Small law firm billing software is a must-have for any law firm. It can help you streamline your billing process, save your time and money, and improve your cash flow. But what exactly is small law firm billing software, how does it work, and who needs it? In this article, we will answer all these questions so that you can make an educated decision about whether or not to invest in small law firm billing software for your firm.
What Is Small Law Firm Billing Software?
You’ve probably heard the term “small law firm billing software” before, but do you really know what it is or how it works? Small law firm billing software is a tool that helps lawyers manage their clients, cases, and billing. It can be used to track time, generate invoices and manage expenses. Small law firm billing software is a great tool for automating repetitive tasks in your practice. If you’re looking for a way to streamline your workflow and save time on mundane tasks like sending out invoices or calculating fees, this type of software might be right up your alley!
Why Do Lawyers Need Small Law Firm Billing Software?
Beside the obvious reason of getting paid more easily and quickly, lawyers use small law firm billing software to
- Improve your law firm’s efficiency.
- Reduce errors in billing and invoicing.
- Provide better customer service by automating billing, collections and reporting needs.
- Reduce costs by streamlining the billing process across multiple clients.
How Does a Law Firm Choose the Best Billing Software?
There are several things that you should keep in mind when choosing your billing software. The first thing to think about is whether or not the software is easy to use. If it isn’t easy for your staff members, then they won’t be able to spend their time focusing on other tasks that need attention instead of learning a new program. You also want to look at how customizable it is and if the company offers customization services so that they can meet your specific needs as an attorney or law firm.
Finally, one of the most important things when choosing billing software is price and reputation because this will determine if you get what you pay for or not—which could mean losing money by purchasing something expensive but ultimately doesn’t work well enough for long term use at all!
Automatic client and matter creation from emails
You probably already know that one of the best ways to manage your law firm is by using automated client and matter management software. But did you know that most small law firm billing software also has features built in to help automate the creation of clients and matters from emails? This feature can be incredibly useful for law firms of all sizes, especially those with a large volume of incoming email correspondence. It can save time and create consistency across your entire organization.
Why would you want this feature? There are several reasons:
- It saves time by automatically creating new matters from emails received by your firm’s staff members. This allows them to focus on more important tasks like responding to inquires or working on existing cases instead of having to manually create new matters every time they receive an email.
- If there are multiple people in your office whose job it is to handle incoming inquiries (lawyers, paralegals, secretaries), then automatic client creation can ensure that all types of correspondence are handled consistently throughout the firm’s workflow system or even just within one person’s inbox folder structure if they prefer not using a workflow tool but still want consistency when handling incoming communications at their desktops (as opposed to having separate folders).
Cross-platform Time-Tracking
As a legal professional, you’re probably most used to track your time on a desktop computer. However, with so many attorneys carrying laptops and tablets these days, it’s becoming more common for attorneys to use those devices as well. For example: people who travel for work sometimes need the flexibility of working from a tablet or smartphone so that they can log their hours while on the go (and not have to lug around a heavy laptop).
And just in case you were wondering: yes! You can even track your time while working from home—in fact, this is one of our favorite features because it helps us stay connected with our team members who are able to work remotely.
Create Improved Workflows for the Billing Processes
Workflows are automated tasks that can be scheduled, triggered by events, or triggered by actions. They are highly customizable and can be used to automate many kinds of tasks.
In small law firms billing software workflows can be used in the following ways:
- Automate the billing process
- Automate document creation and approval processes
- Create workflow approval processes for documents/orders/etc.
Customizable Billing Templates
Small Law Firm Billing Software provides templates that allow you to create customized invoices. The templates can be customized by client, matter type and more. You can also create templates for recurring tasks or procedures and share them with others in your firm.
What are the Advantages of Using Small Law Firm Billing Software?
There are several advantages to using small law firm billing software. First, it allows you to create and send invoices without having to put in a lot of time. This is important because lawyers are often busy people who need to get things done quickly.
Second, the software helps you keep track of your time and expenses so that you can bill appropriately for your services. This is helpful if you’re managing multiple clients and have multiple projects going on at once. It also makes it easier for clients because they’ll know what their bills will be before they even begin work with a lawyer or law firm.
Thirdly, the software helps lawyers manage their finances by giving them an overview of how much money they’ve earned and spent over time as well as where they stand financially at any given point in time (i.e., whether or not there’s enough cash flow available).
How to Increase Your ROI with the Right Legal Software
Your small law firm billing software should be able to do all of the following:
- Provide a high ROI. The best way to determine if a software is right for you is to calculate its return on investment (ROI). This means measuring how much profit your firm makes after purchasing the software and comparing it with what it would have made without it.
