TurboLaw Time and Billing 1.19 Released
August 13, 2010
The latest version of TurboLaw Time and Billing, Version 1.19, contains some new features that were implemented based on suggestions and feedback we received from you!
The most anticipated new feature is the ability to add a client’s “account balance” to a bill. Previously, to show a client’s overall balance (including any retainers paid and anything billed against that retainer), you had to print a statement. Now, however, you can add some of the information previously only found on statements to your bills instead – saving you both time and effort.
To help illustrate this new feature, this version of TurboLaw Time and Billing also includes new bill templates designed to take advantage of the new information that can now be added to a bill.
Other new features and improvements in this version include:
- A new “Refresh” button in the main window so you can easily re-load the list of bills/clients/staff if something has changed. (You can still refresh any list in the program by simply pressing the F5 key on your keyboard.)
- Significantly improved performance when you have a very large number of clients/work items/expenses/etc. listed in the program all at once.
- Fixed a small problem that was causing a preview of your selected template not to appear in the “Settings” window.
As always, your TurboLaw Time and Billing will check for updates automatically and notify you when a new update is available. Just watch for the pop-up balloon, or for this message at the bottom of your screen:
Remember – we really do listen your feedback (as this new version demonstrates), so please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any thoughts or comments about the program.
We hope you enjoy this latest version of TurboLaw Time and Billing!
TurboLaw Time and Billing 1.18 Released
June 18, 2010
Summertime has finally arrived, and most people’s thoughts turn to barbecues, beaches, and vacations. But here at TurboLaw, our only thoughts are bringing you new and improved products to help you spend less time working and more time enjoying the summer weather!
Towards that end, we’ve once again released an update to TurboLaw Time and Billing, Version 1.18!
This new version includes updates to our template editor, some minor improvements to our “dashboard” home page view, and improvements to our license activation system which will ensure that you can always access your data, no matter what.
As always, your TurboLaw Time and Billing will check for updates automatically and notify you when a new update is available. Just watch for the pop-up balloon, or for this message at the bottom of your screen:
Remember – we welcome your feedback as well, so don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any thoughts or comments about the program.
We hope you enjoy both this latest version of TurboLaw Time and Billing, and this wonderful summer weather!
TurboLaw 2.74 Released
May 26, 2010
We are very pleased to announce that the latest version of our TurboLaw Automated Document Software, version 2.74, is now available to all of our customers. This new version includes a number of requested improvements, as well as new features that we’ve added to help make it even easier to enter case information and create and manage documents with TurboLaw.
Here is a list of the new features and changes introduced in TurboLaw Version 2.74:
- Added a “Refresh” button to the list of Saved Documents for a case, so you can easily refresh the list if you’ve changed the files outside of TurboLaw (see picture below):
The new "Refresh" buton
- When showing “Inactive” cases, the inactive cases are visually distinguished from “Active” cases by a lighter gray color (see picture below):
The new distinctive "inactive" case colors
- The “Search Documents” window and the “Create Documents for a Case” window now remember what size they were, and open with that same size the next time you open it.
- Improved handling of Internet connection problems in the TurboLaw Update Utility.
We also added some changes that affect specific areas of law:
- For MA/Divorce, NH/Domestic Relations, and RI/Family Law, you can now select “no state” for an address (e.g., place of marriage) if the address was outside the U.S. (see picture below):
Easier to add non-U.S. addresses
- For MA/Divorce, NH/Domestic Relations, and RI/Family Law, when entering children, the program automatically defaults to the last name of the “father” (that is, whichever party is “male”). You can, of course, still override this by simply typing in a different name, if the default last name is incorrect.
TurboLaw users should receive a notification of this new update from your TurboLaw program shortly after you open it (if you have Automatic Updates turned on). If you don’t have Automatic Updates turned on, you can click the Update menu in TurboLaw and choose Check for Updates instead.
As always, we continue to update TurboLaw based on feedback we hear from our customers – so if you have an idea or suggestion for TurboLaw, we’d love to hear from you!
TurboLaw Time and Billing 1.17 Released
April 15, 2010
We are very excited to announce the release of TurboLaw Time and Billing Version 1.17. As always, we are committed to bringing you the easiest to use billing software possible, and this new version is no exception.
This new version brings with it an improved template editor, which makes editing your bill and statement templates even easier.
