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LexisNexis Practice Management Systems, Inc. 123 Commerce Valley Drive East Suite 310 Markham, ON L3T 7W8 Canada http://www.pclaw.com Table of Contents Installing PCLaw® ................................................................1 Written Tutorial ....................................................................19 Getting Started ...................................................................53 Working With Persons in PCLaw ......................................57 Time and Fees .....................................................................93 Client Costs .......................................................................104 Trust Bank .........................................................................122 Client Receipts ..................................................................137 Additional Data Entry Tools .............................................145 Billing .................................................................................162 Special Billing ...................................................................179 Working With Invoices .....................................................198 Custom Billing ...................................................................221 Accounts Payable .............................................................227 Customizing Reports .......................................................237 PCLaw Settings ................................................................245 Assigning Security ............................................................267 Calendaring .......................................................................279 Using Front Office .............................................................295 Creating Templates ..........................................................313 Closing the Month/Year ...................................................321 Applying Taxes and Levies ...............................................339 Managing PCLaw .............................................................355 PCLaw Mobility .................................................................373 Table of Contents ii Mobile Modules ................................................................ 382 Reports Overview ............................................................ 398 Index ................................................................................. 417 Chapter One 1 2 PCLaw User Guide Chapter One 3 Installing PCLaw® PCLaw Requirements ............................................... 6 Installing PCLaw® .................................................... 8 Preparing a Set of Books ......................................... 14 4 PCLaw User Guide Chapter One 5 Chapter 1-1 PCLaw Requirements Contents Requirements Workstation/Stand Alone Considerations Server Considerations Requirements It is important to install all the latest service releases and critical updates for your operating system. To increase productivity and performance, we encourage you to consider the number of users accessing the data simultaneously and how large the database may become as your practice grows. The following topics are covered in this section: • Workstation/Stand Alone Considerations • Server Considerations. Workstation/Stand Alone Considerations The following are the requirements for a computer running PCLaw: Minimum Recommended Processor Pentium II Pentium IV Memory (RAM) Windows 2000 128 MB 256 MB Windows XP 256 MB 512 MB Windows Vista 32bit 512 MB 1 GB Hard Drive Space 1 GB available to PCLaw 2 GB or more for data growth (in stand alone environments) Network 10 Base-T Ethernet 100 Base-T Ethernet** Operating System Windows 2000 Windows XP 32bit (Home) Stand-alone Windows XP 32bit (Pro.) Network Screen Resolution 1024 x 768, 32-bit color Higher resolutions supported, individual resolution preference may vary Browser Application Internet Explorer 6.0 with Internet Explorer 7.0 with all critical all critical updates updates **Wireless networks are not recommended for security reasons 6 PCLaw User Guide Server Considerations We assume all servers are comprised of a high reliability and high performance component structure. It is important to keep your system up-to-date with the latest service releases of all your software. For optimal functionality, we provide the following requirements for a dedicated server computer running PCLaw: Minimum Recommended Processor Pentium III Small Network - Pentium IV 3.0 GHz with HT Technology Large Network - Pentium IV 3.0 GHz, HT, dual processor Memory (RAM) 512 MB 2 GB Hard Drive Space 2 GB available (on a high 4 GB, high performance disk sub-system performance disk) (ex. R.A.I.D.) Network 100 Base-T Ethernet Gigabyte Ethernet** Screen Resolution 800 x 600, 16-bit color Higher resolutions supported, individual resolution preference may vary Browser Application Internet Explorer 6.0 with Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) with all all critical updates critical updates **Wireless networks are not recommended for security reasons For PCLawPro Enterprise, in addition to the server considerations listed, the following must be installed prior to installing PCLaw: Minimum Recommended Server Software Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard or 2005 Express Edition higher as MSDE is no longer supported by All operating systems are Microsoft. supported with the use of For these versions of MS SQL, Windows SQL Express however, we 2000 Server products or Windows 2003 recommend using Win- is required. dows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows 2003 plat- forms Chapter One 7 Chapter 1-2 Installing PCLaw® Contents About Installing PCLaw Installing PCLaw on the First Computer Installing PCLaw on Subsequent Computers Installing PCLaw Pro About Installing PCLaw PCLaw can be installed on a single computer or on multiple computers in a peer-to-peer or client/server environment. Choose your installation method from the following and perform the associated procedure: • Installing PCLaw on the First Computer • Installing PCLaw on Subsequent Computers • Installing PCLaw Pro • Preparing a Set of Books Installing PCLaw on the First Computer To cancel the installation, click the Exit Setup button at any time during the installation wizard. 1. Close all applications that are running on the computer. 2. Insert the PCLaw product disc into your CD-ROM drive. 3. If the disc starts up automatically, the product menu appears. If the disc does not start up automatically: On the Windows task bar, click the Start button, then click Run. In the Open box, type D:\autorun. (The letter D represents your CD-ROM drive). Click OK. The product menu appears. 4. To proceed with the installation, click Install PCLaw (Standard Version). If you are installing PCLaw Pro with the SQL database option, a valid and fully configured Microsoft SQL server must exist prior to installing. Read Installing PCLaw Enterprise in this chapter prior to continuing. 8 PCLaw User Guide The Welcome window appears. 5. Read the license agreement thoroughly. If you agree to the terms, click Accept. The installation continues and the Data Set Create/Attach window appears. If you do not agree with the terms, click Don’t Accept. The installation is cancelled. 6. To install PCLaw on a single computer: Select Create a new data set and click Next. To install PCLaw on the first computer in a network environment, select create a new data set for use by multiple computers and click Next. The Enter Product Key window appears. Chapter One 9 7. Enter the product key you are provided and click Next. The Select Destination Directory window appears. If you purchased the Satellite and/or Express add-on module(s): The Extra Module Keys window appears. Type your license key(s) in the provided boxes and click Next. The Select Destination Directory window appears. 8. The default location for PCLaw is displayed. If you want to choose a different location in which to install PCLaw, click Browse. To accept the specified directory, click Next. The Ready to Install window appears: If this is the first computer in a network installation, you have two directories to specify. The shared (network) components determine where to install the files to which all users must have access. The non-shared (local) components determine where to install the files to which the local user must have access. 9. The Ready to Install window displays what is about to be installed on the computer and where it is about to be installed. Verify the information