How Our HUD-1 Software Increases the Accuracy Of Your HUD 1 Closings

Here at Easy Soft, we figure: why reinvent the wheel?

That's why all of our software is geared toward capturing your client's case data at the outset, and integrating it into all of the ensuing legal forms, correspondence, and financial statements including—most crucially for real estate deals—your HUD forms.

Once the data's been captured, Easy Soft's Easy HUD Software performs automatic calculations—resulting in pitch-perfect HUD closing statement (and other forms and statements) every time.

‘Wouldn't all software increase my accuracy, though?' you wonder. Getting a machine to do something better—in less time—is always the goal of technology, right?

This is partly right—but it's also partly wrong. It's true that all real estate closing software seeks to automate some portion of a real estate closing. But some HUD software packages may segregate legal forms from financial statements, requiring you to entirely re-enter some of the case data.

Not with Easy Soft. Our HUD software is fully integrated. What this means? It's a low-touch system: the minimization of entries minimizes human error. You need only enter any piece of data one time—not multiple times, in multiple programs. You need only make sure that one entry is accurate, and after that, you can wash your hands of it: you've done your job. Our HUD-1 software will use that data in all calculations, forms, and statements that call upon it—including the monstrously complex, comprehensive HUD settlement statement (also known as a HUD closing statement, or HUD-1 ).

We at Easy Soft feel like making your practice more accurate isn't too much to ask of technology. Just call us, get a real person on the line, and find out how genuinely excited we are to help!

How Real Estate Closing Software Can Increase Your Fees

Don't misunderstand. We're not suggesting that you raise your fees after purchasing our-or anyone's-real estate closing software . What we are claiming is that Easy Soft's Easy HUD software has enough power and intelligence to increase your efficiency by a percentage substantial enough to allow you to handle all of your existing deals quicker and more accurately…and allow you to take on more—and increase your overall bottom line.

No matter which party you represent in any given real estate deal, you're likely taking a flat or fixed fee for your services. So what you're shooting for-every time-is to come out ahead. At the very least, you can't come out behind-sinking hours and hours into a HUD 1 closing that turned out to be pretty standard.

Either way, you simply can't afford to waste one minute figuring out whether you've done the closing calculations correctly-especially given the new RESPA rules . You need real estate closing software geared to generate all calculations, statements, HUD forms , and other documents pertinent to this closing, including the complex HUD settlement statement .

Easy Soft's Easy HUD does two things. It increases the ease of your transaction-by capturing case data at the outset, and integrating it into all of the ensuing forms, including your HUD forms . It performs automatic calculations, and generates whatever real estate documents, forms, correspondence, etc. you need for your client's purchase or sale.
If you're the settlement agent, Easy HUD also ensures the accuracy of your HUD settlement statement (also known as a HUD closing statement , or HUD-1 ). Unlike before, these HUD 1 closings demand razor-sharp accuracy-with little tolerance for error. Our HUD software helps you comply with RESPA rules-so that you're not caught on the short end of a good faith estimate.

We at Easy Soft feel like making you richer-while making your life easier-isn't too much to ask of technology. And we're thrilled to help!

How Software Makes Legal Accounting Seamless

If you're depositing retainers and other fiduciary funds into an escrow account, our last post provided some helpful rules of thumb for flawless trust fund accounting - in accordance with your state requirements.
While you weigh the advantages of an integrated Attorney billing and trust accounting software , consider this. As a bookkeeping concept, trust accounting is fundamentally different from other types of accounting. It's way more detailed. It must be capable of:
• Supporting monthly bank reconciliations.

• Producing three-way - not just two-way - reconciliation statements.

• Furnishing details about general ledger balances, i.e. whether funds have cleared the bank.

• Preventing common trust accounting mistakes, such as ledger card overdrafts, co-mingling with other ledger cards, duplicate check numbers, etc.

• Printing checks, deposit slips etc.
Easy Time Bill closes the loop. Our legal billing software provides the following information at a glance:
• Unbilled Balances: The legal billing software totals recorded but unbilled time and expenses.

• Unpaid Balances: The billing software totals billed but unpaid time and expenses.

• Operating Retainer Balance: The billing software displays each client's current retainer balance—as it sits in your firm's operating account.

• Trust Retainer Balance: The billing software displays each client's current retainer balance—as it sits in your firm's trust account, or escrow account.
Viewing these four balances for each matter at a glance increases your accuracy—and puts you in control of your responsibilities, your accounts, and your cash flow. Specifically:
• If the Unbilled Balance exceeds your comfort zone, you can invoice immediately—rather than waiting
until a scheduled billing date.

• If the Unpaid Balances are rising, you can start sending payment reminder letters—along with overdue invoices.

• If your invoices are unpaid, Retainer Balances are available, and your client engagement letter allows
you to do so, you can apply the balances to your unpaid invoices immediately.
When you have both software systems, your accounting suddenly works like magic.
Easy, right? That's why it's called Easy Soft.

How to Handle the Uniqueness of Legal Time Management (Part 3 of 3)

In the last post, we talked about how efficient billing is more important in the legal business than any other industry . This is true because of the frequency of billing and collections disputes , and because of ethics practices (the legal bar can put a spotlight on your billing practices).

So what are your options for time management systems ?

Option A . You can bill manually , i.e. with calculator or pencil. But it isn't just that this is slow and laborious. If you find a mistake, fixing the mistake becomes no less than a nightmare. You need a more specialized law office billing system.

Option B . You can use a spreadsheet or a generic accounting program . Because they are generic, they do not take into account legal-specific challenges. Using these systems is like improvising as a chef in front of a campfire, or using a baseball bat as a golf club: not impossible, but exhausting. Perceived advantages include “free” software that you already own, without a learning curve. But the disadvantages are too many to list—and all include failed efficiencies. Again, specific legal time tracking software is not only helpful: once you learn its ease of use, you'll wonder how you did without.

Option C . You can purchase legal time & billing software. To learn more visit our website.
About Easy Soft: Easy Soft has been a legal software leader since 1986. The company offers specialized solutions for real estate, family law, time, billing & trust account management and document automation. More than 15,000 customers nationwide use Easy Soft products to increase office productivity. Visit us on the web at: http://www.easysoft-usa.com

What Makes Legal Time Management Different From the Rest (Part 2 of 3)

Yesterday, our post discussed how effective billing systems are more important for lawyers than for almost every other industry.

Today, we'll discuss the reasons for this that are specific to the law .

REASON #3: Disputes . Legal fees come under scrutiny more than with any other industry. You can find your fees being examined for any variety of reasons, between:

•  Parties to an action, especially when one party bears partial or all legal costs
•  You and your client
•  You and the ethics department of your state bar.

Ask any lawyer who's been through it: under the bright floodlights, the pen-and-paper or crowded-spreadsheet model simply doesn't work to substantiate your fees. But the specificity of Easy Soft's Easy Time & Billing Software will .

REASON #4: Collections . It's been documented: legal fees are harder to collect than fees for most other industries. With fees commonly climbing into the six- and seven-figure ranges, it's not uncommon for clients to be either unable or unwilling to pay.

The most effective attorney billing software incorporates simple invoice and payment reminders. Not only is this seamless—it adds clarity, easy of understanding, and professionalism.
Send out clear, easy-to-understand , timely bills , and your firm is more likely to receive timely payments. Send out reminders, and accounts in arrears are more likely to get paid.
Easy Soft's Easy Time Bill Software does all of this and more.

In our next post, we'll talk about the options for various Legal billing software systems.

What Makes Legal Time Management Unique (Part 1 of 3)

If you're a lawyer who bills, time is your inventory. This isn't unique to the law, of course. But more than with any other industry , efficient legal billing systems are paramount. Why is this?

