Tabs3 Practice Management Blog for Law Firms

Making a new change at a law firm can be a time-consuming process. However, the best way to increase profits is to consider where there may be bottlenecks in your current workflows. One of the most common challenges for lawyers is invoice processing times. With such a wide range, anywhere from two weeks to less than three days, it can be difficult to maintain a dependable cash flow.

Paper-heavy invoicing processes are one of the significant factors behind a delayed billing cycle. If your firm is looking for a new way to decrease administrative hours, consider the switch to paperless invoicing.

Why are law firms still using paper?

Many law firms still use paper to file invoices. The perceived benefits are understandable. When running a business, employees develop a routine within existing systems. Upper-level management may experience pushback when attempting to implement a change.

Another common belief is that clients prefer paper invoices when, in fact, 65% of Americans have paid a bill using their cell phones in the last year.

Additionally, law firms may believe that physical documents are more secure than electronic ones. After all, one out of every 40 cyberattacks targets a law firm. Lawyers are rightfully concerned about adopting technology and protecting client information.

However, this issue can be mitigated by choosing legal-specific practice management software with the highest data security standards.

4 reasons paperless invoicing benefits your firm

Your firm may be hesitant to switch, but the bottom line is that paperless invoicing can benefit your firm in many ways, from costing less money to automating tedious tasks.

1. Paperless invoicing is a cost-saving, revenue-boosting move

Think of how much your law firm currently spends on paper invoices, with line items including postage, printer paper, ink, and expensive, heavy-duty printers. Switching to an electronic system cuts overhead costs, saving on average $1,000 per employee annually and $4-8 per invoice.

Switching to paperless invoicing can also help increase your cash flow, ensuring your firm can always cover ongoing expenses such as salaries, rent, and technology costs.

2. Paperless invoicing reduces environmental impact

Clients increasingly value service providers who take environmental issues seriously. Paperless invoicing is one way to demonstrate you care about the planet.

Consider that paper makes up 26% of landfill waste. By switching to electronic invoicing, your firm can help protect the planet for future generations.

3. Paperless invoicing is more efficient

Paper invoicing can be tedious, making it more difficult to complete correctly. When a law firm makes the switch to paperless, they benefit with improved accuracy and fewer errors due to:

• Automated data entry and calculations: Legal billing software automates invoice creation, calculating billable hours based on time tracking data.
• Standardized templates: Standardized formats remove errors and ensure that all required fields are completed, maintaining compliance with client billing guidelines.
• Real-time error checking: Legal billing software flags common issues, including duplicate entries, excessive billable hours, and formatting inconsistencies.

4. Paperless invoicing meets client expectations better

Clients check their phones an average of 144 times per day. Improve client satisfaction at your law firm by allowing them to pay on their phone. Plus, your team will receive the funds faster.

When clients see an invoice in their email or via text, they can click the link and pay immediately, rather than sending in a check by mail, which takes at least one business day once they remember.

How to incorporate paperless invoicing in your law firm

While paperless invoicing offers clear benefits to law firms, they depend on choosing the right invoicing software. Tabs3 Billing offers features just for the legal industry to streamline processes and simplify invoicing.

Create customized electronic statements

Your law firm may have specific formatting for how you want your invoice to look. With Tabs3 Billing, you can match that with statement formatting.

These changes can be made firm-wide so that everyone is on the same page about how to create a statement. Options to customize the statement include (but aren’t limited to):

• Previous balance position
• Print non-billable hours (yes/no)
• Courtesy discount position
• Blank lines between statements
• Terminology
• Headings
• Cover sheet

Take advantage of email statements

With Tabs3 Billing, you can quickly email statements to your clients via Outlook or SMTP. Tabs3 provides customizable email templates for creating messages with the attached PDF invoice. You can use time-tracked, saved details and contact information to create and send invoices via email seamlessly.

To ensure your email account for legal clients doesn’t fill up, set up a different account for your billing. This way, all billing-related matters fall into that account. You can even set up email rules to sort statements into specific folders.

Implement client convenience tools like online payments, mobile access, and client portals

Tabs3Pay, a law firm credit card processing provider, seamlessly integrates with Tabs3 Billing. The setup takes less than an hour, allowing your law firm to start accepting payments almost immediately.

Some of the benefits of Tabs3Pay include:

• Advantageous pricing: Tabs3 supports surcharging, reducing the fees associated with credit cards.
• Trust requests: Send a link via email to accept online trust deposits in minutes.
• Payment schedules: Set up scheduled payments so clients always pay on time.

When you use Tabs3 and Tabs3Pay, clients benefit. They have mobile access through the Tabs3 Cloud to make payments through the client portal. Plus, they can access previous invoices and find answers to their questions, reducing your team’s administrative load.

Establish a comprehensive financial management system

Tabs3 Billing integrates seamlessly with Tabs3 Financials, a robust accounting solution for law firms.

The software handles trust accounting and accounts payable and works as a general ledger, all in one place. There is minimal setup and zero workarounds to meet the requirements for most bar associations. Plus, the support team for Tabs3 Financials is the same as for Tabs3 Billing and Tabs3Pay. They can help you leverage all three together to maximize profitability.

Addressing common transition concerns

It’s natural to be concerned when adding new software to workflows. However, Tabs3 has considered transition issues and taken measures to ensure everyone at your law firm can use the software with these features and services:

• An intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to customize and implement everyday workflows.
• Detailed training and support options, including the online knowledge base, email and phone support from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT (Monday through Friday), training videos, and certified consultants to provide in-office training.
• High-level security, including user-based permissions, payment card industry (PCI) compliance, secure transactions, and enhanced data privacy.

Create more efficient processes with Tabs3

As software technology advances, now is the time to switch to paperless billing. Law firms have trusted Tabs3’s reliable, easy-to-use integrated suite of software products for over 40 years.

Let us show you how to implement our user-friendly legal software and schedule a demo with our team today.

When you work in the field of family law, you often work with clients who are experiencing difficult moments in their lives, working through life-changing problems such as divorce and child custody disputes. From splitting shared property or child custody to determining whether alimony is needed or how much child support is owed, navigating these matters can be an emotionally draining time.

As an attorney, your goal is to help your clients solve their problems, not add to their challenges by being disorganized or slow to respond. Support your clients by keeping things running smoothly with the right tools.

The best place to start? Choosing the right family law practice management software.

What is legal practice management software?

Legal practice management software is a type of software solution designed to help law firms manage their practices efficiently and profitably. Practice management software can range from providing all-in-one solutions to customizable packages designed for a law firm’s unique needs.

Functions typically included in practice management software include:

• Task and workflow management
• Contact management
• Calendars
• Time and expense tracking
• Reporting and analytics

Legal practice management providers may also offer billing, payments, trust accounting, and client relationship management features either as part of the package or as add-ons.

