Using this new tool, the attorney may create packages in the Package Library in the backend virtual law office.  He or she may then post links on the homepage of their virtual law office website that the online client may select to purchase.  When the online client goes through the registration process on the VLO, the case file will be set up to proceed based on that selected package.  The attorney may continue to add actions and work with the client in different methods in addition to the processes and macros set up by the package.

The feature streamlines the process of unbundling legal services for the virtual law office attorney and makes the delivery of online legal services more efficient for the client.   Customers of VLOTech have been emailed a video tutorial and instructions for setting up packages.

If you have any questions about this new feature or the VLO software, please contact us at launch@vlotech.com.

This newest release of the VLO Forms Feature allows for the creation of forms from PDF Acroforms.  PDF Acroforms are the same editable forms as those used by the IRS and other government agencies.  This expanded feature leads to a new workflow option for an attorney’s virtual law practice. 

Want to compete with the LegalZooms of the marketplace for online clients but also provide high-quality legal services?  The VLO Forms Feature permits you to provide these affordable and convenient services along with the benefits of the other VLO features to handle the client’s matter just as you would if they came into a traditional law office.  Our goal is to give attorneys the tools to meet the clients’ needs whether it is through the use of PDF forms or more personalized communication with the attorney through the VLO interface.

We have created two tutorial videos to walk VLO customers through this new option and have described the process in more detail below.  

Using the Forms to Serve Clients & Generate Revenue
 
An exciting new option with this update is that the PDF form, once it is converted to a VLO form, may be exported back out to the PDF form you originally uploaded.  After the client has filled out the form online, you may preview and save a hard copy of the completed form for yourself or provide that completed PDF document to the client for review or purchase in one step.

An Example Way to Use The PDF Forms Feature

• A client registers and asks for a form to be submitted to the court. You have your own version of this form with field names designed to work with the VLO and you have a VLO form that was created from this PDF version of the court form.
 
• You give the client a fixed fee quote of what you will charge them for the form and your review, and attach the VLO form for the client to fill out online.

• The client accepts the quote and fills out the requested information.
 
• You review the information and created PDF from the client’s form using the option to upload the final PDF to the client as his or her final legal product.

• When you do this, the amount you entered in the quote field for the quote that you provided will become the total due immediately.
 
• Once the total due has been paid, the final PDF will be unlocked for the client who may then open the PDF and print a copy to take to the court for filing.

Step One: Creating PDF Acroforms
 
The first step is to create PDF Acroforms from the existing forms that you use to work with your clients.  These could be client intake forms, worksheets, or PDFs from your local courthouse or government entity. You may create a PDF Acroform for free using Open  Office, but there are other options.  The same process may be done with Microsoft Office and a plugin, such as CenoPDF.  The full version of Adobe Acrobat also has the option to build forms in the same method as used in the Open Office demo, but the Help Text field in Acrobat is called Tooltip. This Tooltip becomes the VLO Label that clients see. 
 
Step Two: Using Forms in the VLO
 
Once you have created a PDF Acroform there is a new option in the Forms Library to create a VLO form from PDF.  The software will import your PDF and create a new form for use in the VLO.  You may then edit the form and add in your unique instructions and legal guidance to assist the client in filling out the form online.  After this form is completed you may continue to use it from your Forms Library with new online clients without having to go through the creation or editing steps again.

As always your feedback is welcome and encouraged.  Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
 
Kind regards,
 
Benjamin, Stephanie and the Team at Total Attorneys.

An update has been made to the VLOTech software to include PDF invoices.  This new features is now available as an invoice format option from the invoice menu.   Several attorneys using the VLOTech software had requested the ability to print out PDF versions of their online invoices for clients in addition to having the online invoices stored in the client’s online file.  The addition of this new software feature serves a dual purpose as the research and design moves us closer to the release of the second phase of the Online Forms Feature.

This VLO update includes new libraries to support saving pages to customizable PDF files using customizable templates.  One development goal for the VLOTech software is to provide advanced PDF export options throughout the VLO.  Time has been spent in research and development to ensure that the customizable templates in the PDF invoices generate well-formatted PDFs and correctly handle page breaks.  This recent development work on the software will also be applied to the further development of the Online HTML Forms feature.  For this release the focus was on PDF invoices which are the basis for that development process.

The invoice format released in this update is a simple but important starting point.  Currently, only the invoice item description and the cost are displayed in the detail of the PDF invoices.  However, the flexibility of the PDF generation library allows each VLO to adapt the invoice to include additional detail, such as billable time that may be useful to your VLO.  Logo headers are also supported by the PDF templates. The images required by the PDFs will need to be different than those used in the HTML, and we are still experimenting with the best resolutions to recommend as the standard format for invoice images.