The more generic reasons for this are listed below.

REASON #1: It's Just Good Business . Efficient billing tightens processes and introduces natural efficiencies into your business model. More than with any other industry, your legal time and billing software must be able to handle a variety of billing and fee arrangements.

For example, it should know the difference between straight and retainer hourly billing. It should also be capable of recording time by matter — not simply by client. In law, ‘matter' informs everything: from billable rates (with premiums or discounts built into certain matters) to billing frequency, to staffing and type of case. It should have an easy repository for tracking and allocating expenses such as court fees, witness fees, couriers, and travel—as soon as they are incurred.

Carefully developed with a team of seasoned lawyers and other legal experts, Easy Soft's Easy Time Bill Software does both these things and much more.

REASON #2: Time Is Money . This isn't just true for you - but true for your client, too. Less time spent billing—and fixing complicated billing errors—isn't just time in your pocket, its money in the pocket for your client . In one fell stroke, you can use effective legal billing software —such as Easy Time Bill —to dispel an important fiduciary duty—and spend less time on administrative matters.

U.S. Divorce Lawyers: How Divorce Financial Software Makes Life Easier For Your Client (Part 2)

Even if math doesn't intimidate you, even if your law firm partner is a tax lawyer willing to lend his or her expertise, even if you are capable of conducting complex calculations with a calculator (or a pencil!), even if your opposing counsel is the one doing the math: it is essential for your client that you obtain our divorce settlement and planning software. Why?

The first reason is easy. Some clients simply don't want to pay for a CPA or a tax attorney . Either they can't afford the additional fees (paying your fees is already a stretch), or they'd rather pocket the cost—or expand their budget toward battling smarter and harder.

Divorce Financial Software allows you to handle the entire engagement—without need for a tax expert in normal cases. So it's a clever marketing vehicle for your practice—especially when competing for work against other divorce lawyers.

For clients that are willing to pay for a CPA or tax attorney , our divorce settlement and planning software is still a good idea. It allows you as divorce counsel to have an independent opinion of any proposed settlement.

Around the nation, even CPAs dealing with divorces rely on Divorce Financials Software to analyze financial data and tax ramifications in divorce cases. If CPAs have this software, why shouldn't you?
Click here to learn more and take a tutorial about how easy this software is to use and benefit from.

U.S. Divorce Lawyers: Do You Feel Like You Play An Accountant on TV? (Part 1)

If you're a divorce lawyer practicing family law anywhere in the U.S., you probably feel like you need a degree in accounting or tax law.

Figuring out the best financial options for a client going through a divorce involves a decent knowledge of U.S. Tax Code, the know-how to perform present and future value calculations and model various allocation scenarios, and a crystal ball that can predict future tax rates. If that's not downright over the top, it is often over the heads of you and your smartest associates and paralegals.

Divorce Financial Software makes the job easy. At a basic level, this divorce settlement and planning software does exactly that: it simplifies financial modeling for divorces to facilitate and support your professional advice and counsel.

For one thing, you can see clearly and precisely what the real-world impact of a given settlement will be. The software is smart enough to show you five settlement scenarios simultaneously , and it's sophisticated enough to only show deductions permitted in a given party's selected state. Not only will it present favorable alimony v. child support combination for the paying spouse (a huge boon if he or she is your client), it will also show you how the receiving party will fare.

But that's just the beginning of the power of our divorce planning software. Recent case law has ruled that ‘ability to pay' and ‘lifestyle needs of the alimony claimant' are the two primary factors in calculating alimony payments. If you know the alimony claimant's budget (and many states do not specify a formula for computing alimony), the software is capable of going backwards—and conducting a reverse calculation. The resulting report sets forth 5 alimony scenarios and their affect on taxes, child support payments, and other variables.
Divorce Financial Software also compares a stream of payments with the alternative: a lump sum settlement. With party's' current and future tax brackets and the money discount factor, you are able to present side-by-side options for a periodic alimony v. a lump sum amount. Ditto for future pension streams!
This post has been about how necessary Divorce Financial Software is for the divorce lawyer. Our next post will address the advantages your client enjoys when you possess this divorce software.
Click here to learn more and take a tutorial about how easy this software is to use and benefit from.

New Software for Pennsylvania Family Law Attorneys

With the Christmas holiday just around the corner, shoppers are on the hunt for special gifts. While legal software probably isn't on your family's shopping list, E z Support-PA is a powerful family law software certain to delight Pennsylvania family law attorneys .

If enhancing client services, improving productivity and boosting profitability are on your firm's wish list, look no further. Developed specifically for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , E z Support-PA manages all the important aspects of a family law practice .

Here is just a sample of what you'll find in the sleek blue and white package with PA emblazoned in fluorescent green.

• An easy to use, uncluttered user interface
• Automatic child support and spousal support computations
• Instantly find the best possible support scenario for your clients
• Produce required Pennsylvania documents such as, income statements , expense statements , inventory , health insurance certification , etc.
• Add an unlimited number of your own Pennsylvania family law forms , correspondence or litigation documents. All forms populate from case data already entered; produce consistent and error free documents in click of a button.
• All forms are fully customizable. Save forms in Word or PDF and email, all within the program.
• Track time spent with a built-in timer and produce log statements for billing purposes.

E z Support-PA offers more features and more solutions
Find out why E z Support-PA is sure to be on the shopping lists of busy Pennsylvania family law attorneys . Visit http://www.easysoft-usa.com/family-law-pa.html and download a free trial.

Pennsylvania Divorce Lawyers: Get Yourself A PA Child Support Calculator

Make a $50 mistake in a bankruptcy case: that's a one-time mistake. In a divorce settlement, the same mistake may cost your client—and his or her children—up to $50 per week, for years . That's a cost you have to live with.

The solution is to be dead accurate every time. Right?

If you're a divorce attorney practicing family law in Pennsylvania, you know that's easier said than done. Pennsylvania divorce calculations are complicated. Even if you're a bona fide math whiz (given that you went to law school, we're guessing you're not), computations for base figures—such as net disposable income or assets & liabilities distribution—can make your head spin.
But properly planned divorce settlements result in higher disposable incomes for both parties—and lower tax liabilities. Helping clients find a divorce settlement that minimizes their tax obligations is not only a matter of professional responsibility: it's an economic reality.

On December 6, 2010, Easy Soft launched a software package to make things easy. EzSupport-PA , a Pennsylvania Family Law Software is designed for divorce lawyers—not CPAs or tax attorneys. Coupled with the Divorce Financials program, PA lawyers get every tool they need for their family law practice. The software:

•  Captures all case information from the outset—and uses it to populate forms, statements, pleadings, and the like.
•  Adjusts support calculation for shared parenting, multiple families, excess mortgages, and the like.
•  Allows you to prepare multiple support scenarios, compare and pick the best option.

Once you've entered the information, our Pennsylvania divorce law software does the heavy lifting. The resulting worksheet details a variety of scenarios. For each scenario, it provides a statutorily precise bottom line: one number for spousal support, and another number for child support.

Easy—just like our name.

What's more, the new Pennsylvania Family Law Software isn't just a powerful divorce calculator: it provides you an opportunity to automate Pennsylvania family law forms, too. These include:

•  Pleadings: Complaints. Answers. Claims. Counterclaims. Motions. Notices. Summons.
•  Supporting Documentation: Income Statements. Expense Statements.
•  Correspondence: Letters. Responses.

You can virtually add any type of form and use case data to auto populate your forms.
Easy Soft has been around for 25 years. We're stable, and we're competent. We began working with family law and divorce attorneys 20 years ago. We know the challenges of your practice .

