Overview of Legal Specific Practice Management Software: Find Out What s Available for Your Practice

Transcription

1 Overview of Legal Specific Practice Management Software: Find Out What s Available for Your Practice Catherine Sanders Reach, MLIS Director, ABA Legal Technology Resource Center

2 Practice management software provides attorneys with a convenient method of effectively managing client and case information, including contacts, calendaring, s, and other specifics by facilitating automation in law practices. It can be used to share information with other attorneys in the firm and will help prevent having to enter duplicate data in conjunction with billing programs and data processors. Many programs link with smartphones so that calendars and schedules are always handy. Some case management packages are Web-based, with more on the way, allowing anytime access to all features. Practice management programs vary in their compatibility by firm size and features. Firm size ranges from solo practitioners to small, medium, and large law firms. Some programs may not be suitable for larger firms, but may contain features that effectively service a solo or small firm. When selecting a case management program, determine your needs first. Pick a program that enhances your practice seamlessly and effortlessly, which is not necessarily a program with every available function to implement. If you need assistance in assessing the needs of your firm, consider a consultant. Consultants can be found by referral, on lists, in the yellow pages, or on-line. Some Features and Functions of Practice Management Software Include: Matter Management Information on all of your cases and matters is accessible through a centralized database; Manages todo lists; Fast & flexible searching; Conflicts interest checking; Checks statue of limitations Time Tracking Records billable time on an hourly, contingent, transactional, or user defined fee individually or firmwide; Links to time, billing, and accounting programs Document Assembly Drafts s; Links to word processing programs Contact Management Tracks, logs, and stores details about phone calls. s, and other correspondence; Callback reminders Calendaring & Docketing Allows staff to view tasks, deadlines, appointments, and meetings by day, week, month, or year; Calculates calendar dates; Schedules appointments and meetings Time & Billing Tracks billable time; Generates client invoices; Links to time tracking and accounting programs; Creates reports for individual billing attorneys

3 Checklist for Purchasing Software: 1. Conduct a self-assessment What is your work style and ethic? What are your primary practice areas? Consider your current use and ownership of technology. What are your future plans for your practice and technology? The amount of time spent in the office and on the road How many support staff do you have? What is your experience/comfort level with technology? What are your absolute necessities? Determine your budget 2. Research Find out about vendors and software - the different options/solutions for your particular issue Read law office technology books and periodicals* Join technology-oriented discussion lists* Read discussion list archives* Ask your colleagues 3. Try it Download or request a demonstration/trial version of the software. Try the software on your desktop or network computers. Ask for on-line demonstrations of the software. If you have staff, have the staff try the software. 4. Evaluate it Compare your list of absolute necessities with the features the software offers

4 Did the software meet your expectations? Did you feel comfortable with the "look" and "feel" of the software? Will the software help you get your work done faster? Is the price of the software within your budget? Is the software designed for the type of work you do? What does the staff think of the software? Does the software fit into your future goals? 5. Buy it Determine how many licenses you will need. Determine what is included in the price of the software. Determine whether you need a maintenance and support contract. Determine amount of training you and your staff will need. 6. Implement it Communicate to the staff when and by whom the software will be implemented Arrange for training for yourself and your staff Commit to using the new software Be positive and patient with yourself and your staff while in the transition period 7. Training Include training for yourself and your staff. Arrange for a company representative or a local consultant to come to your office. Set a training schedule and stick with it. Get training on new versions of the software when you upgrade, if necessary. A comparison chart with information on several practice management software products follows. This chart shows features available from a sampling of legal specific practice management software packages, as well as time/billing software as many times the features are complimentary, sold together,

5 or integrated. The features listed represent the vendor's solo/small law firm solutions. This chart is not a comprehensive review of practice management software.

