Home

Frequently Asked Questions

1. All Deductions 00 00 Jaxes Emol c ia Net Pay sane i Next Employee Fed Tax Next check State Tax Previous check Luce Tax FUTA Add Update SUTA we z Wok Casp Deductions Company Benefits Deductions pre tax Health ANIK Health Ins Medical 4038 Stock Dental 408K Donations Disability Alimony If the Add button is gray you are looking at an existing After the Fact check Click the Exit button change the date by one day and click the Edit button again You can only have one After the Fact check per day per employee in Payroll or If the Add button is black you are looking at a new After the Fact check Figures appear automatically based on the numbers from the last regular pay check 6 Type the check number in the Check Number box 7 DO NOT USE A CHECK NUMBER OF ZERO 8 Change the figures to reflect the check that was already processed in PCLaw 9 To add the check to Payroll click the Add button 10 To exit the After the Fact window click the Exit button 11 To return to the main Payroll window click the Exit button once more Notes e If you see the warning message Tax amounts should not be blank when Wages amount is greater than zero you have entered an amount in a Wages box without an amount in the corresponding Employee and or Company box Click the Redo button to make corrections and click the Add button when you are finished e If you see the warning message Wages amo
2. pK cee a If you are using the Simplified Set of G L Accounts use the Client Recovery account If you are using the Extended Set of G L Accounts e Use the Expense account for example Photocopy Expense to see the net result of expenses minus recoveries on the Income Statement e Use the Recovery account for example Photocopy Recovery to see the total firm expense and the total firm recoveries separately on the Income Statement For more information see the Frequently Asked Questions chapter of the PCLaw for Windows User Guide The fonts used in quick check printing are the default fonts from your Windows operating system and cannot be changed from within PCLaw Some printers allow you to change the font directly on the printer itself You can however use alternate fonts if you de select Quick Check Printing and use a check template on the Banking tab of Options System Settings You can change the font by modifying the check template in Tools Template Editor After modifying the template test the changes by printing a check on blank paper and holding the paper over a blank check Deselect Quick Check Printing and select a Template for Checks SSS System Settings Past Due Notices Memorized transactions Fim Other Data Entry Banking General Bank Account Trust Bi M Automatic Check Numbeing Aute V Wamif Check Numbers Reused V Wart Restrict Changing Check Numbers Res Restrist C
3. Accept the amount of 500 in the Amount box 14 Type or select G L account 9999 or Suspense if you use the Simplified set of G L accounts in the G L Account box 15 To save the entry click OK C Allocate the receipt to the GST VAT Journal using the General Cheque function 1 On the Data Entry pull down menu point to General and click Cheque 2 In the Cheque area 3 Type ADJ in the Cheque box 4 Type the name of the government agency in the To box 5 Type 500 in the Amount box 6 Select Z from the Pay GST VAT list 7 Type GST VAT Refund in the Explanation box 8 To save the entry click OK For firms using GST or VAT I received a 10 70 refund that includes GST VAT from ComPro Software Inc a vendor How do I enter this receipt There are two steps to process a refund including GST VAT from the vendor A Record the receipt using the Firm Receipt function B Reallocate the GST VAT as a refund using the General Cheque function A Record the receipt using the Firm Receipt function 1 On the Data Entry pull down menu point to General and click Firm Receipt 2 Inthe Receipt area 3 Type ComPro Software Inc in the From box 4 Type or select the date of the receipt in the Date box 5 Type 10 70 in the Amount box 6 Type GST VAT Refund from Vendor in the Explanation box 7 Inthe Allocation area 8 Accept the amount of 10 70 in the Amount box 9 Type or select the appropriate Software Expense account in
4. For each employee who is receiving a bonus check 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 e Select the employee eClick Ask Occasional e Type the gross amount of the bonus in the Bonus box e Click OK For each employee who is not receiving a bonus check Select the employee Click Put On Leave To automatically calculate the taxes click Calculate Tax amounts can be overridden using the Override button Check with your Accountant before using this option To print the bonus checks click Checks To print the reports and finalize the pay period click Close Period Post the payroll period I manually processed a payroll check and entered it into PCLaw How do I enter this check in Payroll Use the Check After the Fact function to add a check to payroll that has already been printed and saved in PCLaw After the Fact checks appear on the Payroll History report and increase the W2 totals for the year however they do not post to PCLaw s General Bank Journal or General Journal To add a Check After the Fact follow these steps On the Check pull down menu click After the Fact On the After the Fact Payroll Setup window click the employee who received the check In the Check Period end date box type the date of the check Click the Edit button You see the After the Fact window After the Fact Add New Check fot Mawell Karen R p e 11 07 00 c d 11 07 00 Ea Check Number Gross Wages
5. PCLaw bank journal or general journal It is most often used to record a payroll check that was processed manually Why is Line 2 on the Federal 941 Worksheet different from the gross wages for the quarter American firms In PCLaw the Payroll optional module prints the taxable wages on line 2 not the gross wages Taxable wages are those upon which federal tax was charged Taxable wages may be higher than gross wages if there is a company benefit non cash earning or a pretax deduction where the employer matches the employee contribution Taxable wages may be lower than gross wages if there is a pretax deduction such as a 401K or Cafeteria plan Some plans reduce the amount of taxable wages by the amount of the employee contribution How do I process a separate Bonus Check US Firms To produce separate bonus checks with taxes follow these steps 1 Process bonus checks before processing regular checks 2 On the Company menu point to Earnings and select Other Earnings 1 Select the Supplemental Checks check box Click OK 3 On the Company menu point to Taxes and select Social Security Select the Supplemental Checks check box Click Next 4 On each of the tax screens that follow select the Supplemental Checks check box for each tax that should be deducted from the bonus check 5 On the Check menu select Regular 6 Select the Supplemental check box and click OK If the box is unavailable repeat steps 2 to 4 7
6. When you correct a transaction using the Working With Client Ledger function or any other Working With function it is the same as using any of the correct functions such as Correct Check Correct Receipt etc Whether or not you can change a transaction and whether or not the Change button is grayed out depends on the condition of the transaction In many cases you can only change an entry if e it has not been billed e it is in a month which has not been closed e itis not part of a transaction where part of the entry has been billed e it is in a month where the bank has not been reconciled if you are using PCLawPro or have the Bank Reconciliation optional module If the Change button is grayed out or you receive a message that you cannot change the entry it means that the entry does not meet the conditions for editing This message indicates that the month in which the check was originally written has been closed You can only change PCLaw entries from open months because in closed months all the transactions have been posted permanently to the General Ledger There are two ways to correct a transaction from a closed month Method 1 1 Re open the month using the Reopen Month function from the G L menu and then make the correction Be sure to get your bookkeeper s permission before re opening a month Method 2 1 Enter the incorrect transaction in the current month with a negative amount This reverses the original
7. advanced users who are familiar with desktop publishing programs If you are not an advanced user you can use the following resources to help learn about the template editor e Thoroughly review Template Editor on page 317 It contains complete step by step instructions for using the program e After you have gone through the chapter on the Template Editor try modifying some templates in the Experimental Set of Books You can play in this area without affecting your firm s set of books e Purchase the Template Editor Training Video When modifying your good templates in PCLaw use the File Save As function to make a copy of the original template with a different name This ensures that if the template is damaged beyond repair you still have a good copy of the original template to work with There is a function on my Tools menu called Verify Data Integrity What does this do This function reads the selected files and their associated index files to make sure there is no data corruption in your PCLaw files If any corruption is found PCLaw will attempt to correct the problem If a problem is detected that cannot be corrected a report is printed that can be faxed to LexisNexis PCLaw s Technical Support Department see Getting Technical Support on page 8 of the user manual If you experience unusual problems in PCLaw you should use this function to ensure that all your data files are valid If the problem persists contact Te
8. bank account 6 Leave the Che Rec and G L Account boxes empty 7 Select Printer in the Output area If you want a list of receipts only select Receipts in the Include area You can include both disbursements and receipts by selecting Both When I print a general bank journal it includes all the checks and receipts from all the general accounts How can I get a list of transactions from one account only If you need a list of entries from one bank account only simply select a bank account nickname The report will be restricted to entries from that account only I want to produce a report that shows all the unbilled time for a specific lawyer s matters Where can I find this information Use the Work in Progress report from the Reports Clients menu On the Common tab 1 Leave the Matter box empty 2 Leave the Client box empty 3 Type or select the nickname for the responsible lawyer for which you would like to produce the report 4 Inthe End Date box use today s date to see a list of unbilled time as of today 5 Deselect the Totals Only check box 6 Deselect the Firm Totals Only check box On the Matters tab 1 Accept all the preset selections On the Advanced tab 1 Select the Time Fees check box 2 Deselect the Disbs check box 3 Accept today s date in the Age From box to age all entries as of today The report lists all the unbilled time and fee entries for all matters that have the responsible
