Both offer free trials and include mobile and desktop time tracking and trust accounting features, LEDES invoicing, and integrations with payment processing solutions. Two of the more popular cloud-based billing software programs developed specifically for lawyers are TimeSolv and Time59. There are many different and varying features offered by the different programs, so make sure to review the specific features and test drive the software before locking your firm into a long-term contract. What follows is not all-inclusive, but features a number of different types of tools, one of which is sure to suit your needs. Otherwise you may commit to a product only to learn later that it doesn’t transfer the necessary information between the programs in the manner that you need it to.įor firms that are not ready to commit to a full-fledged law practice management system, but still need robust legal billing software, never fear! You have a number of cloud-based software tools to choose from. Instead, you should use the integration while test driving the legal practice management software. Alternatively, if your bookkeeper and/or accountant would prefer to use the accounting software that they are familiar with, such as QuickBooks, then make sure your software platform of choice integrates with that accounting software in a way that conforms to your law firm’s workflow.īut note: simply confirming that an integration exists is insufficient.
If you’d like to use software with accounting features built into it, CosmoLex is a good bet. When reconciling general accounting data, you have two options: Choose a law practice management system with those features built directly into the software, or ensure that the software will integrate with the accounting tools your firm’s bookkeeper and/or accountant already use.
#Legal time and billing software reviews trial#
Of course each program is unique and each offers a different mix of features, so it’s very important to use the invoicing tools extensively during your free trial of the software. Most reputable providers also include trust accounting reconciliation features, along with options to incorporate your law firm’s general accounting information into your billing system. (Note that I am the legal technology evangelist with M圜ase). When it comes to cloud-based legal practice management software, all the leading companies, including Clio, Rocket Matter and M圜ase, have the ability to generate invoices from time entered using the software’s time-tracking tools. Trust account and accounting features are also important considerations and will be discussed more fully below. This feature will be discussed more fully in the article on electronic payment processing options for law firms.
Some systems will also allow you to include a payment link in the invoice so that your clients can immediately pay you electronically upon receipt of the invoice.
That way you avoid the costly, inefficient and time-consuming process of creating, printing out and mailing paper bills.Īnother important feature to look for is the ability to customize invoices by including your firm’s logo, contact information and more. When vetting these products, it’s important to ensure that the invoices created by the software are editable, easy to read and can be easily shared with your clients in electronic format. When it comes to legal billing software, you have two choices: you can use standalone versions or rely on the billing tools built into law practice management software. Those of you seeking information about online payment tools will have to wait, but rest assured, I’ll cover that topic in the near future.įor now, let’s talk about legal billing software. For those interested in researching legal billing software options, that time has come, and in this column I’ll provide an overview of the cloud-based legal billing software. In a prior column, I discussed time-tracking software options for law firms and promised that I’d address legal billing and electronic payment software later. That’s why, according to the American Bar Association’s 2017 Legal Technology Survey Report, legal billing software is used by the majority of law firms: 81 percent of respondents reported that their firms made time and billing software available, and 70 percent made electronic billing software available for use. After all, if you don’t invoice your clients, you won’t get paid. Efficient and accurate legal billing is essential for law firms.
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