Legalmaster

1. Legalmaster Split Fee Tutorial

2. Definition I Split fee matter A matter (or case) whose billings are to be shared by more than one client

3. Conditions • Each client is responsible for his share only. • You wish to keep track of each client’s receivables separately. • Each client wants to see on his bill the total value of the fees and costs as well as a calculation of his share. • You would like to enter the shared fee and cost transactions just once.

4. Defined Term I Receptor If a matter is to be split, for example, among four clients, then you must create four matters. We call those matters receptors.

5. More on Receptors • Each receptor matter must be assigned to a client (just as any matter in Legalmaster must be assigned to a client). • You may assign each receptor to a different client (recommended) or to the same client or any variation. • If you assign each receptor to a different client, we suggest that you assign the same matter suffix to all of the receptors.

6. Defined Term II Dummy In addition to your receptors, you must create one additional matter. We call that matter the dummy.

7. More on the Dummy • The dummy is just another Legalmaster matter. • It may be assigned to any client. • The dummy does not receive a bill; it’s not a real matter. It’s merely a place holder to make it easy for you to enter your split fees and costs.

8. How to Do It • It’s easiest if you create all of your receptor matters before you create your dummy matter. • Once the receptors exist, as you create your dummy, type a D as case billing status #2. • As soon as you enter the D a window appears asking you to list your receptors along with each’s share of fees and costs.

10. This is the window you use to assign receptors to a dummy.

11. Billing Rates • If you assign a billing rate code to the dummy matter, Legalmaster honors that rate for all receptors. • If you omit the dummy’s billing rate code, Legalmaster honors the rate codes assigned to the individual receptors. As a result, the receptors may be billed at different rates from one another.

12. You’ve Finished the Hard Part From this point on, most everything takes care of itself. If a fee or cost transaction is to be shared, enter it on the dummy matter. It is then automatically and instantaneously split among the receptors.

13. This appears whenever you enter a transaction on a dummy matter. Since dummy transactions are not actually billed, the “billable” amount is always zero.

14. Even though we entered only one fee transaction, Legalmaster automatically split it and assigned the appropriate amount to each receptor.

15. Billing • You may bill the receptors at different times if you wish. • At some point you should also “bill” the dummy matter so that it’s transactions are assigned an invoice number and are thus eligible to be posted to history.

16. The Billing Statement • You may control the appearance of your bill with Legalmaster’s Table of Statement Characteristics. • A typical split bill shows the detailed activity at pre-split values, a total of the pre-split amount and a second total indicating the receptor’s share.

17. Here you see the total fees, both pre-split and post-split. Yet another Legalmaster option

18. Payments You enter payments received not on the dummy, but on the appropriate receptor. As a result, each party to the matter has his own receivable account.

19. Thanks for Your Time • We’ve covered the basics. You may learn more about split billing • on our website, www.legalmaster.com, • on Legalmaster’s help screens • or by calling us at (510) 547-8085. • We also welcome your suggestions regarding how we might improve this tutorial.