaw User Guide

33 In the Responsible Lawyer box, double-click to display Pop Up Help. Highlight Walter Reif. Click OK. In the Default Rate Type A or select Walter Reif s A rate from Pop Up Help. In the Description box, type a description; in this case, Karen Maxwell vs. Toothbreaker Foods, Inc. In the Name box, type or select the client s title, if applicable. In this case use Pop Up Help to select Ms. In the First box, type Karen In the Last box, type Maxwell In the first Street box, type 1533 Lakeshore Road In the second Street box, type Apt In the City box, accept the default city of Buffalo. In the State box, accept the default state of New York. In the Zip box, type In the Business box, type In the Home box, type In the Bus. Fax box, type Your window should look like this: 3. To change the address that the bills will be sent to, click the Billing Address button. Select Send bills to alternate address. In the Address box, type 1555 Lakeshore Road, Suite 250 In the Attention box, type Mr. John Anderson To return to the client address for this matter, click the Client Address button. 4. To save the matter information you have entered, click OK. Congratulations! You have just added your first matter into PCLaw. The next section demonstrates how to change matter information. Chapter Two 29

34 Opening and Correcting a Matter Making corrections or additions to a matter s information is very easy. You simply select the matter you previously created and overwrite the missing or incorrect fields with the new information. Press the tab button to advance between boxes 1. On the toolbar, click. The Matter Manager window appears. 2. In the Matter box, type Click the Main tab. In the Client Intro box, type or select sb (Susan Brito). 4. Click the Billing tab, then click the Split Lawyer Charge button. In the Lawyer box, type sb. In the Fee Allocation box, type 25. Click OK. You are returned to the Matter Manager - Billing tab. 5. Click Save & Close. What You Have Learned You now know how to create matters for new clients in PCLaw, how to change information for existing matters, and how to drill down to the Matter Manager to make changes. Additional Notes Responsible Lawyer - This lawyer is responsible for the case and collections for this matter. Default Rate - If you type A, any other lawyers who work on the matter will have their A rate (whatever dollar value this may be) used as the default billing rate for their work. To have each working lawyer bill at the same dollar value rate, type that specific dollar value into this field. City/State - The default city and state is defined on the System Settings > Matter tab. Client/Billing Address - The default name and address information assigned to the billing address is the same as the information assigned to the client address. Changes to the billing address do not affect the client address they are used only when producing pre-bills and bills. Split Lawyer Button - This window allows you to allocate specific percentages of the fee to a specific lawyer. These allocations affect the General Ledger income accounts. Fee Allocation - This allocation deducts the specified percentage from any payments received before allocating the remaining payment. Type of Law - Each matter in PCLaw is related to a type of law. This association allows reports to be restricted to matters or transactions from a particular type of law. 30 PCLaw User Guide

35 Client - As long as the first client nickname used is numeric, PCLaw will automatically number the clients. If client 1 is the last client nickname assigned, the next matter is assigned to client 2. Date - There are many ways to enter dates in PCLaw. You can also type one of these alternatives: 4/1/04, 4/01/04, 04/1/2004, 04/01/04, Jan404, In addition, you can select the date directly from a calendar by double-clicking in the date box. If you use only three digits for the day and the month, the day always gets the two digits. Display As - Because you left the Company box empty, the Display As box is gray; however, if you entered both a Last Name and a Company, in the Display As box, select either Person or Corporation. Chapter Two 31

