Amicus Attorney

		We regularly get asked by users how they can quickly tell if they are running the latest update to Amicus Attorney. In response, we've added a new option at the top right of the screen to call out the current installed version. This also helps our support team identify the specific version when users send in screenshots. This new option is visible at the top right of the screen right next to the Help button.
		In addition to displaying the current versions, clicking the link will also open this What's New document where users can see any recent improvements. They may then wish to contact their Amicus Administrator to ensure they initiate an update to the latest version.

Individual users can now choose to display up to 13 different fields in the Files Index.

New fields include:

Opened Date
Closed Date
Special Status
Business Type
Source (aka Matter Came to us Because)
Billing Category (aka File Billing Category)
Billing Status (aka File Billing Status)
IL (aka Introducing Lawyer)

Simply right-click anywhere in the Files index and click "Show Fields". Then select the specific fields you want to display. This option is controlled at the user level, so every firm member can control their own layout.

Once the columns have been added, you can drag and drop to reorder and drag to expand or compress the width of each column. The settings are saved to the database so any layout changes you make will persist.

Given the size of modern screens, it was high time that we allowed users to take advantage of more screen real estate.

The addition of these new columns also makes the "Group By" option in the File module much more powerful. You can choose to Group By any of the new columns to create customizable views. Slice and dice your File details to gain new insights into your practice.

Simply right-click in the File index and choose the "Show Group By" option. Then drag any of the columns to the new header bar to organize by that column. Drag additional columns to the header to get even more granular details.

To return to the normal view, simply drag the columns back out of the Group By drag and drop zone.

With this change, Amicus Administrators can now enable the integrated billing capabilities with a simple check of a box. This capability is no longer limited by subscription settings, and can now be controlled by firm admins without needing to contact the sales team.

Enabling the integrated billing unlocks your ability to leverage APX for secure credit card and ACH payment processing for US-based firms.

Note: Enabling the integrated billing capabilities will disable any existing 3rd party accounting links like Timeslips or PCLaw.

We've updated several prompts that could appear in the event of an issue. As part of the new prompts, we've added the ability to send in related log files directly to support, so they can better understand the context of the error.

The goal here is to provide even more prompt attention in the event you need to reach out to support.

The new parameters added to three of the My Time reports allow users to show or hide the time entry description in the report output. Feedback from users showed that firms who do eBilling do not need to see the Time Entry Description in their reports. Since the activity and task codes can be appended to the time entry description, including the description in the report results in duplication of data, and clutters the output. Users can opt to include or exclude the description every time they run the reports.

The following firm reports (accessible to Amicus Administrators) have been updated for improved performance:

Files: File Assignment Index - Selected File Status
Calendar: Apps - All Firm Members
Calendar: Apps - Selected Firm Members

While our hope is you should never have to look at any log files in Amicus Attorney, we do want to provide the necessary tools to quickly help resolve any problem in the event you need to contact support.

To that end, we've made a concerted effort in this update to make all of our logging more robust across the application. This includes adding more detail in multiple areas along with the removal of unnecessary information that was not providing value.

The Duplicate Check capability allows users to quickly merge duplicate contacts across the organization. With this update, the mass-merge capability can now support more than 1,000 contacts for large scale cleanups.

The improvements to the embedded browser make it even easier to view email messages and rich text throughout the application. These changes will ensure optimal performance when viewing large volumes of email messages over the course of the day.

The same embedded browser components are used in the Dailies and Contacts modules and the communications views on Matters and Contacts.

Mass Changes is now enabled for Appointments in List Views.

Select Change Assignment from the Actions menu to display a Select People dialog.

Contacts associated with the appointments you would like to support can then be moved to the Assign textbox using the right arrow, then click OK.

Select Firm Settings from the left navigation bar, then click Firm Profiles under Calendar & Tasks.

The list of various Calendar & Tasks - Firm Profiles to be shared across the firm displays.
Select Firm Task Profiles from the drop-down list under the Display options field to view the shared task profiles.

Select Firm Calendar Profiles from the drop-down list under the Display options field to view the list of shared calendar profiles.

Select New to create a new profile just like within the Calendar module with unnecessary items removed.

Select the people Who you want associated with the profile, then click How to select the Day, Week, Date Range, Month or Lists view.

Click When to find a day when all the people associated with the profile are available.

Click What, then select the items to show from the Appointments or To Dos drop-down menus.

Enter a name for the new profile in the Save this Profile as textbox, then click Save.
The new profile is automatically sorted by name, so it is easily found. Click Edit to update or delete the profile.

After the various Calendar & Tasks - Firm Profiles have been created by an Administrator, other firm members can now log in and use these profiles.
Firm profiles are identified with a leading asterisk.

A separator appears between firm profiles and custom profiles.
Note: Firm profiles can only be edited in Firm Settings by an Administrator.

The updated re-initialization warning message makes it clear what is being done as some users may not understand the ramifications of constant reinitializations.
Resynchronizing should only be done under the direction of a member of the Support Team.
When Calendar & Contacts is selected under Link Preferences the Calendar and Contacts Integrations dialog displays with an option in Step 2 to configure your personal link options and request initialization.
If Configure is selected a Warning displays.

Click OK to proceed. New options appear in the drop-down lists of the Reset Contacts and Reset Appointments fields to reset the link.

The default is "DO NOT RE-INITIALIZE" so the user needs to choose exactly what they want to reset.
The drop-down list also contains options to reset One way:Amicus->Google and One way:Google->Amicus.
Once a selection has been made the user clicks "Send Sticky" to notify their Administrator that they are ready to be scheduled for a reset of their data.
Resetting data is an off-hours process which can be lengthy depending on the amount of data. The Reset Now button is only enabled if one or more of the options is selected to be reset.

Select Firm Settings from the left navigation menu and click the new Locations item that appears under Calendar & Tasks.

The Calendar - Locations dialog displays.

The items can be edited, removed, and moved up or down in this list. You can also click New to add new locations to this list.

Enter the name of the new location in the text field that appears and click Apply.

There are 3 wasy to display the Event Details dialog.
Select File > New > Event from the main menu. Double-click on an existing event in the calendar. Select the event in a list, then right-click and select Open from the shortcut menu that appears.
The new Location icon now displays to the left of the Location field in the Date, Time, Category section. This is not visible for Tasks.

Click the Location icon to display the list of your firms pre-defined locations.

Select a location from the All Locations column, then select the right arrow to move it to the Current Selection and click OK.

Your selection now appears in the Location field of the Event Details dialog.
After selecting a location, the user can choose to make further edits to the Location field. For example, they may modify "Board Room" to "Board Room 2".
Note: Locations can still be entered manually in the Location field.

As part of the nightly Daily Checks, a new validation is performed to compare the Amicus server time with real-time.
A Sticky is immediately sent if the time is off by 1 minute or more as this discrepancy could impact integrations with some 3rd party links.

The Daily Check will send out this sticky every day until the time is fixed.
In Date & time, you can choose to let Windows 10 set your time and time zone automatically, or you can set them manually.
Under the Start menu, select Settings > Time & language > Date & time.

Slide the toggle beside Set time automatically to the right to enable this option.
Another sticky is sent out during Daily Checks when an Event or multiple Events assigned to firm members fail to process during the regular Daily Check procedures.

The Details of the event comprising of the Name, Date and ID Number are included in the Sticky so that Firm Administrators can easily identify the issue for the Support Team to troubleshoot it.

If a Primary Client has not been listed, clicking None in the footer of the Select People dialog removes all contacts. However, if the Matter has a Primary Client, nothing will happen.

To keep the Select People dialog open, click No, and proceed to make the necessary selection.

When a Contact's information orginates from a linked contact the Delete and Open items are disabled from the pop-up menu that appears when the Contact is selected, and the right button is clicked.

The new Edit Link option displays the Linked Contact window where the information contained in the contact can be edited or removed.

Click on Reports > System Administration to access the Deleted Items Report dialog.

Enter From and To dates to specify the date range.
Click OK to generate the report.

A prompt now appears when the Server Service is not available with a Retry option in the event the service is back up, or the user can try again later.

Clicking Retry speeds up the process of connecting back into Amicus.
If your Office 365 / Exchange synchronization has failed due to an issue with your credentials the following prompt appears.

Clicking Update Password takes the user directly to the Exchange Settings dialog where they can Authenticate their credentials.

This speeds up re-entry of the Office 365 / Exchange credentials.

Prefixes are typically Dr., Mr., Mrs, Ms., and suffixes for example may be Jr. or Sr.
To display these new columns right-click in the list view of the People module to display a pop-up menu, then select Show Fields.

A Show Fields dialog displays.
Select Prefix from the Available fields window, then click Add - > to move it to the Show these fields in this order window. Repeat this process to move Suffix to the Show these fields in this order window. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to move Prefix before and Suffix after the Name column.

The list view of the People module now displays with a Prefix column before and a Suffix column after the Name column.

The Tasks icon has been added to the right of the Calendar module option in the Amicus Floating Toolbar.

To enable this option, click View and select Toolbars > Show Amicus Toolbar from the drop-down menus.

Navigate to the My Auto-Text dialog under Preferences to view the reformatted layout of Spell Check Preferences.
Enter abbreviations in the Expand This: field and the expanded text in the To This: field. Click Add to add the abbreviation with the expanded text to the list in the My Auto-Text dialog.
This allows you to quickly insert frequently-used words or phrases.

Navigate to My Application - Spell Check dialog under Preferences and select the checkbox next to Temporarily exempt edited Auto-Text until next login.

When this option is selected newly added exceptions found in the Auto-text list are exempted from displaying until the user logs out and logs back into Amicus.

This is especially helpful when attempting to include addresses for satelite offices in assembled documents.

Now in addition to the existing options for the firm's Primary Address details, users can now include the full addresses for Home, Office and Other.

Merge fields added are:

Firm Business Address
Firm Business Street
Firm Business City
Firm Business State/Province
Firm Business Country
Firm Business Zip/Postal Code
Firm Home Address
Firm Home Street
Firm Home City
Firm Home State/Province
Firm Home Country
Firm Home Zip/Postal Code
Other Home Address
Other Home Street
Other Home City
Other Home State/Province
Other Home Country
Other Home Zip/Postal Code

A new "Include Closed Files" checkbox displays beside the "Show" field in the Select Files window as closed files are not included when "All Files" is chosen from the drop-down list in the "Show" field.
This mean "All Files" can include all Open and Closed files if this option is selected. Generally closed files are omitted from most lists to remove clutter.

The checkbox is hidden when it is not appropriate. For example, when "Active Files" is chosen from the drop-down list in the "Show" field.
The default filter settings are controlled via the Preferences. Navigate to Preferences > Files > Display to make adjustments.

A new Posted field has been added in the Find Time Entries dialog allowing users to select a date or date range.

After clicking OK the results will include a Posted Date column.

This column can be easily added or removed in the Show Fields window.

The only way to unpost an entry is to select Actions > Unpost.

Additional Time Entry tracking in the database allows for reporting on when time entries are posted, unposted or batch posted..
These columns are available to support when they need to troubleshoot questions regarding Time Entries.

Every month a new log appears under your AmicusLogs called "TimePosting_ Month_Year".
Stored in the same folder as the server log.

The log behaves as the email log and includes the following columns - Action/ TimeKeeper/ Date / Time Entry Date / Time Entry Id / Short File Name / Duration / Rate.

Click Accounting under the Time section in your Firm Settings to display the Time-Accounting System dialog, then select Custom from the Select your Accounting System drop-down list.