9. be contributed toward the plan The Company paid portion is 50 meaning half of the contribution is paid by the company For example if the gross wages are 1000 the total contribution is 6 of 1000 60 00 Half of this amount is contributed by the company and the other half is deducted from the employee s pay How can I check the year end W2 figures in Payroll Run a Payroll History report Report gt Pay History from January 1 to December 31 and compare the figures to a W2 Information report Report gt Employee gt W2 Take into consideration that taxable wages may be higher or lower than gross wages if you have taxable benefits company benefits non cash earnings non tax payments or pre tax deductions such as 401 k or cafeteria plan For Former Timeslips Users I ve just converted from Timeslips to PCLaw What differences in terminology should I be aware of when using PCLaw The following table compares Timeslips and PCLaw terminology Timeslips Client Project User or Timekeeper Client History Expense Slip Abbreviations Activity Lists Case Type Client Status TSLayout TSTimer Navigator PCLaw Client Matter Lawyer Matter Opening Balances Expense Recovery Time Entry Explanation Codes Type of Law Billing Frequency Template Editor Quick Timer Quick Step Why is there a separate function for fees Timeslips uses one function to enter both time and fees When PCLaw
10. entry Re enter the transaction in the current month with the correct information PCLaw will not recognize that you have re opened the month until you exit and restart PCLaw Once you restart PCLaw you will be able to correct the entry Billing There are two methods you can use to show a discount on a bill When creating a bill make sure that Prompt for Changes to Billed Amounts is selected on the Options tab When PCLaw displays the total charges for the bill reduce the total fees When you click OK to produce the bill PCLaw prompts you for an explanation of the fee change Type the appropriate explanation for the reduction in fees and it will appear on the bill OR Use the Fee Sheet function from the Data Entry Fee Sheet menu to enter a flat fee with a negative amount and an appropriate explanation such as Courtesy Discount When you bill the client the total amount owing is reduced by the negative fee entry Using the Template Editor from the Tools menu add the token Balance General Retainer represented as Bal Rtnrs on the template to the bill Use a text box to the left of the token to add your own descriptive text Using the Edit Invoice Disk Image Function You can edit pre bills bills and recreated bills by using the Editor output option in conjunction with the Edit Invoice Disk Image function To use this feature e word processing software must be installed on your workstation e the word processor must have t
11. lawyer that you specified Bank Reconciliation How do I reconcile my first bank statement in PCLaw To reconcile the first bank statement make sure you have the following items ecompleted bank reconciliation for the previous period ebank statement for the current period Then follow these instructions 1 On the Tools pull down menu click Bank Reconciliation The Select Account window appears see right hand image fai Bank Reconciliation Select Account 2 Select either General or Trust 3 In the Acct box type the bank account to reconcile or double click to select from a list of bank accounts 4 Type the starting date from the bank statement in the Start Date box or double click to use the calendar I Reed Bank Statement from dsk FP uo Sare ervey f 4 mrte 5 Type the ending date from the bank statement in the End Date box or double click to use the calendar 6 Type the beginning balance from the bank statement in the Opening Balance box 7 Type the ending balance from the bank statement in the Closing Balance box 8 Select Skip zero balance receipts to ignore receipts with a value of 0 00 9 Select Skip zero balance checks to ignore checks with a value of 0 00 10 Deselect Read Bank Statement from disk 11 Select Auto Save every and specify the number of minutes to have PCLaw automatically save the bank at the specified frequency Click OK The Mark Items window appears lov 18 2001 00002 Cily of New Y
12. the G L Account box 10 To save the entry click OK B Re allocate the GST VAT portion of the receipt to the GST VAT Journal using the General Cheque function 1 On the Data Entry pull down menu point to General and click Cheque 2 Inthe Cheque area 3 Type ADJ in the Cheque box 4 Type ComPro Software Inc in the To box 5 Type or select the date in the Date box 6 Type 0 00 in the Amount box 7 Type or select Y in the Pay GST VAT box 8 Type 0 70 in the GST VAT box 9 Type Reallocate receipt in the Explanation box 10 In the Allocation area 11 Leave the Matter box empty 12 Leave the GST VAT box empty 13 Accept 70 in the Amount box 14 Type the appropriate Software Expense account in the G L Account box or double click to select from a list of G L accounts 15 To save the adjustment click OK Interest I charge interest on overdue accounts however I do not charge interest for the first 30 days Can I do this in PCLaw Yes In PCLaw specify a grace period 1 On the Options pull down menu click System Settings 2 Click the Interest tab If you have PCLawPro or the Past Due Notices optional module click the Past Due Notices tab 3 In the Grace Period area click 30 Days If you have PCLawPro or the Past Due Notices optional module select End of Grace Period and type 30 in the Days box 4 Click OK 5 PCLaw will not charge interest on overdue accounts for the first 30 days a
13. total photocopy expense before recoveries in one account and the total photocopy recoveries in the other account It makes no difference which method you use because the total expenses and therefore the net income are the same in each situation For more information about expense recoveries and accounting see Processing Client Expenses on page 201 of your user manual When the check was produced a matter nickname was specified This added the charge to the client ledger for subsequent billing When the expense recovery entry was made the charge was also added to the client ledger It is not necessary when issuing a check with a matter nickname to make an expense recovery entry Specifying a matter nickname on the general check window makes the expense recovery entry occur automatically To apply advanced costs to a client s account use one of the following methods Method 1 1 Issue a general check with the General Check function specifying a matter nickname Method 2 1 Issue a general check with the General Check function without a matter nickname 2 Record the advanced cost with the Expense Recovery function specifying a matter nickname Both methods are acceptable because they result in a check being issued and a charge being added to the Client Ledger G L account 5210 is the Client Disbursement Clearing account which is used automatically whenever a matter nickname is specified on a general check When the chec
14. A With a custom installation where a different path was specified for the data the bills are saved in C DYNDATA where represents the location chosen for the data files On a network system replace C with the drive letter of the computer where your PCLaw data files are stored Loading the Invoice Image Once you have created a pre bill or bill or recreated a bill using the Editor output option you can load the image of the bill into your word processor On the Billing menu select Edit Invoice Disk Image You see a list of invoices that have been saved with the Editor option Edit Invoice Disk Image 21x Invoice Matter Name Size Modified Sample 2937 12 29 98 09 41 AM 1 990001 Lastname 3297 12 29 98 09 42 AM Help 2 990001 Lastname 3317 12731798 09 22 AM 4 990001 Lastname 3317 12 31798 09 22 AM Open 5 990001 Lastname 3317 12 31798 09 22 AM 6 990001 Lastname 3317 12 31798 09 22 AM Delete 7 990001 Lastname 3317 12 31798 09 23 AM 8 990001 Lastname 3317 12 31798 09 23 AM Associated Program C MSOffice Winword wINWORD EXE Select the invoice you wish to edit and click Open PCLaw starts up your word processing software and loads the selected invoice Once the invoice is loaded you can modify print and or save the invoice as you would with any other word processing document Any changes made to amounts are not reflected in the PCLaw data files Use the Change Bill function from the Billing menu to change
15. Allocation window appears listing all invoices for the client regardless of the matter 10 Type the payment and or interest amount beside each invoice you wish to pay 11 When the total allocated equals the check amount click OK The General Bank Journal will show a receipt applied to multiple matters There are two steps to this procedure 1 Use the General Retainer feature with a negative amount to remove the general retainer Use the Receive Payment feature with a positive amount to pay the outstanding invoice A trust receipt is physically deposited into the trust bank account General retainers are physically deposited into the operating account Warning In many jurisdictions funds advanced to you must be deposited directly into the trust bank account Firm Procedures I need to write a check to pay for a credit card bill The bill contains charges for meals gasoline and a dinner with a prospective client How do I enter the check for this bill Use the General Check function from the Data Entry General menu 1 Enter the name of the credit card company in the To box 2 Enter the date of the check in the Date box 3 Enter the full amount of the check in the Amount box 4 Canadian users should enter the total amount of GST from the bill in the GST box 5 Enter the appropriate text in the Explanation box In the Allocation area 1 On the first line enter the meal amount and use G L Account 5330 Meals 2 On the
16. Credit included in the 50 00 50 00 will be added to the Client Ledger When the levy is billed the client will be charged 3 50 GST on top of the 50 00 If the matter was opened prior to January 1 1999 use 50 00 as the amount and a GST code is Y This indicates that there is a GST Input Tax Credit included in the 50 00 PCLaw puts the amount of 46 96 on the Client Ledger When the levy is billed the client will be charged 3 29 GST on top of the 46 96 PCLaw automatically uses the correct amount and GST code based on the Opening Date of the matter After entering the matter nickname and pressing TAB the amount and GST code are updated Time Matters Link What are the differences between Time Matters and PCLaw The following table compares the Time Matters PCLaw terminology used in Time Matters Contacts Clients and PCLaw Matters Matters For more information about the Time Matters PCLaw Link see the Time Billing Slip Time Entry Matters User Manual Staff Lawyer e Version 3 User Manual pages 254 to 265 Event Classification Code Task Code e Version 2 User Manual pages Memo Description 217 to 231 Duration Time I am working on a contingency case where I will not be billing the matter until the case is completed The fee will be determined at that time How can I keep track of the work done without billing the client To prevent the matter from being billed until the case is completed 1 On the
