Learn how to select the right legal billing software for your law firm, brought to you by Online Legal Software. We provide online legal software solutions that integrate lawyers’ time, billing, calendaring, and task, document and practice management systems with their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

1. Legal Billing Software
How to select the right
Legal Billing Software solution
for your law practice.
Online Legal Software
311 W. 37th St., Suite 311
New York, NY 10018
212-203-5310
@OLSoftwareNYC

2. How are you currently keeping track of
your time?

3. Are you missing billing any billable time?
How many hours a month do you spend
working on legal matters?
175 hours?
200?
How many hours a month do you bill?
100?
150?

4. IF you used a system that kept track of
time contemporaneously which allowed
you to compare the work you did to what
you proposed to bill, how many hours of
that missing 50 or so hours a month could
you bill?
An additional 5 hours?
10 hours?

5. What’s your hourly rate?
Do the
math!
How much are
you leaving on
the table?

6. Now that you know where you are and
where you want to be…
What do you need to do to get there?
There are two basic business delivery models used to provide legal
software: an installed solution and a cloud-based (software as a
service) solution.
There are two basic types of program solutions, a stand alone
solution and an integrated complete solution
The choice of each of these delivery models and types of solutions
affects available features as well as pricing.

7. Installed solution
Installed software is purchased from a vendor and then installed by the
law firm and maintained by the law firm on the law firm’s computers.
The law firm has the ongoing cost of supporting the law firms
computers/servers and updating the software as required.
The software is licensed on a per device basis.
The software is only accessible where the licensed device is, presumably
the law office.

8. Cloud-based Solution
A cloud-based solution is software licensed by a vendor which
maintains the law firms data.
There is no upfront fee and the vendor charges a monthly fee which
includes maintenance and software updates.
Software is licensed on a per user, unlimited device basis.
The software is accessible anywhere the licensee can log on to the
internet.
You can read more about installed or online solutions at our website.

9. Stand Alone Solution
A stand alone solution for legal billing software creates a bill. That’s
it. That’s how legal software was sold 30 years ago.
If you want any other functionality, like keeping track of time or
calendaring, you’d need to purchase a separate program.
The different programs of a stand alone solution do not
communicate with each other. Information needs to be typed
multiple times.
Comparing information from one program to another is complicated
and cumbersome.

10. An integrated complete solution
An integrated complete legal software solution combines the bill
creation function with all of the related functions in one place.
Time tracking, Calendaring, Accounting and Document hosting are all
on one platform and organized on a client-matter specific basis.
At the pre-bill stage you are able to compare what you remembered
to bill against the client-matter specific entries in your calendar and
your client-matter specific documents to find the work you did but
forgot to keep track of.
You can send out a more complete bill.

11. Which solution works best for you?
IF you…
Don’t bill your time
Don’t keep track of time
Don’t need remote access
Don’t need
constant contact
An installed solution might work for you…

12. But if…
1.
2.
3.
4.
You need to keep track of time
Do work remotely
Have a loved one and/or a family, or
Just want to practice efficiently
And you…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Want to pay nothing up front
Would like a risk-free trial
Want included maintenance and updates, and
Like the ability to cancel at any time.
What should you do?

13. A cloud-based integrated complete
solution would better support your
practice
For most lawyers, the cloud-based integrated complete solution
works best

14. How components of a legal cloud-based
solution work together
Any complete legal billing solution needs to have a system of
contemporaneously keeping track of time, typically a timer.
In order to find time that was missed there are two separate sources
of information that are useful to compare to the time records for
finding missing time.
Any complete legal billing system needs to compare a client matter
specific bill to a client matter specific calendar.
Any complete legal billing system needs to compare a client matter
specific bill to the client matter specific documents.

15. Those comparisons typically result in the
finding of an additional 5% to 10% of the
attorney’s proposed time billings.

16. Things to consider in selecting a provider:
Where is the data stored?
Your data will be hosted by your provider.
1.
2.
3.
Where are the servers?
Are they in the US or is the data kept outside the US?
If you need the metadata how do you get it?

17. Clio is not an American company and has
no employees based in the United States.
The support staff are not lawyers and
apparently not provided much information
as they were not able to answer an inquiry
as to where their servers were located.

18. Things to consider in selecting a provider:
How is the data secured?
Most legal cloud providers encrypt their data to 256 bit level
encryption, essentially scrambling your data, so it is less likely to be
inadvertently disclosed.
Most legal cloud providers back up your data at a remote location.
Online Legal Software does both of those things.
Clio may transmit data totally unencrypted.
Rocket Matter uses a lower level of encryption.

19. Things to consider in selecting a provider:
How is training conducted?
Different lawyers need different levels of support.
If you are a geek maybe you don’t need to have someone walk you
through how to do tasks?
Most lawyers will occasionally need some questions answered.
How do the major providers handle needed training and ongoing
support?

20. Online Legal Software
Training and Support
You are trained by a US-trained lawyer
You have a call with the trainer who learns about your practice and
sets up your firm site to reflect the nature of your practice.
You receive 60-90 minute individualized telephone and WebEx
training session to learn all of the various functions of the system.
If you need them, you have an unlimited number of follow up calls
and training sessions.
All training and support is included in the monthly charge.

21. Rocket Matter
Training and Support
Rocket Matter has available online tutorials and writings that inform how to
perform the various functions associated with their program.
For a sophisticated and computer-savvy user these tools will largely answer
your questions.
Otherwise…
If you want any individual training it is also available. A one hour session
costs $150 and a package of 5 one hour session cost $500.

22. Clio Training and Support
Clio provides many resources on line to learn how to perform the
functions associated with their software.
For a sophisticated and computer-savvy user these tools will largely
answer your questions.
If you do have any questions the terms of service should be
consulted. Technical support is only provided to Authorized Users
with paying subscriptions, and is only available through email
correspondence.
Clio has no employees in the United States but they do have a list of
third party consultants in the United States who will charge you for
services.

23. Conclusion
Most US lawyers who want to practice remotely and need to keep
track of their time will be well served by a complete, integrated legal
billing software solution.
If you are concerned about the security of your data and want to be
trained by a lawyer who understands the software and practicing
law, Online Legal Software provides your best solution.

24. Learn more…
Read more about the general consideration of legal billing software,
see the forms used for various functions of Online Legal Software
and see our calendaring forms at our website.
And you can always request a demo on-line
Or call us at 212-203-5310