Click Configure to open the Accounting Profile Wizard.

Click the Next arrows in the footer until you reach the Posting File Options window.
Two options now appear under the Consolidated Posting section.

If the Immediate Posting radio button is selected, Time Entries are posted to the text file when Post is clicked. (Previously Time Entries were always posted this way.) If the Batch Posting radio button is selected, Time Entries are posted at a defined interval.
Click the Next arrow until you reach the Posting File Name and Location window, where the Posting Interval is defined.

The interval shows a frequency of every 30 minutes started each day at midnight.
If the Batch Posting radio button was selected, and then later disabled, items posted by the user beforehand will not get posted.
Click the Next arrow in the footer until you reach the Custom Template Field Layout and Details window.

A new TimeEntryId field now displays that can be added to the Export text file by clicking the right arrow in the middle of the two columns.
A Validation section displays below the columns if Batch Posting was selected in the Posting File Options window
Select the Validate on TimeEntryID checkbox to ensure that unexpected entries are not present in the exported text file. If there is an issue detected during the validation process an email is sent to the Administrators who are set to receive the Communications.
At the interval preset in the Posting File Name and Location window, any Time Entries "Marked for Posting" will be written to the Export text file. If a Time Export text file already exists, the Time Entries will be appended to it.

Some bills could be rejected when the word "Assistant" was present in the text file forcing firms to manually edit each file. A new option was added to the list to resolve this issue.
Select a firm member from the User Management screen, then click Admin to display the Administration Profile dialog.
The "Paralegal" E-Billing classification is now included in the E-Billing Position drop-down list.

To view an E-Bill, click Bill Images in the left menu bar, then right-click on the bill and select Open E-Bill as Text File from the pop-up menu.

When an E-Bill is created using the "Paralegal" classification, a new E-Billing code "PL" appears after the Firm Member's name in the text file.

Text files are sent to the Client for E-Billing. Previously a firm members would manually change the E-Billing Classification code to "PL" if this was needed in the Billing text file.

The Referral Report now includes the option All (Except Empty) in the drop-down menu under the Came To Us Because field.

The drop-down menu in the Came To Us Because field defaults to All, which includes Matters where the Referred by field was left blank when the Matter was created.

Clients often want to see a report which includes the various Referral Types such as Cold call, Referred by ..., Internet Search etc., but they do not want to generate a list that includes Matters where the Referred By field was left blank when the Matter was created.
When the new option, All (Except Empty) is selected in the Came to Us Because field, Matters will not display if the Referred By field was left empty when the Referral Report is run.

The new list is shorter and contains only relevant Matters.

This allows users to quickly generate a report on any Time Entries posted in a date range and optionally limit by the Timekeeper.
Select Posted Time Entries - Selected Timekeepers and Posted Date Range from the Advanced Reports column, then enter the From and To dates in the Report Generation window.

Click OK to generate your report.

Unposting a Time Entry could possibly result in potential duplicates as once unposted it shows up as Postable and may be posted again by another Firm Member.
To view the new prompt:
Conduct a Search or go to the Matter containing the Time Entry you would like to upost, then select Unpost from the Actions menu.

A prompt displays informing you that unposting this time entry may result in duplication when this entry is reposted and asks you to update your accounting system accordingly.

Select Cancel to abort the procedure or click OK to unpost the Time Entry and proceed to update your Accounting System.

An SQL Compatibility check is now included when using Auto-Update to push updates to all workstations.
If your version of Microsoft SQL is not supported you will not be able to update Amicus.

The Apply Update Now button under Firm Settings checks that you are running a supported version of Microsoft SQL.

HotDocs Advance Setup has now been broken up into two distinct parts.
The first screen asks for the email address to be associated to the account and the HotDocs Author License Key.


Enter the Client Name and Tenancy URL, then proceed with the setup by clicking Try Again.

After the Daily Check is complete, the Exchange Service is programatically being restarted every night to clear any sync operations that have become stuck.

Amicus includes an all-new embedded browser control to handle how HTML or rich text is displayed throughout the application.
This new change is especially helpful when using the email reading pane to preview saved email messages. The new modern controls render content much better for an improved experience.
The improved controls also impact the Marketing Announcements page, any Dailies pages that show external contacts and features such as the Contact Map option.

The following new message displays when the File Summary is being deleted to ensure that the deletion was intentional. It appears when the user clicks Save & Close, Next or the Previous arrows to move to another file.

Click Yes to restore previously deleted text.

To avoid accidental changes to a Matter:
When the Responsible Lawyer on a Matter is changed the following prompt message displays.

Click Yes to proceed or No to cancel.
When the Introducing Lawyer is changed the following prompt message displays.

Click Yes to proceed or No to cancel.

Simply select the appropriate Firm Member(s) on the Matter, then choose to Generate a Document.

It is now easier than ever to manage Firm Group memberships. Firm Administrators no longer need to rely on Reports to view firm member assignments.
A new Groups option has been added to the drop-down list found under the Access Class field.

When Groups is selected under Access Class a new Group Name field displays listing all firm members groups.

All firm members in a group are displayed when a specific group name is selected from the Group Name drop-down list.
Firm Administrators can right-click on any firm member and manage their Group Memberships.
However, new firm members cannot be added to a Group from a list view.

Firm Administrators can now open the Contact details for any Client Portal user in the User Management list.

This allows them to easily display the Contact details by clicking on a Client Portal user and selecting Open from the drop-down list to make any changes.

A new field has been added to the Time - New Entries Preferences dialog to control whether or not a prompt appears for the file selection after clicking Save & New to create a new file.

Select Always from the drop-down list in the Prompt for File selection when creating via Save & New field, then click Apply or OK.
Later when you create a Time Entry from within a file you will be prompted to select the file again after the fields are completed to ensure that the file information you are currently working in is retained.

You now have control over the formatting of appointments for other firm members in Calendar views when looking at another firm member's events.

A new Show other firm member appointments as field containing a drop-down list. with options to show as Attendee(s) / Title or Title / Attendee(s) has beeen added to the Preferences dialog
Attendee(s) / Title Title / Attendee(s)

This update allows for the first phase of support for Document Assembly in 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Word.
The Perform Merge and Select Fields buttons under the Add-in heading in Word now support both versions.

The Amicus Tasks toolbar does not yet support 64-bit versions of Word so we continue to recommend 32-bit versions of Word.

The Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) is a group of codes that were created to standardize billing categories.
Although Amicus Attorney comes with a series or codes used to classify legal services you may want to create custom Task-Based Billing Codes.
To create additional Task-Based Billing Codes go to Firm Settings and select Activity Codes under the Time section. A Time - Activity Codes dialog displays.
Select Task Based Billing Codes from the drop-down menu in the Display Options field. Then click Edit beside the Code Set field.
A new Task-based Billing dialog displays containing the code categories. Click New and enter a name in the field that becomes available.

Click Save to add the new code to the Task-Based Billing Codes.

Amicus now supports payments via General Retainer from Multiple Bank Accounts.

When an attempt is made to remove an item that is currently being used by related record(s), a warning message displays informing you that the item cannot be removed.

Microsoft keeps improving the SQL Server engine's core with each new iteration.
To leverage the benefits of SQL Server 2019 please see Updating / Installing SQL Server under Administrator in our Help Center.This upgrade takes about 10 minutes.

Microsoft SQL Version Check
There is now a new monthly check to verify the current version of Microsoft SQL.
The following monthly Sticky message appears to all Firm Administrators when an unsupported SQL version is detected.

This encourages Firm Administrators to keep an up-to-date version of Microsoft SQL to take advantage of the improved security and performance.
Verify Microsoft SQL version on Update
Update capability in Amicus can now check the version of Microsoft SQL in use.
The following prompt appears when a Firm Administrator attempts an update that cannot be applied if an unsupported version of SQL is detected.

Click on the Learn More link to learn how to update to a more recent version of SQL

What's New now appears under the Support Section in the Help Center. This links to an HTML page featuring all the latest updates in this release and past releases.

There is now a new link under Administrator to make it easy for your Firm Administrator to update to a newer version of Microsoft SQL.

Toggle between Show People on this File / People on this File in the File Details taskbar to show or hide people associated with a file.

Clicking on the icon displays a tooltip Show / Hide this Business Card.

The newly updated icon has also been moved closer to the heading so that it is now easier to find.

When the APX Payment Methods List report is generated all payment methods for selected client(s) are included in the list. When no specific client is selected, the report is run for all clients.
Go to Firm Settings and click on APX under the Billing section to display the following dialog.

Click on Payment Methods under Reports to display the Payment Methods List Report.

If you belong to a firm with multiple Administrators and you begin the process of configuring the Office 365 and Exchange links a strong warning will display if the links have already been configured. This lets you know that the process has already been completed, and warns you that if you continue all users in your firm will be disabled. To view the warning message select Contacts, Calendar and Email - Link configuration under the Outlook / Exchange / Office 365 Link in Firm Settings, then click Configure to display the Welcome screen with a strong warning message. The Configure button is also replaced by a Re-configure button.

If you choose to click Re-configure, a prompt displays informing you that if you continue with the reconfiguration the link will be disabled for all users.

If you still wish to configure a new account, click Yes to proceed or No to return to the Welcome screen without making any changes.

New options have been added to the Preferences section of the Exchange Calendar and Contact Link setup that allow newly added People/Contacts, Appointments and ToDo's/Tasks created outside of Amicus in Exchange to display with their default assignments when they are synchronized with Amicus. Previously events created in Outlook were assigned only to the current user.
To view your Default Assignments for Amicus click New Entries under the Calendar section in the Preferences window.

These Default Assignments can be adjusted by each firm member individually by clicking the Person Icon and selecting names from the Select People dialog.
To apply these Default Assignments to new Appointments select Calendar & Contacts - Outlook / Exchange / Google configuration under the Links section in the Preferences window, then click Configure in the Calendar and Contacts Integrations window that displays.


Click Step 2 Link Preferences in the Exchange Calendar and Contacts Link window that displays.

Select the Using Amicus data radio button in the Link Preferences - Conflicts window that displays, then click the Next arrow. Check the radio boxes to customize your List Preferences for Appointments, Contacts and New To Do's/Tasks.

If you or another Firm Member switches to a new high-resolution monitor then Amicus can automatically apply settings to ensure an optimal viewing experience.
The following prompt displays at login if a 4K monitor is detected.

Click Yes to apply the advanced 4K settings at this time or No to keep the settings as is. If you click No the prompt will not display again unless you get a new monitor.
If Yes was clicked, the next time you log into Amicus Attorney you will notice that the 4K resolution has been enabled at your workstation.
The settings can be disabled anytime in User Preferences > Defaults on Login.

Select Defaults on Login under the My Application section in the Preferences window to display My Application - Defaults on Login window.

Select Defaults on Login under the My Application section in the Preferences window to display My Application - Defaults on Login window.
Select the Apply 4K setting checkbox under the Screen Optimization section to enable 4K resolution for your firm members.

Click Email under the Links section in Preferences to display the Outlook / Exchange E-mail window.

Ensure that the Enable Regular Synchronizations checkbox is selected and click Step 4 Initialization / Reset.
Click the Rebuild Outlook Columns button which only displays if regular synchronization is enabled.

A message displays informing you the current Amicus columns in your Outlook will be deleted and then rebuilt.

Click Yes to begin the process of rebuilding Outlook columns. You will receive another message when the Amicus Columns have been rebuilt.

Historical data is recreated if it was lost when moving email providers.

