Time & Billing

Time & Billing includes the following components:

  • File Maintenance
  • Time Entry
  • Disbursement Entry
  • Bill Processing
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Management Analysis Tools & Reports

Features of the Time & Billing Module include:

Multiple Attorney Assignments

The system supports the tracking of Billing, Responsible (Partner-in-Charge), and Originating attorneys. Up to 10 of each attorney designations may be recorded at both the client and matter level. Allocation of statistics (value worked, billed, & cash receipts), among each of the assignments are defined by a factor (percentage).

Matter Level Origination Credit

The concept of origination credit, billing responsibility, and overall responsibility is supported at both the client and matter levels, and there may be up to 10 attorneys assigned to each category at each level.

Unlimited Fee Rate Tables

The Firm may create any number of Fee Rate Tables to support the standard rate structure of the Firm, and to meet special needs of clients. Rate tables are given an effective date. Rates may be assigned by timekeeper classification, individual timekeeper or by task (work code) within the same table. In addition, nested rate tables minimize the administrative burden of maintaining tables.

Rate tables may be copied to new effective dates, or copied and renamed to new tables. During this process, rates may be globally adjusted by a fixed dollar amount or by a percentage factor. When adjusted by percentage, extensive rounding options are available to round up, down, or to the nearest value, in user-definable increments ($1, $5, $10, etc.)

Unlimited Disbursement Tables

Disbursement Rate Tables are maintained in a similar fashion to the Fee Rate Tables. A single rate table may include different rates, by office, for the same disbursement code. Disbursements are assigned two different rate factors, one for valuing WIP, and one for printing on the client invoice. The use of factors allows the Firm to define automatic write ups or write downs as the disbursement is being input.

Real-Time Updates

SQL*Partner updates master files immediately upon acceptance of entries by the user. Data integrity is maintained by extensive on-line validation including tables for bad dates, client, matter, and attorney codes. Data that is technically valid, but perhaps not correct for a specific transaction, alerts the user but is permitted.

In addition to extensive on-screen validation, SQL*Partner maintains audit logs of all key transactions. Changes to time entries, for example, are not made to the original transaction. Instead, the status of the original transaction is modified to inactive and a new transaction is added to the system. Each transaction is stamped with the date and user ID, so the change is identifiable. The audit log showing transaction history is available on-line or via reports.

Multi-Level Budgets

The Firm may establish budget information, in either hours or dollars at the client, matter, and/or timekeeper levels. Multiple budgets may be maintained, each with their own name and effective date, by period within the year. The budget information can be reported and compared to actual through the SQL Report-Writer interface.

Multi-Level Allowances

The Firm may establish allowance factors for Accounts Receivable and WIP at the timekeeper, client and/or matter level. Aged A/R and aged WIP reports run with allowances give the Firm a more realistic picture of the value of Accounts Receivable and/or WIP based on the Firm's experience billing older transactions and collecting oustanding invoices. The same aged A/R and aged WIP reports may be run without allowance to provide actual value since allowances only adjusts these valued for reporting purposes only.

Speed Billing

The time an automated billing system can save in the billing process results in improved cash flow to the Firm.

Design and performance of Bill Processing is one of SQL*Partner's strongest features. Some of the Speed Billing features include:

Standard editing features with automatic calculations

  • Bill fees as disbursements
  • Bill disbursements as fees
  • Write up/write down/write off
  • Line item transfers & splits
  • Multi-bill split tables
  • Application of retainer & on account receipts
  • Single step bill reversal
  • Unlimited, user-defined bill formats

Automatic Cash Application

Cash may be applied to an individual invoice, or list of invoices, at the user's option. The system will automatically pay disbursements first, starting from the oldest to the most current invoice, and then use the balance of the cash receipt, if any, to pay off fees, starting from the oldest to the most current invoice. The user always has the ability to override the automatic calculation prior to accepting the cash transaction. Applied receipts may be easily reversed.

More Info...

Other modules in the Financial Management Series include:

The Financial Management Series is also integrated to other Modules within the SQL*Partner system, including the following:

 

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