17. File menu point to Matter and click Open Matter 2 Type or select the matter nickname for this case and click OK 3 Click the Billing Past Due Taxes tab 4 Inthe Frequency box select Exclude 5 In the Quoted Type box select Contingency 6 To save your changes click OK The billing frequency of Exclude prevents this matter from being billed if you do mass billing To make time entries for the work you have done 1 Enter time dockets using the Time Sheet function as you would with any other matter using a rate of zero on the time entries When the case is completed produce the bill using the Create Bill function from the Billing menu 1 On the Main tab type or select the matter nickname in the Matter box 2 Click OK 3 In the Fees box enter the fee amount for the whole case 4 Click OK 5 On the Explanation for Fee Adjustment screen type in the text to appear on the bill 6 Click OK The bill will include a list of time entries with zero dollar amounts and one fee entry with the final fee amount If you do not want the zero rated time entries to appear on the bill use the Select Charges feature on the Options tab of billing to exclude these entries For more information see Processing Contingency Matters on page 269 of the user manual I am trying to use the Template Editor but I can t figure it out The template editor is used to modify the layouts of bills checks receipts and G L statements It is for
18. Frequently Asked Questions Below are responses to some of the questions most commonly answered by our Lexis Back Office Technical Support Department Categories are e Moving Lexis Back Office time billing and legal accounting software from one computer to another Installing Lexis Back Office Powered by PCLaw Using Lexis Back Office Powered by PCLaw Data Entry Features Firm Procedures Correcting Entries Billing Taxes Interest Reports and Retrieving Information Bank Reconciliation Calendar Payroll For Former TimeSlips Users Other Issues Troubleshooting Other Computers and Devices How doI move PCLaw PCLawPro LegalPro SoloPro to another computer The following instructions are for the use of hardware technicians who need to move PCLaw or LegalPRO SoloPRO software from one standalone computer to another or to move software from one network server to another How do I move PCLaw Windows Versions 8 20 and up How do I move PCLaw Windows Versions 3 xx 7 xx Perform the following steps to move PCLaw from one computer to another Since both the programs and data are moved no CD is required 1 Determine the location of your PCLaw DATA and COMMON files To determine the location of your PCLaw DATA files o Start PCLaw o On the Select Set of Books window highlight your firm name o The location of your data files is listed at the bottom of the window to the right of the word PATH PCLawJr for Windows Alumni
19. K 6 On the Welcome window click Accept if you accept the Software License Agreement 7 On the PCLaw Installation window select Attach to a PCLaw system already installed 8 Click Next 9 Follow the instructions of the Installation Wizard 10 11 For more information see Installing on Subsequent Workstations in the PCLaw User Guide What are the minimum hardware and software requirements for PCLaw Why is PCLaw slow now that I ve upgraded to a newer version Many times when a firm updates PCLaw they also update their computer systems This may result in a change in the antivirus settings Compare your antivirus settings to the settings recommended at www pclaw com networking basic 3 Your computer administrator may want to change the settings Using PCLaw PCLaw automatically expands explanation code 14 into the associated text Review of see Options gt Explanation Codes when you press the spacebar You can disable the auto expansion of explanation codes in Workstation Settings 1 On the Options pull down menu click Workstation Settings 2 Click the Data Entry tab The window on the right hand side appears 3 Clear Auto Expand Explanation Codes on lt Space gt 4 Click OK If you also experience auto expansion when typing explanation codes followed by punctuation marks for example when typing Mr clear Auto Expand Explanation Codes on With both controls cleared explanation codes only expand when
20. Law Firn Serial 12345 To determine the location of your PCLaw COMMON files O Start PCLaw Click the Help pull down menu Click About PCLaw Hold down the Ctrl key and the Shift key on your keyboard while you click Tech Support On the Alumni Computer Group Data Directory Dump window the location of your common files is listed to the right of the word COMMON Alumni Computer Group Data Directory Dump mucna CaPROGRAM a ae ee TEMP CATEMPY STATIC C APROGRA 1 ACG PCLAW32 DATA StatD atas DYNAMIC C PROGRA T ACGSPCLAWS32 DATASDynD ata PAYROLL C PROGRA 1 ACGSPCLAWS32 DATASDynData Make sure no one is running PCLaw Copy the DATA and COMMON directories and their contents including all subdirectories from the old computer to the new computer or backup these directories and restore them to the new computer Technical Note It is important that the DATA and COMMON subdirectories are on the same directory level for the setup program to automatically detect the PCLaw data 4 Run the SETUP program on the new computer o Click Start o Click Run o Inthe Open box type pclawpath COMMON INSTALL SETUP o where pclawpath represents the location of the COMMON directory on the new computer o Click OK o Follow the instructions of the Setup Wizard Networking Note To connect a new workstation to a new dedicated server follow the instructions for a Workstation Installation in the PCLaw for W
21. a C User Defined C Not used ie COON e Contributions eee X of gross wages Dccasional amount Chasen ps aaah a ime card Yoory maximum Automatic calculation Paid so far this yoar General Ledger Accounts W2 Box Debit C None C 12 Fringe Employee 1000 C 10 Dep Care C13 Code Ceva C11 Nongual C 14 Label Next Employes Next Previow OK Comet On the Employee Deductions pretax window Calculation method e Use Amount per period if the amount to contribute to the plan is the same every pay period e Use Automatic calculation if the amount to contribute is based on a percentage of gross pay Use Amount per month if the amount to contribute each month remains the same regardless of the number of pay periods in a month If a pay frequency other than monthly is used the amount contributed each pay period will vary based on the number of pay periods in the month General Ledger Accounts Debit Enter the G L account to debit with the company contribution This is typically an expense account Credit Enter the G L account to credit with both the employee deduction and the company contribution This is typically a withholding liability account For the cash method of accounting If you do not want to account for the withholding until it is actually remitted use the same expense account in both the Debit and Credit boxes When the remittance is paid allocate the check to th
22. ccumulated interest To extend the grace period for a few matters assign the specific matters a unique grace period 1 On the toolbar click os 2 Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to select from a list of matters 3 Click OK 4 Click the Selections tab The following window appears LE 1 Matter 01 0001 71 5 Clear the Use Default Grace Settings box 6 Select Calc interest from Grace Date 7 Type 60 in the Grace Days box Click OK After 60 days PCLaw charges interest on this matter s overdue amounts Reports and Retrieving Information On the Quick Summary I see the A R balance How do I find out the invoices that are unpaid The A R balance on the Quick Summary window appears on a push button as illustrated below Click the button to display the invoices that make up that balance All balances in the Quick Summary window have Drill Down buttons Quick Summary Care Notes Collection Notes Disy P FS co General Iedormiien Re Demin ee s s SOSCSC sS Check fl Laat Feat Tyectlawie Aasen Operei A B a Ren WR Cel fx Em M Accounting informston ARBA 00000 Und Disb 36 00 UnbdFees Goy Aeae rasa Total Trait gop GenRie 340000 UrbdHis go berEry szresr200 La Tat a How can I quickly look up the balances of a matter To see the status of a matter without printing a repo
23. chnical Support This process can take a long time to complete depending on the size of your data files You may want to start this function at the end of the day and let it run overnight Whenever I exit PCLaw I get a message asking if I want the program to make a copy of the data files What does this do When you exit PCLaw the program prompts you to make a copy of your data files on your computer s hard drive PCLaw saves your files in the following default location C Program Files ACG PCLAW32 DATA BKUP If you are running PCLaw on a network replace C with the drive letter that represents your server You can change the location of the copied files by using the Browse button To copy your PCLaw data files 1 On the File pull down menu click Exit 2 The Daily Data Copy window appears 1 To change the location of the files click Browse and choose a different path 2 To start the copy click Yes 4 or 6 To exit PCLaw without copying the files click No 9 To prevent this prompt from appearing the next time you exit the program select Don t ask me again 1 Ifthe file copy was successful this message appears PCLaw for Windows Application Ea IN The files were successfully copied 2 Ifthe file copy was unsuccessful you may see this window PCLaw for Windows Application Ea IN ERROR Not all of the files were successfully copied The message may indicate that there is not enou
24. ct from a list of matters Click OK Click the Selections tab The following window appears P _ Open Matter 01 0001 1 In the Past Due area clear the Charge Interest For All Dates check box Type the date on which to begin charging interest in the No Interest Before box Click Save Close PCLaw does not charge interest before the specified date for the one matter I charge interest of 10 but I d like to charge 6 for one matter How can I charge a different rate for one matter Override the default interest rate assigned to new matters To override the interest rate for a particular matter 1 On the toolbar click oe 2 Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to select from a list of matters 3 Click OK 4 Click the Selections tab The following window appears Open Matter 01 1 i 071 5 Clear the Use Default Rate box 6 Type the rate to use for this matter in the Specific box 7 Click Save Close 8 PCLaw assigns the interest rate defined here to all new invoices created for this matter I processed some invoices but the interest rate assigned to them is incorrect How can I change the interest rate assigned to existing invoices To change the interest rate assigned to existing invoices 1 On the Billing pull down menu click Change Interest on Invoices 2 Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to selec
