Money Matters

Managing your firm’s finances can be a difficult task. There are a variety of different programs and utilities available, but it can be overwhelming to figure out which one will be the most beneficial for your firm. This short post will give an overview of the billing features available in Actionstep.

First of all, for the uninitiated, Actionstep is the web-based platform in which CounselPro™8 is built. Within a matter in Actionstep, there is a built-in billing section which shows all the financial information for the matter. Billing options such as hourly or a fixed-fee arrangement, and custom billing schedules can be set. For hourly billing time entries can be created and marked as billable or non-billable. Invoices can be created for an individual matter or created in bulk for all scheduled invoices. When payments are received, they can be posted against the invoices, so the status is easily viewed. The invoices can also include links to Law Pay, so clients can pay bills by credit card. Whether billing by the hour or flat-rate, Actionstep offers solutions and systems that are designed to save time and stress.

There are several invoice templates that are included in Actionstep, and in most cases, these templates are sufficient. However, they can be edited to meet a firm’s specific requirements. Changes such as adding a logo or editing the language and the styling can be completed and the custom invoice can be set as the default invoice for all matters. The next time an invoice is customized changes will be automatically included!

Finally, no discussion of financial topics would be complete without the inclusion of the Actionstep portal. Many AAEPA firms using CounselPro™8 are utilizing the portal, as it has become especially important during this time of remote work. The portal is a portion of Actionstep that can be enabled to share and receive documents with clients in a secure and safe manner. The portal is HIPAA compliant, so can even be used to share health-care related documents and is much more secure than email. Any documents a client uploads will be immediately available on the documents tab of the matter, making it easy to keep all the information in one central location. The portal also includes an instant-chat feature that clients can utilize to ask simple questions.

All of the above topics and more will be discussed in-depth at the Fall 2021 Summit! If this is a topic that you are interested in learning more about, make sure to attend that session or to watch the recording afterward if you are unable to make it. As always, please reach out to cp8@aaepa.com if you have any questions!

Taylor Jones
Technical Support Specialist
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com