Our divorce law software is thorough—and it works. Our portfolio consists of the Divorce Financials product—applicable to all 50-states—and state-specific divorce and support solutions forPennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and soon Arizona. Add practice management software such as legal billing software , attorney trust account software , and the like, and we are a one-stop shop.

Family Law Practice Automation Webinar - Free Webinar for Pennsylvania Law Firms

Pennsylvania family law attorneys must be adept at many intricate support and settlement related financial calculations to help clients reach optimum divorce settlements. State guidelines are intricate and are comprised of numerous calculations and adjustments (e.g. multiple family, excess mortgage, shared custody, custodial parent paid alimony, etc.).

Additionally, family law practice requires production of many standard forms (such as income/expense statements) and correspondence documents (letters, complaints, responses, counterclaims, etc).
Regardless of whether you are a novice or an expert on the above topics, this 60-minute free webinar will provide a wealth of information that will assist you in arriving at better divorce settlements for your clients and more efficient office operations. The hands-on webinar will show you how you:

• How to efficiently collect and enter case data.
• How to prepare support worksheets systematically and accurately.
• How to prepare multiple worksheet scenarios and locate best option for your client.
• How to organize and produce all required family forms at one place and from one set of data.
• How to perform common divorce settlement related calculations such as:
• Compute net disposable income for both parties for variety of spousal/child support scenarios.
• Compute required alimony based on recipient's budget needs.
• Determine alimony-child support tradeoffs to locate a better tax optimized settlement option.
• Distribute assets and liabilities efficiently.
• Compute present value of the alimony and propose buyout options.
• Compute present value of a defined pension benefit and propose buyout options.
• Analyze lifestyle based on historic income/expenditure and determine a party's financial ability or need.

Turbo Charge Your Family Law Practice. Reserve a Seat Today, FREE.
Register for this interactive webinar and learn how you can automate various steps in your own Family Law Practice. You can enroll online . We'll email instructions to join the class. For Questions call 800-905-7638.

Top 10 Law Office Billing Pitfalls - How You Can Avoid Them

Law firm billing and accounting requirements are inherently different from other service businesses. Even among legal practices, billing requirements can vary greatly from one area of practice to another.
Because time spent on billing and accounting is administrative and not billable, a law firm's profitability depends on capturing all billable time and expenses, generating invoices in a timely manner and managing collection efforts proactively. Another highly important aspect that sets law firm billing apart from that of other businesses is that law firm billing and trust bookkeeping come under the purview of state ethics guidelines.
Law firms today cannot function without a legal billing software that fulfills the firm's practice-specific billing needs and helps them avoid common billing pitfalls. The top ten most prevalent mistakes law firms make, when it comes to billing and accounting are:

Pitfall #10 Not Using Matter-Based Recordkeeping

Many service businesses perform multiple types of jobs for a customer and generate one invoice that covers everything. The same billing process does not work for law firms.
Matter based recordkeeping is unique to law firms. All transaction details must be kept at a matter level rather than client level. Law firms are usually required to keep each task (called "matter") completely separate from other matters for the same client or other clients. For law firms, matter-based recordkeeping is critical because it allows them to produce proper records with ease for client billing inquires, billing disputes or state audits.

Pitfall #9 Not Accounting for Varied Types of Legal Matters

Accounting for retainers, time and expenses, etc. will vary depending upon the nature of the matter in question. Most law firms handle a variety of cases and use an assortment of client billing arrangements , such as hourly, retainer based hourly, fixed and contingency. A firm's billing system must be able to handle all types of billing arrangements and the intricacies of each case.

Pitfall #8 Missing Flexibility in Setting Billing Rates

Professionals (or “Timekeepers”) at law firms are likely to have “standard hourly rates” for different tasks. An attorney billing software must be able to set Timekeeper rates accordingly, support “discounted rates” or a previous year's rates for old matters, without much manual intervention.

Pitfall #7 Failure to Track and Allocate Disbursements

While law firms focus on capturing all billable hours, they often neglect to properly track and allocate expenses for billable matters. Expense tracking is just as important as time tracking. If you do not allocate expenses to a matter as expenses are incurred, you might never collect them. Matter expenses you forget to allocate are lost profits.
Expenses are typically paid in variety of ways (checks, credit cards and cash), adding another layer of difficulty. A trust account disbursement, however, is not an issue because the expense will come out of client funds.

Pitfall #6 Not Preparing Customized Professional Quality Bills & Reminders

The billing process is a direct reflection of your firm and is a vital part of your client communication. While law firms are conscious of providing top quality legal services, their high standards often fall short when it comes to client communications such as invoice and payment reminders. Not only is it important to generate invoices on a fixed billing cycle, but it also equally important to prepare professional quality invoices. Cluttered and hard to understand invoices are a recipe for late payments and client questions and are aspects of legal billing that become even more important when payments are in arrears.

Pitfall # 5 Not Utilizing Built-in Software Collection Support

Many law firms let unpaid bills pile up and end up with a collection problem. Take a proactive approach to debt collection rather than grappling with the issue after the fact. An efficient law office billing software will provide built-in collection support. Don't wait for a billing cycle, if a matter's unbilled balance has reached a low threshold point. Remember, bill collection is an on-going and vital practice management process.

Pitfall # 4 Not Checking for Client Conflict of Interest

For most law firms, conflict checking is a must. Your firm's roster of clients is already available in your billing system. Instead of duplicating work, make every attempt to use the same system as a conflict checker. While developing a bulletproof conflict of interest system is challenging, development in today's computer software makes it easy to build an integrated database that quickly identifies conflicts of interest.

Pitfall #3 Not Handling Client Advances Properly

Pitfall # 3 involves a host of potential problem areas. A law firm's cash flow and profitability depend upon client advances (or “retainers”). However, from an accounting/bookkeeping perspective, client advances (retainers) need special treatment and must be handled carefully. The varied nature of client advances, an initial deposit to a trust and/or operating account, and reducing balances, as fees are earned, can significantly complicate your back office operation, if your billing system is not capable of processing retainer transactions systematically.
And, apart from itemizing legal fees and expenses, a legal time & billing software must always display “remaining retainer balances” on your client invoices.

Pitfall # 2 Loosing Track of Trust Funds

Every law firm endeavors to keep trust books clean and accurate, but most either fail or spend significant time and resources trying to do so. Ninety percent of the trust fund tracking battle is won, if your system provides integrated billing and trust bookkeeping . The trust bookkeeping portion of the system must prevent common trust errors (e.g. ledger card overdraft), provide a bank reconciliation tool and three-way reconciliation reports.

Pitfall # 1 Choosing Complex Software and Failure to Protect Data Integrity and Security

The most common and the most dangerous of all legal billing pitfalls include trying to cope with complex software, failure to protect data integrity and implement secure measures. Technological tools are more hindrance than help, if the tools are too complex to use. Software that isn't user friendly and requires external consultants or trainers consumes valuable time and eats profits.
Data integrity and security are a matter of taking precautions to protect data from unauthorized access and use. You can minimize threats and easily avoid Pitfall #1, if your billing system has built-in features for controlling access to data, has checks in place for error detection and a regular data back-up function.

Reap the Benefits of Legal Billing Software Development

Computers and software have changed how companies everywhere do business. Technology today allows law firms and other businesses to compete with their larger counterparts on many levels.
Choose software with care and reap the benefits of technological developments in legal billing systems. Before you purchase legal billing software, analyze program features to ensure that the software's design can help you avoid the ten common legal billing pitfalls. The right software will not only enhance your firm's in-house capabilities and productivity, but will also help you comply with state ethics guidelines and increase profitability.

