I love having a great case management system. On top of that, I really love our flat fee system. We’ve got a great way to keep up with the work we’ve done and we don’t need to keep time records. It’s magic.
But, I recognize that not everyone is going to invest in a case management system with a built-in time and billing system. I also know, having talked to so many of you by phone and email, that you’re not necessarily ready to move to a flat fee system. I get it.
That doesn’t, however, mean you can run your practice on the back of a napkin. You need a really solid time and billing system. You want it to be simple. You don’t want to spend a bunch of money on it and you especially don’t want to get bogged down in technology issues when the server crashes and the backup fails. You’d rather not track time by hand, but you will if it’s less of a hassle than managing a computerized system.
I’ve checked out a bunch of systems and one product keeps coming up – FreshBooks. I’ve read multiple reviews from a variety of professionals with hands-on experience with the product. Everyone loves it and highly recommends it. My experience with the product is limited to their free “Moped” account. I’ve spent some time playing with their user interface and I’m impressed. FreshBooks is absolutely worth the time it will take you to check it out and see if it meets your needs. It’s a hosted product meaning there’s no software for you to install, no data to backup and no server to maintain.
Their pricing is good and it varies depending on the number of clients you need to bill. They have a variety of add-ons including iPhone and Android apps and desktop time keeping. They offer a free trial and a money back guarantee. If you’re doing this by hand, or if your current system keeps you awake at night with worry about a system crash, then it’s time to give FreshBooks a try.
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Lee Rosen has practiced family law for more than twenty years. With three offices, 
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Divorce Discourse: The Best Time and Billing System http://goo.gl/fb/Bjia
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Lee,
This program is primarily intended for billing. You have to integrate it with another accounting package to maintain a normal full set of books. Do you know anyone who has used this program and what accounting package have they integrated it with successfully?
I thought you were moving toward the use of CLIO for your offices? CLIO sounds like a more comprehensive program but does not appear to manage emails nor does it support a full set of accounting books as far as I can see.
Thoughts??
Thanks Lee…
Brian Galbraith
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Brian,
They integrate with a bunch of hosted accounting packages. I’m most intrigued by xero.com. I haven’t talked to anyone that has fully integrated it yet. Most folks I know are using QuickBooks (but that’s going to change, I suspect).
I love the idea of CLIO and it’s terrific if you’re new to practice management systems. I’m really impressed with Advologix as well (based on the SalesForce platform). Everyone of these systems has some shortcoming, but it’s time to move to the cloud, I think.
Lee
Thanks Lee. I will check into these other programs.
Have to say it… “the cloud” scares me… I worry I won’t be able to recover lost data. If it’s on my own server, at least I can get some IT dude to spend hours to retrieve it… if it’s in “the cloud” how is that possible???
I guess I just need to take a deep breath and jump… jump high up into the clouds to experience it!!
Thanks.
Brian
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