Frequently asked questions
The answer is often just one clic away!
Archived cases are hidden. You won't find them in the dossier. In this entry, we will show you how to access or reactivate archived cases:
In the window "Find Case Folder", check the box "Incl. archived" to include archived cases in the search. When the box is checked, archived cases will show up on the list. They will appear in red and can be opened - just like all other cases - with a double click.
Thanks to their red titles, archived case folders are easy to spot. When you open the dossier from an archived case folder, the archived cases in the case list of the dossier will also appear in red.
This way, you can easily access and reactivate archived case folders or cases.
Hold down the SHIFT key when you open a dossier and go to the "Cases" tab to display archived cases in red in the case list. Now you can open an archived case and convert it into an active case.
In the area "Finances", hold down the SHIFT key and click the "Cases" button to display archived cases in the list. You can use the search field "Status" to filter and show only archived cases. Select the search field "Status" and enter the value "2". Active cases have a "0", inactive cases a "1" and archived cases a "2" in the "Status" field.
If you change the status of a mandate to "Inactive", you will no longer be able to work on it. However, it will still be visible in the dossier. Inactive documents can be identified by the fact that the text is greyed-out. Changing the status to "Inactive" pauses the mandate.
On the other hand, setting the status of a mandate to "Archived” will close it permanently and cause it to disappear from the dossier overview. The text of such documents is displayed in red.
It may seem advantageous to save emails in the same native format as the one used by your email client (e.g. Apple Mail, Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.). This will create a file that can be opened by your email client. Unfortunately, there is no standard for email file format. The various software uses different file formats; these are the most important ones:
These are the points to consider if you use the native format of your client to archive emails:
Using the native format of your email client to archive emails may seem like a good and easy idea at first glance, but can be problematic to cooperate with other users or to ensure long-term usability. Furthermore, Spotlight indexing on the database server will not recognize native email format. These emails will not show up in your search results.
If you choose to use the native format to archive your emails, you can select that option when using the drag & drop feature or save your emails in a drop folder.
Dragging emails from your client and dropping them into timeSensor LEGAL will not always work. The email client has to export the files in the right format immediately after the drag and send the link to timeSensor LEGAL. Whether your email client supports this depends on the client, the operating systems and sometimes even on the version of the email client. At the time of creation of the FAQ, drag & drop worked with Apple Mail and Outlook:Mac on Mac OS X Yosemite.
Alternatively, if drag & drop doesn't work, you can save the emails on the desktop and transfer them from there to the archive. This should work with most email clients. If not, you can always use the "Save as..." request of your email client to save emails in a drop folder.
The dropped file (e.g. .eml or .msg) contains the email and all attachments. timeSensor LEGAL will consider it as one single file. It will not recognize the attachments and will not be able to display them separately. In order to view attachments, you will have to open the email file first.
The screenshot above shows an email in an .eml format and a Word file attached to it. The Word file is located within the email file and the attachment is not recognized or displayed by timeSensor LEGAL.
The PDF format has obvious advantages when working with other users or for long-term archiving. PDF documents will also be indexed and will show up in your searches. One way of doing this would be to print every email thus converting it into a PDF and archive it. Considering the number of emails you receive every day, this would take an enormous amount of time.
This is where the email interface of timeSensor LEGAL will be useful: Just send an email to a timeSensor LEGAL POP3 account, and the email interface will do the rest. The email interface regularly fetches new messages, converts them into PDFs and shows them, including attachments, in the inbox. If you've assigned the email to a case, it will automatically be archived there and show up in the corresponding case folder.
The email interface automatically separates attachments from emails. Emails are converted to PDF, but attachments retain their original format and are displayed as attachment in timeSensor LEGAL, as usual.
Archiving using PDF also has its downsides:
Emails archived as PDF will have less evidential value than emails saved in native format. PDF documents will not contain all raw data from the email. The email header contains hidden information about the sender and recipient and technical data regarding sending. This information is invisible in the PDF. It is therefore advisable to retain the original email on your server. You may not need to do something special about it since this is more or less standard today.
