A multi-module management system designed by Computer Software for Professionals for accounting/legal/professional companies.
Legalmaster is a powerful PC-based law office management software. Legalmaster has been praised by such independent reviewers as the American Bar Association (‘unmatched support’) and Price Waterhouse (‘most sophisticated’). According to The National Law Journal, Legalmaster is the oldest company in this business in the US.
The data that are necessary for a billing system to function may also serve many other applications. For example, data entered into Legalmaster are accessible to fully integrated Conflict of Interest and Calendaring modules.
Legalmaster 's Calendaring system is a sophisticated appointment book. Although it can stand alone, it is fully integrated with Legalmaster 's billing modules so that clients, matters and attorneys do not have to be entered more than once.
Legalmaster’s Conflict of Interest module permits searches for matching names (or any other text, for that matter) through the entire Legalmaster database. For purposes here, you may think of Legalmaster 's database as consisting of 5 parts. When you perform a search you may target your search to any combination of them. You may search for matches of many names in a single pass through Legalmaster’s database. This is one of the features that characterizes a true Conflicts system.
You may assign to any of your matters a billing address that differs from the address associated with the matter’s client. In addition, you may assign as many additional addresses to a matter as you wish; these serve as cc 's on the bill. All of these addresses may be searched by Conflicts.
There is yet another option that lets you search or not search for buried text. For example, if you search for the name Smith, you may determine whether or not you want a match to be made with Smithsonian and/or Goldsmith.
The Conflicts List - It is likely that some of your clients or matters have associated with them more people or institutions than are necessary to store for billing purposes. As a consequence, Legalmaster ‘s Conflicts Module lets you store as many additional names as you want (actually, there is a limit, it’s sixteen million). The Conflicts search engine looks at these names, as well. In this instance, you have yet another option; you may perform what a vowel-less search. It’s a tool that was created to address the problem of variant spellings (Peter’son’ and Peter’sen’, for example) and, unlike sound-based tools, it works with foreign names.
Financial Transaction Descriptions - You may even ask Legalmaster to search through the descriptions associated with every time entry that you have ever entered. The system will tell you that you had lunch with so-and-so seven years ago regarding such-and-such a matter.
Calendar Descriptions - If you are using Legalmaster 's Calendaring Module, you may search through the descriptions of your Calendar entries, as well.
Every matter (case) stores up to 1000 characters of matter description. Divided into 20 lines of 50 characters each, with each line provided its own matter-specific user-definable caption, these lines may be used for sorting or filtering on reports. As a result, many clients consider Legalmaster to include rudimentary case management capabilities.
Legalmaster can produce electronic bills in over 50 formats.
The challenge is that the companies that are demanding that you submit bills electronically often have disparate requirements. The structures of their electronic files vary and the task coding systems that they use vary. Most of them are having their bills mediated by third parties such as Legalgard, Examen, Law Audit Services, Petersen, Tymetrix, ELF or Datacert. While most of these companies are asking for task coding, they’re not all using the same list of task codes. Nevertheless, most call whatever list that they do use either The ABA List or the UTBMS (Uniform Task-Based Management System). Some of the companies, such as LAS, merely require that the bill be sent as a text file, a capability that has been in Legalmaster since the mid 80’s, while others want an electronic file in some very precise format.
Many of these companies attempt to sell you software (and even hardware) that they claim is necessary to create data in their required format. You need not buy anything from them unless you choose to do so; Legalmaster can produce data in any format that any company has ever requested. Remember, if you enter charges in another piece of software just for this one client, you would probably want to enter the charges redundantly in Legalmaster in order to keep complete records of all of your matters in one place. This is quite inefficient, especially since Legalmaster can create the data just the way they want them.
As Legalmaster becomes aware of the demands of these companies, software and procedures are created that export Legalmaster billing data in each of their formats. Legalmaster has already completed quite a few. Here are some of the more frequently requested formats. All are now available.
Legalmaster’s core application is Time and Billing. Consequently, it contains the ability to capture and store time entries as well as cost transactions.
Legalmaster may capture time from three sources.
Legalmaster is capable of printing billing statements in a few thousand formats. You may specify a different format for each of your clients; you may even vary the format for different matters belonging to the same client. Once you have told Legalmaster how you want to print a particular bill, it remembers forever.
Legalmaster was designed to address the specific requirements of law firms, such as task billing, split billing, integrated conflict of interest and calendaring, allocation of receipts by originating attorney, responsible attorney or even timekeeper.