5 reasons why your firm needs family law practice management software

Because family law matters can be complex and time-sensitive, staying organized is a challenge. With the right family law software, your firm can streamline operations and enhance client satisfaction.

Consider the following five ways your family law firm can benefit from legal practice management software.

1.   Create repeatable workflows to provide a better client experience

Family law matters can move quickly. If you’re relying on inefficient workflows, it can damage the client experience. Missing a filing deadline, responding slowly to a client in crisis, and depending on inconvenient processes can all lead to subpar legal results, damage client trust, and impede your family law firm’s growth.

Family law practice management software can mitigate these problems by helping you create workflows that work better for your firm and your clients alike.

2.   Stay ahead of the curve with built-in calendars

Staying on track with deadlines and schedules is vital for your family law practice, but you need more than a pen-and-paper calendar or an industry-agnostic calendar. To maximize your time and energy, look for family law practice management software with an integrated calendar management system that syncs with your email and allows you to create firm-wide calendars. Other valuable uses of practice management calendaring tools include:

• Setting up recurring reminders for regular meetings and color coding events by staff member, activity, or matter type
• Applying federal, state, county, or even jurisdiction-specific criteria to reminders and due dates
• Implementing customizable security settings that determine which employees see appointments for certain attorneys and/or clients

 3.   Manage tasks more efficiently

While the calendar in your practice management software gives you a big-picture view of your schedule, a task management system helps you manage your day-to-day work. With the right family law software, you can establish repeatable workflows, delegate tasks, and communicate progress on matters. The beauty of task management tools is that they help you better collaborate with other attorneys and legal staff to ensure no one falls behind on important client work.

Your task management tools also help you provide a strong client experience. Task management enhances visibility as to matter progress, which means that your team can better answer client questions and provide updates. No more shuffling through notes or documents to figure out the status of a client’s case.

Automate tasks and save time

Speaking of workflows, there are few things more tedious than endlessly building and rebuilding tasks. Thankfully, this is a problem that practice management software can resolve for you. For example, within PracticeMaster, you can use the WorkFlows function to automatically start tasks and send reminders after an action is taken, including:

• Starting emails
• Adding appointments
• Assembling documents
• Displaying messages
• Running reports
• Launching other PracticeMaster features
• Launching other software programs

Not only does this save your team time, but automation leads to fewer errors and creates consistency in assignments.

 4.   Support better billing processes

When it comes to supporting profitability, your family law practice management software plays a significant role. Not only does maximizing productivity impact your billable hours, but it also helps you bill more efficiently when you:

• Implement robust time and expense tracking processes
• Convert activity into fees for billing
• Track the status of clients’ bills with matter management dashboards
• Access in-depth financial reports
• And more

5.   Improve the client experience with better communication and greater convenience

When a client is dealing with a family law matter, they want their lives to become less complicated, not more complicated. With family law practice management software at your disposal, your law firm can do a great deal to simplify complex legal matters.

Email management

Communicating with clients is essential for family law firms, and a big part of communicating with clients is managing your emails effectively.

Good client email practices start with using an email management system that helps you stay organized. For example, PracticeMaster’s built-in email management software syncs with Outlook and allows you to add client emails to their corresponding matter. With this feature, you don’t have to go digging through hundreds of email threads to find where your last conversation left off.

Secure file-sharing and eSignature

Family law matters are time-sensitive. It’s vital to get signatures and send information as quickly as possible. Secure file-sharing and eSignature tools expedite the process by removing the need to print, mail, and return documents. Clients can sign a contract or scan and send documents from their smartphone, removing added hassle.

Besides being incredibly user-friendly, file-sharing and eSignature tools provide a higher degree of security than paper versions. With bank-level security for sensitive client data, your clients will feel safer sharing their data and you can rest assured that you’ll be protected from compliance risks.

Do your best work with Tabs3 Software’s full suite of legal practice management tools

There are lots of family law practice management software options out there, but Tabs3 stands out because it provides everything a law firm needs to run an efficient and profitable practice. Tabs3’s powerful features can be customized to meet the precise needs of your family law firm.

See for yourself why Tabs3 Software has been trusted by law firms for decades, and schedule a demo with us today.

Law firms understand the importance of a website. After all, 87% of legal practices have one. A website acts as your law firm’s calling card on the internet, where people can find your services by searching relevant keywords on Google.

But just having a website isn’t enough. An outdated or non-user-friendly website can be one of the biggest hurdles to lead generation. There are lots of ways a website can scare off potential clients.

Scare factor #1: Outdated design

Your law firm has one chance at a first impression.

Think about your website the same way as you dress for meetings. You wouldn’t attend a motion hearing in casual attire, so you shouldn’t expect your website to be casual either.

In addition, an outdated design can make your team look unprofessional. Your prospective clients may question if you’re capable of paying attention to details or able to meet deadlines.

The solution: A website should have a professional design that impresses the user upon arrival. Include high-quality photography, branding that reflects your firm, and sufficient spacing to make the content easier to comprehend.

It’s also important that your site reflects the unique needs and expectations of the legal industry. Working with a legal-specific provider, like Tabs3 Websites, can ensure your site meets the brief.

Scare factor #2: Poor mobile responsiveness

Over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. In today’s digital landscape, every website must work as well on mobile as it does on desktop.

After a long workday, potential clients don’t want to spend more time on a computer to try and solve their legal problems. They’re far more likely to look for legal services while scrolling their phone from the couch.

If you don’t take this into account, you may end up with a website that looks great on desktop but isn’t sufficiently responsive for mobile. This might include:

• Slow loading times
• Difficult navigation
• Clunky mobile forms
• Clumsy touch input
• Frustrating mobile popups
• Hard-to-read fonts

And these nonresponsive sites will frustrate users, causing them to leave your website for a competitor. What’s more, this can lead to poor bounce and/or conversion rates, which can directly impact your website’s search engine rankings.

The solution: The first step to a better mobile experience is to thoroughly test out your website and content across desktop and mobile devices. Tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test can help you identify and fix issues.

Scare factor #3: Confusing and outdated content

Many clients will want detailed information about your law firm and its services, but they don’t speak legalese. Confusing content deters clients from reaching out because they don’t understand your services.

Confusing content is only half the problem; outdated content on a website can make your firm appear inactive or unreliable. If you only have listed awards from 2014, a potential client may wonder what happened in the last decade to the quality of your services. Plus, the less often you update your content, the lower your firm will rank on Google’s search engine results.

The solution: Explain your services using clear, straightforward language that’s easy for clients to understand.

Break your content into separate pages for each practice area, ensuring potential clients can quickly find relevant information. Regularly update your blog with posts that address common legal concerns.

