Very strange issue a client of mine had when they would click on PCLaw, the Color Quality of their windows display settings would change from (32 bit) to (8 bit).
After click on PCLaw
The reason is that Run in 256 colors was turned on the PCLaw shortcut. Once it was removed, the issue was fixed.
PCLaw Mobility is a new feature in PCLaw 11. It allows you to access some PCLaw information from a Smartphone and track some time and expense entries. I am going to assume that you have Mobility Setup in PCLaw.
On the Browser, on your smart phone, go to: https://pclawmobility.lexisnexis.com/
Users will need to enter their email address and passwords. If a user cannot login, first go to Options –> Security in PCLaw.
Make sure the Enable access to mobility feature is checked and that the correct email address is entered into the program.
If you still cannot login, call Technical Support.
There are 4 Main Modules in the Program. The Calendar function is not out yet, but will be available in a future release. However, you can sync your smartphone’s calendar to PCLaw via Outlook, so this not a deal breaker.
Before Mobility, you would have to sync all the PCLaw Contacts with Outlook and then on to your smartphone. Most users don’t want all the firm’s contacts in their smartphone contacts, because it makes it hard to call your mom when you are searching through 10,000 people.
Mobility Contacts keeps your firm rolodex separate and always available. It is the best of both worlds.
If you click a phone number on a device like an IPhone:
You can dial the number.
If you click on an email address:
It will open up an email with the user’s email address in the To: Section.
Neither the phone call, nor the email, will be recorded back to PCLaw as phone / email entries, at this time. However, best practices would indicate after you made the phone call / email, you would record a time entry on the device and that would keep a record.
You can also add new contacts or edit them.
You can create a matter or edit the fields shown above for a matter.
You can also view the related contacts and the description.
You have the option of choosing between creating a Time and Expense.
The Description field is for the description of the time entry.
The Duration is the amount of time you spent on the task. A timer does not run automatically, so you will need type in the time entry.
Code is the task code and most likely will be BW, unless you are using Task Based Billing.
Matter is the assigned matter that the time entry will go on.
PCLaw version 11 brings a new integration with the popular Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanners. Our firm has been recommending these for years, everyone that has one is a raving fan.
Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 Instant PDF Multi Sheet-Fed Scanner
http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/peripherals/scanners/scansnap/scansnap-s1500.html
Try the website http://www.newegg.com to find the best price.
Run the File pclawprofilemaker.exe. The install is silent so you can only tell if you were successful if you see PCLaw in the Profile Management Settings
Once the Program has been installed, right click on the S button in your System Tray and chose Profile Management.
You will have a list of options. If properly installed, PCLaw should show up on the bottom.
Highlight PCLaw and move it up another standard. This will make it the second option.
Right Click on the Blue S again, and this time go to Scan Button Settings.
Below we will show you how to configure the settings for both Version 4 and Version 5 of the ScanSnap Software.
Profile should be PCLaw
Check Convert to Searchable PDF if you want your documents to be text searchable. Note that this will take more time.
Under select Profile, chose PCLaw.
Check Searchable if you want your documents to be text searchable.
ScanSnap will process the image.
Convert it to PDF if necessary.
The PCLaw Add Document will now appear when you scan a document allowing you to profile the document. You need to attach it to a matter as well as fill out the other information.
You can now go to the Document Tab of the Matter Manager to view your documents as well as do searches in PCLaw.
I have been a PCLaw user since 2002, a consultant since 2004 and a iPhone user since 2008. There are a variety of apps for tracking time including some that are very good. They usually have some sort of export function, but none of them are made with PCLaw in mind. You have to jump through hoops to get matters imported into the phone and time exported out. This week I stumbled upon a product called miniLaw which is basically PCLaw Satellite for the iPhone.
IMPORTING MATTERS TO THE iPHONE
In PCLaw you send an export file of your matters to an email account on your iPhone.
Once you get the email you click on the attachment.
Select Open in '”miniLaw” and this will import all matters into miniLaw.
You have the option of clicking the green button to run a timer or manually adding a time entry. You can leave the app with the timer running to make a phone call / email and then return to the app to stop the timer.
If you leave a timer running, you will see a notification above the app to remind you that a timer is running.
All your time entries will show up in the time screen just like the PCLaw Time Sheet. You even have the option of starting and stopping timers.
There is even a module to enter Expense Recoveries and Mileage.
This app is a dream come true for PCLaw and iPhone users. While out of the office, I know I am forgetting to enter time entries. This application solves this issue perfectly. What sets this app apart from the others is the seamless ability to import matters to the iPhone and export time into PCLaw.
miniLaw is available in the iTunes App Store for $39.99. If you can capture just one time entry it will pay for itself.
You need to be aware that Lexis is releasing a Web Application for PCLaw this quarter. The product will be free for anyone that is in on a current amp plan. I have seen some early prototypes, it looks promising. You will need to be connected to the internet to use the lexis app, you can be offline to run miniLaw.
Amicus has no automatic numbering capabilities so everything is controlled in PCLaw. The systems settings in PCLaw make it look like you can disable Automatic Client Numbering, but that is not the case.
In PCLaw if you have Disabled Automatic Numbering and you are using Numerical Characters (12345) instead of alpha characters (BayCra) PCLaw will still Automatically Number the Client ID. This is not a big deal in PCLaw, because you can easily change the Client ID but in Amicus, it will assign a client ID for you.
You have 3 Options:
1. Don’t use a numeric numbers in your Client ID. That way PCLaw will not be able to automatically number a client.
2. Create ALL new Matters in PCLaw and then run the exchange in Amicus. Office –> Actions –> Accounting Exchange
3. Create the File in Amicus and then immediately disable the link, close the file, reopen the file, enter in the correct Client and Matter ID and then uncheck disable link.
PCLaw allows you to restrict other users from seeing a particular user’s time entries. For each user you can choose what other user’s time entries they can see.
You must be logged in as the User Admin.
Go to Options –> Administrator --> Security
Highlight a User and Click Advanced
Go to Time/Fees
Check Restrict Access to and click Lawyers. Now highlight all users that you don’t want this user to see.
In the image above we have $1000 in General Retainer. There are two steps we need to take to refund the money to the client.
Make sure that you chose the matter that has the general retainer.
As you can see from above the Disbursements should equal the Receipts and it should be a wash.
As you can see from above, once you create the bill, there is no more General Retainer.
File –> Matter –->Renumber Matter/Client
This allows you to change a Matter ID to a different Matter ID. In the example below, we want to change Matter 09-001 to 09-007.
We enter the Matter we want to change in the first field and then the New Matter ID in the next field. We then click Next.
The new Matter ID will now show up. We can click Finish to save our changes or click back to edit them.
This allows you to change the Client ID in PCLaw. Very similar to Renumber Matter. In the Example below, we want to change the Client ID RouMea to LeeMea.
We enter the Client we want to change in the first field and then the New Client ID in the next field. We then click Next.
The new Client ID will now show up. We can click Finish to save our changes or click back to edit them.
This is used to assign a matter to a different client. It can be an existing client or a new one that you create.
In the example below we want to remove BluGob from matter 09-004 and assign it to BluMic
We enter in the Matter we want to assign first and then Type in the Client ID we want it assigned to and click Next.
PCLaw will then ask us if we want to change any other Matters that the old Client ID was assinged to.
Once we have made the changes we can click OK to be finished.