Amicus makes it easy to package documents on a Client File to a Folder or a ZIP file for easy sharing by selecting Package Documents from the Actions menu.

Save ZIP file compresses the files while maintaining the folder structure, so the recipient can see the layout as intended.
Save to Folder saves the files to a designated folder in one click.

Before you Begin Checklist
Unlicense the Firm Member. See Licensing users. If they are a Timekeeper, you must remove this designation. See Working with Firm Members. Remove the Responsible Lawyer status from all files assigned to the Firm Member. See Assigning the Responsible Lawyer. Post all unposted Time Entries. See Posting Time Entries. Remove the Firm Member from any Firm Member Groups – Automatic. See Viewing Firm Member Details. Remove all restrictions on all records set by the Firm Member – Automatic. See Setting record access restrictions.
Note: Items 1 to 4 must be done before you can proceed to change an active Firm Member to a Former Firm Member. Items 5 to 6 will be done automatically when switching.
Changing the Access Classification:
Open an active firm member's profile from the User Management window, click on Admin... to display their Administration Profile.

Select Former Firm Member from the Access Classification drop-down list to change the classification.
If items from the Before you Begin checklist are not completed, the following warning prompts appear:
This prompt informs you that you must unlicense the Firm Member. See Licensing users.
This prompt informs you that you must remove the Timekeeper designation. See Working with Firm Members.
This prompt informs you that you must remove the firm member as a Responsible Lawyer from all files. See Assigning the Responsible Lawyer.
This prompt informs you must post unposted Time Entries. See Posting Time Entries.
This prompt informs you that changing the designation removes the Firm Member from any Groups. Click Yes to continue. See Viewing Firm Member Details.
This newly added prompt informs you that Restrictions were set by this Firm Member on one or more records. For example, the Firm Member may have created a reccurring team meeting with edit restrictions. If the restrictions are not removed, other attendees will not be able to make changes after the creator becomes a Former Firm Member. Click Yes to proceed. See Setting record access restrictions.

A new Configure button guides you through launching the external SSRS setup utility.
Select Reporting Services under the General section of the Firm Settings to display the General-Reporting Services window, then select Configure.

A prompt displays directing you to the folder where the SSRS Configuration can be accessed.

Click OK closes the prompt, logs you out of Amicus Attorney and opens the Utility folder.

Right-click on ReportServerConfiguration.exe to launch the utility.
Select the SQL 2019 or Later checkbox if you are using SQL 2019 or a new version of SQL.
Follow the setup instructions. Right-click on ReportServerConfiguration.INI to launch the INI file. You can fill in the details of the Configuration Form here so you do not have to enter it every time.
Click OK and log back into Amicus Attorney to do the Test Connection.

Balances in Client and File Account Overviews and Indexes may need updating if new transactions or changes to transactions fail to update them under certain circumstances, such as after using the mass time entry change tool.
Ensure that all other Firm Members have logged out of Amicus Attorney before refreshing balances.
Note: We recommend that you backup the Amicus database.
Choose Office > Firm Settings and select Utilities under the Maintenance heading.

Next to Client Balances, click Recalculate. To recalculate Client Balances, click the radio buttons that apply in the Recalculate Client Balances dialog.

The File and Person icons become active when their corresponding radio button is selected.
Clicking on the File icon displays the File Selector window and clicking on the Person icon displays the Select People window.
Make your selections from the lists and click OK. You are returned to the Recalculate Client Balances dialog where the selections display in their corresponding textbox fields.
Click the All radio button to recalculate all of the Files and Clients in Amicus. Files will be processed even if they do not have Firm File and Firm Contact security rights.
Use the Calendar Controls to enter a Start from date.
A Warning message displays on the Recalculate Client Balances dialog informing you that the recalculation process may take a long time to complete if many records were selected.
You are also prompted to consider doing a backup first.
Click No to cancel the process or Yes to perform the recalculation. The following prompt displays if the number of Files and Clients records exceeds 300.

You are informed that processing such a huge amount of records will impact other Amicus Users and are asked to consider running this task during off peak hours.
Click Yes to continue with the process of recalculating your client balances or click No to cancel the process.

When a user clicks on "My Time - Statistics" report under Firm Member reports a message displays redirecting them to the Statistics tab in the Time Sheets module.

Previously when a Master Event was deleted from a Precedent template the entire Precedent Workflow was broken.
The following error message displays if a user clicks Delete in the footer of an Event Details window that is part of a Precedent template..

To remove an item from a Precedent Template, go to Events in the left navigation bar of a File Details window and select Use Precedent from the dropdown menu in the taskbar.

Select a precedent template from the Select Precedents dialog that appears and click Edit.

Select an item from the main window in the Precedent Profile dialog that appears, then click Remove above the window.

Click Save to remove the item from the Precedent template or click Cancel to return to the Select Precedents dialog without any changes.
If you try to delete the Master Event the following message displays.

Click Yes to delete the entire Precedent template or click No to return to the Precedent Profile dialog without making any changes to the template.

Select Tax Settings under the General section in Firm Settings to display the General - Tax Settings dialog.

Click Edit beside the Rate field to display the Tax Rate dialog. Make necessary changes to the Rate field. Amounts up to 3 decimal places are accepted.

When you onboard to APX a Congratulatory message displays notifying you that your APX account is Active.
Click Get $5 Gift to get started testing the APX workflow.

An APX intake form displays. Ensure that the details are correct and add email(s) in the We will send a transaction details to this email(s) field if you wish.

Click Get $5 Gift to complete the transaction.

The Disbursement Report comes directly from APX and is accessible to Firm Administrators. Disbursements can include customer payments, or amounts refunded to a customer.
Nightly bank deposits can include funds from multiple transactions.
The Disbursement Report makes it easy to see the breakdown of each transaction.
To view the Disbursement Report in Amicus Attorney, click on APX under the Billing section in the Firm Settings to display the following dialog.

Click APX Disbursement Report to display an APX Reports window, which can be minimized and maximized using the controls at the top.
Select the Report Period from the drop down and then click Run Report to complete the report.

A progress bar displays while the report is running, and shows when the report is complete.
The Disbursement Report displays with interactive fields. You can change the Report Period and/or enter Search criteria, then click Run Report to display another report.

The No. of Disbursements, Total Amount Disbursed and Total Amount Refunded displays clearly at the top of the report.
Click Expand All to expand all the items in the report, or select the arrow to the left of an item to expand it and see the transactions for that item.

Click the arrow to the left of the item to compress it back to the original report.
You can filter a Disbursement Report by entering a full or partial client name, matter or file name in the Search field provided and click Run Report. Only items that match your search criteria display.

Enable or disable specific notifications and adjust distribution lists so that the right team members are informed. Transactions could include failed payments, refunds, voids, recurring payments and more.
The following dialog displays for firm members that have opted into sending Email Notifications after they click on APX under the Billing section in Firm Settings.

A Firm/Business Email Notifications window displays with a scroll bar on the right side so you can easily scroll down to the notification you want to send.

By default the various email notifications are enabled. To change this setting slide the toggle switch from ON to OFF.

Click Manage List to display the Manage Recipient List - Online Payment Transaction Notification window. This is where you add in email address(es) for the recipients of the notification separated by commas. Click Save when you are done.

The number of recipients displays beside Manage List. You can add your own email so that you get notified as well.

You can Maximize and Minimize the window using the controls at the top. Closing the window automatically saves your changes.
The email address(es) you entered in the Manage Recipient List window appear in the Notification will be sent to following email(s) field in an item you create on the Firm/Business Email Notifications list, for example a New Recurring Payment Schedule.

The recipients will receive an email notification with the type of notification displayed in the subject line. In this case New Recurring Payment Schedule.

If the Recurring Payment is deleted from the schedule the recipients will receive another notification.

The option to pay invoices 24/7 via the Client Portal is beneficial to your firm, as well as your clients.
Selecting a previously saved credit card or ACH account option from the drop-down list in the Payment Method field, then clicking Remove to the right of the field quickly cleans up the list of payment methods in the Payment dialog.

The Remove button is disabled if a payment method does not exist.
Note: APX does not allow a payment method to be deleted if it is tied to an active recurring payment schedule.
Attempting to delete a payment method that is being used by a recurring payment schedule displays a prompt informing the user that the deletion is not possible.

Providing a Pay Now link with emailed invoices allows clients to simply click the link to pay their bill by credit card or ACH account. This is beneficial for the firm as clients are more likely to pay faster and sooner.
Occasionally it is a good idea to clean up the Payment Method list to remove payment methods that are no longer being used by the firm.
The Delete icon to the right of a payment method is enabled when a payment method isn't being currently used. Simply click on it to remove the payment method.

Note: Clients are prevented from deleting payment methods associated with a recurring payment schedule.

Former firm members will no longer appear in lists when opening an Office. This avoids the possibility of a former firm member being assigned to a file or being added to a group.
There is also a new option to Remove Group memberships from anyone marked as a Former Firm Member.

Some older Document Assembly Templates could include MSXML setttings that have been identified as potential security vulnerabilities.
A new Utility allows firms to scan and fix any issues for all templates.
To begin the process, select Utilities under the Maintenance section in Firm Settings to display the following dialog.
Click the Cleanup button at the bottom.

A prompt message appears informing you that all firm document templates will be scanned. Click Yes if you wish to proceed.
This takes a few minutes. As this is a background process it does not affect your firm members.

The templates in your database are scanned one by one and all MSXML references are removed and saved.
A copy of the original template is kept under your Templates folder.
A message displays informing you when the document template cleanup process is complete.

This can be run by any administrator and adjusts all firm templates.

Previewing documents associated to a Client file has been optimized so that it is now faster and more reliable than ever.
Selecting On from the drop-down menu next to the Preview icon enables the preview pane. The preview pane stays enabled until you disable it.
After the preview pane has been enabled, simply click on an item from the document list and a preview of the fle's contents opens immediately.

Note: Not every document type will preview. For example, Wordperfect documents will not preview.
You can adjust the length of the preview pane by dragging the borders to the desired size.

Amicus supports Uniformed Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) for time entries and expenses.
When choosing to link to Timeshlips for invoicing, it is important that these codes are mapped correctly between the two systems.
This update includes improvements to streamline the mapping process for firms setting up the Timeslips link for the first time.

Selecting the Preview button on the taskbar offers a way to preview your records without opening them.

You can now drag the scroll bar up to increase the size of the preview pane and down to decrease the size. This is especially helpful when previewing longer records.

Adjusting the size of the preview pane saves it to your Preferences.
This means that the size of the preview pane remains the same when you click on other Communications on a file or log in and log back in.
This functionality is user-specific and does not affect other firm members.

For optimal performance and improved launch times, lists of communication records are capped at 1,000 items.
This cap has little impact on most client files, but for some longer running matters or ones with many emails, phone calls and phone messages, the list may appear truncated.
At the top of all communications is an updated date selector visible in all communications tabs on files, which allows you to filter your lists.

As communications play a pivotal role in the success of your firm, it is important to know when the Communications lists are not displaying complete details.
In the event there are more than 1,000 records, an updated alert now appears next the Date Range filter making it clearer to users that some communications records may not be visible in the list.

Mouse over the alert and the Results Capped alert displays indicating the date range selector should be used to filter the list.
Note: The cap of 1,000 records can also be adjusted by Technical Support if a firm prefers to raise or lower the bar.

Previously bills only printed one by one.
Saving multiple bills to a single pdf file helps ensures that your bills are easy to share, review and paid on time.

