The Bill4Time Blog

I was thinking the other day about smartphones and how things have evolved from the Game Boy to the iPhone. But if you think about it, those kids that sat there with their mobile Zelda are now adults with their mobile MSN News. Technology has grown with its users, and the legal profession is not an exception.

The American Board Association calls them “mobile lawyers.” They are the attorneys on the go, barely at their desk, and running from one appointment to the other. But that shouldn’t be at the expense of their administrative obligations. You know that old debate about a tree falling and no one to hear it? Well, it’s an inarguable fact that if a lawyer worked and that hour was not accounted for, no one is going to pay for it.

The solution lies in your cell phone holster or your PDA pouch. What accompanies the mobile lawyer is the mobile legal billing software. If you can send a text message, you can bill your time. One of the most convenient things about a mobile legal billing system is the fact that it’s a system – not a device. In the not-too-distant past, professionals were walking around with a cell phone, a palm pilot, and a little pager attached to their belt. With technology today, attorneys can consolidate their applications to one device. As the years progress, there is this growing trend of mobile lawyers using their PDA/Smartphone for office purposes. According to the ABA, there has been a steady growth from 53% in 2007 to 82% in 2009.

Who would have thought that a legal billing system could start with a ledger, advance to an electronic file, and end up on your phone? And it all started with video games. Technology may be taking us places, but it’s good to know that it can keep up with us as well.

Jessica Eballar is a writer and time-enthusiast at www.Bill4Time.com – a time billing software company.

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It is easier than ever to start using Bill4Time! When you log in to your account for the first time, Bill4Time’s time billing software will now guide you through a series of questions to help you get started.

It’s a quick and easy way to:

• Setup your contact information
• Add users, clients and projects
• Set common billing options

Once finished, you will be ready to start billing and invoicing immediately.

If you are already using Bill4Time and would like to run the wizard, it is available under the Administration menu on the Dashboard.

We would also like your feedback on the setup wizard and invite you to fill out a short survey.

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Time is Money

There once was a wise man who said, “Remember that time is money.” We remember it every time we look to the clocks in the office. But let’s take it a step further – time is more important than money. With money you can always get it back somehow.  With time, it’s never the case.

In a recession like this, you need to take inventory of your assets.  One of your greatest ones is time. It’s something no one can ultimately take away from you since we’re all given the same amount. In a way, it’s the great equalizer. No one is given more or less than 24 hours a day.

Now, let’s assume that you are using it wisely. Let’s skip to the part where you already know your priorities and are practicing good time management.

The next question is: how do you account for the time? Just as it takes money to make money, it takes time to manage time. But if this discourages you, think of it this way: the more strategic your time accountability, the less time it takes to maintain it! If time is money, better efficiency means more money.

Now let’s take this a step even further…

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Here at Bill4Time, we are always eager to bring you new features to help you with your time tracking and time billing software needs. Just recently, we’ve introduced the “Firm Setup Wizard” to help new users get started, and our users in the legal industry can appreciate the LEDES File Export. Here are a few more features that we will be releasing soon:

Improved UI

Billing should be as simple and effortless as possible. So to help you accomplish your tasks, we will be cleaning and organizing many of the screens inside Bill4Time to maximize your efficiency. But don’t worry – the screens will remain familiar as not to interfere with your workflow.

iCal Support

Many of you have been requesting a way to sync your Bill4Time Scheduler events with your current scheduling systems (eg: Apple iCal, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook). Bill4Time is listening and making this happen. Simply subscribe to your calendar feed and your external application will be continuously updated.

Invoice Customization

Soon, Bill4Time customers will have full control over their invoices. Change the color, font, size, style and layout of each invoice. Create unique invoices for each client and project, or have a single invoice for all your work.

Report Generator

Sometimes companies need special reports that go beyond the library of reports found in the Bill4Time time billing software. Using our Report Generator, you will be able to access all your data within Bill4Time to create customized charts and graphs.

Training Articles and Videos

Coming soon, users will have access to step-by-step training for every feature in Bill4Time. We will provide PDFs and screen-casts that guide you through the system. You’ll have high-definition videos to download and share with your entire team. Just like your remote access to track billable time, you will be able to transfer the tutorial video to your phone or media player for access wherever you are! We will also soon begin offering live, online training sessions for all users.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more information! And as always, you can send feedback and suggestions to support@bill4time.com or give us a call at 1-877-Bill4Time (International: +1-646-201-4911).

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Bill4Time users can now export invoices in the LEDES 1998B format, the standard in electronic invoice transmission between companies, accountants and law firms.

The Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard (LEDES) was developed in 1995 by the accountants at Price Waterhouse LLP and a consortium of time and billing software developers. LEDES is designed to improve accuracy and efficiency by ensuring electronic invoices and statements are complete and can be imported directly into billing systems, without manual entry. To learn more about the LEDES file format, visit http://ledes.org/.

To Enable LEDES Export:

1. Log in to your Bill4Time account.
2. Goto the “Firm/System Settings” in the Administrative menu on the Dashboard.
3. Click on the “System” tab and click “Edit Info.”
4. Put a check next to “Enable LEDES File Export.”
5. Enter your company’s Taxpayer ID number into the field that appears.
6. Click “Save Changes.”

To Export in LEDES Format:

1. From the Dashboard, click on “Invoice Management” from the Invoicing menu.
2. Click on the Invoice/Batch you wish to export.
3. Click on the “Export LEDES 98B File” button. If you don’t see this button, you will need to enable the LEDES Export setting (see above).
4. The file will be downloaded to your computer.

If you have any questions about the LEDES setting or any other feature of Bill4Time, please contact our Time Billing Software Support.

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