Conversion to PDF is complex and does not guarantee a 100% chance of success. You may encounter difficulties with improperly or twice encoded emails, where special characters will not be displayed properly. This problem, though mainly aesthetic, is nonetheless annoying. Emails may also be corrupt or entail damaging code, which may cause the email interface to crash. Finally, emails may simply be too large to be properly converted. In that case, the email will be refused in the inbox and a ticket with a warning will be generated.
Thus: the email interface is useful and reliable, but there will always be a few emails which will not be properly converted.
Whether you opt to archive emails in native format or wish to convert them to PDF using the interface is a matter of preference. Take into consideration the needs of your team, your wish to secure and retrieve documents long term, as well as practical needs. Usefulness of redirecting and saving features vary a lot between email clients . For example, Apple Mail can easily deal with email redirect, whereas the same feature has simply not been implemented in Microsoft's Outlook:mac 2011.
If you're using timeSensor LEGAL's email interface, you can feed emails directly into the system by sending them to the archiving inbox. The interface will recognize all emails which contain the case number and automatically assign them to the correct case.
Emails that the interface could not automatically assign will be displayed in red in the inbox. This FAQ entry will show you how to manually assign these emails:
Tip: If you need to assign several emails in a row, use the small round arrows to navigate from one email to the next without closing the window.
When a client has several cases, you may want to enter services in each case individually, but create a collective invoice. To do this, you will need an invoice file (billing file), which is a case used exclusively to invoice other cases (but which does not itself contain services).
Create a new case and give it a name such as "BILLING FILE". Select the invoice defaults in the case settings and set the case to "invisible" in the Timesheet.
Next, place the cases which will be invoiced collectively under the invoice file, using the key combination "CMD" + "Right arrow". These indented cases are now subordinated to the invoice file.
Your staff will enter their services in the corresponding cases, as usual. When it's time to send the invoice, transfer all services to the billing file, using the command "Transfer from subordinated cases". We recommend that you use the case names in the title row. You can now create the collective invoice from the invoice file. You can easily structure the service lists by subordinated cases.
Warning: If you're using title rows, do not attempt to reorganize services in the invoice file. You will mix up the services from the various subordinated cases and will not be able to create a list sorted by subordinated cases.
Follow these five steps to import contacts from Excel into timeSensor® LEGAL.
This will import all contacts into timeSensor® LEGAL.
We have created an Excel template "FAQ Default" to facilitate your work: FAQ Default
Enter your data in the correct columns and use the import filter "FAQ Default" to import all data into timeSensor® LEGAL. The model entries in the template are examples and can be deleted. You do not need to fill all columns. timeSensor LEGAL will try to supplement any missing information.
timeSensor® LEGAL supports the import and export of contacts in the vCard format 2.1 and 3.0.
A vCard may contain one or several contacts. To import it, you can drag&drop it from your desktop (or another folder), or use the command "Import vCard" in the "Tools" menu. You cannot drag&drop directly from the Apple Contacts.
To import a single contact from a vCard, drag&drop it directly into a new dossier window. It is best to drop the vCard on the "label field" of the dossier window. Alternatively, you can also drop the vCard on a contact list window. An import dialog box will open that lets you import the vCard.
To import a vCard with several contacts, drag&drop the file directly into an open contact window. The dialog box that opens will let you add additional information before importing the new contacts. At the end, the newly imported contacts will show up in the address window.
Use the command "Export vCard" in the "Tools" menu to export several contacts. timeSensor® LEGAL will create a vCard 3.0 file, which can then be used by other software.
The "Contacts" button at the bottom of the contacts window lets you export the selected contacts to vCard and transfer them to your contacts with a single operation. The vCard contains an invisible identifier (UUID), which allows Apple Contacts to verify the contact and, if it is already in your contacts, update it.
Make sure that timeSensor® LEGAL can access Contacts if you want to add contacts from timeSensor® LEGAL to your Apple Contacts. Check the corresponding box in your system preferences, under "Security & Privacy", "Privacy", "Contacts".
Set up a local background task to force timeSensor® LEGAL to update your local contacts automatically. Every time you add or update a contact in timeSensor® LEGAL, the background task will automatically update your local contacts. You can then sync your local contacts with your iPhone using iCloud. This will make your timeSensor® LEGAL contacts directly available on your iPhone.