Above: the new template editor (click for larger version)
Also new in this version is the addition of a “matter” column when viewing a bill, so that you can see whether the items you have entered on your bill are associated with a matter, and if so, which one.
Above: the “edit bill” window showing the new “matter” column (click for larger version)
Another big new feature for this version is the ability to import and export templates. This feature makes it even easier to share your custom bill and statement templates with other users of the program in your office, so that anyone can print our bills and statements using your “official” template.
In addition to importing and exporting, you can also now rename your templates right from the “Choose Template” window, as well as delete templates you don’t want anymore.
Above: you can now import, export, rename, and delete templates (click for larger version)
As an added bonus, we also added the “terms” field to the list of available fields that you can place in your bill templates. This means that you can now add the “terms” field to your bill template, which will show up in printed bills with the “terms” for that particular client, so that your clients know what their terms are and when the bill is due.
We’d also like to take this opportunity to remind you that TurboLaw Time and Billing is compatible with Windows 7, both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. (Click here to see other Windows versions which TurboLaw Time and Billing is compatible with.)
As always, your TurboLaw Time and Billing will check for updates automatically and notify you when a new update is available. Just watch for the pop-up balloon, or for this message at the bottom of your screen:
This message lets you know a new update is available.
Remember – we welcome your feedback as well, so don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any thoughts or comments about the program.
We hope you enjoy this latest version of TurboLaw Time and Billing!
TurboLaw 2.73 Released
January 14, 2010
We are happy to announce that TurboLaw 2.73, the latest version of our popular automated document assembly software, is now available. If you have TurboLaw, the next time you open it, you should see a notice about the updated version appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen (it may take a short while to appear, depending on your Internet speed).
This new version features a number of changes designed to make it even easier for you to get your work done:
- The TurboLaw Migration Wizard is now bundled with TurboLaw itself, to help make it even easier to move your TurboLaw data from one computer to another (as when you get a new computer or switch computers)
- The registration window has been revised to allow you to try to register online again, instead of only allowing you to click it once
- Text on the registration window has been re-worded to make it more clear
- The Update Utility has been improved to better handle random Internet connection problems that some people encounter (especially when using wireless Internet)
As always, we continue to update TurboLaw based on feedback we hear from our customers – so if you have an idea or suggestion for TurboLaw, we’d love to hear from you!
TurboLaw Time and Billing 1.16 Released
November 19, 2009
It may not have a big red bow tied around it, but the latest release of TurboLaw Time and Billing – Version 1.16 – could be considered our “early Christmas present” to all of our users.
The biggest change in this new version is undoubtedly the incredible variety of new bill templates we’ve added.
These new templates not only give you the ability to create fantastic-looking bills, they also show just how much you can do with TurboLaw Time and Billing’s template system and a little bit of creativity.
Here is a preview of all the new bill templates (click on any image to see a larger version):
-
- “Atlantis”
-
- “Boston”
-
- “Woodstock”
-
- “Phoenix”
-
- “Manhattan”
-
- “Papyrus”
We hope you enjoy these new themes – and remember, you can always pick one of these themes and customize it further to suit your taste.
As always, your TurboLaw Time and Billing will check for updates automatically and notify you when a new update is available. Just watch for the pop-up balloon, or for this message at the bottom of your screen:
This message lets you know a new update is available.
Remember – we welcome your feedback as well, so don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any thoughts or comments about the program.
We hope you enjoy this latest version of TurboLaw Time and Billing!
TurboLaw 2.72 Released
September 14, 2009
As always, we are happy to announce the release of the latest version of TurboLaw – Version 2.72. This new version introduces some new features as well as some improvements that will make TurboLaw even easier to use. Here’s a list of all the new features and changes, as well as a brief explanation:
- Easier Registration - the registration process has been streamlined by replacing the multiple registration option buttons with a single button which simply says “Click here to register.” Since every copy of TurboLaw must be registered, and you must also re-register when you get a new computer, we try to make this process as simple and streamlined as possible.
- Recent Update History - the TurboLaw Update Utility will now keep a record of all the updates (new or changed documents) it has downloaded, so that you can see what has been updated previously, rather than just in the current session. This is useful if you want to see if, for example, your TurboLaw downloaded a new version of a form that came out last week.
- Safer “Alternate Case Folder” Option - previously, it was possible to select folders using the “Alternate Case Folder” option that would cause problems for TurboLaw – for example, the infamous 4160 error. Now, TurboLaw will warn you when you attempt to use a folder that might cause trouble later on.