Scare factor #4: Poor user experience

A website with poor user experience (UX) can frustrate visitors and drive potential clients away. Without thoughtful UX design, your site may feel clunky, making it harder for users to navigate and find key information. Common UX issues include:

• Unclear or hidden calls-to-action (CTAs): If users can’t easily find buttons like “Contact Us” or “Schedule a Consultation,” they may not reach out
• Confusing menus: A disorganized menu makes it difficult for users to navigate and find what they need
• No search functionality: Without a search bar, visitors struggle to locate specific information, leading to frustration
• Lack of visual hierarchy: If your content isn’t organized by importance, users may feel overwhelmed by information or miss critical details

The solution: Collaborate with a UX expert to simplify and enhance your website’s design. Focus on intuitive navigation with clearly labeled menus, a clean layout, and CTAs like “Schedule a Consultation” or “Contact Us” that are easy to locate.

Keep forms short to avoid overwhelming users and use a logical content hierarchy with clear headings and subheadings to break up text. Regularly review site analytics to identify areas of improvement and remove any potential barriers to a smooth user experience.

Scare factor #5: Lack of Search Engine Optimization

You could have a professional, clean website design, but if no search engine optimization (SEO) is completed, no one will find you.

Some SEO best practices that your law firm needs to follow include:

• Keyword research and implementation into blog posts and content pages
• Technical SEO such as a logical site structure, mobile responsiveness, and submitting extensible markup language (XML) sitemaps to search engines
• On-page optimization such as descriptive alternative (alt) text, meta descriptions, and proper heading structure
• Local SEO such as a Google My Business listing, managing client reviews, and citations from legal directories and local business listings

The Solution: Make sure your site includes keywords specific to your practice areas. Focus on implementing keywords naturally into your content without overstuffing. It’s also necessary to review your site’s technical SEO, checking for image sizes, redirects, server response time, and more.

For local SEO, make sure your firm is listed on Google My Business, and regularly manage your online reviews and citations. By consistently optimizing these elements, your law firm can increase its visibility to potential clients searching for legal services.

Scare factor #6: Absence of client engagement tools

A potential client shouldn’t just be able to look at your website, you should encourage them to be a part of it.

Client convenience tools increase engagement, through filling out a form for potential clients or accessing important documents and making online payments for current ones. When these tools aren’t active on your website, it creates more administrative burden for your team and you miss the chance to make your client’s life easier.

The solution: When you integrate client convenience tools on your website, you save administrative time while providing a better experience for your client. Tools to consider integrating include:

• Logic-based intake forms to gather relevant information ahead of client consultations. These can also help weed out potential clients who aren’t the right fit for your services.
• Legal client-relationship management tools to nurture leads and improve communication.
• Secure client portals for easy information sharing and messaging.
• Online payment to help clients manage billing and pay bills faster.

The right client engagement tools don’t just integrate with your website; they should also integrate with your legal practice management system. A comprehensive integrated solution reduces administrative burden, ensures greater data accuracy, and allows you to deliver better client services.

Make your website user-friendly with a modern design from Tabs3 Websites

By addressing these common website pitfalls, you’ll improve both user experience and search engine rankings.

Get started today by reaching out to schedule a demo and see how Tabs3 Websites can help you create a modern, professional online presence that attracts and retains clients.

In today’s digital age, law firms face unprecedented challenges in cybersecurity, managing vast amounts of sensitive data that attract cyber criminals. The consequences of a breach extend beyond data loss, potentially undermining a firm’s reputation, eroding client trust, and leading to severe regulatory penalties. Cybersecurity is not merely a technical requirement but a core component of a law firm’s ethical duty to protect client information, intertwining legal liabilities with ethical obligations.  

According to the American Bar Association (ABA)’s 2023 Cybersecurity TechReport, 29% of respondents reported a law firm breach at some point. With the vast amount of sensitive, valuable information involved in the day-to-day tasks of legal work, it’s no surprise that law firms and their legal technology are a common target for hackers.  

Therefore, law firms must adopt a proactive security stance. This approach involves advanced technological defenses and promoting a culture of security awareness throughout your organization. By exploring the multifaceted aspects of cybersecurity challenges and offering actionable strategies, this guide aims to equip law firms with the knowledge to enhance their defenses and prepare for future threats in the evolving cyber landscape. 

The importance of cybersecurity for law firms 

The necessity for stringent cybersecurity measures within law firms cannot be overstated. The data managed by law firms—from personal client details and confidential business information to sensitive legal documents—is inherently valuable, making it imperative that firms maintain robust security protocols to safeguard this information. Cybersecurity attacks can result in compromised communications, loss of access to essential information, data leaks, loss of trust in your law firm, and even malpractice claims.  

These attacks don’t just impact your law firm, though. They also put your clients at risk. As a lawyer, you have ethical and legal obligations to protect your clients’ information. As stated in ABA Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Information, “a lawyer shall make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client.”  

Additionally, three ABA formal opinions you should be familiar with include:  

• ABA Formal Opinion 477R: Securing Communication of Protected Client Information 

• ABA Formal Opinion 483: Lawyers’ Obligations After an Electronic Data Breach or Cyberattack 

• ABA Formal Opinion 498: Virtual Practice

Even in the event of a cyberattack, you, as a lawyer, can be held responsible for any privacy breach that affects your clients.

1. Be cautious with emails 

Emails are common targets for phishing scams. Some common traits of phishing include:  

• Offers or statements that are too good to be true 

• Odd requests with a sense of urgency 

• Hyperlinks 

• Attachments that are unexpected or don’t seem to make sense

If you receive an out-of-character email from a colleague or client, check the email address to see if it’s legitimate. If you’re unsure about a link, hover over the link to see where it goes, and if it’s a popular site, be sure to check that everything is spelled correctly. If you find an email to be suspicious, it never hurts to get a second opinion or confirm with the sender through another form of communication.

2. Invest in a secure mobile solution 

If you’re working remotely, you’ll likely rely heavily on mobile devices like your smartphone or tablet. 

Although these devices provide a convenient way of staying connected to the office, they can also be a major security risk. Remote work, in general, increases the likelihood of a cyber attack, with approximately 20% of organizations experiencing a breach due to the actions of a remote worker.  

Fortunately, you can prevent your firm from contributing to this statistic by leveraging a platform that provides mobile and cloud access to your organizational data.  

A mobile-friendly legal software application helps you safely access your data from your server without copying files onto your personal mobile device. When you log out, the connection is severed, and your device is no longer an access point for confidential client information. 

3. Browse safely 

Whether it’s a pop-up, fake site, or questionable link, one wrong click can harm your device in a matter of seconds. When you’re working online, there are a few steps you can take to avoid compromising your data or device.  

For example, make sure you’re using Google Chrome as your default browser to access your preferred legal journal. This will allow you to add privacy extensions to block activity such as spying ads and hidden trackers.  

It’s especially important to browse safely when you’re working remotely. If you’re away from your secure workplace network, use a virtual private network (VPN) to hide your IP address and keep your browsing activity from being tracked. This is crucial when accessing legal documents or transmitting client information. 