Follow these three steps to set it up:
To set up a background task, go to "Settings", "Admin", and select "Background Tasks" (admin rights required). It might be wise to exclude some types of contacts from the background export task. If you're located in Germany, you may not want to sync the entire court contacts to your iPhone.
In order to use a dictation software to dictate in 4D Write, you need to open a specific dictation window.
Hit the keys SHIFT + CMD + "D" to open an empty window on top of your 4D Write window.
Dictate your text in this window and transfer the text into your 4D Write template using the "Overtake" button. The dictation window has been tested with Dragon Dictate and with the Mac OS X integrated Dictation feature.
Follow this link to find out more about Dragon Dictate: http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-mac/software/index.htm
Follow this link to find out more about Mac OS X Dictation: https://support.apple.com/HT202584
From time to time, you may want to print a preliminary statement of your services in a case. You can use the printer button in the case list (area "Finances") to do just that. If you only want to print a selected number of services, temporarily hide some services:
This FAQ entry will show you how to modify tax rates in timeSensor LEGAL, should that become necessary.
Go to "Special", then choose "Tax Rates" in the "Accounting" menu.
Double-click the current tax rate and choose "Change Tax Rates" in the "Tools" menu.
In the next window, enter the new tax rate, its start date and a new code.
Save your changes by clicking OK and that's it.
Invoices with a creation date prior to the validity of the new tax rate will use the old rate. Invoices with a creation date after the validity of the new tax rate will use the new rate.
Please note that the date of the service is irrelevant. If you've provided services under the old tax rate, but invoice them in the new tax rate period, the invoice will use the new tax rate. If you wish to invoice services provided before the change under the old tax rate, you must create an interim invoice.
The easiest way to change your password is to enter your current password, then press and hold the alt key and click "Log In".
You can also change your password in the area "Settings" under "Users". You will find other user-related parameters there as well.
Adding your signature to timeSensor LEGAL is easy. Start by scanning it and saving the file on your desktop. Then, open any 4D template as a draft. In our example, we're using the letter template.
Open the action menu at the bottom left and choose "Modify Text Blocks".
Next, click the small plus button to add a new text block. Use the name "Signature" for this text block. If you're using more than one signature, it's advisable to create sub-blocks. Name the sub-blocks according to the signature's owners and copy paste the scanned signature. It's important to open the file that contains the scanned signature, select it and copy the selection.
Remember: You can use text blocks for other recurring texts at your firm, not just signatures.
The search feature will help you find records quickly. Start by choosing the database field which you want to search through.
As soon as you start typing, the search feature will start filtering the results, quickly reducing the number of records on the list. To make your search more precise, use special characters (phonetic search is only available for contacts).
Open the time sheet.
In the "Tools" menu, choose "Create External Time Sheet" to create an Excel file on your desktop to record your services. This is only possible if Microsoft Excel is installed on your computer.
The Excel file has two sheets: Enter your services in the first sheet; the second sheet contains services, cases and prices from timeSensor. This second sheet is only used as an internal reference and should not be altered. If you press and hold the option/alt key while creating the Excel file, all cases will be added to the file. Otherwise, only the last accessed cases will be added to the external time sheet.
You can always copy and paste your services from the Excel file into the time sheet. You can also import the external time sheet using the command "Import External Time Sheet".
All time recording software, including timeSensor LEGAL, save time as decimal values. Conversion from and to hours and minutes format will lead to rounding problems. There are several ways to deal with this in timeSensor LEGAL. This FAQ entry will help you choose which one works best for you. Each entity can use its own method.
With this method, timeSensor LEGAL will convert time in a decimal value with five digits after the comma.
10 minutes = 0,16667 h
The conversion in a decimal value with five digits after the comma makes accumulated rounding errors negligible, even when you enter a large number of services. If conversion would stop after two digits, this would add up to a significant rounding error and would affect a reconversion into time negatively.
Please note that decimal values are only displayed with two digits after the comma. If you enter "h10" in the time sheet, you will see 0,16 in the cell. The actual value in the cell is 0,16667. The value on an invoice will also only display two digits after the comma. Internal calculations, however, are based on five digits after the comma.
You can see the actual value if you click the cell in the timesheet and select "Qty.":
The advantage of this method is that it gives you high precision when converting and reconverting time into values.