25. do I still get this message PCLaw thinks someone is in the program when e the program terminates prematurely e aworkstation loses connection with the server Contact LexisNexis PCLaw Technical Support When I attempt to close a month I see the message You may not close more than 12 months in one year Why does this message appear and how can I close the month This message indicates that 12 months have already been closed and you need to close the year before you can close the month To close the year use the End of Year feature on the G L pull down menu Other Computers and Devices Will PCLaw run on my handheld computer A mini version of PCLaw called PCLaw TE Travel Edition runs on devices with the Palm O S Version 3 5 or higher Pocket PC 2002 or 2003 os and the BlackBerry Wireless handheld Where does the Satellite optional module get the e mail addresses it lists It accesses the e mail addresses defined for each user in Options gt Administrator gt Security
26. e Receive Payment function to enter the full amount of the receipt PCLaw records the amount that is applied towards Accounts Receivable as a Receive Payment When it detects that there is still an amount being received for which there is no Accounts Receivable to apply it PCLaw records the overpayment as a General Retainer If you leave the general retainer on the client s account the overpayment will be applied to the next bill that is created for this matter Some jurisdictions do not allow General Retainers To refund the overpayment to the client follow these steps 1 Write a refund check to the client using the General Check function This transaction appears as an unbilled disbursement on the Client Ledger At this point the Client Ledger shows an unbilled disbursement and a general retainer of the same amount Create a bill using the Create Bill function to cancel out the General Retainer with the Unbilled Disbursement Use the Receive Payment function on the Data Entry General pull down menu 1 Type the client s name in the From box 2 Type the check amount in the Amount box 3 Type an explanation in the Explanation box In the allocation area 4 Leave the Matter box empty 5 Type or select the client nickname in the Client box 6 Leave the Invoice box empty 7 Type the amount of the check in the Amount box 8 To control which invoices are paid select Pay Invoices Manually 9 Click OK The Payment
27. e expense account After the remittance is paid the net balance in this account is the expense portion contributed by the company Use a payroll history report for the period in question to determine the amount to remit Plan Type The plan type determines whether taxes will be charged on the contributions 401 K Plan Social Security Medicare Federal and State Unemployment State Disability and Workers Compensation calculations are based on the Gross Wages Federal State and Local Income Tax calculations are based on the Gross Wages minus the Employee Contribution Cafeteria Plan All tax calculations are based on the Gross Wages minus the Employee Contribution User Defined Plan In Company Deductions Pretax define on which amounts the tax calculations should be based Use the Taxes for User Defined button Taxes for Ilser Defined When User Dcfincd type ia sclected include item amount 3 for calculating I State Disability Insurance I State Income Tax M Worker s Compensation I Local Income Tax l Federal Uncmployment Insurance I Social Sccurity l State Uncmployment Insurance l Medicare L Co Cancel When a tax is selected its calculation is based on the Gross Wages plus the Employer Contribution When a tax is not selected its calculation is based on the Gross Wages minus the Employee Contribution In this illustration the federal income tax calculation is based on the gross wages plu
28. eral M Close Data Entry Windows on OK I Process ENTER Key As TAB Key I Default to Assigned Lawyer on Time Sheets V Auto Expand Explanation Codes I Automatic What s This After E Seconds V Bring up calendar instead of drop down list in date controls I Instant data validation Spelling m Perform Data Copy M Use SpellChecking Customize M Ask when exiting PCLaw I Automatic on OK IV Ask before End of Month Font Report Font Courier New 7 Font Size I Auto Size to Page F 00 Remember ZOOM setting Diay Lawyers All C Selected Select Cancel Help Payroll I just closed a payroll period and realized that one of the checks needs to be adjusted How can I reprocess this check The easiest way to adjust a check from a payroll period that was just closed is to reopen the entire payroll period and reprocess the period Follow these steps 1 Use the File Recover function in payroll to reopen the payroll period 2 Use the G L Journal Entry Change function in PCLaw to delete the journal entry produced by Payroll 3 Use the Working With General Bank function to remove all the payroll checks for the period 4 Use the Check Regular function in Payroll to reprocess the payroll checks What is the purpose of the Check After the Fact function American firms Check After the Fact lets you enter the details of a payroll check into the payroll system without affecting your
29. est Before and type or select the date on which to begin charging interest 6 Click the Apply button You see the following prompt 7 To change the interest settings for all matters click Yes PCLaw changes the interest settings on the Selections tab of the Open Matter window for all matters To prevent interest being charged before a specific date on one matter 1 On the toolbar click eo 2 Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to select from a list of matters 3 Click OK 4 Click the Selections tab The following window appears n Matter 01 0001 7 5 Inthe Past Due area clear the Charge Interest For All Dates check box 6 Type the date on which to begin charging interest in the No Interest Before box Click Save Close PCLaw does not charge interest before the specified date for the one matter Override the default interest rate assigned to new matters To override the interest rate for a particular matter 1 On the toolbar click CA 2 Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to select from a list of matters 3 Click OK 4 Click the Selections tab The following window appears Open Matter 01 0001 1 Clear the Use Default Rate box Type the rate to use for this matter in the Specific box Click Save Close PCLaw assigns the interest rate defined here to all new invoices created for this matter To change the i
30. fter the invoice date How can I prevent one matter from being charged interest on their overdue account Disable interest for the one matter 1 On the toolbar click oe 2 Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to select from a list of matters 3 Click OK 4 Click the Selections tab The following window appears iOpen Matter 01 0001 1 5 Inthe Past Due area clear the Apply Interest box 6 Click Save Close 8 PCLaw will not charge interest on this matter I want to charge interest on overdue accounts as of September 1 How can I charge interest as of September 1 but not before that date To prevent interest being charged before a specific date on all matters 1 On the File pull down menu point to Matter and click Global Change 2 On the Select Matters to View window click OK 3 At the prompt click OK The following window appears 4 Inthe Charge for All Dates box click Clear 5 Select No Interest Before and type or select the date on which to begin charging interest 6 Click the Apply button You see the following prompt 7 To change the interest settings for all matters click Yes PCLaw changes the interest settings on the Selections tab of the Open Matter window for all matters To prevent interest being charged before a specific date on one matter On the toolbar click CA Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to sele
31. gh space in the location specified for the files 1 Click OK To turn the copy prompt on or off use the Workstation tab in System Settings Warning The copy made of your PCLaw data files is NOT a backup You are still responsible for performing a tape disk backup of your computer on a regular basis For more information about backups see The Importance of Backups on page 163 I would like extra copies of the PCLaw User Guide Where can I get a copy in electronic format that I can print myself The PCLaw User Guide is available in PDF portable document file format from within PCLaw 1 On the Help pull down menu click Online Manual If the document does not open up you need Adobe Acrobat Reader You can download this software free of charge from www adobe com If Online Manual is not listed on the Help pull down menu you didn t install the online manual lessons and quick tour when you installed PCLaw To install them 1 Click Start 2 Point to Programs gt Alumni Computer PCLaw gt Setup 3 Click PCLaw Setup Wizard 4 On the Books or Components window select Re install PCLaw programs on this computer and Online Manual Quick Tour and Lessons 5 Click Next 6 Follow the instructions of the Setup Wizard Troubleshooting PCLaw When I attempt to close the month in PCLaw I receive a message that someone else is in the system I checked all the workstations on the network no one else is in PCLaw Why
32. hanging Receipt Numbers Res Save Entries or Print M Sav Use MICR Font M Use Quick Check Piinting V Quic Template for Checks MMATT3PT If you want the Income Statement and Balance Sheet to reflect the whole year then use the G L Opening Balances function to enter the year to date trial balance figures from your former accounting system However be aware that the Income Statement for the first month will include year to date figures This means you are using a reserved G L account Reserved accounts are control accounts for PCLaw journals from the Reports Journals pull down menu If you make an entry directly to a reserved account the corresponding journal will no longer balance with the account on the trial balance For example Genbank1 1000 General Bank Account 1 holds the balance of the bank from the General Bank Journal It increases when a receipt is entered and decreases when a check is issued If a general journal entry is made directly to this account the Trial Balance will reflect the change to the account but the General Bank Journal will not Therefore in most cases it is not a good idea to post directly to reserved accounts If it is necessary to adjust the balance in the general bank account you should enter either a receipt or a check to affect both the journal General Bank Journal and the control account Genbank1 1000 General Bank Account 1 Follow this rule If a reserved G L account appears automatica