4. Make sure your practice management software uses SSL 

Financial institutions and other entities that manage critical data use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt data between browsers, devices, and websites. This encryption security protocol can also create a secure connection between two servers.  

Using practice management software with SSL allows you to create an encrypted connection between your mobile devices and your server. With an SSL in place, you can confidently access confidential client documents and check off important tasks no matter where you’re working from.  

That said, if you’re using any software that isn’t integrated with the practice management solution, those files won’t be encrypted and may still be susceptible to cyber crimes.  

To limit your vulnerability to malicious digital activities, consider using a fully integrated practice management solution for your law firm. For instance, Tabs3 Software can support a wide range of core functions, including accounting, client relationship management (CRM), and more. 

5. Use secure passwords 

How many online accounts do you log in to regularly? Ideally, each of these accounts should have its own unique password. If your accounts share the same password, remember that one compromised account likely means multiple compromised accounts.  

In addition to having strong, unique passwords, you should change them regularly to keep them hack-proof. It’s also a good idea to enable two-factor authentication, which adds an additional layer of security to your accounts.  

If you’re concerned about being locked out of your own accounts, consider implementing a password management tool such as 1Password or LastPass to keep your passwords safe, secure, and all in one place.  

You’ll also want to train everyone at your law firm, from paralegals to partners, on how to create secure passwords and remind them of the dangers of sharing or reusing passwords. 

6. Verify that your data is encrypted 

Encrypting data involves encoding it using a digital key. Ideally, only individuals with access to the key will be able to unencrypt the data and access the underlying information. However, although an SSL encrypts data while it’s being shared between a server and device, your information may still be vulnerable while “at rest.”  

To maximize data security, you need a practice management solution that encrypts data at rest and in transit, which reduces data vulnerability and improves your cybersecurity stance. 

7. Prepare an incident response plan 

According to the ABA’s 2023 Cybersecurity TechReport, only 34% of respondents said their firm has an incident response plan (IRP). While implementing an IRP can be expensive and time-consuming, the aftermath of a cyberattack or data breach can be far more costly.  

Your IRP should include provisions for cybersecurity issues and natural disasters alike. This plan should outline specific steps to take in the event of different types of cyber incidents, identify roles and responsibilities within the firm for dealing with such incidents, and include communication strategies for notifying affected clients and complying with legal obligations. Regular drills and updates to the IRP can help ensure that the firm is always prepared to act swiftly and minimize the damage from cyberattacks. 

8. Leverage access restriction tools 

While fellow attorneys, legal staff, and even your clients may need access to different files, global access can put your law firm in a risky position. A safer strategy for access is creating a protocol for access restrictions.  

When setting up user profiles, you can implement access restriction rules, which govern what documents users can view, enter, edit, delete, or share. Use access profiles to keep sensitive information secure, prevent accidental deletions, and maintain the integrity of your database.  

It’s vital to use software that supports access restrictions. For example, PracticeMaster is an extremely versatile practice management solution that you can use to grant or restrict editing access down to specific fields.  

For instance, you might grant a support team member the ability to view important files but only allow them to edit basic data like appointment dates, client phone numbers, etc. This functionality guarantees sensitive information remains accessible only to those who need it. 

9.  Back up your data 

You likely have access to a fast, reliable internet connection and a robust Wi-Fi network when you’re in the office. When you’re working outside of the office, though, the quality and availability of your connection can vary greatly.  

You need a way to back up your data while you work that allows you to continuously save your work as you make changes, input new client information, prepare documents, or perform other mission-critical tasks. With a robust tool for backing up your data, you can rest assured that your data can be salvaged even if your device is stolen or damaged. 

10. Use auto-recovery tools 

Auto-recovery tools can protect your data from damage caused by lost network connections or power outages. This allows you to work confidently without worrying about sudden disruptions to your connection. 

11. Take advantage of eSignature and secure file-sharing tools 

Exchanging files and obtaining signatures is a staple of law firm work. But what happens when you need to share files with an outside entity while you’re not in the office?  

Using a standard email account exposes you to undue liability and can lead to a breach. A better alternative is leveraging secure file-sharing and eSignature software. These tools allow you to:  

• Send or receive encrypted documents from third parties 

• Request signatures on critical documents 

• Send and upload large files without compromising security 

Keep your law firm secure with Tabs3 

Our reliable, easy-to-use practice management software is designed to help law firms boost productivity, stay organized, and maintain client confidentiality. With secure file-sharing and eSignature features, clients can rest assured that their data is protected.  

For your security, Tabs3 Software offers the following features:  

• Tabs3 Cloud, which allows attorneys to work from anywhere and includes extensive data privacy and security features 

• Tabs3 Connect, which allows for secure mobile access with SSL encryption 

• HotBackup, which backs up your data on an ongoing basis 

• Auto-Recovery, which protects your data from power outages, lost network connections, and data corruption

Interested in learning more? Request a free trial or schedule a demo today. 

Like it or not, the modern legal industry operates at a break-neck pace. To have any hope of keeping up with clients’ increasing expectations, every member of your legal team should have remote access to your firm’s legal practice management software. By embracing cloud hosting, your entire legal staff can provide an outstanding client experience even when traveling or working from home.

Whether your legal staff works from home year-round or simply needs to track time and expenses when out of the office, modern remote legal software like Tabs3 Cloud and Tabs3 Connect have the flexibility required to keep your virtual law office nimble, agile, and secure.

Embracing Remote Legal Software for a Virtual Law Office

The global shift towards remote work has reshaped the legal landscape. Law firms have quickly learned that remote legal software is not just a temporary fix but a long-term solution that offers numerous benefits, including reduced overhead costs, increased staff productivity, and enhanced work-life balance for attorneys. The convenience of accessing law firm practice management software remotely allows legal teams to manage caseloads, communicate with clients, and perform essential tasks with ease and security.

In light of these conveniences and many others, managing partners now recognize that there’s no real reason to chain attorneys to their desks at the office. Remote access to law firm practice management software makes it possible to coordinate and supervise legal staff with ease, all while protecting clients’ confidentiality.

Most trials and court hearings are still held in person, of course. However, with secure access to fully integrated law firm practice management software, attorneys can complete their most common tasks from anywhere, including:

• Billing
• Conducting negotiations
• Reviewing legal documents
• Keeping clients up to date on their legal matters
• Planning and setting appointments
• Sending and receiving secure emails
• Time tracking

Aside from a bit of trust in your legal staff, all you need to get started is remote access to a reliable, seamlessly integrated law firm practice management software.

3 Pathways for Remote Access to Tabs3 Software

As a leading provider of law firm practice management software, Tabs3 is trusted by tens of thousands of legal professionals every day. Though Tabs3 Software started as an on-premise practice management solution, advancements in cloud technology have enabled them to offer multiple convenient, reliable solutions for remote access.