The Exchange Health Check alerts are designed to give a heads up to Firm Administrators whenever a problem is detected with the Exchange Contact & Calendar Synchronization.
Sticky notifications have been updated to include the Date and Time. when an incident occurs so that the Firm Administrator knows when the issue occurred, and is able to take action.

Note: The system has also been further optimized preventing unnecessary alerts if a Firm's synchronization cycle takes more than 1 hour to complete.

Previously this feature was limited to SQL 2014 and earlier versions.
The Rolling backup capability allows the Firm Administrator to set the specific number of backups that they wish to retain.
The system automically removes previous backups when that number is reached preventing storage bloating.

After updating to Amicus 20.9, go to the Maintenance - Utilities dialog under Firm Settings and reset the number spinner and click Apply.
Note: Retaining years of daily backups could lead to unexpected storage limitations that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Previous versions of Worldox referred to a form used to profile documents as a Profile Group.
This term has been replaced with Cabinet in Worldox GX4.

Deleting or rescheduling an instance of a repeating event is now synchronized between Amicus and Google Calendar.

You can now use sample data provided in the Tutorial Office to create bills and run most reports.

When you update to Amicus Attorney 20.9 the server and workstations automatically check for .NET 4.8 on each machine.
If .NET 4.8 is not installed, the Amicus update process automatically configures .NET 4.8 as necessary. This is performed via a silent or manual update.
A restart may be required at the end of the update process before you can log back into Amicus. This is dependent on your environment.

.NET Framework 4.8 is the latest version of .NET Framework. For the most part, the framework is completely transparent to users, and silent updates at workstations may not notice any differences in the process.
The update to Amicus 2.9 will only commence after all services are started. Then the update will continue as normal.

The Toast message that pops up when the update is kicked off by the Firm Administrator informs the user that they have 10 minutes to logout or they will be booted out of the system.

The server is updated after the 10 minute countdown.
A Toast message pops ups after the server is updated to inform the user that the workstation update has commenced.
There are no notices at the workstation while the update is in progress.
Another Toast message pops up when the workstation update is complete.

Toast messages do not interfere with a user's current activity and disappear on their own.

APX 2.0 streamlines your billing and collections by taking care of your credit card and ACH payment processing needs allowing you to focus more energy on your practice. Designed for law firms, APX handles both operating and trust account transactions and ensures trust deposits remain whole. There is never any duplicate entries of information into multipe systems.

Administrators of firms that are already using APX 1.0 will be prompted that APX. 2.0 is available for Onboarding.

WebView 2 is required to update to APX 2.0. This is installed automatically with the Amicus Attorney 20.8 update.

.NET 4.7.1 or higher (at workstation) is required by WebView2 and a prompt will display if it is not detected.

Processing is paused while Onboarding is underway. However, payment methods are moved automatically.

Existing APX 1.0 PayNow requests become invalid. They are visible after onboarding is complete and outstanding PayNow requests can be re-sent by an Administrator.

Emails will go to the Outlook Draft folder where they can be easily reviewed before sending. Clients will get a new PayNow link.

New payment forms for entering credit card and banking information have an improved usability for both firm members using Amicus Attorney and clients using the Client Portal.
Clients who receive a PayNow request email will appreciate the improved experience. Clients can view the details about their invoices and outstanding payments, and easily add new credit card or ACH details to pay their bills. They can also save card or account details for use on future payments to speed up transactions.
In Amicus Attorney, click Actions > Manage APX Payment Methods from the Navigation bar of a Contact Card to display a list of APX Payment Methods for the contact. Click Add to add an APX Payment method.
		The Payment Method dialog displays with information retrieved from the client card. Click the Credit Card radio button on the right side to enter Credit Card Information. Some of the fields are populated with information retrieved from the client card. Click into the fields to edit or enter new information.
Scroll down to complete the Billing Address section.
		Select the checkbox beside Save card information for future payments if you would like Amicus to remember this information. Then click SAVE. You are returned to the list of APX Payment Methods.
		Click the eCheck / ACH radio button to add an E-Check / ACH Payment Method. Click in the fields to edit or enter new information. Click SUBMIT to return to the list of APX Payment Methods where the new information has been added. You can continue to add APX Payment Methods.
APX Payments are not editable. It is recommended that you Delete an existing Payment Method and add a new APX Payment if you need to change details.

The Pay Now capability lets you email payment links with your invoices to clients so they can quickly pay their bills. This feature substantially reduces the collection time for firms.
The elegant new design is great right out of the box, but firms can also customize the look and feel of the payment request template with any HTML editor before sending PayNow links to their clients.
		Select the appropriate radio button under the Payment Method section or click the + plus icon to add a new APX Payment Method. After the Payment Method is selected click PAY NOW. A Payment Successful window displays after the payment is processed.
A link to DOWNLOAD the receipt displays at the bottom of the Payment Success window. APX also sends an email notification to the client.

APX 2.0 includes access to the new APX Portal where firms can get an even greater insight into their payment processing. New reports, charts and graphs allow you to track payments and monitor trends from an elegant dashboard with options to drill down for more details.

You will receive a link to the Account Portal in an email to get you started using the new APX Portal.

Afterwards, you can log into the Account Portal and drill down to see information about your payment processing, as well as any chargebacks.

The Client Name, Matter ID and File Name are now referenced in the newly revised APX Transaction Report.

There is no need to run reports from multiple sources. All the information you need is now contained in the APX transaction report, and available at your fingertips!

Onboarding
The Onboarding wizard has been completely updated with many prefilled fields to help get your firm up and running with APX as fast as possible! Click Abacus Payment Exchange (APX) under the Billing heading in Firm Settings to get started. Click the Learn More / Enroll button to display the first screen of the Onboarding wizard.

Click LEARN MORE ABOUT APX or the video Start Button to watch a short video about the APX integrated payment processing system. Click SIGN UP FOR FREE to begin the Onboarding wizard.
		The first step, About the Business section displays. You will notice that some fields are populated with information retrieved from the client contact card to speed up your signup process. Scroll down and click in the fields to edit or enter new information. Click the Help icon to display information about the field. Click the down arrow to select an option from the drop-down menu that displays. Fields with asterick * are Required. In the APX Merchant Account Setup you are setting up the Portal Access. Enter a unique name in the Username field and a Password.
Click Go to step 2 to move to the About the Owner section in the wizard.
		Click in the fields to enter or edit new information about Owner 1. Click ADD ADDITIONAL OWNER to add multiple owners and complete the fields.
Click Go to step 3 to display the Add Bank Account section. You can connect to your bank account using PLAID or Manually.
		We have partnered with PLAID to make it easier to complete the onboarding. PLAID Verifications allow you to connect directly to your bank account, while Manual Verifications will require you to upload an image such as a blank check or a bank statement. Click the icon under the Plaid fields to Add accounts via Plaid for the Operating and Trust Accounts. Or, click the icon under the Manually fields to Add accounts manually for these accounts. Plaid is a technology platform that allows you to securely connect to your financial institution in seconds. If you use Plaid to link to your bank the following screen displays. Click Continue to add a bank account. A prompt displays informing you that a Bank account has been successfully added! Click OK to add the bank account.
If you choose to add your bank account Manually, the following dialog displays.
		Complete the fields, then drag and drop or browse to add Supporting Documents. This can be a void check or a Bank Statement. Select the Document Type from the drop down menu and include a Note if you wish. Click Add Operating Account to complete the process.
Click Go to step 4 to display the Terms and Conditions section.
		Click the links to learn important information about Bank Disclosures and Merchant Terms and Conditions. Scroll to the bottom of the screen, then return to the Terms and Conditions screen and click the I Agree checkboxes to acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms outlined in the screens.
Click Submit to complete your APX Application.
		Your APX account is created successfully in a few minutes. You do not have to wait for approval! You will receive a confirmation email congratulating you on your approval and the details of how to log into the Account Portal. Your firm can start processing payments immediately after signup. Click Book a training session if you want to learn more or return to the Firm Settings screen.

Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly options allow you to be in control of when payments are made. Multiple payment schedules can also be created for the same file. You can even do one-off scheduled payments for a later date. Payments can be made to operating or trust accounts as needed.
Billing Supervisors will have full access to APX Recurring Payments and a Billing User's access will be based on the user's access to Receive Payment and Trust Receipt.
Recurring Payments can be easily accessed from the Action menu or the Recurring Payment Schedule icon on the File Details, and Billing and Trust modules. They are automatically updated to the file/matter associated with the schedule and an email notification is sent to the firm's member's email address listed on the schedule.
Payments are first applied to any outstanding invoices at the time of the payment for Recurring Payments to the General Bank Account, and any remaining payments are allocated to the General Retainer. A trust receipt is recorded on the file/matter associated with the Recurring Payment schedule for Recurring Payments to the Trust Account.
Creating a New Payment Schedule
Select Recurring Payments from the Action menu, or click on the Recurring Payment Icon on the File Details or Billing Module or Trust Module.

Note: The Recurring Payment schedule associated with the current file displays from the File Details. The Billing and Trust modules will list Recurring Payment schedules for all files.
A Create Recurring Payment window displays. Select a file to display in the File field and Next to display the New Recurring Payment Schedule.

You cannot change the File name. Complete the rest of the fields by entering an amount in the Total Amount field or the Recurring Amount field. APX will calculate the amount for the other field. Select either General or Trust from the drop down menu in the Deposit to field, then use the calendar control to enter a Start Date. Select the End Date or a value in the Occurrences field. APX will calculate the value for the other field.
Enter a Description. The Entered By and Email notice to internal users fields are populated with the name of the firm member creating the New Recurring Payment Schedule. You can enter up to 10 email addresses, separated by commas. Click Create Schedule to display the newly created payment schedule.

Editing an APX Recurring Payment
You can open an APX Recurring Payment schedule dialog and change the description, payment method and email address.

Make the necessary changes or click on Payment Overview in the footer to view your Recurring Payments for the selected file.

Canceling an APX Recurring Payment Schedule
You can cancel an APX Recurring Payment schedule up until the day before the process date. Open the schedule and click Cancel from the taskbar.

Click Close to return to the Recurring Payments window or Confirm to cancel the payment schedule.

Note: The payment schedule is permanently canceled. To resume a payment schedule you must Create a New Payment Schedule.
Deleting an APX Recurring Payment
Select the Recurring Payment schedule you wish to delete from the Recurring Payment window and click Delete in the taskbar.

When a prompt displays, click Close to to cancel the deletion and return to the Recurring Payments window or Confirm to delete the payment schedule from the list of current Recurring Payments.
Viewing an APX Recurring Payment
Payments from a Recurring Payment Schedule are posted to the associated files/matters as an APX payment. Recurring payments posted to the General Bank Account are recorded as Receive Payment (If the payment was applied to invoice(s))
Recurring payments posted to the General Bank Account are recorded as Receive Payment (If the payment was applied to invoice(s)) or as a General Retainer if it was not applied to an invoice. If they are posted to the Trust Bank Account they are recorded as Trust Receipts. Double-click the transaction to open it and view the Recurring Payment.

The APX payment transaction is displayed with the confirmation number of the APX payment. This Recurring Payment is an APX transaction and can be Voided or Refunded.
Email Notifications after receipt of payment
After receipt of payment, an Email Notification is sent to the customer's email that contains receipt of payment. An email is also sent to the firm member after the final payment of Recurring Credit Card Payments is received.

