Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a cloud billing and practice management system with a search engine (see article below), a service that enhances the security of Dropbox and other popular cloud storage services, a cloud application for scheduling depositions, and an Android dictation app. Don't miss the next issue.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE THAT HAS YOUR BACK
Practice management software has evolved over the years to encompass more and more of your law firm's key functions — billing, calendars, contacts, documents, intake, tasks, trust accounts, etc. Aspirational 20 years ago, the label "practice management" has become a reality. This wealth of data has resulted in two problems — learning how your practice management software works, and quickly finding the information you need.
LexisNexis Firm Manager … in One Sentence
Launched last month, LexisNexis Firm Manager is a cloud practice management application with a global search engine, and built with input from solo and small-firm attorneys.
The Killer Feature
When lawyer and LexisNexis Firm Manager product manager Christopher T. Anderson and his team set out to rebuild the product from the ground up about a year ago, they understood the importance of finding information quickly.
As a result, LexisNexis Firm Manager features Global Search, which searches everything as its name suggests — even within documents. According to Christopher, this "makes finding literally anything within the program fast and simple." Like popular search engines, it begins searching as you type, narrowing the results by relevancy. For added convenience, Global Search works contextually. For example, when in the Matters tab, Global Search lists Matters first since that's what you likely want.
Firm Manager uses this same search technology for finding conflicts of interest. You can send the results of a conflict search to a colleague for their input. When you or a colleague clears a prospective client, LexisNexis Firm Manager saves and time stamps your search and the results. This gives you a defensible record if needed.
Other Notable Features
In addition to managing contacts, calendars, and matters, LexisNexis Firm Manager also handles billing, trust accounting, documents, and tasks.
Regarding billing, a contemporaneous timer records time in any increment on any device from which you access LexisNexis Firm Manager. Additionally, you can create a time entry from within a matter or the Time & Expenses tab. LexisNexis Firm Manager also provides expense tracking. To help your firm bills clients as quickly as possible, you can choose from professionally-designed templates your invoices.
Trust accounting enables you to accept retainers while abiding by ethics rules. For example, it prevents co-mingling of funds. LexisNexis Firm Manager even alerts you if you take an action that may violate a rule. You can view balances and generate statements for clients.
Document management works via drag and drop. You can move multiple documents into a matter simultaneously. The application will automatically scan documents for malware and clean them if necessary (useful for documents received from clients and others outside your firm).
"LexisNexis Firm Manager has all the functionality a law firm needs but it's also easy to use," Christopher told us. This intuitiveness is the result of input from hundreds of independent attorneys who ensured that it works the way they work — without forcing them to adapt."
What Else Should You Know?
As a cloud application, LexisNexis Firm Manager works in all modern web browsers, including on tablets and smartphones. It costs $44.99 per month for the first user and $29.99 per month for each additional user. Learn more about LexisNexis Firm Manager.
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