New York State Bar Family Law Seminar Follow-Up

Easy Soft had a chance to exhibit our EzSupport- NY software on Friday October 22nd, at the New York State Bar seminar in Long Island.

The seminar filled every seat in the house, where family law attorneys gathered to analyze and discuss the changes in New York Domestic Relations law.

Effective October 12, 2010, New York residents can file for no-fault divorce. The new legislation resulted in many new forms attorneys now have to prepare for no-fault divorces, such as the new Temporary Spousal Maintenance and other updated divorce forms.

To address the changes in the law and help New York family law firms automate preparation of required paperwork, Easy Soft has updated EzSupport-NY . We learned from talking with attorneys at the seminar that EzSupport-NY is a welcome solution for dealing with the new paperwork and simplifying their divorce practices.

Rick, Vice President, at Easy Soft LLC , had a chance to share his thoughts with visitors at Easy Soft's exhibitor table. Rick explained, “One common failing is that many firms select a product without adequately analyzing the requirements for their family practice.” He outlined examples where law firms automate part of their work with one software program, part with another and handle other aspects manually, and end up complicating their practice management instead of helping it.

We are pleased to report that the many attorneys and paralegal's who have seen an EzSupport-NY demonstration or have used the program were impressed with the robust, easy to use interface and are anxiously awaiting the program's upcoming release of the New York Net Worth Statement and other divorce forms.

Guide to Purchasing Legal Time and Billing Software (Part 3 of 3)

In our last post, we mentioned that each of Easy Soft's software packages are all-inclusive—in direct contrast to your standard legal software package. For one yearly cost (typically less than one hour of billable time), you get:

•  Software Procurement.
•  Complete Training for your attorneys and staff.
•  Ongoing Educational Support geared towards your practice.
•  Technical Support —crucial in the event of outages, breakdowns, data loss, etc.
•  Personalized Service . During business hours, a human being always picks up the phone.
•  One Nominal Yearly Fee , so that you can plan your annual budget accordingly.
•  No Hidden Fee s.

Today, we wanted to mention a few extras that add to the value behind Easy Soft's legal software packages.

One . Although Easy Soft specializes in making life easy for lawyers, our Technical Support Team and Business Analysts can introduce you to further administrative efficiencies you haven't thought of—and won't immediately discover. Our Business Analysts live and breathe not just technology—but the art and science of increasing the efficiencies behind your specific practice and small business.

For example, for optimum utilization of Easy Time Bill (ETB) Software , straight hourly billing differs from retainer or fixed fee billing, and both differ greatly from contingency billing. ETB contains special features to be used in tandem with our Easy Trust Software . We set you up right the first time, so there are no errors—only ease, efficiency, and incredible convenience.

Two . We absolutely practice what we preach. Our company aims to create efficiencies for our customers—not just for the first three months after you give us your business, but for the entire life cycle of your software. Take our training webinars .

At the outset, we live-host weekly software training webinars for all products of Easy Soft . During each live hosting, there might be a few dozen participants. Typically, a recorded copy of the webinar is also available online—at your convenience, and the convenience of each of your attorneys and staff members. What could be easier than that?

Three . We don't believe in off-shore outsourcing. All of our programmers and technical support personals are located in the same Easy Soft headquarters—right here in New Jersey . If a question arises that our skilled and able Tech Support Team doesn't have answers for, they can turn immediately to our Business Analysts for more complete information. In other words, your call goes right to the source. One way or the other, we are likely to have a speedy answer for you—with full comprehension of your issue, and without messy language barriers.

Guide to Purchasing Legal Time and Billing Software (Part 2 of 3)

In our last post, we talked about the services triggered by new legal time and billing software : software training , software setup , and practice customization . Today, we'll discuss how an all-inclusive package is mandatory for even the most technologically savvy of attorneys and law firms.

Most legal time and billing software companies offer you email only or limited # of phone calls type technical support. When this runs out, you procure your own—or use their—additional training and setup through a subcontractor typically charging $125/hour and up.

You might say this sounds adequate. But even if you yourself are technically savvy, consider:

•  Your fellow attorneys, paralegals, assistants, and any new hires—an unknown factor—might need additional handholding.
•  You'll need to explore your new software extensively—through time-consuming trial and error—to figure out its particular efficiencies and special features. But why reinvent the wheel ?
•  You'll never be in complete control of your PC. Machines go down, and when they do, you'll need expensive contractors to recover systems and data—unless you have an all-inclusive software package.
In contrast to the standard legal time and billing software package, all of Easy Soft's software packages are all-inclusive. For one low yearly cost, Easy Soft provides all of the technical support, educational support, and setup advice that you need for every piece of legal software you purchase from us.
We believe we are the only major legal software company in the U.S. whose prices include:
•  Software License.
•  Complete Unlimited Training for your attorneys and staff
•  Unlimited US Based Phone/Email Technical Support —crucial in the event of outages, breakdowns, data loss, etc.
•  Personalized Service . During business hours, a human being always answers the phone.
•  One Nominal Yearly Fee , so that you can plan your annual budget accordingly.
•  No Add-On Fees —ever for these services.

In total, your software costs for the year will probably add up to less than one (1) billable hour for a single attorney in your firm.

So you get a) the incredible price, and b) worry-free technology geared specifically toward making your legal practice the most easy and effective it can be. Click here to view our complete software catalog.

Guide to Purchasing Legal Time and Billing Software (Part 1 of 3)

Legal software purchasers beware! The sticker price of a software package may look like a bargain. But if you base your choice of law office billing software on price alone, your final costs may add up to an unpleasant surprise.

Regardless of the ease and purpose of the legal software you're choosing, or your own skill with technology, it's important to grasp the price of ad hoc services, charges and other add-ons that make what sounded like a bargain a very bad deal indeed.

First, consider that all law office software requires the following:

•  Software Training . Training teaches you, your fellow lawyers, and your staff a) the major features, b) how to adapt technology for your particular need c) the bells and whistles of your new legal software.
Say its legal time and billing software . Everyone that will use this software to enter their time tracking, setup matters, billing, payments, special rates and discounts, and the like (we'll refer to them collectively as “administrators”) must be newly trained. Cumulative and repetitive training can be both time-consuming and expensive.

•  Software Setup . You'll need to set up your new legal billing software on all employee workstations. Again, cumulative setups—for new workstations, new attorneys, etc.—can get time-consuming and expensive.

•  Practice Customization . Customizing your new software to the needs of your specific law office, practice, and state bar requirements is essential. We will cover attorney billing software customization specifically in another post this month.

In our next post, we'll talk about the hidden costs of the above services.

Affordable New York State Divorce Calculator—With Document Automation

There have been few comprehensive divorce law software packages in New York State that both act as a  child support and spousal maintenance worksheet , and an automatic generator of forms - including the crucial New York statement of net worth . Until now.

On January 4, 2011, Easy Soft launched updated new features for EzSupport-NY Software - based on recent no-fault legislation affecting changes to state forms.
What does Ez-Support NY Software do?

1. Generates a NY Net Worth Statement - Automatically. EzSupport-NY software encompasses the Statement of Net Worth , the crucial document used to present the divorcing couple's entire financial picture. Our next blog post will contain more information about this mandatory statement - but suffice to say for now that once the information is collected, our software processes the data, generating automatic totals for itemized income and expenses, and itemized assets and liabilities. It's powerful software that does the math for you - so you can ensure accuracy and maximize the flexibility of options for your client.

