What's new
What changed, release by release
Each release in plain words: what a firm can now do, and where to find it. The help centre has the step by step guides.
Bills, credit notes and write-offs
Prepare a matter's bill on a pre-bill, have it approved and post it; correct it with a credit note; write off what a client will not pay.
- Pre-bills. Start a pre-bill on a matter to gather its unbilled time, disbursements and the fees its billing arrangement adds. Change a line's value or wording, leave it for a later bill, write it off or move it to the right matter, always with a reason.
- Approval and posting. A bill over the firm's threshold is approved by the responsible partner or the managing partner. Posting numbers the bill, writes its journal and tax, and locks the work it charged.
- Bills. A bill's page shows its lines, tax, what has been credited, paid or written off, and every time it was sent. Download it on the firm's letterhead or send it by email.
- Credit notes. Credit a whole bill or part of it, at the tax rates of the original bill, and choose which time goes back into work in progress.
- Write-offs. Write off bad debt with a reason; larger sums wait for approval. The analysis shows write-offs by matter, client, fee earner, reason or month.
- Statements. A client's statement of account over any period, with the running balance.
Disbursements, tax and billing arrangements
Record what the firm pays out on a matter, work out tax at the tax point, and set how each matter is charged.
- Disbursements. Record payments from office money, client funds or petty cash; each posts to the books at once. A payment from client funds is refused when the matter holds too little.
- Expense claims and petty cash. Fee earners claim back what they paid themselves; floats keep vouchers, top-ups and counts.
- Tax at the tax point. VAT and the levies are worked out line by line at the rates in force on the tax point, with agency disbursements outside the base.
- Billing arrangements. Hourly, fixed fee, fixed fee by milestones, retainer and scale fees, one in force on a matter on any day.
- Court fees. Court fees are recorded as disbursements on the matter, ready to bill.
The ledger and accounting months
A double entry ledger behind every money event, with manual journals, approvals and months that close.
- Chart of accounts. The firm's accounts, with client and office money kept apart.
- Journals. Every money event posts a balanced journal; nothing posted is ever changed, only reversed.
- Manual journals. Drafted, approved by a second person above the firm's threshold, then posted.
- Accounting months. Months close, and a closed month refuses new postings.
- Trial balance and ledgers. Read any account's movements and balance on any day.
Time recording and rates
Timers and a week grid for fee earners, rates that resolve for the day the work was done, and approval for late time.
- Capturing time. Run a timer or fill in the week grid, with narratives offered for each activity.
- Rates. Rate cards for the firm, the grade, the client and the matter, each changing from a date.
- Valued as it is saved. Each entry is valued at the rate in force on the day it was worked.
- Late time. Time recorded after the firm's cut-off waits for a partner's approval.
Tasks and workflows
Tasks on every matter, checklists from templates, and a view of what each person is carrying.
- Tasks. Set tasks on a matter, with due dates, owners and comments.
- Checklists. Start a matter's checklist from a template the firm keeps.
- Workload. See what each person is carrying, and what is late or waiting.