By publishing HotDocs Advance Public Interviews, firms can present web-facing client intake options in Amicus Attorney. Firms can post the link on their website and invite prospects to fill in their own contact details freeing up firm members to work on other priorities.
New default Client Intake templates are included in Amicus Attorney 20.8 when HotDocs Advance Integration is enabled.
		HotDocs Advance is controlled through Firm Settings. Click Assembly under the Documents section to display the HotDocs Advance settings. Click Learn More if you want to learn more about the HotDocs Advance Add-on. If your firm does not have HotDocs Advance enabled, you are able to check your license. If your firm is entitled to HotDocs Advance, the creation of the Add-on is kicked-off. If the HotDocs Advance Add-on is not included in a firm's license click Pay.
Once you have upgraded your license to include HotDocs Advance, the templates can be accessed by clicking Merge Templates in the left Navigation bar to display the Template Management window.
		The Data Dictionary is accessible for any fields in Amicus Attorney including custom fields so they can be available in templates. When HotDocs Advance is enabled, default templates are pushed.
Click Edit HotDocs Template to display the HotDocs Author Templates - Workspace Explorer window.

Select a template from the list and click Edit to launch the Intake Form in Word.

The Sample Templates displays with placeholders. The Data Dictionary displays in the HotDocs Field Editor on the right-hand side. Make any changes you wish and exit Word.
Click Upload in the menu bar the HotDocs Author Templates - Workspace Explorer window.to upload the templates with changes.

Click Public Interview links under Administration in the navIgation bar to convert the Template.

Complete the fields in the Create public interview link dialog and click Save.

A list of Public Interview links displays. You can copy the Link and place it on a website.

Your firm can post a link on their website to Public Interviews where potential clients can click on the link and fill in the details. They will appear as a Pending Contact in Amicus Attorney.

The new security profiles allow designated firm members to view the new Pending Contacts in the People module, and review their answers, conduct a duplicate check and a conflict search.
To enable these options select Security Profiles under Administration and click People in the ATTORNEY navigation bar to expand the option, then click View. Check Display Pending Contact Lists from Client Intake Forms..

When a firm member does not have a security profile assigned, these two new options are not available.
		Select the Pending Contacts radio button in the People module. The pending contacts display with Pending Approval next to their name in the list. The Firm Member with the security profile assigned verifies the information collected in an interview.
		Right-click on a Pending Contact in the list to display the details. Click the Approve button in the header to approve the contact.

Google is introducing some changes that are now supported in Amicus Attorney 20.8. Firms may be required to re-authenticate under the new system in order for Google to continue to synchronize with Amicus Attorney.
To enable the Google Sync link go to the Preferences screen and click on Calendar & Contacts under the LInks section.

Google Settings
		Select the Google radio button under Step 1 and click Configure to display the Google Link Configuration Wizard. Click Step 1 to display the Google Settings window.
		Then click Connect with Google and enter your Email or Phone in the fields provided in the Sign In window.
		A message displays Amicus Attorney wants to access your Google Account. Click Allow and wait for a Connection successful prompt message. Click OK. Click Finish in the Google Settings window. You are returned to the Google Link Configuration Wizard.
Enable Google Sync
Click Step 2 to display the Link Preferences - Contacts window, then select the Using Amicus data radio button and click the Next arrow.

Select Yes under Enable support for synchronizing Contacts? to enable the sections.

Under the Updates section, click Apply updates from Google to Amicus. Under the Deletions section, check Apply updates from Google to Amicus. Under the New Contacts section, check Flag new contacts created in Amicus to sync with Google by default.
The Link Preferences - Contacts window displays, click the Next arrow to display the Link Preferences - Appointments window.
Select Yes under Enable support for synchronizing Appointments? to enable the sections.

Under the Updates section, click Apply updates from Google to Amicus. Under the Deletions section, check Apply updates from Google to Amicus. Under the New Appointments section, check Flag new appointments created in Amicus to sync with Google by default.
Click Finish to return to the Google Link Configuration Wizard.
Field Mapping
Click Step 3 to display the Field Mapping - Contacts window, then click the Next arrow to display the Field Mapping - Appointments window.

Click the Next arrow again to display the Match Criteria window.
		Then click Finish to return to the Google Link Configuration Wizard.
Initialization
Click Step 4 to display Your Initialization Checklist window.

Under Before Initializing the Link click the following checkboxes:
Review the Amicus - Google Link Guide. Set your Link preferences. Advise your Amicus Administrator that you are ready for Google Initialization. Receive confirmation from your Amicus Administrator.
		Click Begin Initialization Now in the footer. A message prompt displays The synchronization process with Google is finished. Click Close.

User Interface changes in Amicus Attorney 20.7 resulted in Half Page custom pages with a horizontal layout.

Selecting Full Page from the drop down list in the Page Area on File field easily converts the layout of a Half Page custom page.

This feature means firms means no reformatting is required.

This feature has been further optimized based on feedback from users.

After-hours maintenance will no longer be attempted if it could conflict with other maintenance and trigger false alerts.

A simple search/filter option now included in the various Contact list views prevents some unnecessary performance degradation when attempting to display lists of more than 10,000 contacts.

A new Find Contacts prompt displays in place of the previous list view when a request for a list of more than 10,000 contacts is detected by the system.

This allows for an even faster retrieval of contacts.

The default performance parameter threshold is for contact lists greater than 10,000 names. Firms can contact support to increase or decrease the limit as necessary.

The same great workflows, features and functionality that Amicus users have been accustomed to have been maintained in the updated UI and Navigation.
The ATTORNEY-side and BILLING-side Home screens give you an up-to-date summary of the various aspects of your practice.
Mouseover a tile at the top of the screen to see more information, For example, mouseover TODAY'S APPTS to view details of your next appointment.
Click on a tile, dashboard or icon to go directly to the corresponding module or dialog.

Click on the Tip of the Day to go directly to the Help Item. Click Last Refresh for an up to the minute refresh. Click Start Timer to start the Amicus Timer.

The dashboards on the ATTORNEY-side Home screen make it easy to see your Time Entry Tracking and Active Files at a glance.
Clicking on these dashboards takes you directly to the corresponding modules (Time Sheets and Files) where you can choose to filter your data.
ATTORNEY-side Home screen

BILLING-side Home screen
The dashboards on the BILLING-side Home screen provide a WIP (Work In Progress) Breakdown, AR (Accounts Receivable) Aging and numerous shortcuts to Billing dialogs.

The new Amicus Home screen featuring the dashboard displays by default when you log into Amicus. However, you can easily change this in the Defaults On Login dialog by selecting an alternative photo from the Home Default View drop down list or selecting Other and clicking Upload to browse to a photo you would like as your home screen..

Connectivity
New alerting system notifies users if network issues are impacting Amicus.

Leveraging the screen real estate means that you can explore more of your data on a file without scrolling.
File Details

We have improved the reading panes, hidden "People on File", and switched from vertical layouts to horizontal layouts. This allows for fewer clicks to see more details.

After conducting a search using the Search tool in the Amicus taskbar a Clear Search tool displays in the taskbar making it easy to clear your search results.
ATTORNEY-side
This tool can be found in the Files, People, Time Sheets and Notes modules.

BILLING-side
This tool can be found in the Files, Time and Fees & Expenses modules.

Amicus now allows for Token-based authentication, although users can still continue to connect using their Username and Password.

		There is now a nightly service that runs in the background to keep Amicus humming and a RefreshEventCache can pick back up where it left off.
		The XML manipulation API's have been replaced with Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXLM).
		Exchange 2019 requires at least Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2.

The result is that Amicus can now better handle auto-updates via your VPN. Subsequent updates will benefit from this change.

Reports
There have been numerous customer issue fixes and improvements to our reports.
Printing Options
It is now easy to print copies of emailed bills.
Select the Print icon from the Amicus taskbar in the Billing Module to display the Output To dialog and select a printing option(s). Click OK.

		Enter an email address in the E-mail Receipt to: dialog.
		Select Screen to print a Reminder Statement.

		The Amicus Attorney Mobile App has been completely rebuilt from the ground up to provide a much better all-around user experience. Amicus Attorney Mobile App V2 has a brand new "more intuitive" interface. We have added some great new features that our users have been asking for such as a full Calendar view. The mobile app provides you the convenience and freedom to use Amicus Attorney when you are on the move and away from your computer, making sure nothing slips through the cracks. Friendly prompts help you record the details of your Calls and make sure you remember to do Time entries for your Calls, Email and Text Messages. You can even work offline with automatic synchronization when you reconnect to the internet. Amicus mobile app keeps you connected to every aspect of your practice - anytime, anywhere.
Full view of your Calendar (tasks, appointments, deadlines). Full view of Contacts. Ability to create new Files, Contacts, Appointments and To do's in the mobile app. The Time module captures every billable moment from phone calls, emails, notes and text messages
	New Calendar You now have full access to your Amicus calendar right from your mobile device. So, when you are on the go, not only do you have easy access to your appointments, but you can also edit and add new ones at any time. Since it is your Amicus calendar, you can of course associate all new appointments with their respective contacts and client files. The calendar includes a 1-day, 3-day, Monthly and Agenda view so you have the flexibility to view the information the way you want.
	Files The new mobile app makes it easier to work with your client files. The card view makes it easy to find the file you are looking for, and the new panes lets you drill down to see more details. Quickly view the basic details, then swipe to the calendar view to see associated appointments. You can then move over to view all contacts and their role on the matter. The Activities pane shows phone calls, tasks and notes, so you can always get a good handle on the status of the file
	Contacts The mobile app gives you better access to your Amicus Contacts. With just a tap, you can quickly send an email, make a call or send a text. The app also helps to make sure you keep a record of the communication and even prompts you to do a time entry. It even makes it easy get directions to their location so you never get lost. Not only can you view contact details, but it is also easy to make changes on the go so that they are automatically updated back at the office. Adding new contacts is a snap too, so you don't need to worry about where you put that business card.
	Activities The new Activities pane shows phone calls, phone messages, notes and tasks, so you can always see what's coming up and what you have completed recently. It's your new go-to to get work done!
	Time The app makes it easy to stay on top of your billable time. You can see Today's time entries, you can also filter This Week, Last 7 Days, This Month, and Last 30 Days. It gives you running totals and its easy to track all your time. The mobile app also helps you to create new time entries as you work. After you finish that client call, follow the prompt to create a new time entry.

These Practice Automation Libraries or PALs, allow you to apply preset customizations that make Amicus Attorney even easier to use from the first day that you use them. Your Administrator can Apply available PALS to immediately update your system. If your subscription doesn't already include access, your Administrator can just click Request or contact the sales team for assistance.

Custom Page Example
For example, by applying the Real Estate PALS firms will get the new File Types tailored to Real Estate cases. For each of the new File Types, we have included new Custom Pages and fields to track all pertinent information.

File Intake Example
The PALs also includes File Intake pages for each of the new File Types. This helps a firm standardize the intake process and ensure uniformity. The firm can further tailor the file intake process to include additional information as necessary.

Document Templates
The PALs come with a variety of sample document templates that can be further tailored to the firm's specific needs..

Document Groups and People Roles
To ensure consistent tracking of information PALs also comes with predefined Document Groups to help categorize all documents for the new File Types.
Additional People Roles are also included to allow for more precise tracking of all people related to the new types of matter.

Precedent Workflows
The Practice Automation Libraries are made even more powerful with the inclusion of Precedent Profiles for common Real Estate workflows.

More Customizations
The PALs content can be further tailored to your firm's needs. Your firm Administrator can edit all of the content, and can add or remove fields as necessary.

