This article contains release notes for GhostPractice Fee Earners, launched in 2024.
Introducing UTBMS Schedules
Customise your Billing
- Your firm can now configure and manage UTBMS Schedules for your clients and matters.
- This change will allow firms with rate restrictions to control postings by users more effectively, while ensuring that client- and matter-specific rates are adhered to.
- UTBMS Schedules simplify the fee and note capturing process for a matter by exposing the posting codes defined on the schedule by default.
- Custom rate exceptions are supported by allowing you to override the rate, on a per-code basis, for any matter that uses that schedule. This means that a specific task can default a rate per matter or client, regardless of what the client or matter default fee schedule is.
We explore these functionalities below:
Step 1: Update Your Permissions
You can only access this new feature if your firm’s System Administrator has updated your role permissions.
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✏️Note: Refer to the ‘GhostPractice User Notes Version 14.3 – Bookkeeper and System Administrator’ document to learn how to set up permissions for different user roles. |
Step 2: Set up UTBMS Schedules
- Once your administrator’s permissions for the Posting Codes module have been updated, they can start creating schedules that meet your firm’s unique billing needs.
- The configured schedule will affect your use of the posting codes as a Fee Earner.
Step 3: Apply UTBMS Schedules
This feature applies to the Clients, Matters, and Fees and Files Notes modules. In these notes, we’ll explore the functionality that applies to Fee Earners.
Clients Module
Apply UTBMS Schedules to Clients
- You can now apply UTBMS Schedules, created in the Posting Codes module, to your clients.
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✏️Note: The UTBMS Schedule must first be created in the Posting Codes module. |
Find your Client
- Browse to the Clients module and open your client. The client’s details will display. Navigate to the Rate Exceptions tab. Choose the relevant Activity Code Schedules from the drop-down list. Then click Save.
Matters Module
Apply UTBMS Schedules to Matters
- You can now apply UTBMS Schedules, created in the Posting Codes module, to your matters.
- This allows you to apply the same schedule as configured on the client, or you can apply a custom schedule for the matter.
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✏️Note: The UTBMS Schedule must first be created in the Posting Codes module. |
Fees and Files Notes Module
Apply UTBMS Schedules to Fees & Notes
Input your Matter
- Browse to the Fees and Files Notes module and input your matter.
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✏️Note: The UTBMS Code Schedule must have been configured in the Posting Code module and applied to the client or matter. |
Complete the Transaction Details
- If an UTBMS Code Schedule applies to the matter, then the Fee code list, by default, only displays posting codes configured in the schedule. Press the More button to access the remaining list of posting codes.
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✏️Note: If the selected fee code has a custom rate configured in the schedule, then that rate applies. Otherwise, the system behaves as before with regard to fee schedule/ fee earner or posting code rates. |
| If no UTBMS Schedule has been applied to the matter, then the system will show, by default, the posting code favourites for the logged- on user. |
New Permissions
Your firm can now restrict a user’s ability to create new contacts in the Contacts and Matters modules.
Contacts
When a user, without the requisite permission, tries to create or edit a contact in the Contacts module, the New button will be disabled.
Refer to the ‘GhostPractice Release Notes Version 14.3 – Bookkeeper and System Administrator’ document to learn how to set up permissions for different user roles. |
Matters
When a user, without the requisite permission, tries to create a new contact in the Matters, the following will display:
Related Article:
GhostPractice Release Notes - Version 14.3 - Bookkeeper and System Administrator