33. he ability to read RTF rich text format files Two steps must be followed to edit invoice images 1 Create a pre bill or bill or recreate a bill selecting the Editor output option 2 Use the Edit Invoice Disk Image function from the Billing menu to load the bill as a document in your word processor Using the Editor Output Option On the Main tab of the Create Pre Bill Create Bill or Recreate Bill function select the Editor option in the Output area Output This option saves the invoice as a file in rich text format Printer To edit invoice images you must first use the Editor output option Screen Filenames The filename assigned to a pre bill is SAMPLE RTF however you can save the bill with a different name by filling in the Disk File box For example if you type PREBILL in the Disk File box the pre bill is saved in the file PREBILL RTF Do not type RTF in the box It is automatically appended to the filename Bills and recreated bills use a filename consisting of the invoice number with the RTF file extension For example if you create or recreate invoice number 8331 the bill is saved in the file 8331 RTF Location of Files Invoice images are saved on the hard drive where your PCLaw data is stored on drive C of stand alone systems or on the server of network systems On a standard PCLaw installation where the default directories were accepted the bills are located in C Program Files ACG PCLAW32 DATA DYNDAT
34. holding down the Shift key while pressing the Spacebar These are workstation settings and only affect the workstation on which they are made P Workstation Settings Data Entry Calendar Other Color Documents General Iv i J Automatic What s This after FH Second MV Use Calendar Instead of Drop Down List in Date Cor V Instant Data Validation Process ENTER Key Ss TAB Key I Auto Fill for Matter and Client M Auto Expand Explanation Codes on lt Space gt 4 4 J Auto Expand Explanation Codes on V Default to Assigned Lawyer on Time Sheet 4 I Allow only One Timer Running on Time Sheet JY Cary Matter Nickname Forward on Time Sheet IY Cary Matter Nickname Forward on Trust Check and J Open Register Based on Current Quick Step Tab Spellina Use Spell Checking IE Automatic on Ok To use PCLaw for only time and billing follow these rules e If a default G L account appears when entering transactions accept it e If a G L account is required when entering transactions use 5000 Expenses with the Simplified set of G L accounts You don t have to print financial statements close the month or reconcile the bank Just ignore these features In PCLaw point to the Help pull down menu and click About PCLaw or About LexisNexis PCLaw This window shows the version number at the top When you start PCLaw your set of books is displayed with the location of the data f
35. iles listed in the Path column Backup this folder and all the folders inside it Explanation codes are abbreviations or short forms of commonly used phrases that describe such things as work performed costs payees etc They are used to easily recall the phrase when entering data They are also used to store Activity Codes for task based billing Task codes are used to classify time and fee entries so you can produce reports sorted by task code or restricted to a particular task code Task codes also contain the codes required for task based billing Step by step instructions are found in the Help files of PCLaw When you are looking at any window simply click the Help button to see the instructions for that window Auda Trail To print a report of accounting transactions Ontine Repmts pull down mers click Audit Trail 2 Type the frai entry number i nchude on the report in the Stant box F nctade Conected Entries i ie aural Typa the last entry number to include on the report in the T Stow Only Conectedtniter 1 Enat Bark End box I shows zod Eaten i P Chort Expense g N E Foot Type r select tha at rling data f r th r port in the Staat User PIT F Puchses Date box Type or select the ending date for the reper in the End Date box 3 hithe Sout By ores To produce the report in order by entry number select the Enbry option F General Jouns On any window click
36. indows User Guide If the existing workstations are not being changed they will automatically run PCLaw on the new server as long as the same drive letter is used to map to the new server as was used to map to the old server CAUTION Do not remove your original PCLaw until you have verified that the program is working correctly with current data on the new computer Installing PCLaw How do I install PCLaw on additional workstations First determine the location of the Shared Components of PCLaw 1 On the Help pull down menu click About PCLaw Pro 2 While holding down the Ctrl and Shift keys click Tech Support The following window appears LexisNexis PCLaw Data Directory Dump j J E 2 x Directories PROGRAM C PROGRA TSLEXISN 2 PCLAW32 COMMON C PROGRA TSLEXISN 2 pclaw32 COMMONS TEMP C DOCUME 1SkuzdsSLOCALS 1 T emp STATIC C PROGRA 1SLEXISN 2 pclaw32 DATASStatD ata DYNAMIC C PROGRAWTSLEXISN 2 pclaw32 DATASDynD ata ShelTo Help 3 Write down the path listed beside the word COMMON 4 Click OK 5 Click Close Next install PCLaw on the workstation The workstation must have full access rights to the computer where the Shared Components reside The PCLaw CD is not required On the workstation 1 Click Start 2 Click Run 3 In the Open box type the location of the PCLaw Shared Components as determined in Step 3 above 4 Append the path with INSTALL SETUP 5 Click O
37. it Invoice Disk Image window The contents of your invoice are displayed in tables and cells Consult your word processing documentation for information about manipulating tables and cells If your word processing software does not automatically start up when you click Open you need to associate your word processor with RTF files Follow these steps only once on any workstation where the invoice does not load 1 On the Windows desktop double click My Computer 2 On the View menu select Options or Folder Options 3 Click the File Types tab 4 Inthe list of file types click RTF files or Rich Text Format 5 Click Edit 6 In the Actions box click Open 7 Click Edit 8 Select the word processing software you want to use to edit PCLaw invoices Use the Browse button to find the appropriate software 9 Click OK 10 Click Close Click Close again If you forgot to use the Editor output option when a bill was created simply use the Recreate Bill function from the Billing menu and select the Editor output option You can reduce the balance owing on an outstanding invoice with the Change Bill function 1 On the Billing menu select Change Bill 2 Inthe Matter box type or select the matter nickname 3 In the Invoice box type or select the invoice number that you want to write off 4 Inthe Task Code box select a task code that describes the write off Many clients use WD Write Down 5 In the Explanation b
38. k is saved two debit credit transactions are made 1 For the general check portion of the transaction PCLaw Debits the account specified Credits the general bank account 2 For the expense recovery portion of the check PCLaw Debits 1210 Client Disbursement Recoverable accrual modified cash Debits 5010 Client Disbursement Expense cash Credits the account specified Notice how the net effect on the account specified in this case 5210 Client Disbursement Clearing is zero Even if you use a different G L account the net effect will still be zero The reason we use 5210 is to keep all the clearing transactions in one account In general you can follow these rules e If Client Disbursement Clearing 5210 is used by default you should accept that G L account nickname e If Client Disbursement Clearing 5210 is not used by default you should not specify this account The Client Disbursement Clearing account is defined on the General tab of System Settings If you use G L account 5210 for some other purpose you should change the default account on this screen There are two ways to change the PCLaw check layout depending on which layout type you are using To determine which layout type you are using 1 Onthe Options menu select System Settings 2 Click the Banking tab 3 In the General Bank Account area look at the Quick Check Printing box 4 If Quick Check Printing is selected you are using the Quick Check La
39. k s prime rate plus 2 for interest and you update the table every 3 months Your table might look like this Date Rate 12 1 00 8 25 9 1 00 8 00 3 1 01 7 75 6 1 01 8 25 Assume the invoice date for a bill is November 4 2000 and there is a 30 day grace period which expires on December 4 2000 If a past due notice is created for the client on April 1 2001 interest will be calculated based on e86 days at 8 00 27 in December plus January and February e32 days at 7 75 March plus April 1 For PCLawPro or the Past Due Notices optional module How can I compound the interest on invoices twice per year Select a compounding frequency 1 On the Options pull down menu click System Settings 2 Click the Past Due Notices tab The following window appears CT 2x Fim Other DataEnty Banking Tax Matter Biling Past Due Notices Memorized Transactions r Compounding Frequency None C Weekly Days C Biweekly 14 Days SemiMonthly 16 Days C Monthly 31 Days C Quarterly 31 Days C SemiAnnualy 1182 Days Default Rate po c 365 Days UseRate Table Set Rates Other E Days Grace Period Options Days 30 7 Al Matters for Client on One Notice Delauk Template PPASTDUE Past Due Notice Phrases Customize Lox ce He 3 Inthe Compounding Frequency area select Semi Annually 4 Click OK 6 After 6 months PCLaw charges interest on the accumulated inte
40. lly then use it If you are warned against using an account do not use it Example In the illustration shown the following general journal entry was made directly to the General Bank Since general journal entries which are recorded in the General Journal affect the Trial Balance directly they have no effect on the other journals In this example the bank balance on the Trial Balance was reduced but the balance on the General Bank Journal was not The Trial Balance no longer matches the General Bank Journal Trial Balance General Bank 1 000 00 Trust Bank 45 000 00 AUR 38 000 00 Disbursements 17 450 00 General Bank Journal Billing Bank General Expense Fees Journal Journal Journal General Bank Joumal General Bank 2 000 00 The correct way to handle this transaction is to issue a General Check and allocate the check to the Mortgage Payable and Mortgage Interest accounts Account Debit Credit Mortgage Payable 850 00 Mortgage Interest 150 00 General Bank 1000 00 The answer to this question is either one Both accounts are expense accounts and reduce the firm s net profit The difference lies in how you want to see the expense information on your Income Statement Assume that you have already purchased photocopy paper and toner with a check for 90 The check was entered and posted to 5520 Photocopy Expense Scenario 1 Using account 5520 Photocopy Expense When yo