1. Tabs3 Cloud

Tabs3 Cloud is designed to facilitate remote legal work without compromising on functionality or security. It offers a seamless experience for legal professionals to complete billing and accounting work, manage calendars, and collaborate with team members remotely. With Tabs3 Cloud, firms can enjoy the benefits of mobility while relying on advanced security measures such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and secure data storage to protect client information.

Key Features of Tabs3 Cloud for the Virtual Law Office

• Comprehensive Remote Access: Tabs3 Cloud provides full access to the suite of Tabs3 legal practice management tools, including Tabs3 Billing, Tabs3 Financials, and PracticeMaster from any device, enabling attorneys to manage their practice on the go.
• Enhanced Data Security: Tabs3 Cloud ensures that client data is securely stored and backed up, minimizing the risk of data breaches.
• Seamless Collaboration: The platform facilitates easy collaboration among legal team members, regardless of their location, enhancing productivity and ensuring that all case-related information is up-to-date.
• Cost-Effective: By moving to a cloud-based system, law firms can reduce their IT overhead, as Tabs3 Cloud eliminates the need for on-premise server maintenance.

2. Tabs3 Connect

Tabs3 Connect provides remote access to all of your law firm practice management software’s most essential features on a phone, tablet, laptop, or home desktop, including the Tabs3 Matter Manager. Tabs3 Connect allows attorneys to enter fees and costs, check their calendar, view documents, and more with ease.

To protect data security, sensitive client information is stored on the law firm server, rather than on attorneys’ mobile devices.

3. Remote Access Software

Remote access software provides secure access to your legal practice management software via an internet connection between your office server and home computer. When configured properly, remote access software offers your legal staff secure access to all Tabs3 Software features from almost anywhere. With this method, only a minimal amount of data travels between attorneys’ home devices and office computers.

For the best results, pair your remote desktop client with a VPN, and consult with your IT team about configuration.

More tips for secure remote work

Though the benefits of remote work are easy to see, legal staff must proactively embrace enhanced cybersecurity measures to preserve data security. In recognition of the myriad challenges that accompany remote work in the legal industry, the American Bar Association has directed lawyers to “make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client.”

Fortunately, law firm practice management software makes remote work practical, secure, and efficient. Still, training all legal staff on the importance of confidentiality, data privacy, and security protocols is a must. Managing partners should also prioritize developing a written work-from-home protocol that dictates the exact steps attorneys and other legal staff should take to safeguard data security when using legal practice management software outside of the office.

Your work-from-home protocol may direct attorneys to: 

• Avoid unsecured Wi-Fi connections when accessing law firm practice management software
• Avoid transmitting client information over unsecured Wi-Fi connections
• Utilize virtual private networks (VPNs) when accessing legal practice management software or transmitting client information
• Set up multi-factor authentication for all work-related applications
• Choose strong passwords for all work-related hardware and applications
• Avoid accessing legal documents or video conferencing with clients without a private environment
• Turn off listening-enabled devices (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, etc.) in their workspaces during phone calls and videoconferences, because these devices listen to and record conversations automatically

Embrace mobility and data security with Tabs3 Software

There’s a reason that over 98% of our customers are satisfied with their software solutions. (In fact, 9 out of 10 of them recommend Tabs3 Software to other law firms.)

Stop compromising on cybersecurity by using vulnerable, unsecured platforms for remote work. From document and project management to time and expense tracking and more, Tabs3 Software offers the reliability and trusted service you expect from an industry-leading legal practice management software.

Remote access with Tabs3 Software is secure, compliant, convenient, and accessible. With over 40 years of experience providing cutting-edge legal technology to law firms just like yours, we’re committed to upholding even the industry’s strictest compliance and data security regulations.

Check out the Tabs3 Cloud and Tabs3 Connect product pages to learn more about their features and how they can benefit your firm.

Request your free trial or schedule a demo to see how Tabs3 Software’s fully integrated suite of software products can revolutionize the way your law firm functions on a day-to-day basis.

Along with securing the best possible outcome for matters and delivering a great client experience, client confidentiality should always be a top priority for law firms. Because client privacy is such a priority, though, many firms are hesitant to introduce new tools or technologies that deal with client data. Instead, they tend to stick to tried-and-true practices.

The reality, though, is that the practices that protected client privacy ten or twenty years ago may not be as effective as they once were. Technology has led to incredible breakthroughs, but it’s also introduced vulnerabilities when it comes to data and data security.

Law firms have a duty to their clients to protect their data, and one of the best ways they can do so is by keeping pace with the digital age. Employee training, secure offices, and firm privacy policies are all essential for protecting sensitive information. However, secure file-sharing and eSignature software are also critical tools that should not be overlooked.

Why digital security is critical for law firms in the U.S.

For law firms in the U.S., data breaches are more prevalent than ever. In 2021, law firm data breaches affected 720,000 Americans, and some of these breaches have led to significant financial burdens for the law firms themselves.

Case in point: in 2022, mid-sized Ohio firm Bricker & Eckler agreed to a $1.95 million settlement for a class action lawsuit stemming from a 2021 data breach at their firm.

To protect your clients’ information and your law firm’s reputation, it’s critical now more than ever to take proactive measures for data security and file encryption. One place to start is by implementing secure file-sharing and eSignature software solutions.

Secure file sharing software provides peace of mind and added convenience

Sharing sensitive documents via email or paper files opens the door to human error, which increases the risk of compromised client data. Secure file-sharing software is an essential way to eliminate human error and maintain document security. For example, Tabs3 Software’s practice management solution PracticeMaster integrates with LexShare, a file-sharing software that provides bank-level security measures.

With secure file-sharing software, you and your clients send and receive files of any size with an extra layer of protection while collaborating with clients and colleagues, no matter where they are located.

Remote work means secure file sharing is more important than ever

In the past few years, law firms have transformed to allow for remote work for many employees. In 2022, 87% of lawyers reported that their law firms allow for remote work. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of private practice lawyers can work remotely 100% of the time, while 23% follow a hybrid work schedule.

For firms that enable remote work for their employees, security is a significant concern. In addition to employee training and privacy policies, secure data access is critical to maintaining ABA compliance and protecting your clients’ data. Secure file-sharing software, combined with eSignature features, allows lawyers and clients alike to make progress on case matters without ever having to enter the office.

eSignatures are legally binding and secure for clients

Digital signatures have been around since the 1970s but became legally binding with the ESIGN Act in 2000.

Contrary to popular belief, eSignatures provide more layers of security than email or the postal service. For legal documents, eSignatures feature specialized encryption tools, knowledge-based authentication, and secure links to protect clients’ data security.

eSignatures don’t just protect client data online. While paper documents are vulnerable to theft, fire, flood, and other physical damage, electronic client signatures ensure document preservation. When combined with practice management software, this digital documentation also helps prevent incorrect storage, misplacement, or filing errors that could lead to additional security breaches.

Cost and time savings provide an added bonus

While security is the primary concern of eSignature and file-sharing software, the cost and time savings for law firms shouldn’t be ignored.

