Are You Ready?

Perhaps the better question is "should you be ready?" The technology world is abuzz concerning this month's release of Microsoft's latest desktop operating system. But most law office users should avoid the Windows Vista hype and stay with Windows XP - for now.

Why not have the Microsoft's "latest and greatest" operating system running on your office PC? For one thing, there is a good chance your . current office PC will not run Windows Vista. Even if your PC will run Vista, it may not do so at an acceptable speed or with the new graphical and user interface features that distinguish Vista from XP. Vista has significantly higher system requirements than Windows XP. If you multitask (who doesn't?), you will want to substantially exceed, perhaps even double, Microsoft's published system requirements.

If you have a new PC that meets or exceeds Vista's processor, RAM, and video card requirements, you may still have problems running Vista. It could be many months before hardware manufacturers write new Vista- compatible drivers for the many devices that reside inside your PC or connect to your PC via USB or other interfaces. Vista has built-in drivers for many common devices, but there is always a chance that your PC will have a device that Vista does not yet support. To find out, download and run Microsoft's free Wind ows Vista Upgrade Advisor

Substantial processor, RAM, and video card demands and possible hardware incompatibilities are not the only reasons to delay your move to Vista on your office PC. At your office, unlike home, you depend on several law-office specific software programs for things like practice management, time/billing/accounting, document management, etc. Until Vista has been around for a while, there is no guarantee that those mission-critical programs will run reliably (if at all) under Vista. It could take months for leading law office software providers like Amicus Attorney, PCLaw, Time Matters, Hot Docs, Corel WordPerfect, Worldox, and others to thoroughly test their products with Vista and issue any patches that may be necessary for those products to run on Vista.

If you are going to make the leap to Vista, it is better to do it first on a home PC. It is also better to buy a new PC with Vista pre-installed to insure that there are no serious upgrade-related problems with your existing hardware or software. At the office, especially if you depend on practice management or time/billing/accounting software, stick with Windows XP Professional a while longer. We will continue to monitor Vista's progress and will advise you when we think a transition to Vista makes sense in the law office setting.

 

 

Trust funds are tracked in trust bank general ledger asset accounts and in the account called Client Funds in Trust, which is a general ledger liability account. You should have a separate general ledger account for each trust bank account. Trust bank general ledger accounts are set up using G/L Account and Budget Maintenance similar to all other general ledger accounts.

When you post a trust transaction to a client file, Amicus Accounting updates the trust bank account and the Client Funds in Trust liability account by equal amounts, and updates the client file. In this way, your general ledger assets and liabilities stay in balance, and your general ledger trust bank balance stays in balance with the total trust on your client files.

Receiving Trust Funds from Clients (Retainers): When you receive trust funds from a client, you will post it using the Trust Receipts posting program. Trust receipts post a debit to the trust bank G/L account and an offsetting credit to the Client Funds in Trust liability account, and increase the trust funds available on the client file.

Writing Checks Off Client Trust Funds: When you write a check off a client's trust, you will post it using the Trust Checks posting program. Trust checks post a credit to the trust bank G/L account and an offsetting debit to the Client Funds in Trust liability account, and decrease the trust funds available on the client file.

Transferring Trust Between Client Files: You may wish to transfer trust funds from one client file to another. For example, if a client file has multiple matters, you may wish to transfer available funds from one matter to another. Use the Trust Transfers posting program to transfer trust funds.

Trust transfers don't affect your general ledger; that is, they don't affect the trust bank account or the Client Funds in Trust liability account. They affect the client files only. Notice that this means you cannot use this posting program to transfer money from one trust bank to another.

Using Trust Funds to Pay Accounts Receivable: Often, you may wish to use a client's trust funds to pay an invoice you've issued to the client. The Transfers to A/R posting program enables you to apply trust funds to a specific invoice, which reduces the client's A/R balance as if you had posted a firm receipt to the invoice. The trust transfer program then debits your Client Funds in Trust liability account by the amount of the transfer.

Note that the trust bank is unaffected - to complete the trust transfer, you must post a trust check to transfer the funds from the trust bank account to a trust clearing account, and post a firm receipt to deposit the funds into your general bank account from the clearing account.

Your System Balance report will be out of balance until you post the trust check because the trust transfer program transfers the funds from the Client Funds in Trust liability account, but does not affect the trust bank account. One of the purposes of the System Balance report is to indicate that you are out of balance if your Client Funds in Trust account is not equal to the sum of your trust bank accounts because, normally, these accounts should balance. Posting Trust Transfers to A/R reduces the balance in the liability account without reducing the balance in the trust account - you must complete the trust transfer by posting the trust check and firm receipt to put the System Balance back in balance.

