| Legal Accounts | | | | As they say time is money and recording the time so |
| 'Cashier' is fully integrated to DPS's One Office Case | | | | that it can become money is essential! |
| Management solution to provide practice | | | | What is a client account you ask? |
| management software that can bill every minute a | | | | All lawyers have to run client accounts because |
| lawyer spends on your case to you! | | | | money that they keep on your behalf is your money |
| This integration between the accounts and their case | | | | not their money and so it needs to be in a client |
| management system means as they do any work, | | | | account. It means that you are entitled to the |
| send you a letter, an email, get a letter or emial from | | | | interest on that money not them. It also means that |
| you it is automatically recorded and billed against the | | | | when they run up a bit of a bill they can dip into the |
| your case. In the words a famous supermarket, | | | | client account (your money) and make it their money |
| "every little bit helps" and of course it does not take | | | | by using it to pay the bills on your account. |
| long for the time to mount up into a decent size bill. | | | | Useful that having a stash of your money on hand to |
| Just so you know exactly how fast the bill is racking | | | | pay their bills when they need to. Clearly this all has |
| up systems like Cashier publish the information to the | | | | to comply with a set of rules and guidelines and this |
| web so you can track costs online 365/24/7. Like | | | | is where legal accounts software becomes essential. |
| you wanted to know that thinking about the last | | | | Properly implemented, software like 'Cashier' that |
| email you sent cost you $50! | | | | meets the Law Society rules, Legal Aid Franchising |
| Seriously though this type of high level of information | | | | Quality Assurance Standards (LAFQAS) and Lexel |
| means that you get live information changes | | | | standards producing relevant reports for these |
| between accounts and case management systems. | | | | standards is critical and your lawyer should be |
| It also means that if they are doing work for you | | | | operating it. |
| that gets you close to credit or time limits they can | | | | Should they be charging you so much, well compare |
| stop and warn you which is where client accounts | | | | not having a lawyer to the cost. Now think is it |
| become very useful. | | | | worth it, probably! |