36 Chapter 2-2 Exercise 2: Adding Another Matter for a Client Contents About Exercise 2 Creating a Second Matter Creating a Third Matter by Yourself Checking your Work Additional Notes About Exercise 2 Two new matters arise for Karen Maxwell. In the first matter, Richard Black handles a real estate sale for Ms. Maxwell. In the second, Walter Reif processes Ms. Maxwell s will. This exercise shows you how to create more matters for the client Karen Maxwell. It demonstrates how the information you just entered for the client will streamline your work as you create new matters for that client. Creating a Second Matter 1. On the tool bar, click. The New Matter > Main tab appears. 2. In the Matter box, accept the matter nickname created by the system (4-002). In the Client box, type 1 (Karen Maxwell) or select her name from Pop Up Help. When you tab to another field, PCLaw fills in the client fields with details added for this client in the previous matter. In the Opened box, type In the Type of Law box, type re (Real Estate) or select it from Pop Up Help. In the Responsible Lawyer box, type rb (Richard Black). In the Description box, type Sale of commercial property at 123 Main St. 3. Click Next button to open the Matter Manager and click the Billing tab. 4. In the Frequency box, select Exclude. In the Quoted Type box, select Fixed Fee. In the Quote box, type Click Save & Close. 32 PCLaw User Guide

37 Creating a Third Matter by Yourself Test your familiarity with PCLaw so far by creating the new matter, Ms. Maxwell s will. Here is the pertinent information: The matter nickname is The client is Karen Maxwell. The responsible lawyer is Walter Reif. Use the B rate. The matter involves the preparation of a will. The client introducing lawyer is Susan Brito. If you have difficulty with any of these tasks, review the previous steps in this lesson. Checking your Work At this point in the tutorial, you have added three matters for Karen Maxwell each one representing a different case. You can see if these matters have been added correctly by printing a List of Clients for Karen Maxwell only. 1. On the Reports pull-down menu, select Clients > List of Clients. The List of Clients > Common tab appears. 2. Select Sort by Name. 3. Click OK. The List of Clients report appears on the screen. Notice how the client information is listed at the top, with the related matters listed alphabetically by matter nickname below. Additional Notes Frequency - Exclude omits this matter from mass billing. The matter can still be billed individually. Fixed Fee - With this type of quote, you see a warning message when a bill is created if the amount being billed is greater than the amount quoted. Chapter Two 33

38 Chapter 2-3 Exercise 3: Receiving a General Retainer Contents About Exercise 3 Receiving a General Retainer Checking your Work What You Have Learned Additional Notes About Exercise 3 After her initial meeting with Walter Reif, Karen Maxwell wrote a check for $200 to be used as a retainer. You will deposit it into your general bank account This exercise describes how to enter a retainer into your general bank account. (For firms who must deposit retainers into a trust bank account, Exercise 10 will show you how to enter a retainer into trust.) Press tab to advance to the next field. Receiving a General Retainer 1. In Quick Step, click Client Receipts > General Retainer. The General Retainer window appears. 2. In the From box, type Karen Maxwell In the Amount box, type 200. In the Explanation box, type ret (Retainer) and press the Spacebar. In the Matter column, type In the Amount box, the full amount of the receipt appears. Do not change it. Your window should look something like this: 3. Click OK. The retainer is posted to PCLaw. 34 PCLaw User Guide

39 Checking your Work You can see the results of adding a general retainer in several places. In this example, we will look at the general bank in two different ways. Displaying the Bank Balance On the PCLaw toolbar, press. The Bank Account Summary window appears with a balance of $200 in General Account 1. Displaying the General Bank Journal 1. On the Reports pull-down menu, select Journal > General Bank. The General Bank Journal > Common tab appears. 2. Accept the default settings. 3. To produce the report, click OK. The General Bank Journal appears on your screen. What You Have Learned In this exercise you learned how to receive a retainer from a client, display the retainer on the screen, and make corrections. You also discovered how to view bank balances in PCLaw. Additional Notes G/L column - PCLaw automatically handles the accounting for general retainers. Additional Receipt/Payee Information - The address information is extracted from the client file. You can change it or add a more detailed explanation, if required. The default template, RECEIPT, is used to control the appearance of the receipt. However, if you wish, you can modify it or create a new one using the Template Editor. Date - Use the dates 1/1/82 and 12/31/2199 to display all entries in PCLaw, regardless of the date. Chapter Two 35

