Efficient time administration is an important factor of a profitable legislation observe, and environment friendly timekeeping is a vital a part of that equation. As legal professionals in 2023 navigate the enterprise challenges of operating a worthwhile legislation agency, the worth of time-tracking expertise is evident: The extra time captured and invoiced, the extra income is generated. For that purpose, choosing the proper timekeeping expertise in your legislation agency is a pivotal choice and an necessary funding in your agency’s long-term monetary success.
Nonetheless, with a burgeoning array of instruments out there, deciding on the best option in your agency is usually a daunting process. There are lots of choices to select from, together with stand-alone timekeeping instruments and people constructed into authorized billing and legislation observe administration software program.
On this article, you’ll study the advantages of timekeeping software program and can be supplied with steering to help you in choosing the proper software in your legislation agency’s wants. As well as, you’ll discover a record of time-tracking instruments for solo and small-firm legal professionals—each stand-alone and built-in inside different software program—to help you in making an knowledgeable choice. Perceive that the record just isn’t complete however contains among the extra in style or notable choices at the moment out there.
Earlier than we check out a few of these instruments, perceive that the software program packages mentioned on this column are cloud-based, and due to this fact all knowledge can be housed on servers owned by a 3rd celebration. Since you’ll be entrusting your legislation agency’s knowledge to a 3rd celebration, as a part of your moral obligations (which embody expertise competence), you might be required to completely vet the expertise supplier internet hosting and storing your legislation agency’s knowledge. This obligation contains guaranteeing you perceive how that firm will deal with the information; the place the servers on which the information can be saved are positioned; who could have entry to the information; and the way and when the information can be backed up, amongst different issues.
Why use time-tracking instruments?
One of many largest enterprise challenges legislation companies face is precisely capturing all billable time. By utilizing on-line and cell billing instruments, legislation companies can improve the quantity of labor captured and invoiced to purchasers. Trendy cloud-based time-tracking software program simplifies the timekeeping course of and encourages legal professionals to trace time as they work, thus avoiding the necessity for them to repeatedly re-create their workday within the face of a clean timesheet on the finish of the day, week and even month.
When enhanced options are constructed into on-line time-tracking instruments, any such software program turns into extra helpful, enabling legislation companies to seize and bill much more billable hours, thus rising profitability. For instance, some platforms embody passive timekeeping instruments, which work within the background to seize misplaced hours by monitoring all actions carried out on a pc, cell gadget or software program program.
As evidenced by knowledge from the not too long ago launched MyCase + LawPay 2023 Benchmark Report Part 1, software program with passive time-tracking capabilities can considerably enhance a agency’s backside line. In response to the report, legal professionals captured considerably extra time when utilizing passive time-tracking software program, billing a further 64 hours of billable time on common in 2022, which quantities to a further $22,425 invoiced per lawyer (assuming a $350 per hour billing price).
Selecting time-tracking software program
When researching timekeeping software program, bear in mind your agency’s distinctive wants, together with the applied sciences already in use. Decide whether or not a stand-alone software will do the trick or should you’ll have to put money into extra sturdy software program that features time-tracking performance, reminiscent of authorized billing software program or legislation observe administration software program.
Understand that the instruments listed under supply assorted performance and cater to totally different aspects of time administration. In the end, your alternative ought to be guided by how nicely the software program aligns along with your agency’s work processes, operations and targets.
Since I final wrote about time-tracking tools in 2020, a lot has modified. There was important consolidation within the authorized expertise market, with many notable acquisitions, funding rounds and new software program merchandise launched. The time-tracking class has not been immune, and the adjustments have impacted the merchandise out there.
Timekeeping instruments to think about
In case your agency already makes use of or is contemplating investing in observe administration software program or billing software program, there are probably time-tracking options included. However each platform is totally different, so ensure that to acquire a full understanding of the timekeeping functionalities out there.
Regulation observe administration software program methods like Rocket Matter, Clio, or ActionStep, together with complete authorized billing software program reminiscent of LawPay Professional or TimeSolv, usually allow legal professionals to seize billable time from any location utilizing a laptop computer or desktop pc. Many of those options additionally supply a cell app outfitted with the potential to enter billable hours from any cell gadget.
There are a number of advantages to utilizing time-tracking instruments embedded in observe administration or authorized billing software program. First, the timekeeping function is usually built-in into the subscription value of the software program package deal. And any billable time recorded is robotically linked with the suitable case, a functionality that streamlines the method of producing, modifying and sending invoices. Inefficiencies are diminished since there’s no want for duplicate entry of time knowledge from a stand-alone time-tracking software program program into one other software program program.
If you happen to’d desire stand-alone timekeeping software program, you will have choices, however word that the merchandise out there have modified fairly a bit since I final wrote about this class. Some software program merchandise lined in 2020 aren’t listed under as a result of they’ve been expanded to full-fledged legislation observe administration methods. Others expanded past the authorized area into the final enterprise class. There are additionally some new entrants into the authorized area that weren’t out there once I final wrote about this class of software program.
Protecting that in thoughts, listed below are a number of stand-alone instruments for legislation companies to think about:
- Chrometa: A general-use time-tracking software that integrates with a lot of authorized software program merchandise; pricing begins at $19 per consumer per thirty days.
- Time Miner: A cell time-tracking app that captures time spent on calls, texts and emails out of your cell gadget; pricing is $12.99 per gadget per thirty days or $124.70 per gadget per 12 months.
- LawGro: Synthetic intelligence-based timekeeping software program that features passive time-tracking performance and integrates with a number of authorized expertise software program merchandise; pricing begins at $39 per consumer per thirty days or $29 per consumer per thirty days when billed yearly.
Regardless of the way you take a look at it, it’s clear that the advantages of time-tracking expertise have the potential to propel your legislation agency towards better effectivity and profitability. However choosing the proper software is important. When conducting your analysis, ensure that to make the most of any free trials, get enter from key stakeholders, and make sure that the software program you in the end select contains the options wanted to attain your agency’s authorized billing targets.
Relaxation assured your cautious analysis and planning will repay. By embracing progressive time-tracking expertise, you’ll be guaranteeing your agency’s future success. Your exhausting work will put your agency at a aggressive benefit, and your funding will in the end enhance its backside line.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York-based lawyer, writer and journalist, and he or she is senior director of material experience and exterior training at MyCase, an organization that provides authorized observe administration software program for small companies. She is the nationally acknowledged writer of Cloud Computing for Attorneys and is co-author of Social Media for Attorneys: The Subsequent Frontier, each printed by the American Bar Affiliation. She writes common columns for ABAJournal.com and Above the Regulation; has authored lots of of articles for different publications; and usually speaks at conferences concerning the intersection of legislation and rising applied sciences. Comply with her on Twitter @nikiblack, or she will be reached at [email protected].
This column displays the opinions of the writer and never essentially the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Affiliation.
