The use of a great legal accounting program can greatly improve efficiency in your office.
That’s why the Law Society of Alberta (LSA) recommends small and solo firms use programs like PC Law® to help manage details associated with trust accounting, general bookkeeping, tracking time and much more. These programs make it easier for you to comply with the LSA rules, and allow you to report electronically to the LSA, in lieu of filing an accountants’ report – saving you both time and money.
Jocelyn Frazer, equity ombudsperson and practice advisor with the LSA, says that while the programs are robust, many lawyers and their staff are not familiar with the myriad features they offer. “Programs like PC Law are really so much more than just bookkeeping programs,” she says. “You can customize them so they meet many needs and when used to their fullest capabilities, can really improve your efficiency of practice.”
Indeed, PC Law® can help firms with issues as diverse as client and matter management, time/fee entries, expense recoveries, trust accounting management, accounts payable, billing and much more. “PC Law® really does have tons of functionality,” Frazer says, “Small firms can really benefit from using it.”
Frazer feels it is very important for lawyers, as well as their staff, to fully understand how the programs work. “PC Law and the other programs like it have incredible capabilities that we don’t always utilize,” she says. “It’s necessary for everyone in the office to be fully versed in how the program works and in what it can do – particularly for small firms and solo practitioners. Cross training is vital to ensure work flow isn’t interrupted if someone is ill or leaves.”
To that end, LESA is pleased to offer our PC Law® Bootcamp on May 7and 8in Calgary and May 9 and 10 in Edmonton. This intensive seminar will be of great help to current users, particularly time keepers, bookkeepers, firm administrators as well as lawyers, and will help you better use the program to keep track of your business productivity and overall performance. Those who are new to the program will quickly get up to speed on all of its extensive features.
The LSA has approved this course as a method of enhancing the recording and safekeeping of client trust funds and entitles the lawyer attending to a course fee rebate of $75. These rebates will be paid directly by the Law Society of Alberta following the course and there will only be one rebate issued per law firm. Please provide the LSA with your Law Society roll number on the registration form in order to receive this rebate. For non-lawyers, please indicate the name of your law firm’s responsible lawyer.
For more information, or to register for this program, please visit LESA.org or call us at 780-420-1987.