Enabling Document Encryption
	When you enable the advanced document management capabilities afforded with Amicus-Managed documents, you can now choose to encrypt all of your documents. Amicus Attorney handles the encryption/decryption of all documents as you use the system. Each new document added to the system is automatically encrypted for total security.
Encryption Key
	As a part of the setup, your firm can use an Amicus-Managed Encryption Key or opt to use one of their own choosing. Firms can enable or disable the encryption as necessary. You can rest assured your documents are safely stored and encrypted through Amicus Attorney. Even if someone was able to access the repository, they would not be able to get into any of the firm’s documents. With the AES 256-bit encryption you can sleep better at night!
Administrator Tools
	Encryption settings can be adjusted by a Firm Administrator. We have enabled additional notifications, so all Administrators are notified when any changes are made to the firm’s encryption settings.
What else do you get with Amicus-Managed Documents?
Enabling Amicus-Managed documents creates a central repository on your firm server to host all documents.
The central repository stores all documents so they can be accessed by firm members through Amicus Attorney.
The system allows for check-ins and check-outs to ensure control and includes full document versioning.

Learn by Video - Get Paid Faster - Accept Credit Cards Link
In the Billing Navigator, click on Receive Payment under BILLING or Trust Receipt under TRUST to display the corresponding dialog.

These dialogs can also be accessed from the Clients module by selecting a client and right-clicking to display a pop up menu. Select either the Trust Receipt or Receive Payment option.
If a firm is not already APX Enabled (approved) a link Get Paid Faster - Accept Credit Cards displays in the corresponding dialog.

If you are the Administrator for your firm, the Billing - Abacus Payment Exchange (APX) screen displays.

This is the same as if you had clicked Abacus Payment Exchange (APX) under Billing in the Firm Settings.
Click the Learn More / Enroll button to display the first screen of the Onboarding wizard for APX.
If you are not the Administrator for your firm clicking the Get Paid Faster - Accept Credit Cards link opens the APX Guide.

Firms can now leverage the latest advances from Microsoft to get even more out of Amicus Attorney.

The updates also includes support for all custom reporting options in SQL Server Reporting Services for SQL 2019.

Contact Technical Support or Professional Services for more information on making the change.

We can now leverage industry leading HotDocs Advance's document assembly capabilities from within Amicus Attorney!
Several sample HotDocs Advance templates can be found in the Merge Template or Generate Document window.
Using these templates customized documents such as contracts, sales agreements, government forms, and loan documentation can be quickly and efficiently generated and uploaded.
Generating a Document
There are various places in Amicus from which you can generate documents:
The Files Index or a File Detail window. The People Index or a Person Detail window. A Search Results list that includes only Files or People. A DO button on an Event.
To generate a document select a file and click Generate Document to display the Generate a Document window.

Select a template under the HotDocs Advance Templates tab and click OK.
A HotDocs Advance Interview is launched asking you for the information the template requires.
If all the variables for the template can be found from within Amicus, the HotDocs Interview is skipped.
If the HotDocs Interview is skipped the assembled document is downloaded to a Temporary folder and opened so you can view it and save it to a folder.
HotDocs Interviews
HotDocs Advance generates a HotDocs Interview from the variables and dialogs defined in the selected template.
Sometimes descriptive text displays in the interview, such as titles for dialogs and prompts for individual questions.
Dialogs are set up in HotDocs Author for related fields. The Outline pane on the left displays a list of all the dialogs or variables in the template.

Select a dialog or variable from the Outline pane to display it in the main Interview pane. Comments display in the Additional Information column on the right.
Enter answers to the Interview questions in the textboxes and click Next to move to the next dialog or variable.
A half green circle displays to the left of a dialog when the Interview questions are completed, and a checkmark icon displays to the left of a variable.

To edit a variable or dialog that is complete click on the corresponding icon or to open it, click into a textbox to select the text and hit the Backspace key to clear it or enter new text to overwrite the data. You can also select Actions > Clear all answers, then enter new data in the textbox.
The Navigation bar at the bottom of the Interview window is used to navigate through the interview.

Click Finish when completed. If there are unanswered questions the following prompt displays.

Click OK if you want to submit your answers or Cancel to return to the HotDocs Interview.
When you submit your answers the following prompt displays.

Click the link to download an assembled document with the HotDocs fields in the template replaced with the interview answers and select a location to host the document in the Save File window.

Templates are created in HotDocs Author, then uploaded to HotDocs Advance for use in Amicus Attorney.
Once the user completes the interview, the HotDocs fields (placeholders) in the template are replaced with variables found within Amicus Attorney or an Interview is launched to gather data (answers) to assemble a final, customized document for your client.
Note: It is recommended that you select the option to Auto-assembly without interview when possible in Firm Settings - Document - Assembly.

What you need
Integration with Amicus Attorney requires your firm to obtain a subscription for HotDocs Advance, then enable it and launch/install HotDocs Author. Contact the sales team today at 800-726-3339 to get started.
Enabling HotDocs Advance
To enable HotDocs Advance:
Go to Office > Firm Settings and click Assembly under the Documents section to display the Firm Settings – Documents – Assembly window.

Click Request HotDocs Advance.
Note: If your subscription does not have the HotDocs Advance Add-in, a prompt displays and a notification is sent to sales. Click OK.

The button changes to Enable HotDocs Advance.

Click Enable HotDocs Advance to display the Hotdocs Advance Add-on dialog.

Confirm the Initial User Email and paste in the Author License Key which you received via email.
Check Auto-assembly without interview when possible to speed up the assemble of a document when all variables can be found within Amicus Attorney. This means you will not be required to complete a HotDocs Interview.
Tip: Your Author License Key is emailed automatically once your subscription is updated.
Click Confirm and a progress bar displays when the license check is being performed.

A HotDocs login window displays where you will enter a new strong password for your account.

A prompt displays notifying you when your password has been accepted.

After the process is completed the EnableHotDocs Advance button no longer displays in the Firm Settings – Documents – Assembly window.

You have one more opportunity to select the Auto-assembly without interview when possible checkbox.

Note: This is only necessary if you wish to author templates. Amicus Attorney comes with several sample HotDocs Advance templates.
HotDocs Author allows you to transform existing Word, PDF, and plain text documents into user-friendly templates and create new ones.
With HotDocs Author you can format data to your specifications, create conditional text regions, create interactive data-gathering HotDocs Interviews and access Component Studio.
Launching HotDocs Author
Go to Office > Merge Templates to display the Template Management window. The HotDocs Advance Templates display in a tab.
Click Install HotDocs Author on the right-hand side. A progress bar displays.

After the installation is complete, the Install HotDocs Author button changes to Launch HotDocs Author.
Click Launch HotDocs Author on the right-hand side to launch Workspace Explorer.

Workspace Explorer
In Workspace Explorer you can A. Create a New Template, B. Search and open (to Edit) existing templates, C. Edit Template Properties, D. Open another Workspace, E. Import templates and files from other sources, F. Upload your templates to HotDocs Advance and G. Access Component Studio.

Click New Template or select an existing template in the left pane activates the buttons in the right pane.

The HotDocs Author add-in for Word opens overlaying Workspace Explorer when you double-click on an existing template, click New Template or select a template and click Edit.
HotDocs Author Add-in for Word
This provides you the tools you need to author your template.

Then select Field Editor under the HotDocs Author tab to display the HotDocs Field Editor in a right-hand pane.
HotDocs Field Editor
Using HotDocs Fields for changeable data enables you to create templates for generating individualized applications, proposals, business contracts, medical forms, government and court forms, etc.
The HotDocs Field Editor makes it easy to edit and publish templates using Amicus variables (including custom fields). You can also easily create your own variables.
Note: Using Amicus Attorney variables saves time as your user will not have to complete a HotDocs Interview.
Click in the main screen area where you want to add an Action (most commonly Add a placeholder) to a template, then go to the HotDocs Field Editor.
	Click the drop-down arrow to select an Action. Add a placeholder is the most common action, but you can also select from the list under Regions and Rules or Other Operations.
	Then click the drop-down arrow to select a Placeholder type. Auxiliary temple – Embeds the content of another template within the parent template's assembled document. Computation – A type of component that performs calculations or executes other instructions within the template. Selecting from the Variables list is the most common placeholder type. Your choices for variables include: Text variable – Represents an unknown text value, for example [Employee Gender]. Number variable – Represents an unknown number value, for example [Employee Social Security Number]. Date variable – Represents an unknown date value, for example [Employee Birth Date]. True/False variable – Represents an unknown true/false value, for example [Yes/No]. Single select variable – Represents an unknown selection from a list of values you define, such as a list of the fifty states, for example [Employee State]. Multi Select variable – Represents an unknown selection or selections from a list of values you define, such as Spouse, Son, Daughter, Friend, for example [Primary Emergency Contact Relationship]. Table variable – Represents one or more rows of unknown values arranged into columns whose names and types you define, for example [Service, Category, Price].
	Then select a Variable under Field properties. Select from the drop-down list if you are using Amicus variables and go to Step 6.


	To create your own variable enter a name in the Variable field and click Create New. Select an option from the Linked dialog if you would like to repeat the variable, etc. Select a Format from the drop-down list.
	Click the drop-down arrow beside Advanced properties if you wish to add more details. Unanswered text - Enter the text you want to replace a placeholder field with during document assembly if the user leaves the corresponding question unanswered. Font – Select a font from the dropdown list. Pad answer to fixed number of characters – Select this checkbox if you want to pad the width, select an Answer alignment or Pad character. Preserve empty paragraph – Select this checkbox if you want to add a Comment. Click Add Field to add the new variable to the drop-down list.
Click Add Field to add the action to the template. Save the template when you are finished editing or creating a new template. You are returned to the Workspace.
Workspace
When you are ready for users to use your templates to create their own customized documents, select the template , then click from the Workspace Explorer taskbar to upload your template to HotDocs Advance.

A new option has been added to the File Actions menu called Package Documents.
The ZIP file maintains your folder structure, so the recipient can see the layout as you intended.

Select Actions > Package Documents... to display a Select Documents dialog.

Select an option from the drop-down list in the Show field to display your documents in the main window.
Note: The options are All Documents or My Documents depending on your permissions.
Select one or more documents and move them to the Current Selection window.
Click OK to display a prompt asking you to choose a location to save your Compressed (zipped) Folder.

A progress bar displays showing how many documents remain to be processed. To cancel this export simply click Cancel.
Although Amicus Managed mode allows for virtual folders that are maintained in the ZIP file this could result in a number of nested folders with only one document several layers deep. Only the current version of a document will be included.

It is no longer necessary for the primary client to pay invoices as we have expanded the Portal Payment Options for APX (Abacus Payment Exchange) so now All portal users can add their own credit card or ACH information and pay via the portal.
To make invoices visible to all clients on a file, simply click the Visible to clients on the file who have portal access checkbox in the Portal Sharing window and click OK.

In the Client Portal the primary client, as well as non-primary clients can use the Payment Method associated with the login user or add a Payment Method to process a payment.

	Note: The Payment Method is not saved when added by a non-primary client. However; the Portal Activity log and report is updated with the acitvity of the non-primary client.

By default you will see all communications (phone calls, emails & phone messages) for the last 12 months.
This speeds up viewing of the various communication list views on a Client File. You can also easily adjust the date range if you need to see older items.
Select a Date Range to limit the results to a more manageable list in the Communications Brad page.

When a limit is set for the results of a Communications Brad page, an Alert message Results Capped displays in red at the bottom of the list.
Mouse-over the list and you will see the following prompt.

If you wish to see a longer list use the calendar controls to change the Date Range fields.