40 Chapter 2-4 Exercise 4: Recording Time and Fees Contents About Exercise 4 Recording Hours from a Time Slip Checking Your Work What You Have Learned Additional Notes About Exercise 4 Walter Reif spent a total of three hours on matter today: a one-hour initial consultation, for which he will not charge, one hour investigating the company s financial position, and a one-hour meeting with representatives of the opposing party. In addition, he spent one hour preparing Ms. Maxwell s will for matter He gives you a written time sheet showing these hours. You need to enter them in PCLaw in order to charge them to the matters. There are several different ways you can charge fees to a matter: Enter hours that have been recorded on a time slip Have lawyers time their meetings, telephone calls, and so on, using the Quick Timer Enter a flat fee Convert an appointment into a time entry Convert a phone call into a time entry This exercise describes how to enter hours recorded on a time slip. (Exercise 9 describes how to record hours using the Quick Timer.) Recording Hours from a Time Slip 1. On the toolbar, click. You see the Time Sheet window. 2. In the Matter column, type or select In the Task column, type nbw or choose Non-Billable Work from Pop Up Help. Since this task code was defined as non-billable, the rate changes to In the Hours column, type 1. In the Expl Code column, type mwc or choose Meeting with client from Pop Up Help. In the Explanation column extend the preset explanation by typing: to discuss liability suit. Press Tab. You are now positioned at the second entry line of the time sheet, where you can enter the following information for the next item. 36 PCLaw User Guide

41 3. Accept the default entry Date of today s date. Accept the default Matter of The Lwyr, Task, and Rate fields are reset to the matter defaults. In the Hours column, type 1. The system multiplies this by the rate to calculate the amount. In the Explanation column, type or select lr (Legal Research). Press Tab twice. You are now positioned at the third entry line of the time sheet. 4. Accept the default Matter of In the Hours column, type 1. In the Explanation column, type Meeting with Client 5. Press Tab twice. You are now positioned at the fourth entry of the time sheet. Record the one hour of time spent on matter Don t forget to change the default matter nickname of (taken from the previous line) to Also, use the explanation code of prep (Preparation of) and add an extended explanation of will. Your window should look like this. Ignore any extraneous information that may show up on the fifth line. As long as there are no Task Codes recorded, a time entry will not be recorded. 6. To save your input, click OK. To make sure that you really meant to use a non-billable type of law in the time sheet, the system warns you: This gives you a chance to correct the task code, if necessary, and assign a dollar value to the work done. In this case, however, click Yes to accept your input. Chapter Two 37

42 Checking your Work Now that you have added time entries, you can produce a report to check the transactions. 1. In Quick Step, click Time/Fees > Reports. You see a menu of reports that are related to time and fees. 2. Click Productivity > Time Listing. The Time Listing > Common tab appears. Click OK. You may have noticed on the Time Listing that a correction needs to be made. If so, use the following method to make the correction: 1. On the Data Entry pull-down menu, select Register. The Register window appears. 2. Click the Time tab and click Select. The entries for the selected period appear. 3. To highlight the entry you wish to change, click the entry. Click Change. The Correct - Time Entry window appears. Make any necessary changes and click OK. Your changes are saved. 4. Click Close. You are returned to the PCLaw desktop. 38 PCLaw User Guide

43 What You Have Learned You just learned two ways to charge fees to a matter, how to correct time entries, and how to produce a Time Listing. Of course, fees are only one aspect of the cost of a matter. In Exercise 6, Paying for and recovering expenses, you will learn how to make a payment for expenses on behalf of a client and how to charge the cost of expenses to the client s matter. First, let s look at the next exercise which shows how you can display the status of matters. This is a good way to check on your progress so far. Additional Notes Matter Summary -The status area at the bottom of the window is updated with the current matter information after tabbing from the Matter box. Lawyer Box - The lawyer that appears, by default, is the Assigned Lawyer for the matter. Task Code - The default task code is the one defined in Matter Manager. Explanation Codes - Explanation nicknames allow you to use shortcut codes for often-used explanations or phrases. If you require a new explanation code, you can include it in PCLaw by clicking Add in the Pop Up Help - Explanation Codes window. Chapter Two 39