41. m a client should be applied to an invoice that has already been created The General Retainer function should be used if the payment should be applied to items that will be billed in the future In general determine if the items for which you want to pay have been billed If they have use the Receive Payment function If they have not use the General Retainer function Example 1 You discuss a case with a client and agree to take on the case The client gives you a check for 500 toward the work you will do Since no bills have been created for this client you should use the General Retainer function to receive the funds When you eventually bill the client the 500 general retainer will be automatically applied to the bill to reduce the amount owing Example 2 You have worked on a case for a client and have entered time and expense recovery entries A bill is created and mailed to the client A week later you receive a check for 650 00 the total amount of the bill In this scenario the items being paid have already been billed therefore the funds should be entered with the Receive Payment function Q If the amount entered with the Receive Payment function exceeds the amount owing on a bill the excess amount will be treated as a general retainer For more information about the Receive Payment function refer to Receiving a Payment From a Client on page 254 and Exercise 8 Processing a payment from a client on page 120 Page
42. n To find instructions for changing your screen resolution search for screen resolution in your Microsoft help files B This symbol which represents Pop Up Help appears whenever the mouse pointer is held over a box where a list of possible entries is available For example when the mouse pointer is held over a Matter box the Pop Up Help symbol indicates you can access a list of matters in the box Yes If you right click on an empty area of the Quick Step menu and choose Customize you can select different colors You can also use your own digital picture for a background or choose from the schemes provided Yes Right click on an empty area of the Quick Step menu and click Show Help Panel Right click in a blank area on the Quick Step menu and click Show Tool Tip Data Entry Features Please change your monitor resolution to 800 x 600 or higher If you do not know how to do this please contact your computer technician When you start PCLaw it reads your computer s system date and uses that date by default When you enter your password you have the option of overriding the PCLaw date If the date that appears on data entry windows is not today s date your computer system does not have the correct date or the date is being overridden when PCLaw is started Select Set of Books Select the set of books lt EXPERIMENTAL BOOKS gt CACORONAT PLAYSYS Uce Nara MIN Password Defouk E rty Date 571472004 bal
43. nterest rate assigned to existing invoices 1 2 On the Billing pull down menu click Change Interest on Invoices Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to select from a list of matters To change the interest rate for one invoice type the invoice number in the Invoice box or double click to select from a list of invoices or To change the interest rate for all invoices leave the Invoice box empty To change the interest rate for invoices created between a specific set of dates type the date range in the Start Date and End Date boxes 7 Type the interest rate to assign to the invoices in the Interest Rate box 8 Click OK PCLaw changes the interest rate assigned to all invoices with the specified criteria Set up an interest rate table 1 On the Options pull down menu click System Settings 2 Click the Past Due Notices tab 3 Click Use Rate Table 4 Click the Set Rates button The Interest Rates with Effective Dates window appears Use this window to associate specific interest rates with specific dates Note The first entry 01 01 1982 is the rate to use for any invoices with a date prior to the first entry Interest Rates with Effective Dates 2 x Date 01 01 1982 10 1 2001 11 1 2001 rans zl x z z z z z x x 5 6 00 Cancel kF Help U EN 5 Click OK Example You charge the bank s prime rate plus 2 for interest and
44. o not have to close a month before entering transactions in the following months What amp where are my Timeslips In PCLaw time records are called Time Entries and they are made using the Time Sheet function on the Data Entry Time Entry pull down menu Data Entry General Trust Time Entry Fee Entry Time Sheet Correct Time Entry Quick Timer b b Client Expense gt b Ctrl Q You can view modify and print time entries using the Working With Time Entries function from the Data Entry pull down menu Must I wait for the start of my year end to convert from Timeslips to PCLaw No You can end a month in Timeslips and start the next month in PCLaw For General Ledger purposes take the year to date figures from your accountant and enter them with PCLaw s G L Opening Balances function The first month in PCLaw will show year to date figures but every month after that will show the correct Income Statement figures for the month For audit trail purposes you should keep your Timeslips system intact This way you can still look up entries made prior to converting to PCLaw Other Issues Transaction Levy Ontario firms I m entering a transaction levy What amount and GST code should I use If the matter was opened on or after January 1 1999 enter 50 00 as the amount This is the amount charged before taxes Use a GST code of N to indicate that there is no GST Input Tax
45. ork Click Prior to enter outstanding checks and receipts from the previous reconciliation Click a transaction to marked it cleared with a check mark P or outstanding no check mark Click Select All or Deselect All to mark all items cleared or outstanding respectively Click Find amp Mark to find a specific check and mark it cleared automatically ui bh WN be Click New Errors to enter new errors from the bank statement Use positive amounts when the bank errs in your favor and negative amounts when the bank errs in their favor 6 When the difference is zero see the Difference box at the bottom of the Mark Items window the following message appears Bank Reconciliation 7 Click Close 8 Click Report to print the Reconciliation Report 9 Click OK to proceed to the next reconciliation period Reconciliation Tips If the difference is not zero look for Entries marked cleared that are actually outstanding Cleared entries on the bank statement that are not in PCLaw Duplicate entries in PCLaw Entries with incorrect amounts Entries with the incorrect bank account Entries with incorrect dates Bank balances that do not match the previous period s reconciliation If the difference is evenly divisible by nine look for entries with transposed numbers 42 instead of 24 or with the decimal point in the wrong place 3 10 instead of 31 00 If the difference is zero at the bottom of the window bu
46. ox describe why the bill is being changed Many clients use To write off uncollectable Accounts Receivable 6 Inthe New Amount boxes enter all zeroes When you tab out of a New Amount box the amount of the write off is shown in the Change box as a negative number 7 Inthe Disbursement G L Account box type or select the G L account to debit with the disbursement write off amount Note With the Cash method of accounting PCLaw debits the account specified and credits 1210 Client Disbursement Recoverable Modified Cash systems debit the account specified and credit 5010 Client Disbursement Expense Accrual systems debit the account specified and credit 1200 Accounts Receivable 8 Click OK Note Consult your accountant or bookkeeper to determine which G L account you should use for disbursement write offs For a detailed explanation of the debits and credits of the Change Bill function see page 246 to page 251 of the user manual Bills can also be written up or written down using this method If the amount in the Change column is positive the bill is written up in other words the amount owing is increased If the amount in the Change column is negative the bill is written down or the amount owing is decreased Taxes For firms using GST or VAT I received a 500 GST VAT refund from the government How do I enter this receipt There are three steps to process the GST VAT refund A Record the recei
47. pt using the Firm Receipt function B Reallocate the GST VAT as a refund using the General Cheque function C Allocate the receipt to the GST VAT Journal and correct the General Bank journal using the General Cheque function A Record the receipt using the Firm Receipt function 1 On the Data Entry pull down menu point to General and click Firm Receipt 2 Inthe Receipt area 3 Type the name of the government agency in the From box 4 Type or select the date in the Date box To use a calendar double click in the box 5 Type 500 in the Amount box 6 Type GST VAT Refund in the Explanation box 7 Inthe Allocation area 8 Accept the value of 500 in the Amount box 9 Type or select G L account 9999 or Suspense if you use the Simplified set of G L accounts in the G L Account box 10 To save the receipt click OK B Reallocate the GST VAT as a refund using the General Cheque function 1 On the Data Entry pull down menu point to General and click Cheque 2 In the Cheque area 3 Type ADJ in the Cheque box 4 Type the name of the government agency in the To box 5 Type or select the date in the Date box To use a calendar double click in the box 6 Type 500 in the Amount box 7 Type or select E from the Pay GST VAT list 8 Accept the amount of 0 00 in the GST VAT box 9 Type Reallocate receipt in the Explanation box 10 In the Allocation area 11 Leave the Matter box empty 12 Leave the GST VAT box empty 13
48. reate Bill menu option Some PCLaw functions can also be accessed using the combination keys on the right hand side To use a combination key hold down the Ctrl key while you press the letter indicated For example to access the Create Bill function hold down the Ctrl key while you press B To move from field to field in a PCLaw window use the Tab key If you selected Process ENTER Key as Tab Key on the Workstation tab of System Settings use the Enter key to move from field to field To use a PCLaw button such as the Cancel button highlight the button by tabbing to it and press Enter Combination Keys PCLaw Function Ctri A General Retainer Ctri B Create Bill Ctri D Deposit Slips Ctri E Expense Recovery Ctri F Fee Sheet Ctri G General to General Transfer Ctri H General Check Ctri I Firm Receipt Ctri J Create General Journal Entry Ctri K Trust Check Ctri L Client Ledger Ctri M Mortgage Amortization Ctri N New Matter Ctri O Open Matter Ctri P Create Pre Bill Ctri Q Quick Timer Ctri R Receive Payment Ctri S Time Sheet Ctri T Trust Receipt Ctri U New Payable Ctri W Change Bill Ctri Y Quick Summary Ctri Z Trust to General Transfer Ctri F1 List Help Ctri F4 Closes the window Ctri F10 Same as the Alt key Shift F1 Field Help Fi General Help PCLaw requires a minimum screen resolution of 800 x 600 pixels If your resolution is set lower you will not be able to see all the elements of a window on your scree
