billing | Advocate's Studio

There are many web-based systems out there to handle time tracking for attorneys, with all levels of integration into practice management systems. But if you are a small player and are looking for a simple system, CaseFox might be an option for you.

CaseFox can track both billable and non-billable hours and expenses, monitor unbilled hours, late payments and handle trust accounting, tasks management and case notes/case tracking. CaseFox has a simple, intuitive interface that utilizes a dashboard to track your cases and billings. It integrates with Google products, such as Docs, Tasks and Gmail. This allows you to attach Google Docs to case notes and time entries, and coordinate tasks and entries in CaseFox with Google Tasks / Gmail. This is accomplished by using your Google log-in to access CaseFox. Because it employs a mobile friendly interface, you can access CaseFox on the web on your desktop, mobile, or tablet with equal ease. The app also employs a two-click invoicing mechanism that generates a mailable PDF based on your prior time entries. CaseFox will monitor billing status as well – you can access that status via the dashboard. File notes can be either public or private.

Using different permissions, contract attorneys and independent contractors can directly enter their billable time and expenses in your CaseFox account without being able to see any other data.

CaseFox uses SSL for security and critical user data in stored in the encrypted form in our databases. You can export data in PDF or Excel format.

You can try the full feature set on CaseFox for free – limited to four cases and one user. The paid plans are pretty affordable, in my opinion: $$10 / month for 25 cases, unlimited users, $25 / month for up to 50 cases, unlimited users, and $35 / month for unlimited cases, unlimited users. Seems more than affordable.

If you are looking to start up or change an existing system, take a look at CaseFox. It might be the animal for you.

Great tip on a legal product over at Bob Ambrogi’s LawSites (a fantastic legal tech blog if you are unfamiliar). Credenza offers practice management software to lawyers, charging $24.95 per month for the goods (Credenza Pro). But Credenza has just come out with a slightly simpler version for free – Credenza Basic.

Credenza’s system is great for lawyers who love Outlook – the software works within Outlook, adding features that will help you organize your calendar, tasks, emails, documents, research, phone calls, notes, billable time by client matter, file or project. It will track time as you work. The process adds “files” to Outlook, which essentially operate as tags for your tasks. Organize those tags according to any system you wish and mark time spent accordingly. Check out the list of tagging and organizing functionality within Credenza Basic:

There are differences between Basic and Pro, as there should be for $24.95 per month. The big differences are multiple users and integrated billing software – you can take that time you tracked within Credenza and create a corresponding invoice to clients. But if it is simply little old you plugging away, then the free option makes tons of sense. Head on over to the site and check out the links on each of the functions listed above – there is a lot to digest. Thanks, Credenza!