Journal Entries and Trust Funds: Because trust funds are always associated with client files, don't post journal entries to trust bank accounts. If you do, your System Balance report will go out of balance. Trust is always related to a client, and journal entries don't affect client files.

If you need to post interest that is not to be deposited to a client file, create a "dummy" client file for this purpose, and post the interest using the Trust Receipts posting program.

The only situation in which you should post journal entries to your trust bank accounts (or to any other control accounts!) is if your System Balance report is already out of balance. For example, if you have a hardware failure while posting, your System Balance may go out of balance if Amicus Accounting failed to complete the transaction. In this situation, you may need to post a journal entry to correct the out of balance. Read the topic What do to if your System Balance is out of balance.

Regular and Special Trust: In Amicus Accounting, trust funds are designated as either "regular" or "special". Special trust (also called term trust) refers to trust money deposited in interest- bearing accounts such as term deposits. Regular trust refers to all other trust funds. When you receive trust money from a client and post it using the Trust Receipts posting program, you will be able to designate the funds as either regular or special trust, and in the case of the latter, you can enter a term due date, if applicable. You cannot write trust checks off special trust.

Trust Overdrafts: Amicus Accounting enables you to choose whether or not to allow trust overdrafts on client files. A client file in overdraft is one that has had more trust checks (or trust transfers) issued against its trust than the amount of trust that has been deposited or transferred to the file.

The posting procedures of some firms are such that this situation is normal and the client file really does have adequate trust funds available. Other firms prefer not to allow trust overdrafts under any circumstances.

If you choose not to allow trust overdrafts, you will be unable to post trust checks or transfers that would result in the file going into an overdraft position. If you choose to enable trust overdrafts, the program will warn you when a posting would result in an overdraft, but you can override the warning and continue. Enable or disable trust overdrafts in the Firm Settings screen.

Trust Reports: Amicus Accounting has a variety of reports providing listings of trust balances and details on client files. Reports can be printed for specific date ranges, and some can be printed by lawyer. For example, to see a list of all client files with trust in a specific trust bank account, print the Client Listing by Trust Bank.

Amicus and Amicus Attorney are registered trademarks and Amicus Accounting and Amicus Small Firm are trademarks of Gavel & Gown Software Inc. © 2007.

 

Amicus Attorney 5 - Productivity Tips - - Unleash the power of Amicus Attorney by exploring the more advanced features such as document generation, linked events, customization and the Library. Get your questions answered and improve your firm's efficiency so that you can do more, bill more, and go home early.

• Duration 1 Hour
• Instructor Carmen Relatores
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Learn Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Access and Word

The Microsoft Office suite of applications is often at the heart of law firm operations. Yet few lawyers and legal staffers use these programs efficiently. Here is your chance to become more proficient when using these crucial office tools.

Microsoft® Word - Tips and Tricks – Unlock the Power of Your Ideas with MS Word 2003 - In this session you will learn tips and tricks to help you use your word processor more efficiently. Produce professional documents with ease as we show you how to insert documents & change formats with the click of the mouse. Customize Word to work the way you do and learn how to use Autocorrect, Spelling and the Grammar tool to keep all of your writing error free. Plus much more!

• Duration 1.0 Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® Word 2003 I This Webinar will help you to maximize your productivity using Microsoft® Word. You will learn many shortcuts and options for enhancing everything you do in Word. The topics covered include creating, editing and formatting characters, paragraphs and documents, enhancing and customizing documents such as autocorrect, autotext, page numbering, headers and footers as well table, charts, diagrams and templates.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Word 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® Word user to the next level. You will learn advanced Word features including merging documents, selecting and sorting data, adding visual elements such as border, lines and watermarks, creating specialized indexes, and forms, as well as macros and styles.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel – Tips & Tricks – Learn more about this essential spreadsheet & analysis program. Excel 2003 offers the ability to create, calculate, & manipulate data for all legal professionals. We’ll teach you everything you need to know including budget building, payroll tables, charts, graphs, formulas, data tables, and a whole lot more!

• Duration 1.0 Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel 2003 I This Webinar will help you to maximize your productivity using Microsoft® Excel. You will learn many shortcut and options for enhancing everything you do in Excel. The topics covered include preparing and formatting a worksheet, using AutoSum, writing and inserting formulas including absolute and relative cell referencing, creating charts and enhancing the display of worksheets..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® Excel user to the next level. You will learn Excel features including advanced formatting techniques, creating and editing templates, and using advanced functions..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel 2003 III This Webinar will focus on advanced features of Microsoft® Excel. You will learn advanced features including working with lists, creating pivot tables and charts as well as what-if analysis..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® PowerPoint – Tips & Tricks – Create demonstrative evidence by unleashing the power of MS PowerPoint. When it comes to using technology in the courtroom, we can show you how to put custom animations into your slides, add speaker notes and handouts, and use design templates to enhance your platform for your case in any mediation or trial.