We look forward to receiving feedback from our clients regarding how different law practices would like to see their invoices laid out.   Please feel free to send us  samples of invoice templates that you would like to see offered for the VLO.

If you have any questions about the latest update to the software or would like more information about the product, please do not hesitate to contact us at launch@vlotech.com.

]]> http://www.vlotech.com/blog/software-update-pdf-invoices/feed/ 0 http://www.vlotech.com/blog/software-update-online-client-registration-vlo-activity-summaries/ http://www.vlotech.com/blog/software-update-online-client-registration-vlo-activity-summaries/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:48:11 +0000 Stephanie Kimbro http://www.vlotech.com/?p=439 An update has been made to the VLOTech software to include the following items:

Registration Process – Collecting User Information

User Information Forms have been updated to add more information and accommodate the requirements of some of our non-US attorneys.  Prospective clients are asked whether they are requesting legal services as an individual or organization.  Additional fields include questions  related to the organization or company’s nature of business, the position or title of the individual registering on behalf of the organization or company and other relevant information related to an entity that may request legal services through a VLO.

VLO Activity Summary Views

New summary views were added for specific activities. New options are located under “Latest Revisions” located in the main VLO menu bar.  Latest Revisions may be sorted by the following categories: Cases, Discussions, Events, Files, Forms, Charges, Invoices and Payments.

This update is designed to assist attorneys who are handling large amounts of activity on their VLO and have started assigning specific tasks by process to additional attorneys or legal assistants rather assigning the work by case.  As an attorney’s online client base grows, this tool will be useful for organizing the VLO workflow.

File Uploads

The file upload workflow has been changed so that any incomplete file meta data is requested after the file has been uploaded. Generic defaults are used to allow the file upload process to complete and the client is redirected to the file edit form if any additional information is required.

Credit Card Processing

The Authorize.Net module was updated to provide a new field required by the credit card processing service.

If you have questions about the latest update to the software or if you would like information about our product, please contact us at launch@vlotech.com.

An update has been made to the VLOTech software to include the following items:

Managing Recent VLO Activity

The VLOTech software has a number of new features to better summarize the most recent activity that has occurred on a VLO.  Attorneys have a new menu option that offers a summary overview. This new management section will continue to be expanded to offer different at-a-glance summaries of various sections of the software.

Additionally, individual client cases now show more information in the summary notes that will detail the most recent changes to that case.  This will allow the attorney to quickly view their or their client’s last actions taken within that case file.  For example, the attorney will be able to review the summary to see that the last update to the case was a new file upload from their client or that a payment has been made to an online invoice.

In conjunction with the improvement to at-a-glance summaries, improvements to contextual links have been made which will help to streamline case management workflow.

Case Quote Form

The case quote form has been updated to improve usability.

Calendar Events

Events created by clients within their cases now indicate more clearly to the client that these requested, scheduled events are unconfirmed until the attorney reviews the request.  Attorneys can confirm these calendar events by editing them and updating the confirmed status.

Registration of New Online Clients

A new option has been added to the site configuration file to turn registration alerts on and off.  Because no single attorney is assigned to a case until it is created, all registration alerts will be sent to the main VLO email account rather than to every individual attorney working on the VLO. By default this alert will be turned on for each VLO.

Continuing Work on Software Development Requests

There were also a number of behind the scenes updates made to the software.  These were either new software libraries being added in preparation for future updates or were administrative tools used by VLOTech to better manage your VLO. As always, we appreciate our clients’ constructive feedback and ideas for future development of the software.

If you have any questions about the latest update of the VLOTech software or would like more information about our product, please contact us at launch@vlotech.com.

Online Payments

Improvements have been made to the payment process when clients choose to pay the attorney by check through their VLO homepage.  The online payment system also now supports online payment processing through Authorize.Net.  Any VLOTech clients  interested in changing the online payment options offered to clients may contact us for more information through the VLOTech account site.

Case View

Files may now be uploaded from multiple locations.  This feature update was at the request of one of our attorney clients and should improve the online workflow and useability on  clients’ homepages.  The option to upload files to the VLO are located under the “Files” section of your VLO and “View Files” section of your client’s case file as well as underneath the “Discussion” section of the main case view.

Client Management

Attorneys have more control when resetting client passwords.

Resources

Improvements to Form management were made. The system now allows the attorney to delete master forms while handling orphaned forms still attached to cases.

File Management

Improvements to File management were made.