The Start date by default is Today minus 1 year and the End date is Today.
The Start date cannot be greater than the End date.
	Note: Changes to the Date Range fields are maintained during the current session, but revert back to default dates upon the next login.
When the results are not capped, there is no message.

The updating process has been streamlined to make it easier for you to apply the Amicus Attorney 20.5 update and all future updates.
The firm administrator clicks Maintenance - Updates under Firm Settings to display the following window.

Click Apply Update Now.
If an update to Amicus Attorney is ready to apply the following prompt message displays.

Clicks Apply Now to apply the update.
When triggered by your firm administrator, workstations are automatically notified of a pending update with an Alert message, and logged out after 10 minutes.

Once all users are logged out, the Amicus Attorney Server is updated, followed by the automatic update of all workstations.
The new workstation update does not require any elevated privileges.
Offline workstations will be automatically updated automatically when they reconnect to the office network.
Note: Amicus Attorney 20.3 and earlier users will be able to take advantage of this new feature on subsequent updates.

A new option is now available under Advanced Settings in the General - Firm Settings dialog to set a Preferred TCP Port for network communications.

You will also see the Current TCP Port.
Note: The new setting helps to prevent competition with other applications trying to use the same port.

A new feature provides easy access to QB RDP (QuickBooks Remote Desktop Protocol) session for Amicus Administrator Users.
In Firm Settings, select Time > Accounting to display the Time- Accounting System dialog to lauch a QB RDP session
Check Use Amicus Billing and select QuickBooks (Billing) from the dropdown list in the Select your Accounting System field.
If a Username and Password exists, these fields are auto-populated. The fields are blank if they have not previously been saved for the firm.
Enter or edit the RDP credentials and click Apply or OK to save the fields if they are valid.
Click Launch QB RDP to display the RDP login screen.

The Status (No Session or Session Active) displays on the right side of the Launch QB RDP button.
You are prompted to enter your Username and Password in the RDP login screen.
Note: You can copy and paste the credentials from the Time Accounting System dialog.
Click OK to activate the RDP session.
You can now log into QuickBooks and manage your customers, vendors, clients, inventory and finances.
Locking a QB RDP session
To lock a QB RDP session, click the Lock QBSession icon on the RDP session desktop.

Important: Do not logout of the RDP session as this will disable the Amicus - QuickBook link.
If you double-click on the LockQBSession icon the following prompt displays.

Click OK to return to Amicus Attorney.

The Status on the right side of the Launch QB RDP button is updated to Session Active.
Note: An Administrator can launch the QB RDP session to perform other tasks such as dismissing the QuickBoooks modal window.
To quickly test the connection, select Configure from the Time - Accounting System dialog to display the Configuration Wizard.

Click Step 1 Configure Data Source to display the Accounting Profile Wizard.

Browse to the QuickBooks Company File you wish to link with if it does not display in the field, then click Test Connection.
A prompt message displays alerting you if your connection has been lost.

Amicus Attorney has been updated to take advantage of Google's improved verification on the oAuth consent screen.
Note: Firms already setup to synchronize Google Contacts & Calendar won't notice any difference unless they disable and reconnect.
Go to Calendar & Contacts under Links in Preferences to display the Calendar and Contacts Integrations dialog.

Select the Google radio button and click Configure to launch the Amicus - Google Link Configuration Wizard.

Click Step 1 Synchronization Settings to display the Google Settings window.

Click Connect with Google to Sign in.

Enter an Email address or phone number in the field provided, then click Next.

Enter your password in the field provided, then click Next.

A Verify it's you window displays. Click Send to Get a verification code.

A message returns Amicus Attorney wants to access your Google Account, click Allow.

A prompt displays to notify you that synchronization between Google and Amicus Attorney was successful.

Click OK.

A major leap has been made in Amicus Anywhere and the Client Portal to support much greater customization options.
Custom Records on Client Files can now be shared in the Client Portal. This includes the ability for your clients to add new records.
Select Office > Custom Pages and Records to display the Custom Page / Record Management window.

Select the records you wish to share from the tree structure in the left pane and click Anywhere / Portal Layout Manager to display the Select Custom View dialog. Select a radio button for the custom view you wish to design and click OK to display the Custom Record Layout Manager.

Use the designer to control the layout in the Client Portal by dragging and drop the fields you wish to share, then click Save & Publish.
A prompt displays notifying you that publishing permits firm members to share the designated custom field.

If you wish to continue click OK and open the Client Portal to view the shared records.

This can be controlled separately from Amicus Anywhere.
Note: You also have the option to keep files private.

Learn by Video - Single Sign On
To enable SSO for their firm, an Administrator selects Office > Firm Settings in the control panel, then Login Management under the General tab to display the Login Management/Single Sign On dialog.

The Single Sign On via Active Directory checkbox must be selected, then click Map Firm Members.
The Mapping Firm Members to Active Directory Users window displays.

To map users, select an Active Directory User from the column on the left and an Amicus Firm Member user from the column on the right, click Map.
The user displays in the Mapped User column, or click Auto to quickly map all matching names.
Continue mapping until all members in the Amicus Firm Member column are mapped. The setup requires all firm members to be mapped.
This feature is not available when a firm is not on a Windows domain. (For example, when running a Workgroup.)

The firm members are now mapped and SSO is enabled for the firm. As long as a firm member is logged into their computer they won't have to enter another password to access Amicus Attorney.
Firm members that are using the SSO feature must use the same password they use to log into their computers to access Amicus Anywhere and Mobile App.
Viewing in the User Management window
To view the new Active Directory User column in the User Management window, go to Administration > User Management under Office in the control panel.

Editing the Active Directory User column
To edit a user in the Active Directory User column, select the user and right-click to display a pop-up menu, select Change Active Directory Mapping to display the Map Firm Members to Active Directory dialog.

Enter a name in the Type Name or select from the List textbox by typing or selecting from the Unmapped Active Directory Users column and clicking the right arrow in the middle to move it to the Current Selection column.
When SSO is enabled, firm members will not be prompted to enter a separate password to access Amicus Attorney as long as they are logged into their computers.
Selecting Start > Amicus Attorney or clicking the Amicus Attorney icon on their desktop displays the Preparing for Login... window.

Followed immediately by the License screen.

Followed by your default Login window.
Important: You are not permitted to reset your login credentials when your firm is SSO enabled.
In the Preferences screen if you select General > My Profile and click Edit a message displays in the area where you usually reset your password in the Office Access dialog.
Contact your Administrator if you wish to reset your password, as they are maintained through the Active Directory available only to your Administrator.

Learn by Video - Pay Now
Pay Now emails include an embedded URL that clients can click and easily make an APX payment. They are generated from the Finalize Bill screen during the Create Bill process or from the Billing module after the bill is created.
To send a Pay Now request from the Billing module, the firm must have APX enabled on the general bank account.
To send an email with a Pay Now request Go to the Firm Settings and select Emailing Bills under the Billing section to display the Billing - Emailing Bills dialog. Select the Cover Email format under the APX URL Format tab.

	Check that the templated defined in the Firm Settings for APX-URL Format has the URL variable included. If the URL is missing and you continue the client receives a standard e-mail without the Pay Now request.
To create a Pay Now request when creating bill(s)
Use your current billing workflow to send the bills to "Final" in your billing cycle. On the create bill screen, select the bills you would like to finalize. Click on Print & Post to finalize your bills. You will be prompted with a list of the finalized bills with options to send email and to include a payment request. Click on checkbox with the Pay Now request icon for the bills you would like to send an email with the payment request (embedded URL). Click on Proceed to continue. Emails are sent to the draft folder or directly to the client based on the email selection in the Firm Settings
	Use the bill settings "Include APX Request for Payment with email" to automatically include a payment request when creating and emailing bills.
To create a Pay Now request from the Billing module
Select the Billing module from the left navigation pane in the BILLING view. Use the filters on the left to get a list of invoices you would like to send a Pay Now request email. Select one outstanding invoice (one without a payment) or click on the checkbox to select multiple invoices. Select the add Pay Now payment request icon that becomes available to generate the Pay Now request email for each selected outstanding invoice with an URL embedded in the email. Emails are sent to the draft folder or directly to the client based on the email selection in the Firm Settings.
	Pay Now request uses the email address defined on the file/matter Bill settings if this was setup, otherwise it uses the primary email address from the primary client on the file/matter.
To resend a Pay Now request
Select the Billing module from the left navigation pane in the BILLING view. Use the filters on the left to get a list of invoices with a Pay Now request. Select an invoice or invoices (use the checkbox to select multiple invoices) with a Pay Now request. Select Action > Resend Payment Request to recreate and resend the email(s) with the existing URL(s). Emails are sent to the draft folder or directly to the client based on the email selection in the Firm Settings.
A Confirmation message displays. Click Yes to confirm resending the Pay Now request or No to return to the Billing module without sending the Pay Now request.
To delete a Pay Now request
Select an invoice or invoices (use the checkbox to select multiple invoices) with a Pay Now request, the Delete icon becomes available. Select the Delete icon to delete the Payment Request(s). Click Yes on the Confirmation message to delete the select payment request.
Receiving a payment from a Pay Now request
When a Pay Now request payment is successfully completed by your client using the embedded link from the email, the payment is automatically sent to your client file in Amicus and a notification email of the payment is sent to the responsible lawyer on the file.
Viewing a payment from a Pay Now request
Open the client's file. Click on Bills in the Billing view. Click the '+' sign on the bill where the payment was applied to list the payment record. Open the payment record and perform void/refund if necessary.
	The Pay Now link on the email is active for 90 days. After 90 days the link becomes invalid and the client will be directed to contact the firm for assistance. At this time, you will be able to create a new Pay Now request from the Billing module.

When an APX Payment is accepted, but fails to clear through the processor and a user selects VOID/REFUND, APX will determine the status of the transaction. If the transaciton is not voidable or refundable, you will get a prompt to reverse the transaction or cancel.
	An APX transaction status is flagged as reversible when the transaction fails to clear the bank, or a client chargeback was lost by the firm.
The transaction may not clear the bank for the following examples:
The card issuer does not recognize the payment and is taking action to prevent the payment. The cardholder may have insufficient funds.

The APX Payment Method List report gives you a listing of all the payment method groups by client.
This report allows the selection of a single client or multiple clients. In addition, you have the option to include or exclude expired payment methods.
The APX Payment Method List report is available to users with access to the Firm's Reports (users with Amicus Admin access).
To run the APX Payment Method List report:
From the Office module on the ATTORNEY side, select Firm Reports > People. Under Advance Reports, select APX Payment Method List. Click on the client icon to select one or multiple clients or leave it blank for all clients. Select Yes or No to indicate if you would like to include expired payment method. Click on Run to generate the report.

To apply taxes using Activity Codes, select Tax Settings under the General tab.

Select the For Tax on Fee use Activity Code settings checkbox and select the appropriate Activity code from the selection window.

Select the Activity Code to charge tax from the list and click Edit to display the Activity Code Details dialog.

When this option is selected, Amicus Billing calculates taxes on fees based on the activity code on the time entry.

To activate this option:
Go to the Office module and click on Security Profile. Select the Billing Profile you would like to edit. Click on Billing > Action to display the selection panel. Click on Edit at the bottom right of the screen. Click on the checkbox beside Edit Time Entries on Draft Bills. Click on Save to save the changes,

A user with this security profile can edit any time entry on a file in Draft Bill when the user is the responsible lawyer.

	In the draft, a user is able to open the time entry by double-clicking on the time entry from the Fee tab or from the Print Preview of the bill.