44 Chapter 2-5 Exercise 5: Displaying the Status of Matters Contents About Exercise 5 Using Matter Manager Producing a Client Ledger What You Have Learned Additional Notes About Exercise 5 Periodically, you may want to check that the information you have entered is complete and accurate. PCLaw provides two easy ways to display the information it has stored about a matter: the Matter Manager and the Client Ledger. Using Matter Manager The Matter Manager provides summary information about a specific matter or client. 1. On the toolbar, click to display the Matter Manager window. 2. In the Matter box, type Press the Tab key. 3. Click the Summary tab. The Matter Manager > Summary tab appears: Information about this matter is displayed. Notice the amounts for the general retainer (Gen Rtnr), unbilled hours (Unbd Hrs), and unbilled fees (Unbd Fees). 4. Click Unbd Fees. The Register > General tab appears displaying a list of the unbilled time and fee entries that make up the amount. 5. Click Close. 40 PCLaw User Guide

45 6. Click the Time tab. Notice that the time entries associated with this matter are listed. 7. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the Matter Manager as a convenient alternative to the pull-down menus and Quick Step menu. Producing a Client Ledger The Client Ledger displays information for a single matter, for all the matters for a particular client or lawyer, or for all matters. 1. On the toolbar, click to display the Client Ledger window. 2. In the Client box, type 1 (Karen Maxwell) or select her name from Pop Up Help. 3. In the Output area, select Screen. 4. Click OK. The report is displayed on your screen. 5. Use the Report Drill Down feature to make corrections directly from the report. Double-click on any entry and make any necessary corrections. 6. To close the report window, press CTRL+F4. What You Have Learned You now know how to display information about matters. You can use the Client Ledger or Matter Manager feature at any time to review the status of a matter. Additional Notes Drill down - The Drill Down feature lets you see a list of transactions that make up any of the displayed amounts. Matter Manager > Time Tab - This tab is similar to the Register window in that new entries can be created, existing entries can be changed, and a printout of time entries for this matter can be produced Chapter Two 41

46 Chapter 2-6 Exercise 6: Recovering Client Costs Contents About Exercise 6 Paying and Recovery Expenses at the Same Time Recovery Costs without Making Payments Checking your Work What You Have Learned Additional Notes About Exercise 6 1. You receive two invoices from Ace Messenger for documents you had sent by courier to Ms. Maxwell. The first invoice, for $20.00, applied to matter 4-001; the second, for $15.00, to matter You are to write a check to the messenger service to pay the bill and recover the expenses from the client at the same time. 2. Your photocopy log book shows that 58 copies were made for matter and 25 copies for matter Your firm charges 10 cents per copy, so you will recover $5.80 from Ms. Maxwell s account for the first matter and $2.50 for the second. In this case, no payment is being made from your bank account (the charge is to cover the cost of purchasing and operating your photocopying equipment), so you will use the Expense Recovery feature. Client costs fall into four categories: Payments from the general bank that you allocate to a client at the same time that you make the payment. For example, you write a check for your phone bill and allocate any long distance charges to matters at the same time. Recoverable expenses for payments already made from the general bank but which were not allocated to the client at the time. For example, you realize at pre-billing time, after the phone bill has been paid, that you forgot to charge a long distance call to a matter. Deferred expenses that you allocate to a client before payment is made. For example, you determine the charge for a long distance call and allocate it to a matter before you write the check for your telephone bill. Office expenses for which no direct payment is required. For example, you allocate photocopying expenses to a matter. 42 PCLaw User Guide