• Duration 1.0Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® PowerPoint 2003 I This Webinar will take help the user to maximize productivity using Microsoft® PowerPoint. You will learn how to create, edit, format and enhance a presentation. Other topics will include inserting images, adding sound and transitions will be covered..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® PowerPoint 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® PowerPoint user to the next level. You will learn advanced PowerPoint features such as customizing and managing presentations, integrating Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as using the photo album feature and Microsoft® Producer.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Outlook - Tips and Tricks – Take back control of your inbox - Learn the tips and tricks that will help you use the full power of Outlook to manage your email. We will cover reminder flags, using mail favorites, rules, setting up your Address book, signatures and other preferences to customize your account. Discover how to schedule appointments, save names, addresses, phone numbers and create and modify your own Journal. Find information at the touch of a button and stop wasting time not knowing how to maximize the usability of this organizational tool!

• Duration 1.0 Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® Access 2003 I This Webinar will focus on the basic features of Microsoft® Access. You will learn how to create, maintain and query a database. Creating forms and reports using the wizard will be covered.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Access 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® Access user to the next level. You will learn how to enhance tables, create advanced queries, and custom forms and reports.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Access 2003 III This Webinar will focus on advance features of Microsoft® access. You will learn how to integrate access with the Web and other programs, use the query wizards, create action queries, table relationships, and use macros to automate tasks.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

 

Getting Started with Amicus Accounting - Ready, Set, Go! - Time to start using your new time/billing/accounting software! We will help you get Amicus Accounting set up and ready to use to bill your clients and run your firm.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Carmen Relatores
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Billing with Amicus Accounting - Ready to get those bills out? - Attend this webinar to learn what you need to know about entering and correcting time and costs, through getting those bills out the door.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Carmen Relatores
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Firm Accounting with Amicus Accounting - You are all set up, your bills are out the door, and now the checks are coming in! Learn how to manage payments, pay your bills, and run meaningful reports.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Carmen Relatores
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Amicus Accounting demos are available either via the web or on-site. Simply contact Carmen Relatores to schedule a time for the demo. Have as many staff members as you want gathered in front of your computer.

Demos are expected to run 30 minutes. Call (513) 368-0042 or email at crelatores@cni- incorporated.com. Emails should contain a specific request for an Amicus Accounting Demo.

If you'd prefer a demo at your office, please don't hesitate to call. We'll do our best to accommodate your busy schedule.

 

Amicus Small Firm Edition Demos demos are available either via the web or on-site. Contact Carmen Relatores to schedule a time. Have as many staff members as you want gathered in front of your computer.

Demos are expected to run 30 minutes. Call (513) 368-0042 or email at crelatores@cni- incorporated.com. Emails should contain a specific request for an Amicus Small Firm Edition Demo.

If you'd prefer a demo at your office, please don't hesitate to call. We'll do our best to accommodate your busy schedule.

Amicus Attorney 7 demo's, the latest version of the leading practice management software are available either via the web or on-site.

You can schedule an Amicus Attorney 7 "newbie" demos or an "Amicus veteran" demos by contacting Carmen Relatores.

So that we can make the demos even more helpful, we will tailor the "newbie" demo for those who have never before seen or used Amicus Attorney. This restriction lets us tailor the presentation to better answer your questions.

For those using prior versions (V+ and earlier) of Amicus Attorney, the "Amicus veteran" demo will be used.

Demos will last 30 minutes. Send an email or call Carmen Relatores at crelatores@cni- incorporated.com or (513) 368- 0042 to schedule a demo. Make sure your message indicates which demo ("Amicus newbie" or "Amicus veteran") you wish to schedule. We will send you the log-in information for the web demo via return email.

Below is a list of the current versions of important law office software supported by Cooperative Network Integrators, Inc..

Amicus Attorney: Downloads

• Amicus Attorney 7: build 7.1.0.8
• Amicus Attorney V: v 5.1.1
• Amicus Attorney V+: v. 5.5.1
• Amicus Attorney V+ with Accounting Integration ONLY: v. 5.8.x
• Amicus Attorney X: v. SP1.1
• Amicus Small Firm: v. 5.7.x

Amicus Accounting:

Amicus Accounting: release 2006.1.1

Microsoft Office:

• Click here and select Check for Updates.

Corel Word Perfect:

• Click here then select your version.

email: rcarter@cni-incorporated.com

phone: 513-755-1377

web: http://www.cni-incorporated.com