- Update Timeouts - a small number of users of TurboLaw were reporting that the Update Utility was occasionally (and randomly) “timing out” when trying to download updates, even though their Internet connection was fine. This new version of TurboLaw includes enhancements to prevent this problem from happening.
Although this is a (relatively) minor update, we do encourage all TurboLaw users to download and install this update.
If you have automatic updates turned on in TurboLaw, you will be notified about this update. If you don’t have automatic updates turned on, you will have to check for updates manually by clicking the Update menu in TurboLaw and choosing Check for Updates.
This window will appear on your screen when a new TurboLaw Update is available.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any trouble getting this latest update, or if you have any questions or comments. We welcome your feedback!
TurboLaw Time and Billing 1.15 Released
August 3, 2009
Once again, we here at TurboLaw Software are extremely pleased to announce the release of the latest version of TurboLaw Time and Billing: Version 1.15! We’ve worked very hard on this latest release, adding more than a dozen major new features/improvements to the program – many of them based directly on feedback we receive from you, our wonderful customers. As always, our goal is to bring you nothing less than simply the best time and billing program possible.
This new version has a lot of new features which we just can’t stop talking about, so instead of our usual list of new features, we’re going to go into a little bit more detail instead.
Read on for more details on all the amazing new features we’ve added and improvements we’ve made!
Totally new statement templates specialized for retainers:
This feature is one that will be especially helpful to those people who regularly take retainers for their work. You can select one of the new templates we’ve added to the program that have this feature if you want to see it in action.
Bills can now be printed in “batches” from the “Bills” list:
This is a feature we heard many of our customers ask for – and we listened to you! When looking at the list of bills in TurboLaw Time and Billing, just select the bills you want to print, and right-click and choose Print Bill(s). You can also click Print Bill(s) from the navigation bar on the left, if you prefer.
Separate fields for the “category” and “notes” of a bill line item:
Previously, line items on a bill had simply a single “description,” which was a combination of the “category” for that line item and any notes you may have entered for that item.
Above: the old bill line item "description" field in a template
The description for a bill line item always printed out in exactly the same way, as Category: Notes.
Above: a bill line item's description as it appeared on a bill
Once again, we listened to our customers’ feedback, and based on that, we added two new fields to bills – they are called category and notes. Although none of our default, built-in templates use these new fields, you can add them to your own templates easily. This way, you can choose to display the category of an item and its notes in separate columns, or perhaps choose not to display one or the other, depending on your tastes.
Above: the new "category" and "notes" fields for bills
Above: the new "category" and "notes" fields as they appear in a bill
As always, we believe that you should have total control over how your bills look – and these new fields make it possible to design your bill template to be exactly the way you want it to be.
All “list” style windows can now be copied to the Windows clipboard for pasting into other programs, or exported to a CSV file:
Because we believe that the data you enter into TurboLaw Time and billing is yours to do with as you please, we added some new buttons to all of the “list” type windows. These new buttons allow you to either copy the list you see to your clipboard (so you can paste it into a spreadsheet or a document), or export the list you see to a CSV file (a type of text-only spreadsheet). Either way, the data you see on the screen can now be easily taken out of TurboLaw Time and Billing and put into whatever program you wish. You can manipulate the data if you want, create reports of your own, or even just share the data with others who might not have TurboLaw Time and Billing.
These new buttons are available in all of the “list” type windows in the program, including:
- Clients
- Time and Expenses
- Payments
- Staff Members
- Staff Titles
- Account History
- Billing Categories
- Matters
The “list” window for work/expenses now has a column showing whether each item has been billed or not:
This feature is another one that was suggested to us by our customers. When looking at a list of time and expenses, you will now see an additional column labeled “status” which tells you whether that item has been billed for yet. An item that is marked “unbilled” has been entered into the program, but has not yet been added to a bill. An item that is marked “billed” has been added to a bill, and is counted as part of the client’s balance.
Graphs can now display data by specific intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) for either a single client or staff member, or for ALL clients or staff members:
We’re always looking for new ways that people want to use the data in TurboLaw Time and Billing for reporting purposes – after all, there’s no way we could think of all the different ways you might want to use the data. One way that was suggested to us by a customer was to show a graph of (say) revenue for the past several months. To make this happen, we had to add an additional option to our graphs window to allow you to include “everyone” in the graph, rather than just restricting it to the currently selected client or staff member.