6 This includes two charts: a Practice/Case Management Software Comparison Chart for Solo/Small Firm, and a Time & Billing Software Comparison Chart for Solo/Small Firm. Scroll down to view the Time & Billing chart. Last updated: Mar 15, Abacus Law Classic/Gold Pricing Customizable based on firm, desired options. Pricing includes software, training, and support. For "no obligation quote," fill out form (click here) or call , M-F 6am- 5pm PT Free demo available. Practice/Case Management Software Comparison Chart for Solo/Small Firm (Note: May include time/billing features. See below for Time & Billing specific chart.) Technical Requirements PC: Windows XP Pro, Vista, or Windows 7. Server: Microsoft Front Office Tasks Fully integrated calendaring, cases, conflict checking, auto-filling court forms. Link docs, s, messages, notes & more to client records. Specialty versions include litigation, transactional law, family law, personal injury, immigration, estate planning and workers' comp. Back Office Tasks Available in AbacusLaw Gold only. Includes oneclick time & billing, accounting, trust accounts, general ledger, check writing, payroll and more. Software Compatibility (Import/export, etc.) Microsoft Word Microsoft Outlook WordPerfect Data import/export. Data conversion from other programs. Mobile Access BlackBerry, iphone, Palm, Windows CE, Pocket PC. Call as new phones are available. Technical Support Customer care includes tech support, online training modules and more. Support by remote desktop, telephone, , and fax. US-based, M-F 6am- 5pm PT. 1 Note: these charts do not provide a comprehensive comparison of all Practice Management/Time & Billing products on the market. Inclusion in the chart should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation. If you have an update to a listing or if you'd like to submit a product for consideration in future chart revisions, please contact the LTRC at [email protected].

7 Amicus Attorney Amicus Attorney 2010 Premium Edition: $999 1 st license, $599 additional licenses. Optional add'l fees for annual maintenance ($350/$250 resp.), annual tech support ($295/$95 resp.). Amicus Attorney 2010 Small Firm Edition: $499 1 st license, $399 additional licenses. Optional add'l fees for annual maintenance ($280/$180 resp.), annual tech support ($295/$95 resp.). Windows 7/Vista/XP Pro Windows Server 2008/2003 Premium Edition: SQL Server 2008 Matter contact relationship knowledge calendaring & docketing, universal communication inbox, assembly, conflict checking, to-do lists, deadline management. Most back office features in Amicus Accounting (see Time & Billing chart below). Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Word WordPerfect HotDocs CompuLaw Worldox Timeslips PCLaw QuickBooks Tabs3 Juris Plus numerous other accounting and billing applications Data import/export Contacts and Calendar Sync with any mobile device (iphone, BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile) via Outlook. Amicus Mobile (add on software) provides real time two-way access to Amicus time, files, notes, stickies, phone calls, and messages. Support for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices. Annual technical support plans offer unlimited telephone & support, web-based remote desktop assistance, access to experts, convenient hours. Annual maintenance plan s offer automatic software upgrades/updates in addition to technical support. Clio Monthly subscription: - $49/month per attorney - $25/month per support staff Web-based, requires Internet Explorer 6.0+, Firefox 2.0+, Safari 3.0+ or Google Chrome Matter/case client/contact task scheduling, practice performance metrics, sharing/collaboration. Time tracking, billing and reporting, trust accounting, online bill paying Microsoft Outlook Google Calendar Apple ical Apple Contacts QuickBooks Because Clio is webbased, it is accessible from any device with an integrated webbrowser. An iphone-optimized version of Clio is also available. Technical support is included in Clio's monthly subscription free. Support options include phone (800-number) and . Legal Files Contact sales team for quote. Volume, government and nonprofit discounts available Windows NT, 2000, XP Pro. Also available in web browser version. Case/contact , assembly and relationship conflict checking, calendaring, automatic notification system for tasks and to-do's. Time budgeting, expense tracking and ebilling module Microsoft Office suite Numerous popular management and accounting programs. Legal Files Mobile, Internet, PDAs Yearly maintenance and support agreement available offering unlimited help desk support; online customer resource center. Contact company for additional information Note: these charts do not provide a comprehensive comparison of all Practice Management/Time & Billing products on the market. Inclusion in the chart should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation. If you have an update to a listing or if you'd like to submit a product for consideration in future chart revisions, please contact the LTRC at [email protected].