The disadvantage is that it requires discipline in recording time. If you choose this method, you should let timeSensor handle the conversion from minutes to hours. Therefore, use "initials+minutes" (e.g. h10, h70, etc.). Our experience is that this may not work very well in larger firms, where some staff will have the tendency to enter decimal values themselves (0,16 or 0,17). This may again lead to some errors in rounding.
With this method, each time is converted according to a defined table into a decimal value with two digits after the comma. There are different tables for that. timeSensor uses two different tables as shown below. One is referred to in Germany as the "Industrieminute" (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrieminute), while the other one is referred to as the UDR table.
Industrieminuten Table
A14ENG_02_Excel SHEET Industry Minute
UDR Table
A14ENG_03_Excel Sheet UDR
This method has easiness on its side.
The downside is that it might lead to rounding errors over time, though they tend to even out.
With this method, time is rounded up in 6-minute increments. Decimal values increase by 0,1 hour. This excludes accumulated rounding errors entirely.
You can create as many partial invoices as you want during the lifetime of a case. Just like retainer invoices partial invoices will be deducted from the final invoice.
Partial invoices are recommended, e.g.:
You can create a partial invoice over a lump sum or over services that have been entered in the dossier, using the feature "Partial Invoice from Selection". In both cases, the partial invoice will show up with a green icon on your invoice list. This FAQ entry shows you how to create partial invoices with a lump sum.
In every case, you can create as many partial invoices for your client or third parties. Partial invoices will be deducted from the final invoice, just like retainer invoices.
It is recommended to use partial invoices:
You can create partial invoices based on a lump sum or invoice services entered in the dossier using the feature "Partial invoice from selection". In both cases, the partial invoice will show up in the invoice list with a green icon.
The search window "Find Case Folder" in your personal area lets you find case folders based on several pieces of information:
Option 1: Search for a case number
If the case number is added to the case name, set the search field to "Case Name" and start typing the case number. All cases starting with the case number will show up.
If you restart numbering your cases at 1 every year, you will see results from past years as well.
Tip: Sort your list chronologically. Right click on the header of the list to show the field "Created On" and sort the list using this column. The newest cases will show up at the top.
Option 2: Search for clients
Set the search field to "Client" and enter the first few letters of your client's name.
The list will be filtered and show all clients whose names correspond to the letters entered.
Option 3: Search for opponents or other linked contacts
Set the search field to "Client", then enter the relation, followed by a colon and the name.
Tip: You don't have to write out everything. It's sufficient to type in the first few letters of the relation (e.g. "opp") and of the name.
In this third example, we're searching for a court.
How can I find cases related to a contact?
To access the Statistics window, go to "Special" and click on "Statistics". This feature lets you analyze the data that's been entered into the timesheets. The basis of your statistics is always the recording of services.
At the top left, you can choose between Turnovers, Quantities and Key Figures to analyze your data. The statistics will show amounts, hours or relations, depending on your choice.
In the left bar, choose how you want to structure your statistics. For example, you can sort the amounts by executives, by account managers or by clients.
In the top part of the window, you will find a variety of filters. Filters work cumulatively. For example, you can see all billable for one staff member.
By default, statistics are shown on a yearly basis. If you want a detailed view, double-click on the column of a year to switch into a monthly view. If you double-click on the column of a month, you will see daily statistics. To go back to the first view, just click on the column of a day.
You can print statistics with the printer button or copy the entire chart with a right click and paste it into Excel.
All bookings in timeSensor LEGAL made and managed through your ledgers. Anyone involved in accounting may also use the balance summary and the accounting journal to do additional research.
Go to "Special", "Accounting", then click on "Balance Summary" to open the following window:
You will see all the accounts of your chart of accounts, including their monthly balance. You can add columns to display the total of period, the monthly average, the budget or budget variance. Double click on a cell (e.g. income for March) to open the account details.
The accounting journal contains all the booking entered in timeSensor LEGAL, in chronological order. It offers several features to search and filter bookings, which may be of particular use for accountants.
In general, timeSensor LEGAL processes all data in your local currency, e.g. GBP if your firm is in the UK. With some restrictions, you may also use foreign currencies with timeSensor LEGAL.
