Firm Settings

• You can bill based on Task Rate or Timekeeper.
• Most users bill based on Timekeeper.

• Default rate level you prefer when creating matters.
• Most users make Default their default rate level.

• Select your most common billing method.

• Select the Billing Frequency based on your firm’s needs.

• As a default, entered time rounds to the nearest 6th minute (10ths of an hour).
• You can change to a different increment or enter 1 to bill actual time.

• Defaults to 30 days.
• If your firm’s policy is different, select the number of days preferred.
• To have your invoices state Due Upon Receipt, enter 0.

• You can apply overhead charges to Time Cards, Expense Cards or both.

• In addition to the dollar, pound, yen, euro, and ruble are available.

• Default tax methods for new matters.
• Taxable matters’ time & expense cards default to taxable status.
• Your options include none, taxable, out of state, or nontaxable.

• Enable only if your jurisdiction requires separate taxes, such as federal and state/provincial taxes.

• For taxable matters, this tax rate applies to matter cost (expense cards, overhead).
• Canadian law firms: with your province already selected under Regional Settings, your HST/PST/GST will populate.

• For taxable matters, this tax rate would be applied to your timecards.  
• Canadian law firms: with your province already selected under Regional Settings, your HST/PST/GST will populate.

• Enter when necessary.

• Default value of collected fee allocation for matter producer(s).

• Default value of collected fee allocation for the responsible attorney(s).

• Default value of collected fee allocation for Timekeeper(s).

• Enables finance charge calculations based on overdue balances when generating invoices.

• Set your rate in this field.

• Simple Interest does not include past finance charges when calculating new charges.
• Compound Interest includes past finance charges when calculating new charges.

• Number of days beyond the due date before finance charge calculations begin. 

• The threshold amount over which finance charge will be added.

• Check this box to apply Canada-specific accounting settings.
• You will select a province.

• Set your operating bank, or the one used most often, as your default.
• Automatically completes the Bank field in transactions.
• Set to Select if you prefer to not set a default.

• Set your trust bank, or the one used most often, as your default.
• Displays as the default trust bank when adding a matter.
• Set to Select if you prefer to not set a default.

• Set your timekeeper, or the one who enters time most often, as your default.
• Populates the Timekeeper field on timecards.
• Set to Select if you prefer to not set a default.

• Set your matter owner, or the one who enters most often, as your default.
• Populates the Matter Owner field on timecards.
• Set to Select if you prefer to not set a default.

• Default client name format within your client list.
• As a default Original Name is First, Last and Display Name is Last, First.
• You can view these under Contact > Client. Select a client and click Edit.

• Default client name format for invoices and checks.
• As a default Original Name is First, Last and Display Name is Last, First.
• You can view these under Contact > Client. Select a client and click Edit.

• When generating an invoice, you set the From and To dates to determine which unbilled entries and matters to include.
• If you tend to include everything through today, you can change this setting to that default.

• Class tracking allows income statement and balance sheet generation according to the firm’s defined profit centers.

• Matter transaction classes can be derived from matter owner or timekeeper.
• Use this option for more granular class assignments.

• Controls time format on invoices and reports.
• For example, 01:30 or 1.5 hrs.

• Configure the system default to send email when a task is completed by choosing Yes/No from the drop-down.
• Firm users can choose to set their own default under Setup > My Settings > My Preferences.

• Defaults to Computer Checks, which means you print your checks from CosmoLex.
• If you prefer to hand-write checks, change to Manual Checks.

• Options include Check & two stubs, three checks, and stub, check, stub.

• Include additional information to print on operating checks.

• Include additional information to print on trust checks.

• Controls sub-account number location printing on the check.
• Only applicable if you select Separate Sub Accounts when entering your bank.

• You have the option to print your internal memo (Memo2) on the second stub, which is the stub for your records.

• Determines whether the full state or province name displays on printed checks.

• Select a Check template format from font sizes 9 to 12. 
• The selected font size will apply only to the check and not the stub. 

• To accommodate various printers, we provide an offset setting.
• Value must stay between 0 and 2.
• If the text is too high, increase this number.
• If the text is too low, decrease this number. 

• Default payee when trust funds are used to pay invoices.