New Online Payment Option

Law Charge, Inc. is now a supported merchant for IOLTA compliant credit card processing in the VLOTech software.  Law Charge, Inc. sets up merchant account programs for attorneys that will allow you to keep your current banking relationship for your law practice while offering your online clients their choice of payment options, such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover.  Law Charge’s program includes the direct deposit of funds into an attorney’s trust or operating account.

If you are interested in using Law Charge as an online payment option, please let us know and we will work with Law Charge to integrate the service into your VLO.

International Features

The VLOTech system now supports client registrations from outside the United States in conjunction with jurisdiction checking.  Additionally, zip code verification is performed for clients registering from Canada, Australia and the UK.

Initial support for internationalization of the software is provided for setting up a non-US VLO.  Jurisdiction alerts may now be configured at either the state/province/territory or the country only level.  VLOs already support the ability to localize the text messages throughout the software.

Next Phase: Foreign currency and legal ethic concerns unique to each country are currently being implemented and reviewed in conjunction with our international consultants in Canada, Australia and the UK.

If you have any questions about the latest update to the software or would like assistance adding Law Charge as an additional online payment option for your clients, please do not hesitate to contact us at launch@vlotech.com.

This product update includes changes to retainer, invoice and payment processing in order to allow tighter control and compliance with trust accounting and IOLTA.

Highlights of the new update include the following:

Payment methods are filtered so that only the relevant accounts are provided as options for the attorney to select when directing online payments from the VLO to an attorney’s law firm bank account. Retainer payments and invoices flagged for a trust account will not be shown as payment methods marked for operating accounts.  Likewise, regular invoices with payments due will not be marked for trust accounts.

If an attorney’s third-party credit card processing company or other financial institution handling the online payment processing supports it, the attorney may now designate a trust account and operating account for each payment method.  The system will detect the presence of trust account requirements and select the correct account when processing a payment.

VLOTech can also accommodate trust and operating accounts set up with different banks.  For example, if the attorney’s bank or other payment processing merchant service only allows one account to be assigned for payment processing, the attorney could make this the trust account and then use another online payment method such as PayPal for the operating account payment processing.

We are currently working with another company, a payment processing merchant designed to handle IOLTA compliance by offering two account ids to attorneys, to integrate their product offering into the VLOTech software. This would provide VLOTech clients with an additional online payment option for their VLO. As of this release, we currently support payment processors run through Link Point, used by banks such as PNC.

Additionally, as part of the redesign of the VLO payment processes, an abstract API was created that will allow additional payment merchant interfaces to be developed quickly as long as the attorney provides VLOTech with a developer’s test account and proper documentation.

If you have any questions about these new product features or about operating a VLO to comply with trust accounting requirements and IOLTA, please contact us at launch@vlotech.com.

The Online HTML Forms process allows the attorney to create a master form that can be attached to individual client cases in the virtual law office (VLO).  The form is sent to the client online through the secure VLO interface.   The attorney creating the form may include specific instructions and explanations for the client to guide them in filling out the information.   The attorney may store the master forms in the VLO Form Library for reuse with different online clients.

This process of attaching the form to the individual online client’s case file is similar to the File Library feature in the VLO software.  However, instead of downloading a form to be filled out and uploaded back into the system, the online HTML forms are filled out on the spot, and can be edited continuously and changed repeatedly by both the attorney and his or her client. Even better, as the forms change over time, for example, due to changes in the law, the copy attached to the case can be kept in its historical format or synchronized to reflect changes made to the master form.

The system will also assist the online clients in making sure that they have provided all of the information that the attorney flagged as required in the master form. Once a form has been linked to a case, the client will be alerted via a yellow sticky note on their homepage if there are incomplete forms that need attention. The case management system will also track and highlight any forms in the general form list that have required fields which are not yet filled out.

Additionally, the Online HTML Form feature has access to the underlying VLO control system which gives the attorney the ability to make sure that the data provided by his or her clients is properly formatted. For example, date fields can be tested for valid dates, and money fields can be tested for valid monetary values. Any problems will be reported to the clients while they are filling out the form before they move to the next page.

The goal for a future release of this feature will be to allow the attorney to upload an FDF form and have the system create the outline Online HTML form automatically which the attorney can then add instructions, labels and rules to.  The client will fill out the form online and then have the system merge the completed information provided by the client with the FDF form in order to produce a final PDF form.   The attorney could then file the final PDF form with the court or other entity requiring the specific original PDF format for filing.

If you would like more information about this feature or the VLOTech product, please contact us at launch@vlotech.com.

CSV is the most common method in which contact data is stored in databases.  Contact information stored in an attorney’s smartphone, email program and most PC and Mac contact management applications can easily be imported into a VLO.