The average office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of paper per year. By switching to more paperless practices, law firms can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per year in paper costs alone.

eSignatures also drastically decrease the wait time for signed documents. While many attorneys can spend hours requesting and collecting client signatures, eSignatures diminish document turnaround times by 80% (and prevent the likelihood of missing or incorrect signatures).

Combined with the security provided by eSignature and secure file sharing software, these advantages can lead to expansive benefits and peace of mind for law firms.

Protect your clients’ sensitive data with Tabs3 Software

Tabs3 Software is dedicated to following the industry’s strictest compliance and data security regulations while offering attorneys a flexible working experience.

When it comes to protecting sensitive data, Tabs3’s fully integrated suite of products can provide your firm and your clients the privacy, security, and efficiency you need to operate with confidence.

Schedule a walkthrough demo to see how Tabs3’s legal practice management software can provide digital security while also improving administrative and operational efficiency.

Run your law firm from anywhere without sacrificing the security, reliability, and flexibility you depend on from Tabs3 Software.

PracticeMaster is now available in Tabs3 Cloud. With this new release, users have more ways to access the powerful features and tools that have transformed the way legal professionals work, in addition to the cloud-based billing and financial tools already accessible in Tabs3 Cloud.

Which features are now available in Tabs3 Cloud?

Legal professionals have already been able to access their billing and financial tools via Tabs3 Cloud, including:

• Time tracking from anywhere: Tracking time is an essential part of accurate, efficient legal billing. With Tabs3, you can track time as you go from anywhere in the world.
• Faster invoicing: Tabs3’s flexible billing features, including pre-bill tracking and email statement options, help get your bills out faster than ever before.
• Access Tabs3Pay: With Tabs3 Cloud, legal teams can access their online payment portal, send trust requests, create payment schedules, and review client payments.

Now, in addition to billing and financial tools, Tabs3 Cloud users can work more efficiently and flexibly than ever before with access to PracticeMaster features. These features include matter management tools, legal calendaring, document management, and more.

Manage your case matters with the Matter Manager

Your client work is the bedrock of your firm. Without access to it, progress and communication are all too easily stalled. The PracticeMaster Matter Manager allows you to update case information, examine research notes, review costs and fees, and even see the status of your client’s billing status or trust account balance.

Stay on top of your legal calendar

More than just a “view,” legal professionals can access the full functionality of their legal calendar through Tabs3 Cloud. Drag and drop events to reschedule them, or look at your firm-wide calendar for the entire office. Users can view appointments by day, week, or month and find appointments by staff member or type of activity.

Prevent conflicts of interest

No more waiting to go into the office to check a conflict of interest. Now Tabs3 Cloud users can instantly find possible conflicts of interest with the Conflict of Interest Search. Not sure you have all the information or the right spelling? With PracticeMaster, you can search for conflicts of interest with phonetic spelling or partial words.

Streamline document management and automation

Manage your documents outside of the office without sacrificing security. Now you can organize your files and save documents into your practice management system from Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft Windows Folders, whether you’re in the office or working remotely.

Legal professionals can also access PracticeMaster’s Document Assembly automation feature to fill forms and contracts quickly and accurately. This feature allows users to pull information from PracticeMaster and populate documents for a high-quality first draft.

Explore the power of legal CRM from anywhere

Focused on growing your law firm? Bringing in clients more quickly? Expanding your marketing? Your legal client relationship management (CRM) software will play an important role.

Legal CRM software helps law firms build stronger client relationships, streamline client intake, and improve marketing efforts. With the expanded Tabs3 Cloud, legal teams can now access their legal CRM from anywhere.

With add-on product Tabs3 CRM, law firms can:

• Customize intake forms for each area of practice
• Build logic-based intake forms that identify qualified leads faster than ever
• Follow up with prospective clients automatically, even if they reach out at night or on the weekend
• Increase the number of touchpoints with leads and current clients
• Build a sustainable, effective marketing strategy
• Use insightful analytics to make strategic decisions for your marketing plan

These capabilities optimize your law firm’s growth and support long-term, trusting client relationships. And because PracticeMaster is now available in Tabs3 Cloud, you can add on Tabs3 CRM to access these features from anywhere to review analytics, adjust marketing campaigns, draft automated responses, review client intake data, and more.

Frequently asked questions about Tabs3 Cloud

Is Tabs3 Cloud secure?

Client confidentiality and data security are essential. Tabs3 Cloud is committed to providing law firms with advanced security and data privacy measures, so you can focus on the work at hand.

Tabs3 Cloud has the features necessary to protect sensitive client information and firm data against unauthorized access and breaches. The software incorporates security best practices such as:

• Data encryption to secure sensitive information
• Role-based access control to help firms adjust access to data based on user roles
• Two-factor authentication for an extra security measure against unauthorized access
• Regular security audits for ongoing security assessment and enhancement
• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards compliance

How do law firms benefit from Tabs3 Cloud?

Every law firm can benefit from cloud-based practice management’s enhanced efficiency, reduced costs, and increased collaboration.

Tabs3 Cloud, and cloud-based software in general, works well for law firms that don’t have readily available IT support or don’t want to manage their own server. For many small law firms without dedicated IT personnel, this option provides the perfect combination of functionality and flexibility without the responsibility of managing their own server.

Law firms further benefit from Tabs3 Cloud’s exceptional support team that provides users with access to U.S.-based customer service. This support extends from technical issues to helping law firms leverage Tabs3 Cloud features for maximum benefit.

How can Tabs3 users see Tabs3 Cloud in action?

Tabs3 Cloud combines Tabs3 features with the accessibility of the cloud. Schedule a demo to explore how Tabs3 Cloud can streamline your operations, enhance collaboration, and safeguard your data.

Maintaining a strong connection with your current clients is crucial in the legal industry. Approximately one in five legal clients left their previous firm because they were too slow to respond to issues.

However, you don’t have to add endless non-billable hours to make clients feel valued.

Emerging technologies increasingly improve communication and engagement between lawyers and clients without the need for time-consuming phone calls or an avalanche of email.

Here are some effective strategies to keep your clients engaged and foster a sense of loyalty:

1.  Deliver information that matters

One of the most effective ways to keep your clients engaged is by continuously serving as a source of valuable information. Your firm can achieve active client engagement by:

• Crafting relevant articles that are easy to read and share
• Creating engaging videos
• Hosting (or being a guest speaker on) informative podcasts

By sharing insights and knowledge about the legal issues that matter to clients, you keep them informed and position your firm as a trusted resource. If you’re uncertain where to start, try building content around questions from past clients, or common challenges (and your unique solutions) in your practice areas.

And it doesn’t require much extra time for your legal firm. With Tabs3 Websites, you can access expert legal content that is tailored to your firm’s practice areas. Besides posting this content on your site, you can repurpose it for social media or email marketing. You can also distribute it via drip campaigns in Tabs3’s integrated legal client relationship management (CRM) software.