• If applied, CosmoLex will alert you when you are creating future-dated transactions.

• Set to Yes to track sales and goods taxes paid on office expenses.
• Warns if there is no allocation to tax when entering expenses.

• If you practice in an area that does not allow operating retainers, you can disable that function here.

• Makes reporting clearer. Check the compliance reporting requirements with your jurisdiction before deciding.

• Makes the memo note field a required field.

• Show paid tax inputs in the transaction screen.

• Check the fields (client name, matter name, matter file number) you would like to display in Deposit Slip and Deposit Summary report

• Cosmolex is the default.
• Select your preferred document storage provider.

• You can configure additional sub-folders that will be used when creating new Matter Folders.

• You can configure which matter fields can be used to generate the default Matter Folder name for new matters.

• Enable or disable auto-generating Client IDs.
• Choose from three formatting options for auto-generated client IDs.
• Apply the scheme to existing contacts.

• Auto-generate your matter file numbers, or disable the feature.
• Choose from four formatting options for auto-generated matter file numbers.
• Apply the scheme to existing matters.

• Digest emails provide a summary of important information such as upcoming meetings, overdue tasks, daily activities, and more.
• Modify digest email preferences at the user level under My Settings.

• Enable or disable automated email notifications to clients when sharing an item with them.

• Enable or disable the ability to receive email notifications when a client uploads a new document to the portal.

• Digest emails provide a summary of important information such as upcoming meetings, overdue tasks, daily activities, and more.
• Modify digest email preferences at the user level under My Settings.

• Select the default account for matter costs.

• Select the default account for your legal fee income.

• Select the default account for trust account transactions.
  Note

  Only 2300 and 2310 and their sub-accounts will appear in this drop-down.

• Select either the cash or accrual tax reporting basis for your firm.

• Select the first month of your fiscal year.

• Select the first month of your income tax year.

• Specify book closing date to prevent accidental edits in closed duration.

• Four options for displaying your client’s transactions at the bottom of the invoice.
• Can also be set to not display.

• Check to include a cover page with each invoice.

• Adjust this spacing when customizing your invoice header.
• Increase the value to increase the header’s height, decrease to reduce the header’s height.

• When applied, includes the country in the invoice billing address.

• If you have integrated a payment processing app, a link will appear on your emailed invoices.

• You can choose to include the default label for payment link or edit the label and enter text of your choice and click the check mark (√).

• You can choose whether to print the task, the description, or both on your invoice.

• Adjust this spacing when customizing your invoice footer
• Increase the value to increase the footer’s height, decrease to reduce the footer’s height.

• When applied, includes the full state or province name in the invoice billing address.

• Enables page numbers on your invoices.

• Multiplier for currency conversion, if applicable.
• Static field.

• If you check the box, the invoices will initially be in draft. To finalize the invoices, user with permission will have to approve them.

• As a default, invoice emails are sent to the client’s primary email address.
• Cannot be disabled.

• This option sends a copy of an emailed invoice to the firm’s email address.
• Enter the firm’s email address under Setup > Firm Settings > Firm Information.

• The default subject line for invoice emails.
• Can be a mix of text and invoice field code.
  Note

  You can also include the merge field [#InvoiceNum#] and [#ClientContact#]

• Prohibits a client from downloading an invoice after this number of days elapses.

Delivery Options

By default, when emailing invoices, the invoice itself is accessed by a downloadable link. This allows for invoice read receipts, better security, and more granular delivery control. This also eliminates email attachment size restrictions. If you prefer to send as an email attachment, you can change the setting below. This setting will only apply to emails which meet the attachment count listed. Please see tooltips for more detail.

• When choosing this option, all invoices will be accessed via a link which appears as a “view/download invoice” button in the email body. With that you can revoke the invoice before being read, receive a read receipt once downloaded by your client (see below), and ensure delivery for large file sizes. 

• When choosing this option, your default preference will be for invoices to be sent as an email attachment. If the number of attachments per email exceeds the count set here (maximum of 3) these emails will include a downloadable link instead.  This is to avoid any email delivery issues for larger file sizes. When sent as an attachment, you lose the ability to revoke invoices or receive read receipts. 

• Send an invoice download notification to the firm’s email address as defined under the Setup > Firm Information.