Legalmaster has the ability to capture data from any software that exports into simple ASCII exchange format. Although many users have written their own interfaces from other software, such as_ WordPerfect_, most rely on interfaces already on the market.
The most common use of this capability is to capture data from cost recovery devices such as photocopiers, telephone systems, postage meters and fax machines. Among others, companies such as Equitrac, Copyguard, Copitrak, Transaction Recording Systems and Infortext offer Legalmaster download facilities.
Another common use of Legalmaster 's Import Module is to capture data from Accounts Payable software packages. Most clients use LIBRA, Quickbooks or Platinum.
There are a number of time tracking packages that send their data to Legalmaster via the Import Module. Check out DTE (Distributed Time Entry), Carpe Diem, Atilla, Time Piece, Amicus, among others.
Legalmaster includes a facility called MIRC (Management Information Report Control). It lets you design your own reports. The power, flexibility and ease of use of this feature set Legalmaster apart from all other law office financial management software packages. Many clients chose to buy Legalmaster when they saw MIRC.
Legalmaster wrote MIRC. It is not a third party report writer. As a result it is tailored specifically for use with Legalmaster.
There are actually four MIRCs within Legalmaster. The first two are part of Legalmaster 's Standard Version, that is, they’re included with all copies of the software at no extra charge; the remaining two, Revenue Allocation and Calendar, are optional. Each MIRC provides access to different levels of the database. Each allows you to produce reports showing excruciating detail, convenient summaries or both. In the interest of space, all examples are of summary form.
MIRC for Cases provides the ability to create reports which focus on client or matter (case) data. The most detailed level of analysis available is the case; i.e., you cannot get transaction detail here. If you have 2,537 cases in your firm, for example, you would get no more than 2,537 lines on your MIRC for Cases report (plus any optional subtotals). Subtotals may be produced by any field assigned to clients or matters, of which there are about 60 (area of law, responsible or originating attorney, type of client, zip code, city, any of 20 user-definable matter-specific fields, etc., etc.). You may even see these subtotals with or without the corresponding supporting detail. There are about 190 fields of information that can actually appear on one of these reports. Each column that contains amounts (hours or dollars) may have its own date range.
MIRC for Transactions takes you one step further and actually lets you print out your detailed financial transactions. This facility is necessary if you want to analyze your data by any field stored at the transaction level. The most common examples of this are_ working attorney_ and type of activity (or task). This MIRC is the one to use if you wish to create a report showing the full descriptive text of each entry.
MIRC for Revenue Allocation is optional. It is for firms that need to know who did the work that produced cash receipts months later.
MIRC for Calendar comes with an optional Calendar module.
Although you may enter your time directly into Legalmaster 's host application, you may also enter time via the Remote Transaction Data Entry Module. This piece of software lets you enter your activity at computers that are not necessarily connected to your host Legalmaster computer. Remote Entry may run on stand-alone computers or on networks. If your host system is on a network, you may put your Remote Entry software on the same network or on a different network. The advantage of having the Remote software on the same network as the host is that you may perform validation using the host’s master files.
Legalmaster 's Remote Transaction Data Entry software is available both in a DOS version and a 32 bit Windows version.
This feature is included in the financial management module It lets you distribute the work done on a matter among multiple clients. Your fees and costs are entered once and a separate bill is produced for each client showing his or her share.
Although quite a few software companies are now offering fee splitting, there are very significant differences among them. Legalmaster offers quite a few features that you will not find elsewhere.
Legalmaster created a couple of terms that will be useful in describing this feature. If you wish to split the fees and/or costs among a number of clients, you must create one extra matter; the Dummy. The clients actually being billed are called the Receptors.
A Dummy may have as many Receptors as you wish. Each Receptor is limited to one Dummy. Each receptor may be assigned a percentage value for fees and another for costs. Although it could be argued that the percentages should sum to 100, it is not a requirement of the software.
Gold StarThe receptors do not all have to be billed at the same rates. For example, let’s say that you split a matter between two clients at 50% each. You work an hour on the matter and want one client billed at $100 per hour and the other client billed at $125 per hour. As a result, the clients would be billed $50 and $62.50 respectively.
Fees or costs may be entered directly against a Receptor if they are not to be shared.
