Law firms work with dozens, or even hundreds, of different vendors each month. Without the right tools, tracking all of the contracts, invoices and tax information for these companies can be a full time job. Zola Suite’s robust vendor management tools help firms efficiently manage all invoices and outgoing payments (including the ability to cut checks and even associate expenses with a matter). Zola’s dedicated Vendor Reports provide a holistic view of all payments, outstanding balances, expenses to be passed along to a matter and tax information.

Zola Suite’s Split Billing Feature allows users to divide the invoiced amount for services and expenses on a singular matter between multiple parties. Users can set unique rates for each client and split percentages independently for fees and costs. Once Split Billing has been configured on the Matter-level, users can generate invoices as usual. Using the previously-entered percentages, this tool generates a unique invoice for each billing client listed with its own unique invoice number. Each invoice will include the Matter, as well as each individual billing clients’ contact information.

In many firms, “succession planning” is important, but not urgent. It is human nature to deal with tactical issues and delay any strategic initiatives, but many professionals do not have an end-goal in mind. Many believe that they will “die at their desks.” However, no one can remain in a leadership role forever. Succession planning is a critical component to maintaining and growing the business by maintaining current talent and developing future leaders. It is a continuing process and has to become part of the culture.

Each year, the Zola Suite development team releases hundreds of updates and dozens of new features to help law firms be more efficient and profitable. While it can be difficult to narrow down our list of favorites, Zola Suite users have spoken, and based on their feedback, we’re pleased to share our top 10 releases of 2020.

It’s safe to say that 2020 threw us all a curveball. Despite the hardships this year brought, the legal industry rose to the challenge, adapting operations and offering new services to help clients through these unprecedented times. We asked Zola partners to share some of the trends they witnessed in 2020 and how they may affect the transition to cloud-based solutions. In part two of this series, these legal technology experts also share their predictions for what’s to come in 2021.

Controlling receivables directly affects a firm’s financial health. Therefore, it is imperative that a law firm has an organized and detailed method for collecting client payments in a timely manner.

Has your firm’s growth stalled? Are you struggling to scale your operations or your team? It’s often hard to pinpoint one reason why a firm seems to be stuck in neutral, cruising along but not accelerating. The cause is often a combination of things ranging from ineffective teams and poor processes to inadequate systems and subpar reporting. While restructuring your teams and bringing in fresh talent may not be an easy fix, correcting the processes and systems that are holding your practice back can be an easier feat to tackle; one that will yield immediate results and ultimately help you hit the gas on growth.

It may not feel like it, but the end of the year is fast approaching! Between running reports for shareholders, generating 1099s for every vendor, and figuring out employee bonuses, there can be a lot to deal with and you don’t want to be scrambling to do it all at the last minute.

In these unprecedented times, many people are working remotely without having signed a remote work policy from their employers. This puts the employer at risk. For protection, employers need appropriate remote work policies in place. Each state has its own specific requirements and regulations regarding types of employees. Please be sure to defer to those policies and regulations to ensure that any remote work policy you create is compliant. When formulating your firm’s policy, here are some things to consider.