8 Needles Licenses 1-10: $1,000 per user. Annual support, Sybase, and implementation/training at additional cost. Pricing calculator available on website. Workstation: Windows 2000, XP, Vista. Server: Windows 2003, Notes, calendar, case status, , IM, case fiels, conflict checking, statute tracking. Marketing, expense tracking, reporting, import/export to other Needles firms. Acrobat Corel WordPerfect Docs Open Hot Docs Microsoft Suite QuickBooks Timeslips Worldocs Remote access New Needles clients must undergo initial trainng and implementation with certified training consultant. Annual support provides technical support M-F, 8:30-5:15pm EST. PracticeMaster PracticeMaster Basic: $150 for first user ($50 per add'l user); PracticeMaster Premier: $295 for first user ($150 per add'l user). Client Server Version: Basic: $500 ($185 per add'l user) Premier: $890 ($250 per add'l user) Optional annual maintenance: $65/21 for basic, $130/53 for premier. Basic/Premier: Windows: 7, Vista, XP, 2000 CSV: STI Server on Windows: 7, Vista, XP, 2000 PracticeMaster Basic: Matter & contact database; Firm-wide calendaring; Conflict checking; Document management; common task templates; PracticeMaster Premier: Adds assembly, management integration, area of practice customization, etc. (comparison chart) Fee and cost entry. Tabs3 products can be purchased for back office billing, accounting, A/R, A/P, trust accounting, and check writing (see chart below). PracticeMaster Basic: Tabs3, Paperport, Outlook and other e- mail programs, QuickBooks PracticeMaster Premier: Additional integration with Outlook, HotDocs, Paperport, WorlDox, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, CompuLaw court rules. (more info here and here) Palm and other smartphones Annual maintenance plan available (pricing info) Free telephone support for 60 days Knowledge base PracticeMaster Basic is included with purchase of Tabs3. 3 Note: these charts do not provide a comprehensive comparison of all Practice Management/Time & Billing products on the market. Inclusion in the chart should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation. If you have an update to a listing or if you'd like to submit a product for consideration in future chart revisions, please contact the LTRC at [email protected].

9 ProLaw Contact ProLaw for pricing. Information request form available on web page, or call Workstation: Windows 2000 Pro, XP Pro, Vista Business/Ultimate. Server: Windows Server 2000, Server 2003 R2, Server 2008 running Microsoft SQL Server 2000/2005/2008. Matter contacts, assembly/mgmt, , appointments/tasks, docketing, calendaring, incontext Westlaw research, records management. Specialized practice area modules available. Time/expense tracking, budgeting, collections, billing, cost recovery, contingency analysis & disposition, integrated accounting. Microsoft Suite Lotus Domino/Notes GroupWise Acrobat HotDocs DOCS Open OpenText Interwoven Worldox PeachTree QuickPayroll ProLaw offers support for planning & implementation, training & adoption, and technical support. Rocket Matter 1 st user: $59.99/month Users 2-6: $49.99/month Users 7-20: $39.99/month 20+ users: $19.99/month Pricing includes mobile access, upgrades, backups, security, support, and training. Web based, crossplatform. Runs on any operating system with a modern web browser. Requires Internet Explorer 7 or above, Safar 3 or above, Firefox 2 or above, Chrome, or Opera. Individual and firmwide calendaring, todo and task tracking, matter contact phone and interoffice messaging, conflict checking, storage, reporting and performance tracking, date calculation, tagging, mail merge, ondemand data downloads, Skype integration. Hourly, flat fee, and contingency matter support, time and expense tracking, flexible user rates, online timer (stopwatch), billing, invoicing, matterbased ledgers and accounting. AR reports, batch invoice creation. Calendar subscription can be read by Outlook 2007, ical, Sunbird, Google Calendar, and most other compliant calendaring programs. Mail merge with Microsoft Word for form letter/label generation. Invoices can be created in WordPerfect, Word, or PDF. Any mobile device capable of running a full browser. Optimized for usage on the iphone, Palm Pre, Windows Mobile, and modern BlackBerry devices. Phone and technical support included in monthly fee. Support hours from 9 AM to 6 PM EST, M-F. Our support representatives are located in the U.S. and are native English speakers. Support in Spanish is also available. We respond to most issues within the hour, and guarantee a 1 business day response time. Reports and data can be backed up to CSV files readable with Excel. Rocket Matter subscriptions include free training sessions and 24-hour access to online support videos to help with most common questions. 4 Note: these charts do not provide a comprehensive comparison of all Practice Management/Time & Billing products on the market. Inclusion in the chart should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation. If you have an update to a listing or if you'd like to submit a product for consideration in future chart revisions, please contact the LTRC at [email protected].

10 Time Matters 1 st user: $905 Additional users: $525 (includes 1 st year maintenance plan) Workstation: Windows XP, Vista. Business/Pro edition recommended. Server: Windows Server 2003/2008 with Microsoft SQL 2005/2008. Contacts, matter docketing, calendaring, communications, data import/sync Time capture PCLaw Juris Timeslips QuickBooks Other "billing, and other desktop business applications." Online support center with articles/faqs. Online service center available for licensed customers. Live-answer telephone support available M-F, 8am- 8pm for strictly technical issues. 5 Note: these charts do not provide a comprehensive comparison of all Practice Management/Time & Billing products on the market. Inclusion in the chart should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation. If you have an update to a listing or if you'd like to submit a product for consideration in future chart revisions, please contact the LTRC at [email protected].