All invoices are created in your local currency. However, you can create invoices in foreign currencies using a print template that convert the invoice amount in a foreign currency according to a specific rule. The amount is only converted for the printed invoice; in the database, the amount will remain in local currency. You can convert according to the following rules:
Local currency is GBP, invoice currency is USD.
Create an invoice template for USD, for example by duplicating the existing invoice template and renaming it.
You will also have to make changes to your new template. It contains several INV_INSERT commands, which are used to insert amounts in the invoice. These have to be complemented with the variable "Currency" and, if necessary, "Exchange rate". You will find more about commands in our chapter on templates. Every invoice that you will print using the "Invoice USD" template will be converted automatically and printed as an invoice with amounts in USD. The database entry remains in local currency.
If a client pays an invoice in a foreign currency to a bank account in local currency, there will likely be a difference in exchange rates
Please note that timeSensor LEGAL does not support statements for invoices in foreign currencies. You can print statements but will have to manually enter the amounts in foreign currencies.
You can set up and use a bank account in foreign currency (Business Edition and upward). The exchange rate will be saved in the accounting for each booking. You can modify the exchange rate by selecting the booking and clicking on the "info" icon. In the following example, you see a cross booking from an account in foreign currency (EUR) to an account in local currency (CHF).
Select the account from which the transfer should be made, mark it as a ledger and make the modifications.
It is advisable to create a new liability account just for this. The transfer will be done with two or more bookings through this account.
Remember: "Entry" means and "Debit" and "Out" means "Credit"!
There are several ways to add a date in your templates. This entry will show you three options and their differences. If you're not familiar with templates, we advise you to watch the tutorials first.
You can easily add a 4D date field in your template. You can select the format in the dialog box:
This option is not advisable if you're using templates in other languages. The database will only display the date in the language of your operating system.
You can use the feature "UTI_GetLetterDate", which lets you define the language in order to display the date in the template's language (the month is written out). Using one variable only will display the current date. The second optional variable can display a database field. For example, this lets you print the invoice's date in the desired language.
The command "GEN_INSERT" lets you add date and place. The first variable indicates which date to use: "letterdate" uses the date of the database record (e.g. the invoice), "currentdate" uses the current date. The second variable lets you add a language code, that is e.g. "de", "fr", "en", etc.
The following chart shows the different options and the results, using a template in its English-language version.
On Windows, letterheads are saved as a single image tied to specific coordinates. These coordinates refer to standard screen resolution.
If you modify your screen resolution in your Windows system preferences, e.g. from 125% to 150%, your letterhead will not be positioned correctly. You should choose a screen resolution and apply it to every computer in your firm. You can also create specific letterheads for various screen resolutions.
If no services have been entered into a case, you can delete it at any time by clicking on the small "minus" button at the bottom of the case list.
As soon as you've entered services, the "minus" button will disappear and you can no longer delete a case with one click. If you wish to delete it, you must select all services in the case and either delete them or transfer them to another case.
Select the services and choose "Transfer To" from the action menu at the bottom right of the window. Now choose the case to which you wish to transfer the services.
Services with a white background can be deleted at any time.
Services with a blue background are from staff's personal time sheet. You can delete it in the dossier, but that only means that the service will change to non-billable. The service must also be deleted from the staff's time sheet.
If you've created invoices, you will need to delete those before deleting the case.
Drafts and documents will not be affected if you delete a case. They will only lose the relation to the case, but will remain visible in the dossier under "Drafts" or "Archive".
As long as an invoice is saved under "unprinted invoices" it will be considered a temporary draft. If you delete the invoice, its number will be released and reassigned to the next invoice. Therefore, you can always delete a draft invoice and recreate it: the assigned number should remain the same.
Once an invoice is finalized and saved as "outstanding invoice", its number will no longer be available. If you delete one of these invoices, you can either credit the amount (Credit Note) or delete it. You will see the message pictured on the right.
For transparency reasons, it is often advisable to credit the amount. There may be cases where a credit note does not make sense.
Let's assume you create and send a retainer invoice for a new client. Should this client change his mind and retain the services of another lawyer, you may as well spare the effort of creating a credit note and just discard the invoice.
Even under German compliancy rules, it is not necessary to have a continuous numbering for all invoices. However, each number may only be assigned once.
In the above-mentioned example, in order to ensure internal traceability, you may want to create a PDF copy of the retainer invoice and add it to a case memo. You will find the invoice in your document archive.