You can use this formula:
(cost of acquisition) / (time saved by using the product/service) x 100 = ROI
For example, if it costs $1,000 and saves you an hour per day in time savings over six months, then it’s calculated like this: 1000 / 6 x 100 = 20%. So on average, your return on investment will be 20%. This isn’t always going to be realistic though, so don’t feel discouraged if your actual figure isn’t as high as expected!
Best Small Law Firm Billing Software for Small Firms and Solo Lawyers
A small law firm billing software is an essential tool for the modern day lawyer. Without one, you could be wasting time and money on tasks that could have been automated with a piece of software designed for lawyers. In this article, we will introduce you to fifteen of the best small law firm billing software in 2022!
CloudLex is a cloud-based legal software solution for small law firms that seems to be designed “exclusively” for personal injury case management. It’s a web-based platform that allows you to manage your cases, clients, and time. Its main appeal seems
CloudLex is great for lawyers who want to be able to access their data from anywhere at any time. The software also has an integrated calendar feature that allows users to schedule meetings with clients and colleagues. The insistence on personal injury cases, however, means that they’re only useful if you’re also specializing in that niche.
RunSensible
RunSensible is a true all-in-one case management software with extensive features and cloud-based performance. RunSensible is the definition of feature-rich and will be the only tool you need to grow your practice.
- Matter management
- Time-tracking
- Scheduling/Calendering
- Billing and seamless payment gateways
- Client messaging (text and email)
- Document management
- Marketing Automation
- Lead Generation Tools
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Survey and Feedback Tools
- Mobile App (iOS/Android)
RunSensible is perfect for both solo lawyers and legal practitioners as well as small law firms that want to waste less time and money while making more. It comes with a free trial so you can sign up right now and see it for yourself.
Clio
Clio is an easy-to-use cloud-based software that helps you manage your legal practice. It’s ideal for small law firms and solo practitioners, who can use it to bill clients and keep track of time spent on cases. Clio is also perfect for setting up your firm’s website, managing client files, developing calendars, tracking expenses, and more.
With Clio’s robust features at a reasonable price point (the annual plan starts at $49 per month), you’ll be able to grow your business with confidence knowing that the technology will keep up with your needs over time.
Rocket Matter
Rocket Matter is a small law firm billing software for lawyers. It’s designed to be used by attorneys, but can also be used by non-attorneys in law firms. Rocket Matter has the following features:
- Billing and Invoicing – Create detailed invoices and bills for your clients. Manage client files, including billing records and documents like receipts, notes and more. Payroll – Generate payroll reports with employee hours worked and accrued benefits (i.e., vacation time).
- Collections – Track balances due from clients through activity logs that track emails sent/received by each client along with other actions taken such as phone calls or written correspondence related to their payment status.
- Practice Management – Keep track of important tasks such as reviewing open cases or managing incoming customers with tools like calendaring features.
- Findability Tools – Build searchable database pages using plugins (plug-ins) that plug right into Rocket Matter’s interface; this includes plugins that integrate with Google Apps products as well as custom ones created by third parties
TimeSolv
TimeSolv is a cloud-based practice management solution for attorneys. The software offers the usual array of legal billing and timekeeping features, but it also includes an online collaboration platform that allows lawyers to work together on cases. The platform includes document sharing, a calendar and schedule planner, chat functionality, and more.
In addition to these core features, TimeSolv also has a number of tools intended specifically for solo attorneys who wish to grow their practices into full-fledged law firms (or just keep things running smoothly once they’ve reached that point). These include:
- Client Relationship Management (CRM) – An automated tool for maintaining client relationships through email correspondence and follow-up reminders;
- Case Management Suite – A set of modules that help you manage your cases from inception through resolution;
- Marketing Automation – Allows you to create custom templates for invoices/bills with varying amounts in them depending on what kind of service was rendered;
- Web Accessibility Program – Helps small business owners comply with federal regulations regarding website accessibility (Section 508).
Clockshark
Clockshark is a cloud-based small law firm billing software. It can be used by law firms, accounting firms and other businesses. The time tracking software has a mobile app for recording time on the go. In order to use Clockshark, you need to create an account at www.clockshark.com and connect it with your bank account or credit card so that you can start billing clients right away after your first month’s worth of subscriptions are up (which typically cost around $100).
Clockshark also offers training videos if you want to learn more about how their system works before setting up an account with them—although this might not be necessary if all you want is something basic like Paymo does since both systems have similar features such as time tracking capabilities and invoice sending features (with templates).