2. Provides a Divorce Calculator . EzSupport-NY generates the child support and spousal maintenance worksheets . Our intelligent family law software performs these crucial calculations, automatically. You can prepare multiple support scenarios - to locate the best option for your client. It performs these functions accurately and systematically - so you can focus less on the financials, and more on advocating and negotiating on behalf of your client.

3. Generates Customized Forms . In all family law cases, certain basic information (names of parties, years of marriage, names and ages of children) remains the same throughout. This makes it a no-brainer to generate the documents required for any family law case - even the ones which are settled out of court—through the same suite of software that produces your maintenance worksheets and your financial calculations.
Easy Soft has seized on this simple principle to bring it all together for our customers.

Invest in our EzSupport-NY software today, and you'll get an all-in-one kit that generates a statement of net worth and performs important (and often complex) divorce calculations . In a few weeks, your divorce lawyer software will also begin to generate forms that were recently updated by the state. These range from complaints to summons, affidavits to divorce judgments. They also include customized correspondence between opposing counsel. (Look for more on this feature in a future post!)

It's important to note:

•  Comparative software may not provide all of these features in the same comprehensive software suite.
•  Comparative software may not provide free setup, unlimited training, practice customization, unlimited educational support, unlimited tech support, and easy-to-access, personalized service.
•  Comparative software may not update their software as often and as regularly as Easy Soft.

Do High Net Worth Clients Benefit from Easy Soft’s New York Family Law Software?

Easy Soft is pleased to announce the rollout of New York family law software : EzSupport-NY .
In the previous post, we touched on the comprehensiveness of this divorce law software . In another post, we discussed its intelligence in generating an accurate NY Statement of Net Worth.

As with all of our software, our new EzSupport NY divorce law software captures all of the case information at the outset. That means that you only have to enter new information once—and all subsequent court forms, statements, and correspondence will record the names and roles (plaintiff versus defendant) of parties, children's names and ages, assets, liabilities, and so forth. As with all of our family law software , calculations and forms are all inclusive—along with technical support and educational training. As with all of our legal software, a built-in timer allows family lawyers to record their time spent on a given matter. But for high net worth clients—there's an additional benefit. For those with multiple bank accounts, cars, homes, etc., there's no need to attach messy additional pages to the Statement. There's no need to break out the calculator, or Excel—and perform hand calculations of a client's net worth.

Not only does our NY family law software automate the necessary calculations in the Statement of Net Worth —ensuring razor-sharp accuracy—it also expands the statement indefinitely to include an unlimited number of expenses, assets, income and liabilities.

To wit, you can add each of the following—in infinite quantity:

•  Businesses. The software will itemize everything from capitalization to income.
•  Vacation homes.
•  Checking and savings accounts.
•  Expense itemizations.
•  Stepchildren
•  Etc.

These easy expansions cover the wealthiest clients—or those with the most extensive obligations. They do so in an organized manner—with fields for itemized subtotals, bank names, and other helpful information. Throw your stapler away: our software will record it all for you.
Visit our website for more about the incredible features of EzSupport-NY Software.

Easy Trust legal accounting software - a world class and user friendly software

Easy trust law firm accounting software is rated as top software by users owing to its meticulous and efficient application potential. Easy Trust legal accounting software is popular with law firms , escrow, insurance and real estate agents and accounting professionals to manage client funds. Easy Trust law firm accounting software automates the entire escrow accounting process and helps maintain strict compliance. Law firms can add the Easy TimeBill module to integrate legal time tracking, billing and trust bookkeeping, all in one program.

Potential benefits of Easy Trust legal accounting software

Easy Trust legal accounting software offers plenty of benefits for its users. With Easy trust law firm accounting software , user can:

•  Manage multiple bank accounts
•  Track movement of funds from trust accounts
•  Create individual client ledgers using Intuitive user interface
•  Perform error free data management
•  Divide single trust deposit among multiple matters on a single screen using credit allocation facility
•  Debit multiple matters and issue a single check using debit allocation facility
•  Print checks and deposit slips.
•  Perform monthly bank reconciliations
•  Generate monthly three-way reconciliation report automatically
•  Save all reports in PDF/Word/Excel formats.
•  Utilize User ID/Password based login system
•  Enjoy per user login account permissions to limit access for certain essential activities
•  Use Special "Trust Lite" user account with "view only" permission
•  Inactivate closed matters/client/bank accounts to prevent future inadvertent use
•  Use One-click database backup and restore options.
•  Use Built in sample database for initial practice/learning
•  Utilize Optional Easy TimeBill Module and integrate complete time tracking and billing functions

Considering the above benefits offered by Easy Trust legal accounting software , it is quite obvious that it is top notch software. Delay not! Buy your version today and enjoy these excellent benefits and efficiently save your time and energy.

EzSupport-NY - A Versatile New York Family Law Software Catering To Every Unique Requirement

New York Family Law Proceeding


Domestic lawsuit is an inseparable component of American life. Nearly every person has been directly or indirectly concerned in divorce, custody, or domestic violence dealings. Taking this factor into account one can easily deduce the umpteen numbers of cases that piles up every day. Now the scenario is same in New York too. Thus you can imagine the work load of New York family law professionals. Good news for New York family law professionals that Easy Soft has updated its Comprehensive Family Law Software Suite for the exacting requirements of New York .

What difference does EzSupport-NY make to NY family law professionals?

With EzSupport-NY, family law software, New York family law professionals can significantly augment productivity and services for clients. This software is explicitly developed for New York family law professionals.

Efficient Functionalities of EzSupport-NY family law software

EzSupport-NY effectively manages all the essential facets of a family law practice. With EzSupport-NY , New York family law professionals can:

•  Generate New York Statement of Net Worth and Support Worksheets.
•  Perform data entry and understand calculations, with an easy to use, uncluttered user interface
•  Enter an unlimited number of Assets, Debts and Expenses (budget items), using the Automated New York Statement of Net Worth . It is essential to note that all calculations are automated.
•  Utilize the automatic calculations offered by the Integrated Temporary Maintenance Worksheet and Child Support Worksheet (UD-8).
•  Experiment and compare multiple support scenarios within the same client file.
•  Instantly locate the best possible scenario for client.
•  Avail fully customizable forms.
•  Save forms in Word or PDF and email, all within the program.
•  Track time spent with a built-in timer.
•  Produce log statements for billing purposes.
•  Soon, will have an ability to add unlimited number of New York family law forms such as, correspondence or litigation documents.
•  Produce consistent and error free documents in a click of a button.

Wow…Really exciting family law software, isn't it. What's more, all of these services are available at reasonable pricing and there is also a 30 days unconditional refund policy. Thus it is clearly evident that EzSupport-NY is a prized possession for any New York family law professional.

FamilyDocs – Your One Stop Solution for All New Jersey Family Law Forms & Documents

New Jersey Family law forms - an overview 

The State of New Jersey features a variety of forms and documents for different family law and related issues. The forms may be related to various reasons such as:

•	Alimony, Support or Maintenance	•	Child Custody
•	Child Support	•	Essential Facts About Divorce
•	Grounds for Divorce	•	International Divorce
•	International Marriage	•	Marriage Basics
•	Name Change	•	Nullification of Marriage
•	Premarital or Prenuptial Agreements	•	Property Distribution
•	Residency Requirements	•	Others

FamilyDocs– An introduction 

FamilyDocs Produces Family Law Case Documents and comprise the entire library of New Jersey Family Law Forms, from Skoloff and Cutler, Published by New Jersey ICLE. FamilyDocs offers comprehensive solution for family law document automation, assembly and case management for law firms.