49. rest For PCLawPro or the Past Due Notices optional module The grace period for interest on invoices is 30 days but for a few matters I would like to extend their grace period to 60 days How can I do this in PCLaw Yes In PCLaw specify a grace period 1 On the Options pull down menu click System Settings 2 Click the Interest tab If you have PCLawPro or the Past Due Notices optional module click the Past Due Notices tab 3 In the Grace Period area click 30 Days If you have PCLawPro or the Past Due Notices optional module select End of Grace Period and type 30 in the Days box 4 Click OK PCLaw will not charge interest on overdue accounts for the first 30 days after the invoice date Disable interest for the one matter On the toolbar click eS 1 2 Type the matter nickname in the Matter box or double click to select from a list of matters 3 Click OK 4 Click the Selections tab The following window appears Open Matter 01 0001 1 ki 5 In the Past Due area clear the Apply Interest box Click Save Close PCLaw will not charge interest on this matter To prevent interest being charged before a specific date on all matters 1 On the File pull down menu point to Matter and click Global Change 2 On the Select Matters to View window click OK 3 At the prompt click OK The following window appears 4 Inthe Charge for All Dates box click Clear 5 Select No Inter
50. rt you can use the Quick Summary feature 1 In PCLaw hold down the Ctrl key while you press Y 2 Type or select the matter nickname 3 Click Select The screen displays general information about the matter and a summary of accounting information The following information is displayed Last Trust Date of last trust transaction Last Billed Date of last bill Last Entry Date of last transaction A R Bal Total amount owing from bills Unbd Disb Total amount of advanced costs which have not yet been billed Unbd Fees Total amount of time and fee entries which have not yet been billed Total Trust Total amount held in the trust bank account for this matter Gen Rtnr Total amount of receipts which have not been applied to outstanding invoices Unbd Hrs Total number of hours spent on this matter which have not yet been billed Trust Bals Lists the balance held in each trust bank account To see a summary of all matters for a particular client omit the matter nickname and type a client nickname Which report shows all of today s general checks To produce a list of checks issued for a particular day use the General Bank function on the Reports Journals menu 1 Use today s date in the Start Date and End Date boxes 2 Inthe Include area select Disbs 3 To include checks from all bank accounts leave the Acct box empty 4 or 5 Enter a bank account nickname in the Acct box to restrict the report to one general
51. s 91 and 258 contain more information about General Retainers If a check you received did not clear the bank use the following procedure to correct the problem 1 Reverse the original receipt by running the appropriate function again type the original amount with a minus sign in front 2 For a Receive Payment transaction only select Pay Invoices Manually If you do not the system deducts the amount beginning with the first billed invoice This may not be the invoice you are trying to correct 3 You may also have to record a bank service charge Enter a General Check transaction for the amount of the charge specifying a check number of DM and allocating it to the matter If you are doing so before receiving your bank statement remember not to include the charge again when you reconcile your bank accounts Important You must use the same function that was used for the transaction In other words a Receive Payment cannot be corrected using a General Retainer or a Firm Receipt If you attempt to do so the amount will not be deducted from your accounts receivable and the bill will still show as having been paid Note To correct a receipt using the original date that date must be in a month that is not yet closed If it is closed reverse the receipt and enter the bank charges using a date in the current month If you receive a payment from a client that is higher than the amount owing PCLaw handles it automatically Use th
52. s the company contribution The calculation for all other taxes is based on the gross wages minus the employee contribution To handle more complicated tax calculations set up the employee contribution as one pretax deduction with its own set of tax rules and set up the company contribution as a second pretax deduction with its required tax rules Consult the firm s accountant or plan administrator to determine which tax rules to use with the plan e Contributions per period Enter the percentage of gross wages to deduct from the employee s pay plus the percentage contributed by the company e Company paid portion Enter the percentage of the total that is paid by the company e Yearly maximum If there is a maximum the employee and company can contribute per year enter the amount in this box When the total contributed by the employee and the company reach this amount Payroll will stop deducting for this plan e Paid so far this year If Payroll was just installed and contributions have already been made this year enter the amount already contributed by both the Employee and the Company in this box e W2 box To show the total employee contribution on the W2 form select a box number Box 13 and 14 require a Code or Label that identifies the plan Consult the firm s accountant or plan administrator to determine the proper code or label to use Example Alumni Law Firm has a retirement plan to which both the employee and the employer contribu
53. second line enter the gasoline amount and use G L account 5050 Auto Expense 3 On the third line enter the dinner amount and use G L account 5250 Entertainment The total of the allocations must equal the amount entered in the check area of the screen minus GST if applicable If there are personal charges on the credit card statement enter the amount in the Allocation area and use a G L account such as Drawings for partners or Employee Loans for employees If you are running PCLawPro or have the Accounts Payable optional module you can enter each charge from your statement as a separate A P invoice and then pay all the invoices with the Process Payables function Correcting Entries To correct a general check use the Correct Check function from the Data Entry General menu To select which check to edit 1 Leave the Matter box empty 2 Leave the Entry box empty 3 Type the check number in the Che box 4 Type or select the date of the check in the Start Date box 5 Type or select the date of the check in the End Date box 6 Click OK The check is displayed on the screen 7 Make any necessary corrections 8 To save your corrections click Next If you receive a message that the entry cannot be found read the next section It describes the conditions that prevent a transaction from being changed Q You can also correct a check with the Working With General Bank function from the Data Entry menu
54. t from a list of matters 3 To change the interest rate for one invoice type the invoice number in the Invoice box or double click to select from a list of invoices 4 or 5 To change the interest rate for all invoices leave the Invoice box empty 6 To change the interest rate for invoices created between a specific set of dates type the date range in the Start Date and End Date boxes 7 Type the interest rate to assign to the invoices in the Interest Rate box 8 Click OK 9 PCLaw changes the interest rate assigned to all invoices with the specified criteria For PCLawPro or the Past Due Notices optional module The interest rates I charge are based on the bank s prime rate plus 2 I update these rates on a monthly basis How can I charge different rates each month Set up an interest rate table 1 On the Options pull down menu click System Settings 2 Click the Past Due Notices tab 3 Click Use Rate Table 4 Click the Set Rates button The Interest Rates with Effective Dates window appears Use this window to associate specific interest rates with specific dates Note The first entry 01 01 1982 is the rate to use for any invoices with a date prior to the first entry Interest Rates with Effective Dates 2 x Date 01 01 1982 10 1 2001 11 1 2001 4 6 00 Cancel a Help Interest bs po pa J az zz m zi LLL 5 Click OK Example You charge the ban
55. t the calculated closing balance is not equal to PCLaw s bank journal balance the following message appears Bank Reconciliation The calculated statement balance matches the bank statement balance However the calculated bank journal balance does not match the actual bank journal balance Please ensure that all prior items have been entered correctly and that the actual bank journal balance is correct This occurs when e An outstanding check or receipt from a previous period is not entered using the Prior button e The general bank opening balance is incorrect use Tools gt General Bank Opening Balances to correct the opening bank balance I ve reconciled my bank and the Calculated Closing Balance is zero but I get the message The calculated statement balance matches the bank statement balance However the calculated bank journal balance does not match the actual bank journal balance What does this mean This message means that the bank statement is balanced but when this reconciled balance is compared to the book balance in PCLaw it is not the same It appears when e you are performing the first reconciliation in PCLaw and have not entered all the outstanding checks or receipts from a previous period e the bank opening balance was entered incorrectly with the General Bank Opening Balances function when reconciling a General bank account e the trust opening balances were entered incorrectly with the Mat
56. te The employee contribution is 3 of their gross wages The employer will contribute another 3 The maximum contribution for both the employee and employer is 6000 per year When taxes are calculated federal income tax state income tax and local income tax are based on the gross wages minus the employee contribution All other tax calculation are based on the gross wages The employee contribution must be reported in Box 13 with a Code of D The following illustration shows how to set up the retirement plan A 401 K Plan Type is used because the federal state and local tax calculations are based on the gross wages minus the employee contribution All other taxes are based on the gross wages Employee Deductions pre tax 401K Cafeteria 1 Alderson Donna I B 401K Plan Type Calculati thod C AMK C Cafeteria C User Defined C Not used Bee amount each pay Contiibutions per period 6 of gross wages Decusion amount Company Portion C Amount per period i c Company naid pation 50 Amoum per month Tine card Yearly maximum Automatic calculation Paid so far this yea General Lodgor Accourte W2 Box Box 13 Code Debit 5150 None f 12 Fringe Employee 1000 C 10 Dep Care 13 Code om E C11 Nongual C 14 Label Mont Employcc Mest Proviou OK Canoe Notice how the Contributions per period box contains a 6 meaning that a total of 6 of the gross wages will
