Time Billing Software (time slip software) and Conflict Checker Software

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Time billing software and conflict checking software

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BSA Plus+ and BSA Pro legal time billing software - The Secret Weapons
"I consider BSA legal time billing software a secret weapon and for competitive reasons I wouldn't want the secret to leak out. On the other hand, it's such a user friendly and comprehensive program that it would be a shame not to share this information. Only a practicing lawyer who knows the practical aspect of billing and trust accounting would be able to figure out what you have put into this program."

More about BSA Legal Time Billing Software and Conflict Check Software

BSA Plus+ and BSA Pro Legal Time Billing Software - Legal time billing software (time and billing software) is especially designed for lawyers and others who normally bill for their services by the hour. Anyone who bills for their services will likely find BSA legal time billing software to be an excellent choice for their time and billing software needs.
     Legal time billing software is highly preferable to using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect) for tracking time and expenses and producing bills, statements, invoices, etc. Word processors offer flexibility but are not designed to handle the specialized functions most service professionals need to produce top quality bills with no errors. Legal billing software such as BSA time and billing software can vastly increase your firm's productivity and revenue by allowing you to simply enter your time and expenses and then let BSA do all the hard work of sorting, calculating, formatting and remembering your billing data.
     BSA legal billing software also has built in interest, trust accounting, reports and spell checking with legal dictionary at no additional charge. If you've ever tried to calculate interest on running accounts, you know how much work it can be and how many errors can creep in. With BSA, you can charge interest on past due accounts with ease. BSA handles all the tough calculations in the blink of an eye and never makes a mistake!
     Although BSA legal billing software is very powerful it is also much easier to use than other time and billing software programs suitable for lawyers such as Timeslips, Tabs, PC Law, etc. BSA legal billing software was designed to overcome the shortcomings of these other time and billing programs. Anyone in your office can quickly and easily produce professional-looking, error-free bills within minutes of first using BSA. That simply can't be said of the other time and billing software products.

Conflict Checker - Conflict Checking (conflict tracking or conflict management ) software is also specialized software for lawyers who are not allowed to represent conflicting legal interests. This is normally not a problem with a sole practitioner who is aware of every client and every connection his/her clients have to each other. This can quickly become a problem, however, when 2 or more lawyers work in one office.
Conflict tracking is not easy to do in an office that does not use tracking software. Because of the unique rules governing lawyers, it is something that should be given careful consideration in any office with more than one lawyer. That's why Conflict Checker software by seaBILL Co. is so valuable. When you buy a license to use Conflict Checker, you get a conflict tracking program that has been in use in thousands of offices and is even used by the United States District Court to track cases. It means that the software has already solved the problem and all you have to do is enter your client and connection information.

Question of the Day "What is a database application?"

A database application is a special type of software program that generally has two parts: a "front end" and a "back end."
The front end is the part you see and use. With BSA Plus or BSA legal billing software, the front end is where you enter client information, biller codes, time, charges, trust account information, etc. The front end contains all of the program logic that makes your data useable to a human; things like printing bills, adding numbers, sorting lists and compiling reports are done by the front end. The front end opens the database file and manipulates the data according to the logic in the program and displays or prints it for the user.
The back end is the actual database file (or files) where the data is kept. In BSA Plus or BSA Pro, the back end consists of a Microsoft Access database file. Database applications are special because of this dichotomy between the part you see every day and the part that actually stores all your data. Generally, the database is the critical part of the program because it contains all your unique billing data.
It's relatively easy to replace the front end by simply re-installing the program, but no one but you can replace the back end where all your data is located. If the database file is damaged or lost, the program can't run because the front end's job is primarily to manipulate the database file for you.
When you first install a database application, you get an empty database file that you can start filling up with data. In other words, you can easily reinstall the program and get a new front end and a new, EMPTY database file. This won't, however, restore your data since that was contained in the database file you had built over time.
This is why it's so important to make proper back ups of your data as you use a database application. Again, there is no way for anyone else to magically re-create all your billing data if your database file ever becomes lost or corrupted. You MUST have a back up that is not corrupted.
A word processing program such as Microsoft's Word or Corel's WordPerfect, for example, is not a database application. With Word, there is only a front end that allows you to create document files. You can do whatever you want with the document files and it won't matter to the front end the next time you want to create a new document. If you lose or corrupt a document file, you've lost one document but it doesn't affect the other documents.
A database application is very powerful because of the way it can manipulate your data. Other programs simply can't do that. But, a database application is also vulnerable at this same point. There is no way for any software database application vendor to protect your data for you since your data is subject to loss or corruption on the computer itself. While many, many safeguards and back ups are built in to seaBILL programs, they can't help if someone steals your computer or a fire or flood or power surge, etc. destroys your computer. Even a relatively common hard drive failure will wipe out your data and any automatic copies of it we made. There is no practical, secure way for the application designer to make an automatic back up of your data except on the same computer the program is running on. You could use a web-based back up service but this means your billing data (and client confidences) are now in the hands of a 3rd party and on the World Wide Web for everyone to see. See the next question for more on why this is a very bad idea. So, in the end, it's up to you to protect your data as you would any other firm asset.

"What do you think of web-based billing or conflict checking?"

Generally speaking, web-based applications are a bad idea, especially for lawyers. The main concern is client confidentiality. Here's a real headline from March, 2009 to make the point:

"Google has confirmed that a software bug exposed documents thought to be privately stored in the Internet giant's online Docs application service."

Client billing and conflict avoidance records can easily contain client confidences. For example, just the client's name being associated with a certain law firm might be considered a confidence. Bill Gates of Microsoft, probably wouldn't want anyone to know if he retains a Las Vegas real estate firm today. One might conclude he is about to buy/build a casino and this revelation might be completely unacceptable to him. Also, the matter description for a client can reveal a confidence. Most criminal defendants don't want their name associated with a 'sexual assault' matter description. Further, billing detail can give away confidences and reveal legal strategy to an opponent. The list of potential confidences in client billing records is endless.

If your clients' billing or other records are kept on the web, they can be compromised. Don't believe all the hype you hear about 'secure servers' for back ups and billing data, etc. on the web. No matter what they say, SOMEONE other than you has access to the computers that run the back up or web-based system. And, that someone is almost certainly NOT your employee, NOT a lawyer and NOT subject to your control. Further, that person may be from another country since it's very common to outsource such services. Further, the internet is not secure. Almost every day, you read of some new major flaw in the security of the internet. That's why we manually process all orders and immediately delete billing information for our customers' web orders. While customers are protected from unauthorized credit card charges, you, as a lawyer, are not protected if you fail to protect your clients' confidences. With web-based applications, your clients' records are sitting on the web 24/7 just waiting for some hacker to pop in and copy it. You simply can't take that chance.

You only have to think for a minute to dream up many, scary situations where your billing records or conflict tracking data are subject to review, copying and even dissemination far and wide if you place your data on the World Wide Web. Do you really want to take that chance?

Even if you can somehow get beyond that problem, you've got the problem that the web is not always available. With web-based billing, if you can't get 'on the web' for any reason, you can't get to your billing. The same is true for conflict checkers The systems of computers and telecommunications equipment that get you on the web are not within your control and can be "down" at any time for any number of reasons. You don't want to find out your Internet Service Provider just experienced a meltdown when the judge is hanging on the line asking for the total attorney fees due in a case!

With stand-alone (non-web-based) billing such as BSA Plus or BSA Pro Legal Billing Software or stand alone Conflict Checker, you only need your computer to boot up to get your work done. If the computer doesn't boot, you can switch to another computer. YOU are in control of your billing and client data. There's simply no question whether some 14 year old Internet Whiz from Lithuania is having a field day rummaging through your clients' data tonight in a valiant attempt to learn English!

As if all this weren't enough, you also will find that web-based billing software will cost a lot. A typical price is $40 per month at the LOW end. In one year, you'll rack up $480. With BSA Plus or BSA Pro legal billing software, you can buy a license for a ONE TIME charge of under $300. Many of our users have been using the same program for more than a decade. In that time, they've spent a total of $300 while, with web-based billing, they would have spent a minimum of almost $5,000. And, it seems very likely that the monthly rates for web-based software will go UP over time - not down.

Finally, what if the web-based company goes out of business? With Conflict Checker, BSA Plus or BSA Pro legal billing software, the program will still work even if we turn out the lights and lock the doors. Obviously, with web-based software, if the web service goes out of business, you're out of luck. You just lost your billing system and possibly all your data!

Until these problems are resolved, we won't offer web-based applications for lawyers and it's hard for us to believe any lawyer would take the chance on it.

"How can seaBILL sell its products for hundreds of dollars less than competing products?"

BSA Pro legal billing software was carefully designed over a decade ago to be the easiest to use legal billing software program ever developed. At the time, competing time and billing programs cost about $300 and up. Once BSA Pro was released, it was priced at $299.95 to compete in the market. Because BSA Pro was so carefully thought out, thoroughly tested and easy to use, it was very easy to maintain. Unlike most software programs that are riddled with problems and bugs, BSA Pro was rock solid and simple from the very beginning. As a result, BSA Pro cost very little to maintain - both for our customers and us.
Over time, it became apparent that BSA Pro was meeting the needs and surpassing the expectations of virtually everyone who used it. We quickly learned that anyone who bills for his/her time loved the program and the market for BSA Pro grew much more quickly than anyone anticipated. As a result, sales of BSA Pro continued to mushroom with almost no increase in the costs of support.
Since we at seaBILL did not plan to charge for support from the beginning, we crafted a thorough help system RIGHT INTO THE PROGRAM. Then, as people asked for help, we simply posted the answer to every question we received on the web - for free. This meant that anyone could easily read the built in Help system and, if they needed more, they could quickly learn from the thousands of world-wide users of BSA Pro by simply looking at the free web site information at any time. Simple!
Since hands-on technical support is very expensive, most software companies charge dearly for it and ultimately see it as a way to make money. It becomes its own division in most software companies and is expected to turn a profit. In addition, it provides our competitors with a reason to release "new and improved" versions of their software and charge for them. Not at seaBILL. We have always done everything in our power to do things correctly the first time and to make support freely available. This keeps your costs (and ours) as low as possible.
Today, we continue to expand sales at a rapid pace across the globe as the internet is more widely available. As a result, our volume remains high with sales increasing in all countries and we are able to offer the best time and billing software program on the planet at the same price we did when it was first introduced more than a decade ago! While this approach to software development and marketing is unique, it has worked well for us and our customers who normally pay nothing after buying a license.
We also offer Conflict Checker for Attorneys for only $300 while other companies charge $2,500 and more for similar (but less specialized) programs. While we could target large firms that have large budgets, we have decided to keep our programs useful and affordable to smaller and mid-sized firms. We fully recognize that Conflict Checker is priced at 1/10th of what it could be sold for. We also know, however, that most law firms simply can't afford that price tag. Rather than see smaller firms go without conflict tracking software, we have intentionally kept the price below the market value.
We believe, in the long run, making a better product and charging less is the best way to make more money. While our competitors dream up new marketing campaigns, deluge you with marketing ads, charge hundreds of dollars per hour for support and are constantly releasing new versions of their defective old products, we at seaBILL just keep selling the rock solid, simple programs that work day in and day out. Our costs are low (and so are YOURS!) and we're pleased to spread the good word around the globe - one happy, new customer at a time.

"Why are seaBILL legal software programs so much more stable than competing products?"

seaBILL legal software programs were designed from the ground up to be as simple as possible and still accomplish the task. In the case of BSA Pro legal billing software for attorneys, the program feature set was specified by practicing attorneys who know what features are most-needed by most lawyers in smaller offices. Once the features were set, the interface was then designed by lawyers and their legal staff who actually used the program and were videotaped while using various beta versions of BSA Pro.
Once the design goals were set, the software engineers were required to use the simplest means to accomplish these goals. All software decisions are reviewed by the company's founders who are experienced computer programmers as well as practicing attorneys. The software engineers are not allowed to implement complicated or proprietary solutions that might make it easier for them but harder for the user.
Further, the programs were extensively beta tested by actual users with the sole purpose of eliminating bugs and problems BEFORE the programs were released to the public. (Sadly, in the rush to compete that is the norm in the software world, this is almost never done.) Once the bug-elimination beta testing was completed, the programs were released to the public.
Once BSA Pro was released to the public, the feature requests started pouring in. Everyone wants a billing program that runs exactly the way his office runs today but is capable of changing the way it works in an instant. The problem with this is that these customizations and changes will introduce bugs and unintended consequences that interfere with the careful planning and testing. And, the requests will change from day to day, making it impossible to stabilize the program.
In many software companies, feature requests are reviewed by the marketing department. If this is the case, nearly every feature will be quickly added to a software program in order to increase its sales. This causes the program to quickly lose any relationship to its original design, introduces scores and scores of bugs and problems and, in sum, results in a mess. In response to these problems, the software company will add a 'technical support' department that becomes its own profit center. Once this happens, there is no incentive to produce trouble-free, easy-to-use software.
At seaBILL, feature requests are NOT reviewed by marketers but by the original founders of the company - attorneys who remember all too well the problems they had with other programs. As a result, very few feature requests are approved. As it turns out, most feature requests are either not a good idea for some technical reason or are simply not common enough problems to warrant the risk of introducing flaws into a program that works exceedingly well.
Once BSA Pro legal billing software had been on the market a few years, the program had been run by thousands of users in thousands of offices around the world. The program was battle-tested with millions of person hours of hard use in the field. During these first years, the only changes made to BSA Pro were to correct problems. New features were not added to the program so that the program could be thoroughly tested and become completely stable.
This unique approach allowed us to quickly identify and correct problems and to rapidly see what issues were commonly misunderstood by users. In response, we fixed the problems, updated the built in Help system and posted free answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions on this website. This means that seaBILL software is extremely reliable and that users can find free answers to their 'How-to' questions at any time at no charge. Since we don't view technical support as a profit center, we have an incentive to quickly fix problems and 'keep it simple'. Again, since our competitors view technical support as a way to increase revenues, they do not have an incentive to fix problems and make software that anyone can use.
Due to this unique approach to the business of software design and marketing, seaBILL makes legal software products that are much easier to use and much more stable and bug-free than other legal billing software in particular and software in general.

*Programs work for 35 days after which they time out. Minor features disabled during trial period for security reasons.