You will find more information regarding accounting here.
Go to "Settings", "Parameters", then select "Finances". You can modify the invoice number under the tab "Receivables". You may want to increase the starting number if you do not want to disclose the actual number.
You can also access all the "recycled" invoice numbers. Usually, there is no necessity to manage these manually, as timeSensor LEGAL does this automatically.
Whenever you create an invoice with timeSensor LEGAL, it will first show up in your list of "unprinted invoices". Even invoices that timeSensor LEGAL is set up to create automatically will first show up as "unprinted invoices". If you do not print those invoices immediately but wait a few days before issuing them, it might be useful to update the invoice's date. You can do this directly in the invoice's record. Click on the small lock to unlock the invoice and use the action menu next to the date to enter the new date. Or just update the date directly in the list of "unprinted invoices". Select the invoices for which you want to change the date. Go to "Tools", "Modify selected", then choose "Set invoice date...". This is an easy way to modify the dates of as many invoices as you want.
You may wish to transfer a case from one dossier to another:
As long as you have not done any booking or invoicing in the case, you can simply transfer it with drag & drop from one dossier to the other. Any linked data such as services, drafts, documents, etc. will be transferred automatically.
If you have already done some bookkeeping or invoicing, you will have to close the case in the old dossier and create a new one with the new client. You will have to transfer data manually from the old case to the new case.
This FAQ entry describes what you should consider when employees are joining or leaving your law office. You need administrator rights in order to make the following changes.
Go to contacts and choose “Employees”. Register the new employee’s address. Tip: select the law office’s file before clicking the plus button. Thereby the new address will automatically be added as an employee. Open the newly registered record, click the “Home” button and add a private address.
The new employee needs a new user account in order to use timeSensor® LEGAL. Go to “Settings”, click the “User”-button and add a new user account. Remember to link the previously added user address in the “User Contact Record” section. The new user needs to be part of at least one group. Otherwise the new record cannot be saved. The groups can be ticked in the “Log In” section. If the employee will be working as an executive, you should also add an icon to the record.
Tip: After creating the new record you can drag and drop the username to the right position depending on the hierarchy. This order will be displayed in the login window.
If the new employee is an executive user, you have to register that in timeSensor® LEGAL. Thus the user gets a personal area in the software. Go to "Settings", click "Core Data" and select "Executives". Click the big, blue plus button to add an executive user. Choose the executive level and tick the desired options. Tip: If you are working with more than one entity you have to repeat this process for every entity in which the new employee is an executive user.
Make sure that there are no more cases or clients assigned to the employee who is leaving. If there are assigned cases you can change these to another employee. Set the filter to the leaving employee and check if she is selected as an executive user in any cases. If so you can change this by clicking “Tools”, “Modify selected” ,“Set Account Manager…”
Go to “Contacts”, click “Employees” and open the employee’s dossier. Set the status to “inactive” and save the record. The address will now show up in grey. Alternatively you can also delete the record provided that there is no important information in the dossier.
Go to “Settings”, click “Users” and open the user’s account. Click “log In” and tick the box “Account Deactivated”. The user will no longer show up in the log in list and will not require a licence.
Go to “Settings”, click “Core Data” and choose “Executives”. Delete the leaving employee’s name from the list. Please note that the executive's record will remain in the database, so that the employee's services may still be assigned at a later point. Tip: If you are working with more than one entity you have to repeat this process for every entity in which the employee leaving the firm is an executive user.
In the receivables, in the list "Outstanding Invoices", timeSensor LEGAL marks invoices for which you should send a reminder with a grey point. This entry explains how timeSensor LEGAL calculates whether or not to display a grey point.
The starting point for the first reminder is the invoice date. You will find this date at the top of the invoice entry. The following screenshots show you how to change the invoice date in an existing invoice, if necessary:
The starting point for subsequent reminders is the date of the last reminder. Provided the next reminder is not outstanding, you may modify the reminder status. For example, you can change the date of the previous reminder or delete the last reminder.
The calculation is based on the current preferences for reminders of the Statement scheme assigned to the invoice. According to these preferences, a defined number of days will be added to the date of the invoice (or the date of the last reminder):
Finally, a tolerance period is added. The default period is five days. Note that if you wish to change this tolerance period, you will need to contact the hotline to make the modification. This specific parameter is not implemented in the GUI.