Unique Features of FamilyDocs Software

•  More than 120 forms already included under separate category
•  Customizable formats (by means of edit feature)
•  Ability to create new templates with existing docs
•  Preview facility for assembled documents
•  Enables organizing and locating specific case files
•  Progress tracking for case with the associated Task List
•  History window with list of all the documents prepared for a specific case
•  Recreate facility for previously created document
•  User friendly options for Setting “Preferences"
•  Keep track and edit open cases at one place in Case Log
•  Provides network environment for cases from a central file server
•  All product purchases come with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee.

What are the specialties of FamilyDocs Software?

Easy Soft has been the trusted choice in law office automation solutions for more than two decades. FamilyDocs Software offers the following specialties:
•  Increased office productivity
•  Ability to track open tasks
•  Features to manage open cases
•  Support for multiple users
•  Ability to add an unlimited number of new forms
•  Easy editing
•  Back up by award winning document automation and case management technology
•  Uncomplicated usage
•  Top notch customer support through live phone support, weekly webinars, web-based training videos

Basically the software helps to significantly trim down the time spent preparing repetitive family law forms. At the same time it also helps in dropping the error rate by eliminating the likelihood of word processing errors.
With the above features and specialties Easy Soft undoubtedly excels unanimously in the New Jersey family docs automation arena. What are you still waiting for? Download and try FamilyDocs today and automate your Family Law Practice with over 120 New Jersey Family Law Forms. Enjoy all these features and specialties at a nominal pricing of $249, which includes unlimited, live-by-phone technical support for one year.

How EzSupport-NY Assists With Child Support and Spousal Maintenance

As the economic climate has shown all too clearly as of late, incomes fluctuate through life. Lifestyles fluctuate, too—expanding and contracting according to circumstances, preferences, needs, wants—for oneself and for the family.

Your client's uncontested divorce might be final. But in one year, five years, or 12 years, one or the other party might ask for a support modification. What now?

EzSupport-NY gives your client the capacity to update his or her financial statements every year.
From year to year, he or she notates fluctuations in income, bank accounts and stock holdings. He or she can record losses, windfalls, deficits, bonuses, raises. Even when he or she is no longer your client, you add tremendous value to your services—and to his or her divorce—by advising him or her on how to track and record changes as the years go by.

Whether it's good news or bad: this creates an accurate record. By the time anyone files for modification of their New York spousal maintenance, the legwork is easy. It's right at your client's fingertips.

All of this comes with the following standard features for our EzSupport-NY software:

•  Generation of an accurate, customized, expandable New York Net Worth statement,
•  Provision of a helpful child support and spousal maintenance calculator,
•  Generation of customized forms,
•  Unlimited technical support, educational webinars, training and upgrades, and
•  Personalized customer service and support.

Go to our website for more incredible features of EzSupport-NY Software.

The Argument behind Switching Law Software

So you like Easy Soft's easy, all-inclusive software, but you're not sure if you are ready to invest in them.
Perhaps you don't want to change software. Change is associated with fear and the unknown. It's perceived as time-consuming, expensive, and wasteful.

But the costs of not changing your Legal Software can often be prohibitive.

It's a classic cost-benefit analysis. Simply weigh the ‘difficulty' of transferring software against the following questions.

•  Would the new software deliver better service to your clients?
•  Would the new software solve internal frustrations that are costing you time and money?
•  Would the new software increase your profit and/or bottom line?

If the answer to all three questions is no, then it makes sense to keep the software you have.
But if the answer to any one of the above three questions is yes, then it makes sense to change your software today.

Typically, law practice management software easily costs hundreds of dollars for procurement, and several hundred more for training and support.

For most of our software packages , our annual fees are under $300. All Easy Soft software includes training, technical support, ongoing educational support, frequent software updates and improvements, certain practice customizations, and personalized service.

With no limitations.

That is our level of commitment to our customers.
Visit our website for more about Easy Soft Software.

How Generate a New York Statement of Net Worth

EzSupport-NY captures the financial data pertinent to all no fault divorce cases in New York State . Our clear and easy-to-use forms collect information, prompting expansions for an unlimited number of customizations. Whether it's a second home or 10 th home, multiple children (and stepchildren), or unusual expenses, our software captures all of it, without limitation-and generates a New York Net Worth Statement.

But the intelligence of EzSupport-NY doesn't stop there. Our software then collates the data, generating totals for itemized income and expenses, and itemized assets and liabilities. What does this mean?
You never have to pick up a calculator, or create an Excel spreadsheet .

Not only is this a major convenience for our NY divorce lawyer clients, it reduces the chances of human error. It performs your calculations accurately and systematically - so you can focus less on the math, and more on what you're trained to do: advocate and negotiate the best deal for your client.
Though this powerful software, the financial questions that can be resolved -accurately and painlessly -are numerous, and include:

•  The value of multiple child support and spousal maintenance scenarios
•  Temporary maintenance and child support payments
•  Net Worth Statement
•  Many, many more

Nor does this family law software's impact finish when your case does. It is well known that Manual processes are inefficient, time-consuming and labor-intensive. Every day they rob you of precious hours. We will discuss this in more detail in the next post.

Go to Websit for more about the incredible features of EzSupport-NY Software.

EzSupport-PA – The Story Behind Our Newest Pennsylvania Family Law Software

Easy Soft 's family law software—including Divorce Financials , Case Information Statement and FamilyDocs —are gold standards for New Jersey divorce lawyers .

When we created Pennsylvania family law software, we wanted to not only replicate the value proposition we provided in New Jersey —but also to increase it. So we looked for two things.

We looked for states whose child and spousal support formulas were—like NJ's—complex.
We also looked for states in which the array of divorce law software presented only a partial solution—not the comprehensive solution that family lawyers (especially smaller firms) really need. One solution might provide for automated calculations—but not forms automation. Another solution might furnish forms—but no calculations. In the states with complex calculations, we knew there would be a need and an appreciation for the kind of software we envisioned for family lawyers.

The state we chose was Pennsylvania . As with New Jersey , the child and spousal support calculations in PA are mind-bogglingly complex—and require specialized training to grasp and complete.

We seized on new PA divorce law software as an opportunity to create even more value, and provide not just a Pennsylvania support calculator — but PA family law forms , too.

For each case, from form to form, what information remains the same? The answer is income. County of residence. Children's names and ages. Second home data, etc.

With our new PA divorce law software , all of this case data is captured at the outset. So it makes sense to use the captured data to generate a comprehensive suite of case-specific documents—documents whose format is case-specific, and court-approved.

In addition, Easy Soft's E z Support- PA includes technical support , training , educational support , and practice customizations that demonstrate we don't believe in add-on fees. Please look for our next blog posts for details as to why.

Our state family law software is founded on the premise that maximum value contributes to happy lawyers.

EzSupport-PA - The Inevitable Software for Pennsylvania Family Law Attorneys

What's EzSupport-PA?

EzSupport-PA is scrupulous and Comprehensive Family Law Software developed by Law and technology experts from Easy Soft. This software has been designed primarily to support the family law proceedings of Pennsylvania.

What are EzSupport-PA differentiators from the existing software's available in the market:

•  Customizability and adaptability : The forms and calculations are designed in a clear and customizable manner. There are no program imposed limits and user can customize data entry based on the case requirements.

•  Versatility : EzSupport-PA has brought all the required PA family law forms and procedures at one place. Users can customize any form as well as add their own forms. Thus EzSupport-PA is versatile software.

With EzSupport-PA , Pennsylvania family law attorneys are able to boost efficiency and services for their clients. EzSupport-PA is designed explicitly for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , and manages all the important aspects of a family law practice , including precise computation of PA child support and spousal support.

Essential Features of EzSupport-PA

Simplicity

It is easy to use, and its uncluttered user interface makes data entry enables even novices to operate with extreme ease. Additionally, all worksheet alerts and exceptions are listed at one central place for easier review.

