Accounting & Reporting

We’re experiencing an unprecedented time in history, one in which most people are no longer working from their regular offices. For this reason, access to data from remote locations has become more important than ever.

Congratulations! Your firm has decided to move to a new practice management, billing or accounting platform. You have gone through the analysis, made a selection, and now comes the big question – What data should be brought over to the new application?

How do you measure productivity and predict profitability? With time-based billing, the simplest way is billable hours. How many hours can (and should) timekeepers work in a period of time and how many of the worked hours are billable? If we assume only two weeks of vacation per year and a forty-hour workweek, the formula will look something like this...

All law firms are required to maintain accounting records for client funds deposited in trust accounts. Finding the right software solution to assist with the necessary record-keeping for those funds requires a complete understanding of the bar association rules. Trust Accounting Basics Client funds are held by lawyers for many reasons. A lawyer may hold…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted normal business life currently and for the foreseeable future. “Business as usual” is no longer a realistic expectation. We should expect a new normal once people are permitted to reoccupy their office space. What should law firms do to ensure their employees’ safety and make certain that policies are compliant with revised labor laws and public safety?

Law firms cannot escape uncollectible fees and unrecoverable costs. Fees and disbursements that are not paid by a client have a direct effect on the firm’s profitability. Most service industries report income based on the cash method of accounting. As a result, income is recorded only when received. The only bad debt expenses will be the result of client costs that cannot be recovered. Any fees that are billed but not paid by the client represent lost income.

During our recent ALA webcast, The Flexible Law Firm: Is your practice ready to embrace a work from home program?, there were dozens of questions around technology solutions required for successful implementation of a work-from-home program. You need the right devices, the right processes and the right software that enforce accountability, keep your team connected and make your data accessible (while keeping it secure).

A work-from-home policy presents many benefits and drawbacks for a modern law firm. With a virtual law office, your firm will save on monthly rent costs and is likely to experience less employee turnover. However, remotely participating in meetings with clients and employees can be challenging when employees must rely on technology alone for critical communication. Luckily, there are affordable technologies available that will alleviate some of these challenges.

You’re in the market for a new practice management solution for your firm: You scour the web for options, try to determine how the 347 providers that appear in your search are different, sit in on a few demos, and then narrow down your top picks. And then comes the issue of price…