The short answer to the question is therefore: timeSensore LEGAL will display a grey point when the date of invoices (or the date of the last reminder) plus the payment deadline according to the current preferences for reminders in the Statement scheme assigned to the invoice plus tolerance is smaller than the current date.
The copy and paste feature is well-known in text processing. You may not know it, but you can also use copy and paste in timeSensor LEGAL, with a few restrictions.
Lists in timeSensor LEGAL have a very useful feature: Right-click on the list to reveal the menu "Copy". This feature allows you to copy the selected entries, as shown on the screen, to the clipboard.
You can use this feature, combined with the possibility to taylor lists to your requirements (watch our tutorial A2 in our basic training), easily copy the data you need and import into Excel.
You can also copy and paste service entries within the time sheet, as well as between time sheet and dossiers, thanks to a special software feature. Hold down the Alt key while pasting the previously copied service entry and the service will automatically be transferred and adapted to the current case. This will also trigger a new calculation of prices according to the price list attached to the selected case.
Copy and Paste From Cells and Fields
It is also possible to copy from database fields. Be careful when pasting data from database fields or tables, because text may not always be text.
If you copy sections from a homepage or an HTML coded email, you will also copy control characters and other damaging code into your timeSensor database. This means "Garbage In, Garbage Out": If you save control characters or damaging code into your timeSensor database, you may influence the software. Some hidden characters may for example interrupt printing, resulting in an incomplete template containing only data up to this hidden character. We do not recommend copying data from websites or HTML emails directly into database fields.
Should you encounter a problem while saving a 4D Write draft, e.g. because of a crash or network problem, you may not be able to find the document in the draft folder.
Hold down the ALT key and press the "Plus" button. timeSensor will search the database for incorrectly saved drafts and will restore them, whenever possible.
You may add a couple in one single dossier or use separate - but linked - dossiers for each spouse.
It is usually more practical to use a single dossier for a couple. In this case, chose the title "Mr and Ms". If the couple uses the same family name, you can add both first names in the corresponding field:
If the family name is different, you can add the spouse in the "Complement" field:
In some situations, you may prefer to use separate dossiers for each spouse. You may link the dossiers with an appropriate relation, e.g. "Spouse1 - Spouse2". This method only makes sense if you're not addressing both spouses at the same time.
It takes time to manually set up a case due to the numerous parameters. To save time and improve consistency, it is advisable to use template cases and/or template clients.
A template case is a case with preset parameters to use as a template for new cases. New cases will require little configuration. All parameters will be transferred to a new case, including linked contacts and other data from the template case:
You can add a template case to any dossier, e.g. the dossier of a key client. You can also create a dedicated dossier which you will use only for templates. This is called a "template client".
A template client is a client with a preconfigured set of cases, including all parameters, which can be used as a template for new cases. A template client can have as many cases and subcases as you wish. That way, you can take over an entire case structure with one click and save yourself a lot of manual configuration work. A template client works just like a template case. All parameters, including linked contacts and other data, are transferred to the new case.
First, create a dedicated dossier for templates. This is your template client. The dossier can be in any area. We recommend placing it in the "Staff" area, because access rights to this area are limited. Setting up template cases and clients should be done by your program administrator.
timeSensor LEGAL will only recognize template cases and offer them in the selection if they are marked as such. You can specify this in the parameters (Settings area), under "Finances", by clicking on "Template Client". Open the selector with a click on the "+" button, then select your template cases with the usual drag and drop. This is what it will look like in the above-mentioned example:
If you only want to add one template case, which does not necessarily need to be in the template client's dossier, then click on "Template case". Add a line with the "+" button and type in the first letters of the dossier in which the case is located:
You can enter default settings for your cases by clicking "Default settings". timeSensor LEGAL will fill in these settings in new cases, if you do not have template cases or clients (or do not wish to use them). timeSensor LEGAL may choose between:
You can specify which settings timeSensor LEGAL should use in the menu "Create according to".
When you create a new case and have set up template cases or template clients, timeSensor LEGAL will show you a list of templates. Just choose the template you want from the list. The new case will be added to the dossier.