57. ter Opening Balances function when reconciling a Trust bank account e anentry was made in a month where the bank was already reconciled known as a backdated entry If this is your first reconciliation make sure all outstanding checks and receipts have been entered using the Prior button in the Bank Reconciliation window check the General Bank Opening Balances on the Tools pull down menu and check the Matter Opening Balances on the Tools pull down menu If a backdated entry has been made change the date of the entry to the month you are reconciling If you cannot change the date you must reprocess the bank reconciliation for the month with the backdated entry and every month after it To prevent a backdated entry from occurring in the future read all PCLaw messages carefully when entering transactions PCLaw warns you when you are attempting to make a backdated entry Calendar How do I turn off the Diary listing that appears the first time I start PCLaw each day The first time you start PCLaw every day the Calendar Diary Report appears automatically to remind you of your appointments If you do not want this report to appear automatically select System Settings from the Options pull down menu On the Workstation tab deselectDisplay Reminders at Startup and click OK System Settings HEI Past Due Notices Provincial Memorized Transactions Fim General Banking Tax Matter Billing Workstation Gen
58. the Help button for step by step instructions To create an icon you must first have PCLaw installed on your workstation Then follow these instructions 1 On your Windows desktop right mouse click on the Start button 2 On the menu that appears click Explore 3 Double click on the Programs folder 4 Double click on the PCLaw 32 Bit folder 5 Click once on the PCLaw icon to highlight it 6 Right mouse click on the PCLaw icon 7 On the menu that appears click Copy This copies the PCLaw icon into memory 8 Close the Exploring Explorer window by clicking the X in the upper right corner 9 Point anywhere on the Windows desktop and right mouse click 10 On the menu that appears click Paste This pastes the PCLaw icon on to your desktop Once you have created the PCLaw icon you can start PCLaw by double clicking on the icon You can access any of the PCLaw pull down menus using the Alt key in combination with the underlined letter in the name of the menu For example to access the Billing menu press the Alt key and then press B B is the underlined letter on the Billing pull down menu To exit from a pull down menu press Esc Once you are looking at a pull down menu you can access any of the functions on that menu by pressing the underlined letter on the menu option For example once you are looking at the Billing pull down menu you can access the Recreate Bill function by pressing R R is the underlined letter in the Rec
59. the billed amounts on the Client Ledger and the Billing Fees Journal If your word processor does not start up see 375 of the user manual System Settings that Affect the Editor PCLaw is initially set up to save 20 invoice images on your hard drive which means that when you save the 21st invoice image the first one is deleted You can change the maximum number of invoice images that are stored by using the History setting on the General tab of System Settings When you are mass billing you should increase this setting to a number higher than the number of bills that will be created For example if between 150 and 200 bills are created when you mass bill you should increase the History setting to at least 200 This ensures that invoice images are saved for all the bills The maximum number of invoice images you can save depends entirely on the amount of hard drive space available on the computer where your PCLaw data files are stored System Settings and the Appearance of Bills The appearance of bills in RTF files is controlled by the template used when creating the bill By default pre bills use the SDETAIL template and bills recreated bills use the template called DETAIL You can change which template is used for pre bills on the Matter tab of System Settings The bill template is changed on the Billing Past Due Taxes tab of the Open Matter window Q For more information about editing bills see page 243 or click Help in the Ed
60. u make an expense recovery entry for 3 00 to 5520 Photocopy Expense PCLaw debits either 1210 Client Disbursement Recoverable Accrual and Modified Cash methods of accounting or 5010 Client Disbursement Expense Cash method of accounting It credits the account that you specify in this case 5520 Photocopy Expense Your Income Statement reflects part of the transaction like this Photocopy Expense consists of a debit of 90 00 from the initial purchase of photocopy supplies and a credit of 3 00 from the expense recovery entry Expenses 5520 Photocopy Expense 87 00 5521 Photocopy Recovery 0 00 Total Expenses 87 00 Scenario 2 Using account 5521 Photocopy Recovery When you make the expense recovery entry for 3 00 to 5521 Photocopy Recovery PCLaw debits either 1210 Client Disbursement Recoverable Accrual and Modified Cash methods of accounting or 5010 Client Disbursement Expense Cash method of accounting It credits the account that you specify 5521 Photocopy Recovery Your Income Statement reflects part of the transaction like this Photocopy Expense consists of a debit of 90 00 from the initial purchase of photocopy supplies and Photocopy Recovery consists of a credit of 3 00 from the expense recovery entry Expenses 5520 Photocopy Expense 90 00 5521 Photocopy Recovery 3 00 Total Expenses 87 00 Notice that the only difference between these two scenarios is that in scenario 2 you can see the
61. unt should not be blank when Tax amounts are greater than zero You have entered an amount in an Employee and or Company box without an amount in the corresponding Wages box Click the Redo button to make corrections and click the Add button when you are finished e If you are deliberately increasing only the tax or only the wage amount click the Ignore button however the integrity of your quarterly federal and state reports may be jeopardized eIf you see the warning message Minus value and or letters are NOT allowed You have entered negative numbers or letters in one of the boxes Click the Redo button to make corrections and click the Add button when you are finished elf you are deliberately entering negative numbers to reverse a check click the Ignore button however the integrity of your quarterly federal and state reports may be jeopardized How do I set up a 401 K Plan PCLaw Payroll can handle most pretax deductions such as 401 K and Cafeteria style plans It keeps track of both the amount deducted for the employee and the amount contributed by the company if applicable 1 Use the Deductions pretax option on the Company menu to enable the plan for this set of books 2 Use the Deductions pretax option on the Employee menu to enable the plan for individual employees Employee Deductions pre tax 401K Cafeteria 1 Alderson Donna fl 401K Plan Type Calceletion acthed G ADIK C Cafeteri
62. was first designed in 1982 there were separate time and fee entry functions Since then we have added the ability to enter a flat fee with the Time Entry function by omitting the hours Because many of our clients still use the Fee Entry function we have not removed it What is the difference between the Receive Payment function and the General Retainer function The Receive Payment and General Retainer functions are used to receive funds on behalf of a client into the General bank account The Receive Payment function is used when the funds should be applied to outstanding invoices The General Retainer function is used when the funds should be applied to future invoices as in the case of an advance Why do you have to close months What happens if you do not close them When you close a month in PCLaw you finalize the General Ledger figures for that month and by doing so prevent any financial items from being entered in that month This is useful especially when the bank has been reconciled When a month is closed you can no longer make any more entries in that month Closing a month also allows PCLaw to do some housekeeping Any billed items from closed months over two years old are summarized to reduce hard drive usage If you do not close months your PCLaw data files will continue to expand Reports will eventually take a long time to produce because PCLaw has to read through large files Unlike some accounting systems you d
63. you update the table every 3 months Your table might look like this Date Rate 12 1 00 8 25 9 1 00 8 00 3 1 01 7 75 6 1 01 8 25 Assume the invoice date for a bill is November 4 2000 and there is a 30 day grace period which expires on December 4 2000 If a past due notice is created for the client on April 1 2001 interest will be calculated based on e86 days at 8 00 27 in December plus January and February e32 days at 7 75 March plus April 1 Select a compounding frequency 1 On the Options pull down menu click System Settings 2 Click the Past Due Notices tab The following window appears CI 2x Fim Other DataEnty Banking Tax Matter Biling Past Due Notices Merorized Transactions Interest r Compounding Frequency T Caictiate interest on Invoices None C Invoice Date C BiWeeky 14Days As Of C Weekly 7 Days 7 SemiMonthy 16 Days End of Grace Period Monthly 31 Days r interest Rate C Olatak 31 Days C Set at Biling C SemiAnnualy 1182 Days Default Rate p 00 C Arewaly 365 Days G UseRate Table Set Rates C Other E Das Grace Period p Options Days 0 7 All Matters for Client on One Notice Delauk Template PPASTDUE Past Due Notice Phrases Customize Lox coe Hee 3 In the Compounding Frequency area select Semi Annually Click OK After 6 months PCLaw charges interest on the a
64. yout and can modify the layout by clicking the Quick Check Layout button on this screen If Quick Check Printing is not selected you are using a template To determine the name of the check template you are using look in the Template for Checks box You can modify the template using the Template Editor function from the Tools menu Q For more information about the template editor see Template Editor on page 317 of your user manual This function is equivalent to issuing a trust check and then entering a general retainer a receive payment or both You use this function to perform these functions in one step Use the Trust to General Transfer function in the following situations e You have just created a bill and want to transfer trust funds to your general account to pay off the bill e You are about to create a bill and you want a transfer of trust funds to the general account to appear on the bill e You want to transfer trust funds to the general account to pay off an Accounts Receivable balance e The last retainer the client gave you has been used up and you need more funds for the general account Warning Consult your local bar association or law society to determine the regulations you must follow regarding trust funds and general retainers For more information about Trust to General Transfers see Trust to General Transfer on page 214 of your user manual The Receive Payment function should be used if the payment fro

Frequently Asked Questions

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents