PCLaw 13.0 Service Pack 1 Obtaining the software PCLaw is available either via download or on CD. A download link appears in your product key email. To obtain a CD, call Sales at 800-328-2898. Note PCLaw service packs and hot fixes are only available by download, and not available on CD. For assistance in downloading service packs or hot fixes, please visit the Support Center, contact your LexisNexis Certified Independent Consultant (CIC), or call LexisNexis Technical Support at 800-387-9785. Before you install Be sure to do the following before installing PCLaw 13.0 Service Pack 1 data files and documents. Perform a complete backup on your PCLaw data files and documents. Close PCLaw and all open applications on your computer. What's new in this release The following features and/or enhancements are new in 13.0 Service Pack 1. Billing E-mail Template Customization You now have the ability to choose invoice summary information you want included in the body of an e-mail template, as indicated below. 1 of 15
New Template Editor Tokens Bill History Template: The 'Invoice' token has been updated to display the invoice number for all payments. General and Trust Check/Receipt: A "Client Number" token has been made available to enable the display of the Client number on the face of the General and Trust Check/Receipt. Check Receipt: A "Payment Type" token has been added, that captures the payment type. Check Template: An "Invoice Number" token has been made available to display the invoice number being paid on Account Payable entries. Due to the amount of space available, this field will only be displayed for single invoice allocations. If there are multiple allocations, none of the invoice numbers are displayed. Past Due Notice: A "Client Attention" token has been made available to display the client attention line. Past Due Notice: A "Firm Name" (on Billing Address) token has been made available to display the firm name on the billing address. Report Enhancements The Conflict Check report has been enhanced to include: The last entry date on any matter that is picked up by the conflict check. The status (inactive or archived)of any file that is picked up by the conflict check. A matter "Status" token has been made available for the Client Summary and List of Clients reports. You can add this token onto the report layout to display the matter status (Active, Inactive or Archived), if required. 2 of 15
Previous Features and Enhancements The following features and/or enhancements are new in PCLaw 13.0. Dashboard Interface PCLaw 13 provides a new dashboard technology that allows you to access features that are frequently used to view and manage your law practice and client matters. There is also an enhanced Security feature to restrict a user's access to individual or all Dashboard tabs and features. Note Microsoft Office must be installed on each computer using PCLaw Dashboard features in order to use the following Dashboard features/functionality: Quick Links - (Client Intake and Outlook Inbox tabs) My Practice Dashboard - (Messages: Inbox) My Clients Dashboard - (Documents: Create) My Business Dashboard - (Marketing: Create). The dashboards are: My Practice: The My Practice dashboard can be used to customize the Recent Client Matters Settings and to provide quick access to key tools and features (e.g., Calendars, Client/Matter data, news feeds, other) that can be consolidated and customized to assist you in managing appointments, key tasks, e-mail, phone messages, and developments in the legal world. My Clients: Lets you quickly access critical client and matter information, including meetings, tasks and ticklers; e-mails, documents and files; contact information for all parties involved in a matter; a summary of recent activity; and financial status. My Business:Lets you track your budget, monitor key performance indicators (billable hours, work in progress, receivables, bank balances), and execute billing transactions with ease. Client Intake The client intake is an automated process that lets you open a new client file by using a template intake form to set up a client contact record and/or to create a new client matter. During/after the intake process, the following activities may also occur: E-mails can be generated Conflict checks can be initiated Form fields can be imported into the PCLaw application. 3 of 15