2.  Implement drip email campaigns

Speaking of drip campaigns, regular, personalized communication is vital to keeping clients engaged. According to one study, clients need at least 10 touches a year for them to feel engaged. However, for many law firms, this can be hard to achieve unless you’re facing a time-sensitive deadline.

One easy solution is to implement drip email campaigns, which are automated emails to subscribers over a predetermined period. Popular types of client loyalty drip campaigns include:

• Up- or cross-selling campaigns to promote additional services
• Informational/educational campaigns that provide valuable content like industry insights or legal process guides
• Promotional campaigns to introduce special services or deals
• Anniversary and follow-up drips to acknowledge special dates with clients

This marketing strategy helps maintain a consistent line of communication, and when you use marketing automation tools within a legal-specific CRM, such as the Tabs3 CRM, you can keep clients engaged and feeling valued without extra work.

Some other practices to keep in mind for email drip campaigns include:

• Segmenting your audience by practice area or interests in your firm to guarantee that each person receives helpful content
• Personalizing each email with their name and specific legal concerns, which increases open rates
• Writing concise emails that avoid blocks of content within the email that are longer than 125 words
• Ending every email with a call to action (CTA), encouraging the reader to take a specific action, such as filling out a client intake form or signing up for a webinar

3.  Keep matters organized

Efficient and organized matter management is crucial for achieving client satisfaction and engagement at your law firm. Clients have greater confidence in your firm when they see their cases handled systematically and professionally.

This includes:

• Responding to client queries promptly
• Informing them about their case progress
• Ensuring all their documents are organized and easily accessible

Tabs3 makes managing your cases easier by keeping all your client information organized, automating routine tasks, and giving you easy access to documents in the cloud. With Tabs3 Cloud, you get time and billing, payments, trust accounting, PracticeMaster, and Tabs3 CRM all in one place and accessible from anywhere.

Tabs3 Cloud allows your law firm to stay organized by centralizing all your client information, documents, and tasks. By automating routine tasks like data entry and document management, your team’s time is freed up to focus on client-facing work. What’s more, it also reduces the likelihood of errors and inefficiencies, a benefit that clients always appreciate.

Keeping clients engaged is also easier. Whether it’s setting consistent reminders for follow-ups, sharing documents securely, or tracking client communications, Tabs3 ensures that your clients feel valued and informed throughout their legal journey. This organized and consistent approach helps build trust and keeps clients engaged, ultimately contributing to a stronger attorney-client relationship.

4.  Offer easy payment options

When you run a law firm, client convenience is essential. Easy payment options like online payments or credit card processing can enhance the client experience. Tabs3Pay gives clients convenient payment options, such as payments through a private portal, making it easier to settle their bills and demonstrating your firm’s commitment to modern, client-centric practices.

By integrating these strategies, you can keep your current clients engaged, fostering a sense of loyalty that can benefit your firm in the long run.

Tabs3 Websites helps clients easily access these tools. Features include a “pay invoice” button on your homepage allowing them to settle their invoices, and a link to a secure client portal that lets them log in to upload documents, monitor case progress messages, and ask questions.

This benefits both your client and you because:

• They can find the answers to their own questions, saving you a phone call
• They can view their up-to-the-minute billing and payment history
• They can view this information in any web browser, allowing them to use what they’re comfortable with
• They can pay invoices online (with Tabs3Pay)

Keep your clients engaged and turn them into loyal ambassadors with fully integrated Tabs3 Software

At a time when consumers have an abundance of options at their fingertips, law firms are increasingly seeking to go above and beyond to deliver client engagement experiences that truly set them apart from the crowd.

By leveraging the integrated capabilities of Tabs3 CRM, Tabs3 Websites, and Tabs3 Cloud, you can simplify your client management procedures, enabling you to concentrate on the most crucial aspect of your work: delivering outstanding legal services, maximizing your billable hours, and keeping clients engaged throughout the matter lifecycle.

Tabs3 is more than just a tool; it’s a partner that can help transform your practice by:

• Boosting client engagement
• Streamlining communication
• Reducing non-billable hours

Experience the transformative power of automation in managing and expanding your law practice by scheduling a demo or signing up for a free trial today.

Legal billing and invoicing are typically not tasks that law firms think of as getting easier over time. The more a firm grows, the wider its service offerings, and the more complex your accounting becomes.

However, billing and invoicing don’t have to be complicated or tedious. When it comes to billing and invoicing, taking the time to adjust your strategy and standard operating procedures can set your firm up for success and streamline your billing process.

Here are five essential tips to optimize your firm’s legal billing and invoicing systems.

Five legal billing and invoicing tips to improve your law firm’s payment process

There are a number of strategies to optimize your firm’s billing and invoicing, from how you communicate with clients to the systems you use to process payments.

1. Set clear payment policies and communicate them with clients from the start

No one likes a surprise, especially when it comes to billing.

Communicating your payment policies with your clients before signing them on or completing any billable hours can prevent conflict or disputes down the road. Establishing clear payment terms and conditions also establishes expectations for how the payment process should unfold and define obligations for you and your client.

Your payment terms and conditions should include:

• When payments are due
• What types of payment are accepted
• How late or missed payments are handled

These expectations are vital for building long-term trust between you and your client. When clients understand their obligations, they can:

• Clear up questions before they become an issue
• Understand their payment options
• Budget for legal expenses
• Inquire about alternate arrangements for fees
• Avoid late fees

All of these steps will prevent drawn-out disputes and negative client experiences. Your team should also be looped into payment terms and conditions so they can answer questions confidently. In addition to training staff, it can also be helpful to add this information to any internal knowledge base you may have.

2. Track time in detail to provide transparent and complete invoicing

Tracking time is imperative for billing your legal services, but not all time-tracking methods are created equal. With manual time tracking, data entry can be time consuming and lead to serious errors. In turn, this can create tension with clients who need to trust that their bills are accurate. If you don’t get it right, you may risk compliance violations.

On the other hand, legal billing and time-tracking software can save attorneys a great deal of time and stress, allowing them to easily capture billable time in full detail so there are no questions about what goes into each invoice. Some software solutions can also connect to your phone or tablet, so you can track time on the go without missing a beat.

3. Send invoices on a consistent schedule

Consistency is the key to building habits, and this goes for your firm and your clients alike. Internally, if your team establishes a consistent schedule for invoicing, it can quickly become a standardized and, with the right tools, automated workflow for your billing staff.

At the same time, clients are more likely to pay their bills when they know what to expect. Receiving bills at the same time each month creates an established pattern: receive invoice, submit payment, repeat. Consider scheduling your invoices to go out following common pay days so clients are more likely to receive your invoice when they have sufficient funds to pay your bill without a second thought.