In our example, we could add an entire M&A case structure to our dossier "Ivan Kaufmann" with just a few clicks:
If you do not select a template and skip this step, timeSensor LEGAL will create a case with either the default settings or the settings from the current client's most recent case.
timeSensor LEGAL is not a time stamp clock, but it can register when employees log in and out of the system. You can use this to monitor your staff's presence time and help with time recording in the time sheet.
Ask your staff to log in timeSensor LEGAL when they start work and to log out during lunch breaks. Further, request that presence time and entries in the time sheet have to be balanced at the end of the day. In order to use the feature, you need to enable "Presence time monitoring" in the account of every user who is going to use the new feature:
Once presence time monitoring is set up, you can open a sidebar in the time sheet by clicking on the arrow at the top right of the window:
timeSensor LEGAL will automatically add presence time at the bottom of the sidebar according to every user's login and logout times. The last figure is "0:00", which means that the user is still logged in and the presence time continues to run.
Total presence time is displayed with a blue bar. The green bar shows the time entered in the time sheet. If the user has spent the whole day at work, the blue bar's length should correspond to the green bar's. This indicates that the user has entered all her hours in the time sheet.
The difference between the blue and the green bar is shown in the red bar. The difference bar will grow with every additional minute of presence time and will diminish with every entry in the time sheet. One particularly useful feature is the ability to transfer the difference, i.e. the time that has not been billed, with one click directly into the time sheet.
You can use timeSensor LEGAL to print out a list of services that have not yet been billed as of a specific key date. The process is as follows:
In the "Finance" area, click on the "Clients" button to display the client list. In the footer of the client list, click on the small triangle to show advanced search options. Enter the desired end date in the "To" field (e.g., 31.3.2016).
In a second step, you must now print the corresponding list. Click on the Print button and select the "OP List Historical". The list is now printed out:
Since this is a relatively new feature in timeSensor LEGAL, the "OP List Historical" may not yet have been created in your database. You can create the list as follows (assuming you have the appropriate access rights):
One often issues advance invoices to clients for estimated costs, but what if the advance payment exceeds the actual cost of the services provided?
Firstly, create an advance invoice as usual and then book it when the payment is received.
Over time, services will accumulate in the dossier until the mandate can be charged.
When that time comes, create an invoice for the accrued services. There is no need to print this invoice and it should not yet be booked, since the balance is still in the client's favour.
Before the invoice can be booked, the advance invoice must be credited. This allows the advance payment to be booked to the "Transitory Items" account, from whence it can be freely distributed among all the mandates in the client's dossier.
Now the final invoice can be offset against the credit balance. When booking, it should be recorded how the credit from the advance payment has been used, and thus resulted in a credit balance remaining in the "Transitory Items" account. The balance in the "Transitory Items" account may be used for other mandates.
The e-mail interface needs to be set up first before you can send unprinted invoices by e-mail. There must also be an unprinted invoice, and the recipient must have provided an e-mail address. This article shows how it works.
Please also check that the output options are set to Conditional and All Media. You can also save a standard e-mail template so that your customers do not only receive an invoice. More about this in the chapter "Depositing an e-mail text".
To access the first window, click on the Settings icon in the bottom right-hand corner, then click on Parameters, then switch to the Finances menu, and then select Template Editor in the Invoice Template drop-down menu. Now click on the blue folder in the middle of the new window.
Next, select Invoices on the right side of the new window and click Output Options in the upper right-hand corner. Here you can set the drop-down menus to Conditional and All Media. The argument INV_isDocument(«invoice») must be shown in the box marked in red below.
In order to send not only the invoice by e-mail alone, an e-mail text template is required. Create an e-mail text template for the subsequent documents of the selected invoice. Then click on Output options in the upper right corner and set the output to "Always" and "Mail only".
Now you need to save an e-mail address (marked in red in the image) in the dossier of the invoice recipient.
Continue to the Finance section, where you will find unprinted invoices under Accounts Receivable. Select the invoice record and click on the printer symbol at the bottom right. Then click on the small black arrow in the Draft field and select "Mail to ...". You can then edit and send the contents of the e-mail.
You also have the option of sending invoices by e-mail without having set up an interface. You can also send e-mails without an interface via clients or mandate folders.