Legalmaster accommodates the Price Waterhouse/American Bar Association Uniform Task Based Management System (UTBMS). This conventional method of classifying time entries has been adopted by a few dozen mid-sized insurance companies. Although the larger insurance companies are for the most part developing their own task coding schemes, these other systems are structured in similar ways to that of the UTBMS. You may read much more about this on the electronic billing page.
Legalmaster ‘s task billing options may be tailored to address any of these systems’ demands. This capability is included with any version of Legalmaster 's billing software.
Legalmaster is a valuable tool to keep track of your company’s business; and can write any report that you dream up; as well as support the report; and teach you how to use it.
The instant support from the creator of LegalMaster is always an e-mail or phone call away. Phil is patient, informative, and never loses his sense of humor, even when you just can’t figure out something. He will figure it out for you.
Nothing comes to mind. The system always works.
We have successfully used Legalmaster for years in a flourishing legal practice.
We have found Legalmaster to be very user friendly.
None
Our firm uses Legal Master for our billing needs.
The thing I like best about Legal Master is it’s user friendly.
I really don’t like when I have to delete several items one by one.
We have used Legalmaster for 32 years and have never been disappointed. It is a program that thoroughly covers all aspects of billing. Additionally, the customer service is excellent. We highly recommend this program.
The fact that it covers all aspects of billing.
I have no complaints
Great law office software! Amazingly flexible - report writer allows you to create any kind of report you need. Friendly and helpful support staff who generally respond within ten minutes.
The flexibility to create what you need
None
Though I have never kept up with the upgrades, the program is extremely user friendly and easy to teach to the folks that enter the data. Support is just excellent and always quickly available. I have found that the product is great to use and though Phil is a bit strange, he and his company have my full, unqualified 5 star approval. Thanks.
Ease of use and a complete complement of necessary programs.
Having to use Gold Star.
Legalmaster is a vital and invaluable tool for my practice. Support staff is ALWAYS available and ready to help provide solutions to any problem you may encounter and need you may have. I can’t say enough positive things about this billing system!
ease of use without nominal amount of training
very unforgiving if you make a mistake in your entries. a little too burdensome to acknowledge receipt of a payment.
Legalmaster is an excellent system to enter time for my legal accounting. It is easy to use and understand. If I have a problem which isn’t very often, I can get help quickly from the company.
It is user friendly and has a lot of options in entering time.
Not really anything I can think of.
I have used this program 30 years and there is nothing I could not do. If there was it was implemented into the next update or upgrade. We use most of the modules and we close out month-end and balance within three days for 100’s of clients. Reports and search features are excellent and it works well with Excel and MS Word when necessary. Most important the support from Legalmaster is great.
The strengths: the program has been around a long time. I love a challenge and there’s more to this software to keep me intrigued and becoming bored. It’s easy to overcome something new, give it a try.
Less clicking, a darker font, and to be able to keep more windows open. My way around this is that I use more than one computer in order to make my edits in other programs without having to print additional reports.
I am technically incompetent and even I can use Legalmaster. However, I do encounter issues periodically. I strongly recommend purchasing the annual tech support.
My old computer died and took all of my data with it. Legalmaster recommended a data recovery company and they were able to recover almost all of my financial and Legalmaster data, emails, work product, etc. Then Phil spent hours working remotely with me and my remote IT guy to get everything onto my new computer and make it all accessible. The software is excellent. The customer service/tech support even better.
creating reports and a few other things could be more intuitive for those of us who are technically/ technologically “challenged”.
The time and billing functions are very straightforward, as well as the ease of report generation. The support is also a key component. If there is a question regarding operation or special process they are always there, a phone call away.
The ease of use and the ability to customize invoices and reports to fit the exact need.
At times there are issues with Microsoft windows updates, but that is not anything unique to the product.
Our firm has used Legalmaster for at least 20 years. We have lost count. It is a very effective, easy to use system and frankly, at this point, we’d be hard put if we did not have it. Most importantly the people at Legalmaster are easy to get ahold of and always helpful with questions or problem solving. We highly recommnend Legalmaster.
Lawyers enter their time to a central location and pre-bills are seen quickly. Both lawyers and administrative persons have always said it’s very easy to use.
We really don’t have any complaints. If we did, we’d call Legalmaster’s offices and they’d respond quickly.
Time billing software for law offices and other professional service firms
Extremely flexible, efficient with best in class support
Its legacy architecture
The best billing program I’ve ever used. Support is amazing!