Automated

All child and spousal support computations are automatic. User simply needs to enter the case data.

Authentic

Computations are done in accordance with PA Guidelines, 1910.16-1 through 1910.16-7. User can produce other required Pennsylvania domestic relations documents such as, income statements, expense statements, inventory and health insurance certification, etc.

Time-efficient

User can experiment and compare multiple support worksheet scenarios within the same client file and find the best possible scenario for the client instantly and save great deal of time. Users can track time spent with a built-in timer and produce log statements for billing purposes.

User friendly :

Users can add an unlimited number of their own Pennsylvania family law forms, correspondence or litigation documents. All forms populate from case data already entered; produce consistent and error free documents in click of a button.

Customizability

All forms are fully customizable. Save forms in Word or PDF and email, all within the program.

Why EzSupport - PA is the best choice for Your Law Firm?

•  Thousands of family law attorneys' nationwide use Easy Soft for child support/family law related products.
•  In New Jersey alone, Easy Soft has over 1500 family law firm clients.
•  Various state bar associations have recommended Easy Soft products.
•  Easy Soft makes, and sells and supports their products from New Jersey . There are no middlemen involved. Thus, there's no risk of a distributor/software maker relationship going sour.
•  Easy Soft has been running successfully for more than 24 years.
•  Easy Soft is likely to be found at virtually all major Pennsylvania State Bar Family Law section events.
•  All products come with top notch and live tech support during business hours.
•  Easy Soft offers 30-day unconditional refund policy.

Buy EzSupport-PA today and enjoy the benefits right away. EzSupport-PA is a versatile Family Law Software that not only adds time efficiency to law attorneys and clients but also delivers error free and excellent value addition in every aspect.

Webinar: NY Family Law Practice Automation

For divorce cases, New York family law firms need to juggle common divorce forms, net worth statements and support worksheets. The 2010 changes in Domestic Relations Law added another level of complexity with the introduction of temporary maintenance.

Performing these tasks manually or with hodge-podge of systems puts your firm and your client at a strategic disadvantage. Fortunately, using simple technology can help you streamline almost all aspects of your divorce practice.

NY Family Law Practice Automation - 60-Min Free Webinar

Attend Easy Soft's New York Family Law Practice Automation webinar. The hands-on webinar will show you how you can:

•  Enter client data only once on a streamlined form.

•  Generate common divorce forms such as summons, affidavits and support orders with data already entered.

•  Systematically produce child support and spousal maintenance worksheets.

•  Prepare and compare multiple support worksheet scenarios (e.g. different incomes or deductions).

•  Fully automate Statement of Net Worth. You can even add an unlimited number of income, expense, assets and debts items with fully automatic calculations.

•  Track time spent on case file for billing purposes.

Free webinars for you and your staff.

Register today. Seats are limited.



•  10.30 -11.30 a.m. Thursday, February 17, 2011

All webinar attendees will receive handouts and be presented with a special offer.

If you aren't able to attend either of these events, we invite you to download and try EzSupport-NY software program. Within minutes, you will learn how to boost productivity, lower your costs and give your clients a competitive advantage.

Stop! In the Name Of…Retainers? - Practicing Law Is Just Like Practicing Anything. Right?

Sure, you're smarter than the average Jamie…and your logic is, well, flawless. But in many ways, the law is just like other professions. You advise clients. You prepare forms and other documentation. Your brain is your biggest tool—followed by that smart paralegal you hired, and (let's not forget!) your legal software. You bill hourly, and collect a retainer against your billing.

Stop right there! The legal retainer is different from other professions. It's simple. The state says that until you've earned the money, it doesn't belong to you. To put it in legal terms, possession does not equate to ownership—at least not when it comes to retainers.

Therefore, unearned retainers—particularly ones that won't get used quickly—go into trust accounts , not operating accounts . Breaking this is considered a serious ethics violation—and you don't want to face the consequences.*

So How Do You Keep Track Of The Money?

Even if you have the greatest legal billing software in the world (and of course we think that's Easy Time Bill ): without a compatible trust component, you put yourself, your firm, and your career at tremendous—and unnecessary—risk.*

That's why it's not only helpful, it's imperative for you to have escrow software or trust accounting software, too. It's imperative for your law firm billing software to work hand in hand with that escrow (or trust accounting ) software.

To be clear: attorney billing software without trust account software is like having a calculator that only adds, and doesn't perform any other functions. To multiply or subtract, you have to use another calculator.
Trust accounting softwarewithout legal billing software is like having a factory that only makes the bottles. You have to go somewhere else for the caps—and they're not designed to fit.

That would be ridiculous, right?

In comes Easy Soft . Our Easy Time Bill and Easy Trust products are designed to work hand in hand. When the two pieces work in tandem, the system tracks what you've taken against what you've earned. You no longer need to tell the difference between the two: your compatible law office software system does that for you.



*State ethics departments have a tendency to audit law firms at random.

Lifestyle Analysis—The Newest Feature of Our Divorce Law Software

Recently, Easy Soft added a Lifestyle Analysis feature to our Divorce Financials Software .
In the absence of specific expense data on either side, you can estimate the party's monthly expenses based on information contained in bank and credit card statements.

That way, no one has any excuses or reasons for delay—and things can proceed toward settlement or judgment. Your client's life can resume.

Our Divorce Financials Software also enables you to calculate the following:

•  Tax Optimized Settlements . With very basic data, you can calculate the parties' net disposable income.
•  Alimony Analysis . This allows you to juxtapose five payment scenarios—and choose the one best suited to your client's needs.
•  Alimony Calculation . This allows you to compute required alimony based on a recipient's budget needs.
•  Alimony vs. Child Support . This allows you to view the tax implications for a set of comparable scenarios.
•  Pension Valuation . This allows you to compute the present value of a defined pension benefit plan.
•  Alimony Buyout . This enables you to compute the present value of a future alimony payment stream, so that you can clearly see the implication of a lump sum payment.
•  Asset/Liability Distribution . This allows you to automate different equitable distribution scenarios.
•  Data Interchange . This allows you to exchange data with the CIS program, and minimize double data entries.

To find the best settlement options for your clients & to learn more about our Divorce Financials Software, visit our web site.

Keep Accounting Nightmares Out of Your Life

In our recent post, we talked about all of the things lawyers have to do to keep their accounts squeaky clean:

•  Deposit (most) retainers into a trust account.
•  Bill their clients, then apply all or some of the retainer funds against the bill.
•  Mark the invoice as paid, then transfer the applicable money from trust account to operating account.
•  Update the retainer balance accordingly.
In real life, here is what that looks like:

To see how closely related law firm billing and trust accounting are; take a look at this simple example:

1. On January 1, you opened a new case with an initial retainer of $5,000. You deposited the $5,000 in your attorney trust account. Your trust books need to reflect a retainer balance of $5,000.

2. In January, you record $2,700 in time and expenses. You charge it to the matter.

3. On January 31, your books need to reflect the following: $2,700 for the unbilled balance, and $5,000 for the retainer balance.

4. On February 1, you generate an invoice. This converts unbilled time and expenses to billed. Your books now need to reflect $0 for the unbilled balance, moving the $2,700 into the unpaid balance column. The retainer balance is still $5,000.

5. The same day, you pay the invoice from the client's retainer balance. Your books now need to reflect the unbilled balance as $0, the unpaid balance as $0, and retainer balance as $2,300. You can make a deposit of $2,300 from your trust account to your operating account.

Skip one of these steps, and you are stuck playing detective.