47 It is important to distinguish between these categories because two different PCLaw features are used to process them: In the first case, General check is used to withdraw the funds from your general bank account as well as allocate the expense to the client. In the remaining cases, Client Expense Recover is used to simply allocate the expense to the client. It does not affect your general bank account. Paying and Recovering Expenses at the Same Time 1. On the Quick Step menu, click Client Costs > check General. The General check window appears. 2. In the To box, type Ace Messenger In the Amount box, type 35. In the Explanation box, type or select crx (Courier Expense). In the Matter column, type or select The system fills in the default explanation code and amount you entered in the check area. It also fills in the General Ledger account associated with this explanation and updates the status area at the bottom of the window with the current information about the matter. In the Amount box, type Tab to the next line. In the Matter column, type or select In the Amount box, type 15. Your window should look like this: 4. Click Print. The Additional check Payee Information window appears. Click OK. The check prints and you are returned to the General check window. 5. Click OK. The check is saved to PCLaw. Chapter Two 43

48 Recovering Costs Without Making Payments 1. In Quick Step, click Client Costs > Expense Recovery. The Expense Recovery window appears. 2. In the To box, accept the default of Expense Recovery. In the Explanation box, type or select ph (Photocopies). In the Matter column, type or select The summary area at the bottom of the window is updated with the current information about the matter. In the Amount box, type Press Tab to move to the next line or click in the Date box of the second line. In the Matter box, type or select The Explanation and G/L Account are filled in automatically from the information on the first line. In the Amount box, type 2.50 Your window should look like this: 4. Click OK. The expense recovery is posted to PCLaw. Checking your Work To display all expense recoveries and checks that were entered on behalf of clients, use the Client Costs Journal. 1. In Quick Step, click Client Costs. Click Client Costs Reports. A menu of client expense related reports is displayed. Click Journals > Client Costs. The Client Costs Journal window appears. 2. Click OK. 44 PCLaw User Guide

49 Your report should look like this: checks are identified by GB (general bank) in the Source column. Recoveries are marked with CER (client expense recovery). What You Have Learned You now know how to write a check to pay for an expense and at the same time recover that expense from a client. You also know how to recover an expense without writing a check and finally you have used the Register to correct an entry. As with fees, all you have done so far is record a charge that has been incurred. Additional Notes General check - Take a moment to examine this window. The top portion simulates a printed check, the middle portion contains the details of how the check is to be allocated to a matter or the firm, and the bottom portion, as usual, contains current information about the selected matter. Explanation - The check explanation becomes the default for the Explanation box in the allocation area. You can accept it or overwrite it for each line in the allocation area. Additional check Payee Information - Enter up to five lines of additional address information about Ace Messenger, as well as a more detailed explanation, if required. This information prints directly on the check. Expense Recovery > To box - This box is used only to relate this expense recovery to a check that was previously written without being allocated to a matter. Corrections - If you are required to correct or change client related entries, use the Ledger tab of the Register. The Register is on the Data Entry pull-down menu. Chapter Two 45

50 Chapter 2-7 Exercise 7: Billing a Client Contents About Exercise 7 Creating a Pre-bill Creating a Final Bill Checking Your Work What You Have Learned Additional Notes About Exercise 7 It is now time to bill Ms. Maxwell. Mr. Reif has asked for a pre-bill so he can ensure that the details are accurate and the format satisfactory. After the pre-bill, create the final bills for the matters. You may remember that matter included a referral fee of 25% for Susan Brito. For the purposes of this bill, the referral fee is to be changed to 20%. This means you must modify the calculations made by the system. In this exercise, learn how to bill the client for time and expenses Creating a Pre-bill 1. In Quick Step, select Billing > Create Pre-Bill. The Pre-Bill Selections > Main tab appears. 2. Leave the Matter box blank to create a pre-bill for all eligible matters. In the Client box, type or select 1 (Karen Maxwell). In the Output box, select Printer. De-select Screen. 3. Click the Options tab. 4. Select Print Client Summary. 5. Click OK. The pre-bills and summary report are printed. Creating a Final Bill 1. In Quick Step, select Billing > Create Bill. The Bill Selections > Main tab appears. 2. Leave the Matter box blank to create a pre-bill for all eligible matters. In the Client box, type or select 1 (Karen Maxwell). In the Output box, select Printer. De-select Screen. 46 PCLaw User Guide