Time59
Time59 is a cloud-based small law firm billing software designed for lawyers and other legal professionals. It offers features like time recording, timesheet management, invoice generation and client communications. Time59 also has a free trial version available to test out the software before you make your purchase decision.
Time59’s user interface is very easy to use thanks in part to its intuitive design as well as some helpful tutorials that walk you through each step of using the program. Additionally, it has an intuitive mobile app that allows you access even if you’re away from your desktop computer or laptop.
CosmoLex
One of the things that makes CosmoLex stand out from other small law firm billing software is its simple, intuitive interface. It doesn’t have too many features or options, but each and every one of them are designed to save you time in your day-to-day practice and help reduce your expenses.
CosmoLex is a cloud-based practice management software with an online version and a desktop version available on both MacOS and Windows computers. The company was formed by two former lawyers who wanted to create a better way for lawyers to manage their practices while reducing costs (and increasing revenue). After launching in 2012, CosmoLex quickly grew into one of the most popular legal billing systems in the industry today because it’s been able to solve so many problems for lawyers and law firms throughout North America over the past decade—especially when it comes to cost savings!
Timeslips
Timeslips is a small law firm billing software for law firms. It is a cloud-based software that helps lawyers to bill their clients. Timeslips is a good choice for law firms with less than 20 attorneys, however, it can be used by larger firms too.
Law Ruler
Law Ruler is a cloud-based legal practice management software created by the same folks who brought us LawPay. It’s a comprehensive solution for law firms and lawyers, offering everything from time tracking to billing to client management.
Solo lawyers and small law firms can use it to track billable hours, create invoices and statements, manage client communication and workflows via email or Slack integration—and much more.
MyCase
MyCase is a cloud-based legal practice management software designed for small to medium-sized law firms. It offers a variety of features, including time tracking and billing, document management, case management and client communications.
MyCase’s document and information storage system allows you to store all of your case files in one place without worrying about losing any information or documents. You can also use the software’s work order process to create custom templates for specific types of cases such as divorce filings or bankruptcy filings. The app has an intuitive interface that allows you to access your files quickly and easily even if you’re not familiar with the software at all yet (which will probably happen when you first start using MyCase).
MyCase offers many ways for its users’ clients or customers get in touch with them: email addresses on individual profiles pages; an automated email response feature within each matter record area; social media links on every page as well as easy access via mobile apps available on iOS devices including iPhones (iOS 9), iPads (iOS 10+) and iPods running iOS 5+.
Timesheet Mobile
Timesheet Mobile is cloud-based software that allows you to work from anywhere. You can access it through a mobile app, available for both iOS and Android devices. The software integrates with other billing software so you can easily send invoices and track your time on the go. This is great for lawyers who travel often or work out of their homes, but it’s also perfect for small law firms that need fast results at an affordable price point.
AbacusLaw
AbacusLaw is a cloud-based small law firm billing software for law firms. The platform has a mobile app, which you can use to bill from your phone or tablet. The dashboard view makes it easy to see at a glance how much you’ve billed and how much time you’ve spent on each case.
Juris Suite
Juris Suite is a cloud-based billable-hour software that helps lawyers and other legal professionals manage their clients, cases, and time. This powerful tool offers a built-in legal research engine, as well as a collaboration platform for attorneys to work together on projects. It also has the ability to easily integrate with your existing practice management system or billing software of choice through its extensible API integration layer.
Zola Suite
Zola Suite is a cloud-based software that helps you create, manage and track your legal work. It is a full suite of tools for your law firm to help meet the needs of your clients and their cases.
You can use Zola as an online tool or download the app on desktop computers or mobile devices (iOS/Android).
Key Takeaways
If you’re looking for a small law firm billing software to help you manage the business side of your law practice, this list can give you some great ideas. However, keep in mind that there are many other options out there. It is a true all-in-one case management software with extensive features and cloud-based performance. RunSensible is the definition of feature-rich and will be the only tool you need to grow your practice. Check it out right now for free (no credit card needed) and see what it can do for your practice. You can also contact us for a personal demo of the software.
FAQ
What does a small law firm billing software do?
Small law firm billing software helps attorneys and law firms to handle their own billing directly and track its payment status as well.
Who needs a small law firm billing software?
Basically any legal practitioner can improve their practice by using a small law firm billing software, especially if it’s part of an all-in-one practice management solution like RunSensible.
What does in-house legal billing mean?
It’s a way for law firms and solo attorneys to handle billing and payment in-house, gaining a lot more insight and control over the entire process.
Do I have to have a law firm to use a small law firm billing software?
Not at all. In fact, we encourage solo attorneys to sign up with us to create a type of virtual law firm, allowing them to organize and track every case and every payment.