Say you apply a retainer in trust to a specific invoice, but forget to write the check in your trust bookkeeping system. You'll have an invoice marked paid, but no funds drawn. You might not even notice your own mistake. Imagine the headache involved in tracing this mistake.

Now multiply that scenario by a few occurrences. For each mistake? At best, you've got an administrative nightmare on your hands. At worst, you're under billing—or in inadvertent violation of an ethical regulation.
Either way, the problem could be solved if you simply make sure that your trust account software works in tandem with your law firm billing software.

If that's the case, things get far simpler. A trust accounting software like Easy Trust works in tandem with a legal time and billing software like Easy TimeBill . All of the above steps are automated, and/or easy to track.

EASY SOFT LEGAL SOFTWARE - A Solution for Law Firms

Who is Easy Soft ? 

Easy Soft has been a legal software leader since 1986. The company offers specialized solutions for real estate, family law, time, billing & trust account management and document automation . Easy Soft, LLC is located at 212 North Center Drive in North Brunswick NJ 08902 . More than 15,000 customers nationwide use Easy Soft products to increase office productivity. The company designs, develops legal software products. Customers include thousands of small to mid-sized law firms, real estate professionals, title companies and escrow agencies across the country.

Easy Soft products include: 

•  Real Estate closing Software - Automated HUD Settlement Statement and Real Estate Documents Software.
•  Real Estate Documents - Automated & Customizable real estate closing documents.
•  Legal billing Software - Legal Billing Software for Time Tracking, Billing & Accounting.
•  Attorney Trust Accounting - Trust Accounting Software tightens controls and improves compliance.
•  Divorce Financials Software- Complete Divorce Settlement System for All 50 States.
•  Case Information Statement - New Jersey 's Most Popular Family Law program.
•  Family Docs – NJ - Interactive Software Produces Family Law Case Docs.
•  Family Law Software New York - New York Divorce Software
•  Family Law Software Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Family Law Software
•  Bankruptcy - The most complete system available for managing bankruptcy cases.

A 1099-S Filing Service is a value-added offering for law firms and real estate professionals who use Easy Soft's real estate closing software.

Easy Soft is known for its easy to use programs with advanced technological tools that help firms operate efficiently and expand their business development. All Easy Soft products and services come with a comprehensive range technical support. Live technical help is always available during business hours. The company also offers convenient web-based training options, such as instructional videos and webinars to teach customers how to use the software and discover all the useful program features.
An article library is available on the company's website for additional information on the company's software programs.

Ah, the Easy Life. That’s Your Billing and Trust - Software Working in Blissful Tandem

In the last post, we talked about the necessity of keeping your trust accounts spic and span, and putting retainers into trust accounts until earned.

Easier said than done, right? Especially if you're a small and busy law firm with a lean staff.
But it is easy if you have our Easy Time Bill and Easy Trust products, legal billing and trust account software designed to work hand in hand.

It's simple. You get a retainer. Unless it's one of the exceptions (see below), you put it in escrow.
You bill your time—easy with the built-in timer function in legal time and billing software such as Easy Time Bill (just click it on, then click it off). Every month, you invoice your client against the retainers—also easy, since Law firm billing software such as Easy Time Bill collates and itemizes all time for each matter, generating an accurate, easy-to-read invoice. On each invoice, you'll also need to supply the current balance in that client's retainer.

Then, you or your billing department can transfer the invoiced funds to your operating account.
If the retainer is in a trust account, this involves:

•  Issuing a check on the trust account for the invoiced amount, payable to your law firm.
•  Depositing the check into your firm's operating account.
•  Applying the deposit to the invoice.
•  Marking the invoice as “paid.”
•  Updating the client's retainer balance accordingly. If the retainer is in an operating account, this involves:
•  Applying the funds toward the current invoice.
•  Marking the invoices as paid.
•  Updating the client's retainer balance accordingly.

Let's take an actual example.

1. On January 1, you opened a new case with an initial retainer of $5,000. You deposited the $5,000 in your attorney trust account . Your trust books need to reflect a retainer balance of $5,000.

2. In January, you record $2,700 in time and expenses. You charge it to the matter.

3. On January 31, your books need to reflect the following: $2,700 for the unbilled balance, ad $5,000 for the retainer balance.

4. On February 1, you generate an invoice. This converts unbilled time and expenses to billed. Your books now need to reflect $0 for the unbilled balance, moving the $2,700 into the unpaid balance column. The retainer balance is still $5,000.

5. The same day, you pay the invoice from the client's retainer balance. Your books now need to reflect the unbilled balance as $0, the unpaid balance as $0, and retainer balance as $2,300. You can make a deposit of $2,300 from your trust account to your operating account.
That's a lot of steps, right? Trust us: having your law firm billing software work with your escrow software saves a lot of time and aggravation. Our next post will explain what happens when these steps are out of sync.

Aging Invoices and Lapsed Retainers, and How Legal Billing Software Can Help

Perhaps you agree with us that payments and collections are one of the best aspects of practicing law. We're only half joking. You're putting in hard work, and you deserve to get paid.
It's been proven: the more proactively reminder notices you send, the more likely you are to get paid. Good law firm billing software such as Easy Time Bill can automatically prepare batch reminder notices for all overdue invoices—and print them along with your choice of cover letter.

Retainers, too, need to be replenished. But when retainer balances fall below their defined minimums, busy law firms often forget to send out the replenishment demand letters—as they're given the right to in their engagement letters.

Let's face it: clients aren't going to simply fork over the money. So we recommend you make it a practice to generate demand letters for retainer replenishments.

When working in tandem with one another, effective legal billing and trust accounting software such as Easy Time Bill and Easy Trust will show you exactly when retainer balances are getting low, so you never have to wonder, and more importantly—you can systematize your reminders so that you get paid when you need to.
You're going to reap powerful benefits with accounting software that blends trust account bookkeeping with your time-tracking and billing system. You'll improve back office efficiency, spend less time on billing management, and have more time available for casework. You'll ensure trust account compliance with state regulations. Lastly, you'll improve your firm's financial picture—and by doing so, increase profits.

A Primer for Trust Accounting

It's not enough for your Attorney billing and trust accounting software to track retainer funds in trust accounts. You need trust bookkeeping safeguards, too. Let's go back to what we know about professional ethics. The only things that get deposited into a trust account are as follows:

Funds for real estate transactions (i.e. escrow funds)
Personal injury settlements
Other settlements / judgments
Collections
Unearned retainers 

It all comes down to fiduciary responsibility. So you don't co-mingle personal funds, earned fees, and operating expenses into your client's escrow account.

The other thing you've got to do is segregate client funds. To keep from co-mingling client A's funds with client B's money, you either keep the funds in separate accounts, or as separate entities—each with its own balance and transaction report - in the same pooled escrow account.

Finally, if you've overspent what a client has in retainer account, you've got to cover any overdraft amount back from your personal funds - immediately.

Every month, you've got to show that you've reconciled every escrow account - matching your books with your bank statements. The balance in your client's bank escrow account has got to match the total cleared in your books - month after month. This is where you'll identify any missed steps or other mistakes. Skip this step - and you're waiting for disaster to strike.

If you're keeping good records, then you're leaving a paper trail for potential auditors. You're keeping - not just your account statements, but also canceled checks (if applicable), check stubs, deposit slips (make your own copies), copies of all receipts, and a disbursement journal. In place of a disbursement journal, you can report from a good trust account software, such as Easy Soft Easy Trust .

Check your state's ethical rules and regulations for state-specific trust accounting management rules. In fact, you should keep a current Rule Book right in your offices.

Don't lose sleep over trust fund accounting. Follow these simple rules and you'll always be prepared for an audit.