Look for accounting systems that allow you to create batch invoices with easy editing capabilities. Automating batch invoicing can make staying consistent much easier for your firm.

4. Use legal-specific payment processors for easy online payments

The less convenient it is for clients to pay your invoices upon receipt, the less likely they are to do so. Making the payment process as simple as possible for clients to pay will not only get you paid on time, but it will also cut down on the time and overhead required to follow up with delinquent payments and manage law firm collections.

Convenient online payment options help your firm eliminate cash flow and collections issues. One survey of legal professionals found that firms that accept digital payments by card get paid 39% faster on average. That’s a significant improvement for legal professionals looking to collect payments.

Quicker payment turnarounds also make it easier for your firm to budget by taking the guesswork out of your forecasted monthly revenue. These insights allow for more accurate financial planning and allow you to invest in the growth of your practice with less worry.

It’s key, though, for law firms to work with legal-specific payment processors. While there are many payment processors on the market, generic options don’t provide the compliance safeguards that ones built for legal professionals do, such as compliance with ABA and IOLTA guidelines.

5. Be proactive about reporting so you can spot problem areas in advance

Taking a proactive approach to problems is vital for a thriving law firm. But proactive strategies work best when they are paired with data, especially when you’re evaluating your accounting processes.

To optimize your accounting system, look at reports that help you:

• Identify your most valuable clients and practice areas
• Spot unbilled transactions and hours
• Review clients that may be causing repeat issues
• Identify any discrepancies or pain points in the system
• Stay on top of compliance
• Assess processes and look for opportunities to improve

By staying proactive, automating where it makes sense, and creating consistency for all parties, your billing and invoicing can become a well-oiled machine.

Improve your legal billing and invoicing processes with Tabs3 Software

Tabs3 Software offers a fully integrated suite of legal billing, accounting, and practice management tools designed to help law firms run more efficiently and profitably.

Tabs3 Software delivers:

• Compliant online credit card payment processing with Tabs3Pay
• Cloud functionality to let you work from anywhere
• Easy-to-use time-tracking functionalities
• Advanced reporting
• Calendaring and matter organization tools
• And more

To see how Tabs3 Software can help your law firm implement better billing and accounting practices, schedule a demo or sign up for a free trial today.

In the fast-paced world of modern law practice, one-size-fits-all time tracking simply isn’t enough. While fundamental time-tracking methods might capture the essentials, they often fall short in maximizing efficiency and profitability.

For lawyers aiming to boost their billable hours and streamline operations, it’s crucial to go beyond the basics. By putting advanced time-tracking techniques into place and strategically integrating their software, legal professionals can uncover hidden billable hours, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance overall workflow efficiency.

Here are six advanced time-tracking tips to improve your law firm’s time-tracking practices and find even more billable hours in the process.

Tip #1: Automate time-tracking workflows

The right workflows can be a life-saver for busy attorneys. By automating repetitive (but necessary) tasks, you can focus on value-added projects instead. One of the great things about today’s legal software is that you can create workflows for a wide variety of tasks, including time tracking.

First, make a list of all the tasks your law firm completes on a daily or weekly basis. Common items include client intake, document creation, scheduling, and case management. Then, leverage your practice management software to create workflow templates around time tracking.

Tabs3, for instance, has triggered responses that can be set up within the system once an action is complete. For example, you can set up a workflow that automatically creates a fee record with pre-filled information once a document has been created or an email has been journaled for your clients.

Tip #2: Implement detailed descriptions and task codes

Are your invoices clear, detailed, and easy to understand? If not, you run the risk of creating confusion, not to mention conflict, with clients.

To avoid this, increase transparency and organization with time-tracking entries that include detailed descriptions and UTBMS (Uniform Task-Based Management System) codes. These task codes help:

• Standardize how you categorize legal work and expenses
• Cut down on manual errors
• Ensure consistent billing data
• Analyze data so you can manage budgets and resources

Combining task codes with detailed descriptions in time tracking enhances various aspects of legal billing. Capturing the fullest amount of information associated with time tracked helps your firm to:

• Identify inefficiencies in your processes and activities
• Improve client satisfaction with clear billing practices
• Ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards

Tip #3: Review and analyze time-tracking data

Are there areas where your firm is falling short of time-tracking goals or billable hours? You won’t know if you don’t check!

To identify problematic patterns in workflows, institute regular reviews of time records. Ideally, reviews will take place on five levels:

• Daily review: tracked time should be reviewed daily to correct errors while the work is fresh on their mind
• Weekly review: higher-level staff should check all time tracked to catch errors and discover patterns that may be wasting hours
• Monthly review: assess which types of clients are the most profitable for your firm and identify high-level trends
• Quarterly review: check your budget against goals and see where your law firm can become more efficient
• Annual review: use time data to set billing rates and benchmarks for the next year to ensure profitability

Tip #4: Set matter budgets to stay on track with your time

Setting (and sticking to) matter budgets is another strategy for stepping up your time-tracking, as well as your firm’s profitability.

While matter budgets won’t impact how you track time, it’s a highly useful way to use your time tracked. By comparing actual time spent against budgeted time, your firm can monitor progress, identify discrepancies, and make necessary adjustments.

To create realistic matter budgets, start with historical data. The information allows you to project time requirements more accurately, allowing for better resource allocation and reducing the risk of inaccurate work estimates.

This also helps you evenly distribute workloads, preventing your staff from being over or underutilized and allowing you to maximize billable hours.

Additionally, your matter budgets can help control costs by setting limits on time and expenses. This promotes efficient resource use and reduces unnecessary expenditures. They enable better financial forecasting and planning, allowing firms to predict cash flows and manage finances proactively.

Tip #5: Train staff on best practices

Don’t expect your staff to understand time-tracking systems immediately. It takes time to implement new software. Set aside a few mornings to train staff on an overview of the software and best practices. Allow them to try it out in an environment where they can ask questions.

Make sure to highlight why they need to implement the new system. When your staff understands its importance, they’ll be more willing to learn how to use it.

Tip #6: Use a fully integrated time-tracking system

Choose a time-tracking system that fully integrates with your practice management software. This prevents data loss between the two systems and redundant manual data entry that eats up non-billable hours. It keeps your data consistent and allows you to make the most out of both systems.

When you use integrated time tracking software and legal practice management software, the benefits for your law firm include:

• Accurate insights via revenue forecasting
• Better transparency in billing practices, creating better relationships with clients
• Easy compliance with regulatory requirements
• Streamlined administrative work that allows lawyers to focus on billable tasks

Elevate your time tracking with Tabs3 Software

The right software simplifies time tracking and makes it easier for attorneys to practice law. Tabs3 Software offers an easy-to-use, seamlessly integrated suite of software products for law firms and legal professionals. Clients are so satisfied with our software that 9 out of 10 recommend Tabs3 to other law firms.

We can help you implement these time-tracking tips and find more profitability in your workday. Schedule a demo with our team today to learn how.