Everything that Caren has previously told you is correct, but I just wanted to flesh it out a bit more for you as it is common for newcomers to LEDES to not full appreciate what is happening and become frustrated.

1) You will HAVE to upgrade, because

2) you will HAVE to purchase the LEDES98B electronic billing add-on.  You cannot produce the LEDES formatted file from Timeslips without the add-on.

And Sage will not sell the add-on to someone on an unsupported version (here 2007). Yep, it is going to cost some $$$.  Just the add-on alone is $650.

Once you actually get the add-on, you install it and then it needs to be configured.  This is more work than most people realize, and is not exactly the same for all users. Much depends on what the audit house who will be electronically reviewing your file wants in the header, and which ABA Code set your client wants you to use.  This typically requires adding some Timeslips Task and Expense activities, and setting up a common list of References to handle the L Codes if necessary.

THEN, you get to go over all your unbilled entries and code them.  Possibly even splitting out block billing slips to differentiate different activities between different slips, rather than all the time for one day on a single slip.

THEN you get to begin the process of having Timeslips generate a LEDES formatted invoice (the first ones can be a bit of a challenge).

THEN you get to upload that new file to the audit house and submit it for evaluation and payment (again, the first ones can be a bit of a challenge).

All in all, this can be a VERY time consuming undertaking, and you need to get started on it ASAP.  While your client may tolerate a slight delay of a cycle or two for you to get up to speed, they eventually will not pay your bill unless you submit a properly formatted electronic bill.  This can be very disruptive to your cash flow if you need to do this for a large chunk of your revenue.

Personally, I think you are better off hiring a Certified Consultant to help you with this who has "been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt", but many users also like to try to figure this out on their own.   The key would be that you will have enough work on your plate with the recoding and changes to your usual cycle to contend with without adding the extra burden of the one-time setup issues that a Consultant has seen before and knows how to avoid.  So you get setup faster, and then just have to deal with the new workflow.

Your mileage may vary.  Best of luck to you.

Hope this helps.  

If you think this suggestion was especially helpful, please consider rating it within the five star option, or clicking the green Yes button next to the "Did this answer your question?" option below.  Thanks.

Nancy Duhon, Esq.
Master Certified Consultant for Timeslips,Certified Consultant for Amicus Attorney and Credenza
Duhon Technology Solutions, LLC
a member of Certified Resources Network, LLC
[email protected]
404-325-9779
Providing personalized local and remote online support for Timeslips users for over 19 years. Available for private consultations, including older/unsupported versions.

Everything that Caren has previously told you is correct, but I just wanted to flesh it out a bit more for you as it is common for newcomers to LEDES to not full appreciate what is happening and become frustrated.

1) You will HAVE to upgrade, because

2) you will HAVE to purchase the LEDES98B electronic billing add-on.  You cannot produce the LEDES formatted file from Timeslips without the add-on.

And Sage will not sell the add-on to someone on an unsupported version (here 2007). Yep, it is going to cost some $$$.  Just the add-on alone is $650.

Once you actually get the add-on, you install it and then it needs to be configured.  This is more work than most people realize, and is not exactly the same for all users. Much depends on what the audit house who will be electronically reviewing your file wants in the header, and which ABA Code set your client wants you to use.  This typically requires adding some Timeslips Task and Expense activities, and setting up a common list of References to handle the L Codes if necessary.

THEN, you get to go over all your unbilled entries and code them.  Possibly even splitting out block billing slips to differentiate different activities between different slips, rather than all the time for one day on a single slip.

THEN you get to begin the process of having Timeslips generate a LEDES formatted invoice (the first ones can be a bit of a challenge).

THEN you get to upload that new file to the audit house and submit it for evaluation and payment (again, the first ones can be a bit of a challenge).

All in all, this can be a VERY time consuming undertaking, and you need to get started on it ASAP.  While your client may tolerate a slight delay of a cycle or two for you to get up to speed, they eventually will not pay your bill unless you submit a properly formatted electronic bill.  This can be very disruptive to your cash flow if you need to do this for a large chunk of your revenue.

Personally, I think you are better off hiring a Certified Consultant to help you with this who has "been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt", but many users also like to try to figure this out on their own.   The key would be that you will have enough work on your plate with the recoding and changes to your usual cycle to contend with without adding the extra burden of the one-time setup issues that a Consultant has seen before and knows how to avoid.  So you get setup faster, and then just have to deal with the new workflow.

Your mileage may vary.  Best of luck to you.

Hope this helps.  

If you think this suggestion was especially helpful, please consider rating it within the five star option, or clicking the green Yes button next to the "Did this answer your question?" option below.  Thanks.

Nancy Duhon, Esq.
Master Certified Consultant for Timeslips,Certified Consultant for Amicus Attorney and Credenza
Duhon Technology Solutions, LLC
a member of Certified Resources Network, LLC
[email protected]
404-325-9779
Providing personalized local and remote online support for Timeslips users for over 19 years. Available for private consultations, including older/unsupported versions.