E-mail Template The E-mail Template provides the ability to bill clients using a standard e-mail format. This function reduces the administrative task of manually creating the body of each message before it is e-mailed to the client. The E-mail Template is a default template within the PCLaw application. From the System Settings - Billings Tab, the Default E-mail Template can be accessed and used when billing clients. The E-mail Template can also be accessed from the Matter Manager - Billing Tab when the Allow Bill Settings Overrides option is activated. This setting at the "Matter" level overrides the System Settings selection. During the billing process, you can determine/change the E-mail Template being used. When you select the E-mail option from the Output area of the Bill Selections screen for specific billing functions (i.e., Quick Bill), you have the ability to select the template to be used when billing the client. In addition to the standardized content, the bill(s) can be attached using 1 of 3 formats (PDF, TXT, or RTF). The E-mail Template is accessible with the Bill, Quick Bill, BillFlow Manager, Settlement Statement, Recreate Bill, Request Bill, and Release Bill PCLaw billing functions. Third-Party Product Support and Integration The following 3rd-party products are now supported with PCLaw 13.0: Microsoft Windows 8 Microsoft Windows 8 Pro Internet Explorer 10 Microsoft Office 2013 Amicus Attorney 2013 Please refer to the PCLaw Support Center for a complete list of 3rd-party supported hardware and software. Additional Enhancements Other PCLaw 13 enhancements and/or updates includes: Time Entry Notes Display your Time Entry notes on pre-bills with the new Time Entry Note token that is available in the Template Editor. Reports A new layout for the List of Clients Report to include e-mail addresses. 4 of 15
Issues addressed Service Pack 1 The following issues are addressed in Service Pack 1: Accounts Payable 4856073 Using the Add CER button when creating a New Payable with the Use Quantity x Rate Entries option selected in System Settings no longer causes additional allocations to be posted to the Client Costs Journal. Banking 4930798 4998789 4991652 When a General Journal Entry is made to a GBank GL Account and the 'As of today' option is selected in the window, the Bank Summary totals are no longer incorrect. The Bank Account Name now prints on the check (when releasing a check), if you add an Account Name token to the Trust Check template and set the system settings request check to use the modified template. When using Quick Check Printing, and no matter is associated, the GL allocation now only prints once on the bottom stub. Billing 4255448 4913487 4761928 When the All Trust Transfers on One Check option is selected to post a Bill Request, you no longer have to select the All Trust Transfers on One Check option a second time (it's now selected by default) when the Release Bill function is performed. Clicking the Enter key in the E-mail Body or the Signature area of the E- mail Template - New screen, now takes you to the next line (carriage return) instead of saving your entry and exiting you from the screen. The Total Hours template token now calculates and displays the total hours for all time entries, and no longer displays all zeros on the Client Summary Report. Calendar 4830946 The Month-to-Date (MTD) Totals on the Calendar no longer displays information for all users, and is no longer blank. 5 of 15
5012492 5027204 When creating a new calendar entry with an alert, if the calendar is synching with Outlook and the PCLaw com add-in is enabled then, the original Calendar entry no longer shows alert minutes to 0 minutes after the entry has been synched to Outlook. The calendar has been enhanced to process more quickly when appointments are entered through the tickler and calendar. Contact Manager 4829285 When the Clientsand/or Vendors option(s) are not selected on the Contact Manager's form, the Type is now properly displayed as Contact, and the Contact's address information is consistently populated when the New Matter screen is displayed. Dashboards 4912960 4921735 4911552 4911523 Now only General entries are displayed when Account Details > Last Payment is selected on the My Clients Dashboard. My Clients Dashboard > Documents now displays all documents (i.e.,.pdf;.txt) listed on the Matter Manager > Docs tab, and not just.doc/.docx documents. When My Business > Transactions > (i.e., Bill; Payment) is selected, the Matter field is no longer pre-filled with the matter number that was previously being viewed on the My Clients Dashboard tab. When Account Details > Check is selected on the My Clients Dashboard, the Matter field is now being pre-filled with the matter number listed in the Matter Details area of the My Clients Dashboard. Data Entry 4999306 4985316 If any expense entry (General Check, Expense Recovery, New Payable) have multiple lines added in the allocation grid, changing the explanation code of a subsequent line does now updates the G/L Account for that line, if the code has a default G/L Account. Document Management 4801076 The PCLaw Indexer now writes attached Excel files with an extension of.xls or.xlsx into the Document table, and the Indexer indexes as expected. 6 of 15
General Ledger 4646255 General Ledger Allocations on Trust to General Transfer entries are now being saved changes are made. Matter Link 5027818 5039588 When saving a linked matter in Time Matters, it now takes no longer to save if the linked PCLaw data is a SQL set of PCLaw books as opposed to a CTree set. When you change a matter though a link, such as Time Matters, the next matter number is now set properly to the next sequential number. This prevents additional new matters from reusing the same matter number as an archived matter. Matter List 4548803 The Sort By field now displays the correct sort criteria/heading (e.g., Client Display Name) when the Filters option check box is selected in the Pop Up Help - Matters window. Miscellaneous 4836187 4854537 Additional characters are no longer being added to the Nickname in the Add Matter Bill Settings screen if the name itself is longer than 19 characters. Spaces are no longer automatically added to the end of the Explanation Code in the Time Sheet. Register 4883770 When a General Retainer Hold Status is changed, clicking OK now closes the General Retainer screen. Reports 3040715 3457858 If the introductory lawyer is changed for a matter, or a new matter is added with a Client Intro Lawyer when running a report that is sorted by the Client Intro Lawyer, then the report no longer sorts alphabetically. Sub-accounts with balances now aligns properly under the Month column on the Income Statement when an Income Statement is run using the INCM12 template. 7 of 15
4909450 5014885 The information and/or details for "Inactive" lawyers is no longer being listed when the Reports > Productivity > Lawyer WIP, Billing and Collection Summary Report is generated. After deactivating a matter, the deactivated date no longer appears as 0/0/0 in Client Ledger report for that matter when there is no data in the Close Matter field during deactivation. Reports - Customizable 5003341 The character length of the matter token on the default Trust Ledger report layout has been changed to display the maximum matter character limit, which is 12 characters. System Settings 4882879 In the Matters window, the Explanation Codes field now allows for three characters before automatically tabbing to the next field. PCLaw 13.0 The following issues have been addressed in PCLaw 13.0: Accounting - Accrual 4216213 The Modified Cash General Ledger and the Modified Cash Balance Sheet Reports no longer displays incorrect net profit values. Accounts Payable 4704001 The vendor's name is now printed correctly (First Name, Middle Initial and Last Name)when checks are printed, instead of Last Name, First, Middle Initial. Banking General Bank 4580751 An overpayment message is no longer received if an invalid client name is entered for a payment received, and the pop up help is used to correct the name. Billing 4815600 Taxes are now being split as expected if Split billing is done using the Bill by Client option and taxes are involved. 8 of 15
4732139 4779074 4726774 4636622 4641538 3515552 4640799 4559556 If a time/expense entry is removed when pre-billing with the Billing > Pre- Bill > Options Tab > Select Charges option selected, the PCLaw application no longer crashes. Retainers are now applied to A/R when releasing a second invoice to allocate retainer amounts. Trust receipts that are entered prior to a specific billing date are now included in the calculation of the trust balance when the Recreate Bill function is performed. The Vendor List is now listed in Pop Up Help based on selecting the Options > System Settings > Show Vendors in Paid To Pop Up Help option. The Payments section tokens (Client Check#, Bank Account) are now correctly displayed, and the type of payment is no longer displayed as 'None' in the Quick Bill Template when the bill is created and/or previewed. The.rtf file Hours column is no longer merged with the Explanation column when a time entry on a bill has a long explanation and the bill is sent to editor. The Pre-bill and the final bill now calculates Total Fees After Discount correctly. The error message 'The trust transfer is too large. You may not transfer funds to cover new charges.' is no longer displayed and disbursements are no longer rounded up incorrectly when the Use Special Fees explanation code is used to bill disbursements. Calendar 4882895 Additional Calendar entries are no longer generated/displayed if entries are edited after being exported to Express. 4833625 It no longer takes one minute or more to create a Tickler. 4656833 4653402 Appointments displayed for the Daily view of the Calendar are now also displayed in the Weekly/Monthly view as expected. Hovering over an appointment in the Calendar Month view no longer gives details of the wrong appointment; and when double-clicking on Appointments, it now brings up the Change Appointment dialog as expected rather than the New Appointment dialog. 9 of 15
4732868 4639209 4619930 4557332 2920103 3932243 4396346 Date range searches are now performed instead of a search just of the specific day you are viewing when using the Find function in the Calendar. The Calendar now refreshes as specified in the Options > Workstation Settings > Calendar > Refresh Calendar Every Minute(s) value. The default start time in the Day View of the Calendar no longer differs from system to system if the resolution of the monitor has not changed. Recurring events are now being calculated correctly when the Move Forward option is selected to make adjustments if a date falls on a weekend. The search tool on the grid of the Calendar now finds specified search text the same way text is found using the search tool on the Calendar toolbar. Connection Settings 4732584 Duplicate entries are no longer being created in the Time Entry Advisor when the Options > Connection Settings > Enable Connection for Appointments option is selected. Contact Manager 4661960 3071080 4245829 Notes are now displayed for the selected/highlighted client/contact on the Contact Manager > Notes Tabeven when only that contact is used as filter/search criteria. When a new note is added to a contact from the Notes tab of Contact Manager, it now properly displays if Clients and Vendors are selected for display in the Contact Manager. Dashboards 4819848 Matters with a blank Sort Name no longer produces the message Parameter is incorrect message when it tries to load the matters into the Client/Matter area of the dashboard. Data Entry 4490179 The Trust-to-General Transfer function no longer prevents you from transferring total A/R amounts, and the message Transfer amount is too large is no longer generated. 10 of 15
4245944 A user no longer gets the error message You should enter either a client (or) responsible lawyer when appointments are viewed through the register. Document Management 4718982 4265547 4409628 After clicking the Document Manager button, the list is populated, but no documents are read/searched until a search has been initiated. It no longer takes an extremely long time to open and populate the Document Type list when being accessed from Options > List or from within the document properties using the Document Manager. The contact information is now automatically populated in Microsoft Word 2010 when the contact is highlighted and the option Qdocs for Use precedents is selected. General Ledger 4216213 3731016 Accrual and Modified Cash G/L reporting now displays correctly when a G/L and Balance Sheet report is run. Matter interest amounts that has been 'Voided' are no longer being doubled and are now the same for the G/L Statement and the General Bank Journal. 3429053 Budget Figures for Load from Average Year-To-Date now populates correctly. Matter Manager 4712086 3315047 When the Options > Administrator > Security > Advanced > Enable Access on Matter basis option has been enabled for a selected user, the 'Pop Up Help - Matters' now displays all matters that the user has access to. Switching between matters in Matter Manger when viewing items on the Time Tab no longer locks up the PCLaw application. Miscellaneous 4866148 4833675 The PCLaw User Guide and associated Help files have been updated to describe the Anchor Date and Limitation Date per creating a Tickler in the PCLaw Calendar. If an import of an expense is done through Cost Recovery and the data file has the Tax Category of B, and the Explanation Code is set to either Y or B, the expense now calculates both GST and PST. 11 of 15
4833688 4815884 4725980 4807943 4808784 4238024 4680805 Tax Category is now saved when the default tax category is set for the expense code. If an explanation code for an expense is created, where the Do Not Summarizeoption has been selected with a default tax category as B, it now displays # sign after the explanation on the bill. When performing a Global Search is performed by entering the default Name contents of "February 14, 2011" and selecting the Show Full Re Line/Memo option, it now finds all conflicts as expected. When the Options > Administrator > Security Setup > Advanced > Time/Fees > Explanation Codes option has been set to Required, the message This is a required field is no longer generated if an explanation is entered without entering a code. Both GST and PST are now being charged on special fees when Special Fees has been enabled on the Provincial Tab. The caption on the Printer Setup for Trust Acct1 screen now displays the correct account number. Category codes no longer just prints the first letter of the code's nickname -- and the error message Error saving the list of location codes is no longer generated when printing the list of codes. Past Due Notice 4183359 The Calculate Interest To date no longer affects the A/R balance. Register 4753249 All time entries displayed in the Time Tab of the Register are continually sorted by the selected sort order, and no longer changes the sort order when a time entry is modified by drilling down the entry in the Register. Reports 4760271 4766863 4851291 There are no longer Client Ledger and Billing Fees Journal A/R mismatches when a discount is applied using the Calculate button during billing. When the Law Society Audit - Billing and Accounts Receivable Report is generated, it no longer picks up the General Bank Opening Balance entry, nor causes the Unrecognized entry type message to be displayed. 12 of 15
4719663 4722337 4747227 4687689 4748631 4552222 4191205 The Client Trust Ledger - Final Trust Overdraw Report no longer takes a long time to run when sorted by the Entry #. If an account is not listed in the Client Trust Ledger due to not having any activity when a report is to be generated, the totals listed in the Totals sections of the Trust Ledger Report will no longer leave a blank space. The Unrecognized Entry Type error message is no longer displayed when the Law Society Audit Report is generated. Fees are no longer included on the Settlement Statement Report when a report is generated if the Include Fees check box is not selected on the Settlement Statement Selections Fees Tab. When Use Queries for Reporting has been enabled, entries now correctly appear on the Fee Allocation Summary Report if the Matter Intro Lawyer option was manually selected on the Matters tab. Custom Reports are now generated as expected and no longer causes the PCLaw application to crash. 4685492 The 1099 form no longer prints out with a comma (,) after the state. 3101384 4598999 4642129 4650715 4672844 The Client WIP, Billing, and Collection Summary Report now displays the Client Totals for the matters that the selected lawyer is responsible for when the Client Totals Only option is selected. The Total Fees amount in the Matter Intro Lawyer drill down report now displays the correct amount and equals the Total Fees amount in the Summary by Fee Credit Lawyer Report. The Sort by Client Name option now functions properly to allow sorting by client name when generating the Invoice Journal Report. Appointments and To Dos are now properly displayed, and Appointment/To Do entries are no longer being listed on the Appointment Listing Report if a matter is not assigned. The Comparative Time Analysis Report no longer crashes when it is run with the All Lawyers option selected. 13 of 15
4684930 The Matter Description and Last Receipt Date fields under the 'Selected' area of the Customizable Layout Report now reflects the correct labeling (Matter Description = Matter Description, and Last Receipt Date = Last Receipt Date). Template Editor 4323970 Values are no longer being entered by default when a formula token (i.e., Add Invoices - Taxes Paid) is added to the Miscellaneous section of the Past Due Notice template. Workstation Settings 4158509 4639209 The 'Word Misspelled' window now opens as expected if a word is spelled incorrectly, even no matter whether it's spelled with an initial lower case or upper case letter. The User Dictionary Action of Exclude - treat as misspelled now treats words properly whether they are spelled with an upper case or lower case letter. 14 of 15
Plans for the future The following issues will be addressed in a future release. Billing 3823942 4843616 Pre-bill/Bill > Output > Editor - Edit Disk Image is not numbering the pages sequentially. The Monthly Fee and Client Ledger displays duplicate entries when a client, who has two or more matters, is billed. LexisNexis, Lexis, and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license. Time Matters is a registered trademark of LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. PCLaw is a registered trademark of LexisNexis Practice Management Systems Inc. Other products and services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright 2013 LexisNexis. All rights reserved. Release Date 10/28/2013 9:24 AM 15 of 15