A: “The one you’ll actually use.”
I can’t tell you how many attorneys I speak with who are still keeping their time on some sort of manual system. Most often this involves taking a few minutes at the end of the day to recall what they did, estimating time spent, giving the list to their assistant, and having the assistant enter it in some sort of timekeeping system. Some of these attorneys have timekeeping software installed on their computers, but for whatever reason just don’t want to use it. Well, if you need some incentive to find software that you’ll actually use, take a look at the numbers.
Statistics show that attorneys can capture up to 15% more billable time by keeping their time contemporaneously with computer software. So, an attorney billing at $300 per hour who typically bills 6 hours per day, could increase the time billed by .9 hours per day or $270. That’s found money because the attorney is not working and extra .9 hours, just capturing the accurate time. And that captured time adds up to $1,350 per week and $64,800 over the course of 48 weeks! (Yes, you should be taking at least 4 weeks off each year.) If you beat the curve and only lose 7-8% of your billable time, you’re only missing out on around $32,000 per year. Do you have staff who bill their time? They’re not capturing all their time either.
There are plenty of great software packages out there, so find one that you like and use – or as they say – lose it. Don’t cheat yourself out of earning all you’re worth!
Here are links to three of the top time & billing software companies. Please check these or others out and find one that works for you.Abacus LawAmicus AttorneyTime Matters