Benefits
CSI Lawyer makes daily work of each user group easier, and offers an opportunity for continuous development of business processes.
Partners
For law firm partners, key benefits offered by CSI Lawyer are related to managing the business, making the legal matter process more effective, and improving the quality of its end result. The software supports the optimal handling of matters throughout their whole lifecycle. At the same time, it collects information which helps to manage and develop the business.
Unified practices
The way you deploy CSI Lawyer defines the scale of the benefits that your company can gain with it. Setting unified practices makes it easier and clearer to handle matters. It also gives to customers a professional impression of your company.
With the flexible software settings, you can define, among other things, which are the functions enabled, what is the role of different user groups, and how time entries will look like.
More effective legal matter process
CSI Lawyer enables digitalization of former manual tasks (e.g. verification of the invoice material by circulating printouts). You can also automate routines of different user groups. This leaves more time for actual legal tasks and customers.
The key idea of the software is to offer transparency to the whole matter team. All matter related information is available in one place. Team members can thus easily keep track of its required tasks, schedules and the overall status of the matter. When the latest related documents and emails are also linked to matters, the risk of making mistakes due to lacking information is very limited.
Information supporting business management and development
The reporting tools of the software provide up-to-date information required for both operational use and development. The illustrative dashboard charts quickly reveal any deviations and trends. Flexible pivot reports enable a more detailed analysis of the data. Besides, partners can utilize dashboards and pivots to easily monitor company level information, for example, the status of the business areas at their responsibility or the workload by employee.
For longer term planning, the software offers information, for example, of the demand for different services, their profitability, resource availability and employee skills. Your team can thus make decisions based on facts. Simultaneuously, you can develop matter processes and the way in which CSI Lawyer is used.
Lawyers
CSI Lawyer makes lawyers more productive. It offers them easier ways to monitor their own work, to add new transactions and to verify invoicing material. The 360 degree views of customers and matters ensure that lawyers have access to their up-to-date status anytime.
Versatile tools for time entries
Lawyers have multiple options for registering their work; also by utilizing timers, by copying transactions or using them as templates for new ones. They can further speed up their time entries with default and favorite settings.
Besides, lawyers can add their entries with mobile devices, by a quick entry app located on their desktop and from Outlook emails, appointments and tasks. Hours registered in the TIQ Time app can also be transferred to CSI Lawyer as billable entries.
Digital verification of invoice material
During the invoicing phase, lawyers can verify and approve their own transactions digitally, whether they work at the office or remotely. Invoices requiring verification can be found in a separate folder where it is easy to make all required changes. If required, lawyers can even invoice their customers with only a few clicks.
Easy reporting
Earlier, finding out the status of a matter or one’s personal transaction or invoicing status may have required support from an assistant. CSI Lawyer makes such reporting requests unnecessary. Lawyers have direct access to matter-related reports. They can also check the up-to-date status of their transactions and invoicing from dashboards with only one click.
Lawyers always have a 360 degree view of customers and their matters, including their payment status and documents and emails related to the matter. This supports matter management and enables them to react quickly to any information requests from customers.
Assistants
CSI Lawyer’s benefits for assistants are related to effectiveness of their work. They experience fewer interruptions during the workday, smoother management of invoice material and a more effective process to send invoices.
Fewer interruptions
The workday of assistants is often interrupted due to acute requests for clarification and reports. With the introduction of CSI Lawyer, their number is reduced. Lawyers are able to handle many matters independently and obtain most of the reports needed directly from the software.
Easier invoice preparation
The monthly invoicing process gets easier because invoices can be created in bulk. The invoicing specifications saved in the matters are automatically copied to the invoices. The invoicing material itself requires less correction and finetuning, as the predefined settings and the software’s proofreading function ensure the quality of transaction entries.
Once the assistant has prepared the invoice material for approval by a lawyer or a partner, it can be verified without any paper printouts. The preliminary invoice preceding the actual invoice is digitally circulated for review by all users assigned to the review process.
Invoices as e-invoices or by email
The invoice sending phase is also smooth as the invoicer can transfer all invoices from CSI Lawyer directly to Maventa’s e-invoicing service. Maventa sends invoices as e-invoices to all customers having a valid e-invoice address. Other invoices are delivered either as an e-mail attachment or, traditionally, by mail.
E-invoicing is also possible via other e-invoice operators, for example banking networks, by manually creating the invoice material in CSI Lawyer and sending it to the operator to be forwarded.
Financial management
CSI Lawyer supports the work of the financial management by making their process more effective, which leads to improved profitability. It also improves the meaningfulness of the financial team’s work and enables easy business monitoring through comprehensive reporting.
More effective and profitable operations
CSI Lawyer automates a great many manually performed tasks. Among other things, pricing of matters, preparation of invoicing material, sending of invoices, registration and adjustment of payments, as well as reporting. They are all handled more efficiently, which improves productivity.
More meaningful role
CSI Lawyer facilitates operations of the financial team, in particular, by minimizing the number of routine tasks. It allows partners to track the development of the key metrics directly. Thus, the traditional reporting role of the financial management is being replaced by more meaningful, value-adding tasks. Manual work can further be reduced significantly by integrating CSI Lawyer to an accounting system.
Versatile reporting
One of the financial management’s core tasks is to monitor figures to ensure the smoothness of the legal matter process. The dashboard charts provide an up-to-date overview of, for example, the status of the company’s open and invoiced transactions, and unpaid and overdue invoices. If actions are required, the situation can be investigated in more detail by making use of pivot reports. They allow the figures to be analyzed from different perspectives.
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Customers
CSI Lawyer’s most significant benefits to the end customer are well managed assignments and, once the assignment is completed, a clear, professional invoice.
Well-managed matters
All details agreed on with the customer, such as hour prices, possible price limits, payers and payment terms, can all be recorded in the software for the information of the entire matter team when a new matter is opened.
Tasks scheduled and assigned for team members will help complete the matter on agreed schedule. As the customer’s matter, invoicing and payment information is all managed in one place, the person responsible for the matter can provide the customer with an up-to-date report on the matter status at any time.
Clear invoices matching the agreement
When the matter is ready to be invoiced, the invoice is created according to the specifications saved to the matter. If there are some specific things to be taken into account during the invoicing phase, the important notes registered in the software will be visible on the invoice lists and remind you of that. Once the invoice material has been verified, the customer will receive the invoice at the agreed on price and according to their wishes, either as an e-invoice, an e-mail attachment or a printed copy sent by mail.
The invoice includes clear specifications of the work performed and the authors, as agreed on with the customer. It facilitates the verification and approval of the invoice at the customer’s side. If a large matter has been divided into phases or sub-matters, they can also be displayed on the invoice.