The result was the ability to graph trends in things like revenue, billed time, and payments received.
The increased flexibility and power provided by TurboLaw Time and Billing’s graphs with this new option make it possible to track your firm’s productivity, revenue, and expenses even more accurately.
Items in the “Account History” window can now be deleted directly from that window:
We always try to give you multiple ways to accomplish your goals in TurboLaw Time and Billing – that way you can use whatever method is easiest for you. In the case of the Account History window, we wanted to make it possible for you to delete an item directly from this window – so we did! Just right-click any item and choose Delete.
Other Improvements:
These improvements and changes aren’t really the sort that you can show with a picture, so we’ll just list them here.
- Newly-created clients are now “auto-saved” when you add a matter
- User-entered client ID numbers now appear on bills and statements
- Upgrades now remove old, unneeded files to save disk space
- Improved “unexpected error” message now more informative, and includes the phone number to call if you need technical support
- New “extensible” architecture (for enabling 3rd party integration)
As always, your TurboLaw Time and Billing will check for updates automatically and notify you when a new update is available. Just watch for the pop-up balloon, or for this message at the bottom of your screen:
This message lets you know a new update is available.
Remember – we welcome your feedback as well, so don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any thoughts or comments about the program.
We hope you enjoy this latest version of TurboLaw Time and Billing!
New Guardianship Forms for Massachusetts Probate Law
July 1, 2009
New Probate forms for Guardianships are now in effect for Massachusetts. We will be uploading them for current customers as quickly they become available.
The new guardianship forms are named differently from the old forms. The new forms all start with “MPC.”
TurboLaw is set by default to check for updates and new forms automatically every time you open the program, so if you have not changed this setting, then your TurboLaw will pick up the new forms automatically each time you open the program.
If you have automatic updates turned off (for example, if you have a dial-up connection) you can check for updates manually by clicking the Updates menu in TurboLaw and choosing Check for Updates.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Website May Harm Your Computer
May 13, 2009
Google seems to have caught the Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s website (telegram.com) distributing “drive by” malware. “Drive by” malware means malicious or harmful software that is installed on your computer even if you don’t click on anything. Of course this is done without your consent (or notice).
Google has a “Safe Browsing” notice page that explains the details of what has been found coming from the Telegram & Gazette’s website.
If you search Google for “worcester telegram and gazette“, you will receive a warning page similar to the one shown below (the warning is circled in red):
If you use Firefox as your web browser and you try to go directly to the Telegram & Gazette’s website, you’ll see a security warning similar to this:
If you use Internet Explorer, you won’t get any warning – so if you do use Internet Explorer, you might want to avoid going directly to the Telegram & Gazette’s website and instead search for it using Google.
According to Google’s report, the malware isn’t coming directly from telegram.com, but from other sites – probably linked via ads of some sort, or perhaps via a sneaky technique known as “injection,” which allows content from other (usually “bad”) sites to be “injected” into other sites (usually very popular ones).
If you do visit the Telegram & Gazette’s website (not recommended right now), you’ll see a vague statement on the front page regarding “problems” they are experiencing right now, and how they are “working with their vendors” to resolve it.
Until this situation is resolved, we’d recommend staying away from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s website. You can check on the status of the situation by searching Google for “worcester telegram and gazette” and seeing whether the “This site may harm your computer” warning is still there.
If you absolutely must go to the website, we’d recommend using extreeme caution. If you have a Macintosh or Linux computer available, it is probably safe to visit the site from those computers – as almost all malware is written for Microsoft Windows.
UPDATE: The problem appears to have been fixed. We received a note from Mark Henderson, Online Director over at the Telegram & Gazette, who let us know about the problem and gave us this note, which was also posted on their website:
Our Web site was the target of a virus or other intruding program for limited periods of time from Monday afternoon to early Wednesday morning. When we learned of the problem, we took all appropriate steps to ensure the integrity and safety of the site. We believe that we have corrected the problem and that you can continue to use the site without concern. It is our understanding that computers with up-to-date virus protection would not have been compromised. If you believe that your computer may have been affected while connected to our site, please contact Online Director Mark Henderson at (508) 793-9266.
Google also no longer lists the site as being potentially harmful to your computer, nor does Firefox. So it seems to be safe to visit the site again. Although this incident just underscores the need to have a good anti-virus or anti-spyware program on your computer that is kept up-to-date!
Subscribe