The UTBMS (Uniform Task Based Management System) is a series of codes used to classify legal services performed by a legal vendor in an electronic invoice submission.
The list now includes codes from A112 to A128.

You now have the ability to reprint bills after finalizing the bills with the Print & Post.
To reprint bill(s)
Go to the Billing module and use the filters in the left pane to display a list of bills you would like to reprint. Use the checkbox on the left of the displayed list to select the bills you would like to reprint.

Click the Print icon in the taskbar to display the Output dialog.
		Select the appropriate checkbox: Screen: Displays the selected bills on the screen. Printer: Sends the selected bills to the printer. Quick Print: Uses the default printer without prompting you to select a printer.
Click OK to reprint the bills. A progress bar displays while the bills are being printed.
		The Reprint Bills feature will print/display the original bill image saved when the bills were finalized with the Print & Post option. Bills without a bill image wil be skipped.

To access the Referral report, click on Firm Reports in the control panel on the ATTORNEY side and select BusinessPlanning from the navigation bar.

Select Referral Report from the list that appears in the main screen to display a Referral Report dialog.

Complete the following optional fields to filter the parameters of the report.
File Open Date – Dates are auto-populated in the From and To fields. File Type – Select a type from the pull-down menu. Responsible Lawyer – Click on the person icon and select a person from the list. Came To Us Because – Select the source of your referral from the pull-down menu. Include Closed Files – Check the appropriate radio button, defaults to No. Summary Only – Click Yes to display the summary only with no details, defaults to No.
A report displays with Posted, Billed and Paid fees.

Select Office > Custom Pages and Records to open the Custom Page / Record Management dialog.

	When the default preference is set to automatically open a custom page, the first Custom Page on the file opens. Click Move Up or Move Down to re-order the list.
Select a custom page under FILES and click Page Properties in the Page Profile section to view the page properties or click New Custom Page to create a new page.
Add new fields from the left pane and click Save & Close when finished.

Below are the lists of Available Core Fields and List Views. In the above example, we have added File Summary and Matter Came to Us... fields.

To set the custom page as the default, select Office > Preferences and Display under the Files tab to display the Preferences dialog. Select Default Custom Page from the pull down menu in This view: field.

In the Files Index, open the Parker Agency file. The Default Custom Page displays.

The Amicus Administrator can activate this option for firm members by going to the Firm Settings window and selecting Office > Firm Settings in the control panel.
Select Track Changes under the Time section to display the Time - Track Changes dialog.

When the checkbox Prompt User to add a reason ... is selected, a user editing a time entry and making changes to Timekeeper, Billing Rate and/or Duration will be prompted to select a reason for the change.

To add a new reason to the list:
Click New. Enter the reason (up to 100 characters). Click on Apply. Click Move Up / Move Down to place the new reason in the desired location on the list. Click OK to save the new reason code.
To edit an existing reason:
Select Track Changes from the Firm Settings. Select the reason you would like to edit from the list. Click on Edit. Make the changes you desire and click on Apply to save the changes.

Tracking reasons that have been previously used cannot be deleted. To prevent firm members from accessing this code in the future, click Edit and select the Is Inactive checkbox.
	You cannot delete from the list any reason already included on a changed time entry. However; you can edit and select the checkbox to set a reason to Is Inactive. Inactive tracking reasons will not be displayed as a selection when a user makes changes to the time entry.
When Track Changes is enabled, firm members making changes to the Timekeeper, Billing Rate and/or Duration are prompted to enter a reason for the change. This is visible in the Time and Fee Journal report when Include Corrections is selected on the report.

	The Track Changes feature must be activated by your Administrator and it is only active for a posted time entry.
With the Track Changes activated, a user making changes selects a Time Entry from the list and double-clicks or right-clicks and selects Open from the pop-up menu to display the Time Entry Details dialog.

Making changes to the following fields will prompt you with the Time and Fees Change Reason dialog after you click OK.
Timekeeper Billing Rate Duration
A Time and Fees Change Reason dialog prompts you to Select a reason for this change from the pull-down menu.

The OK button is disabled until you select a reason. Click Cancel to return to the Time entry Details window without saving the changes to the Time Entry. Click OK to save the time entry changes and return to the Time, Fees & Expenses window.
To display the Time Entry Details dialog with the change reason, re-open the Time Entry from the list.

The Change Reason appears at the bottom.
To view the reason for edits in the Time and Fee Journal report:

The Generate - Time and Fee Journal dialog displays.
Complete the necessary fields and select the Yes radio button in the Include Corrections field.

The Change Reason appears at the bottom.
To view the reason for edits in the Time and Fee Journal report:
Click on Reports in the control panel and Reports in the left navigation pane to display a list of reports for your firm, select Time and Fee Journal from the list.

The Generate - Time and Fee Journal dialog displays.
Complete the necessary fields and select the Yes radio button in the Include Corrections field.

The tracking reason is appended to the notation when the Time and Fee Journal report is generated.

Participation in the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) means that you are sharing with us anonymized information about your firm's use of Amicus Attorney. We use this data to help us design new features, and better understand how our users are taking advantage of the current features in Amicus Attorney.
Your firm can opt in and out at any time, and there is no obligation to participate. AbacusNext will not collect names, addresses or any other personally identifiable information and you can continue to work without interruption.
A Prompt message displays the first time an Amicus Administrator logs into Amicus Attorney asking you to enable the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) for your firm.

To opt into the CEIP, click Accept in the main part of the screen.
	To opt into CEIP at a later date, select Customer Experience Improvements under the General tab in the Firm Settings window.
After you opt into CEIP, the General - Customer Experience Improvement Program window displays.

Click Accept to toggle the button to a checkbox with Program Enabled selected.

	You can unselect the Program Enabled checkbox at any time to rescind participation in CEIP.

People on this File now act as links and are also updated automatically if they are changed elsewhere in Amicus Attorney for Representing, Represented by and the Matter came to us Because fields.

In the left navigation pane select Calendar or Tasks to display the corresponding filters.

The Date Calculator assists you in finding a specific date that meets your criteria, or in calculating the amount of time between two given dates. For example, you may need to provide supporting forms 30 business days after your court date, you can use the Date Calculator to find out the exact date.

The AbacusNext Account Portal allows users to administer their account with the following functionality:
Account – Update Payment Information, Pay and View Invoices, Update Company Information. Support – Log Support Tickets, View Support Tickets and History, Change the filter on the list of existing tickets by status. Products – View Products and APC (Amicus Private Cloud) Server Details, Setup APC Client Groups. Add/Update Contacts – Available for the Portal Manager only (Portal Point of Contact (PPOC)).
To get started simply select AbacusNext Account Portal under the Support tab or go to https://portal.abacusnext.com to display the following Sign-in window:

Enter your Email and Password, then click LOGIN.
If you do not have login credentials contact support@abacusnext.com.
You can grant access in the Portal by selecting Contacts > set the Role to one of:
Portal Manager = Full Access. User = Access to their own cases and profile, products, able to view company information. Account User = Access same as User, plus they can see all Invoices, and Make a Payment. None = no access to portal.

Amicus Attorney provides a Document Assembly feature that enables you to assemble documents, based on Document Merge Templates,utilizing information from your Amicus database. In addition, Amicus Attorney provides an E-mail Merge feature that enables you to generate e-mail messages based on E-mail Merge Templates.

Each Amicus Merge Template references a word processor template that generally contains both unchanging text and Merge Variables. These Variables are placeholders for the text that is automatically supplied from various Amicus records such as Files, People, Calendar, and Time Entry when you assemble a particular document or e-mail. Amicus Attorney comes with several Merge Templates for a variety of purposes—you can use them as they are, edit them, or create your own Templates.

The calendar view options display in the ribbon when you select Calendar from the main menu.
Your appointments for Today are shown by default.

Select Week to organize your calendar by units of a week.

Select Month to see your month at-a-glance.

Click the Previous or Next arrows in a Day, Week or Month view to go back and forth within the view.
Click a date on the mini calendar in the filter pane to display that date in any one of the views.

Resetting the Client Portal password

If a client forgets their Client Portal password they can reset it by clicking the Forgot Password? link and entering their Email Login in the dialog that displays. After selecting Submit a password reset email is sent to their inbox.
The client can click on the URL provided in the email and enter a new Password.
Opting in/out of Email Notifications in the Client Portal
Clients invited to the Client Portal can now opt in/out of email notifications as items are shared by the firm.
From the Home window of the Client Portal select Options to display the My Profile dialog.

Select the checkbox under Notifications to be notified via email as new files, documents, notes, appointments, tasks and invoices are shared or deselect the checkbox to opt out of being notified.

All or some of the Custom Fields on the Custom Pages for each File Type can be made shareable.
In the Custom Page views, asterisks mark the Custom Fields that are shared.

Clicking the Portal icon at the top of any Custom Page view displays the Portal Custom Fields dialog that lists all custom fields available for sharing with clients on the matter File who have been granted Portal access.

When the File is shared, clients with Portal access to it will be able to see and edit these shared Custom Fields—in the two-column More view of File Details in the Portal.

To change the visibility settings select another option from the pull-down menu on the right-hand side of the Available Custom Fields column. Not visible in Portal Read-Only in Portal Editable in Portal
	Lookup and Graphic type Custom fields are not editable by clients.

Firm members have always been able to update their own preferences, but we have now added a feature that lets Amicus Administrators make changes for all firm members. This is ideal for enterprise and small firms alike as it allows for easier setup of new firm members. In the past, Administrators were limited to just changing User Billing Rates. Now Administrators can do so much more.
To change a User Preferences access the Modify User Preferences window.
Go to User Management under Administration in the left navigation pane to see a list of users for your firm.
Right-click on a user and select Open User Preferences from the pop-up menu that appears to go straight to the Modify User Preferences window.

You can also select Open from the pop-up window, or click on a name to open the Edit - Profile dialog, then click Admin to open the Administration Profile, select User Preferences from the left-hand navigation pane and click Modify User Preferences on the main screen. The Administration Profile can also be opened by selecting Open Admin Profile in the pop-up window.

The Modify User Preferences window displays.

An Amicus Admistrator can modify User Preferences for all firm members, except for the preferences under My Application and Dailies tabs. Administrators can even setup Calendar, Email and Contact link options, aside from the actual initialization that still needs to be done from the firm member's workstation.

The updated integration includes dozens of performance improvements and optimizations based on feedback from users. Outlook is indispensable in today's law offices and the integration with Amicus Attorney is now more responsive than ever as a result of the refactoring.
There is now a setting to honour Outlook settings such as requests to send a Read and Delivery Receipt notifications. You can set a preference in Outlook to be notified when recipients receive and open your emails. Amicus Attorney can now honor these settings. This can be enabled by individual firm members as a part of the email link setup.
Go to Preferences and click on E-mail under the Links tab to display the Outlook / Exchange E-mail Link window.

Click Step 1 to display the Outlook E-mail Link window with the new Delivery & Read Receipt section at the bottom of the Email - Basics page.

Click the Update from Outlook option to import your Outlook settings. The checkboxes then reflect the status and all outgoing email messages will then observe the settings, Click Finish in the footer to complete the process.

As part of the email integration you can enable the Embedded Outlook view right in your Communications module. This lets you see exactly what is going on in Outlook without ever having to leave Amicus Attorney. The larger Tree View takes advantage of all of your screen real estate so you can see more at a glance. We have also improved the filtering so only email-related folders are visible.

Amicus includes powerful Document Assembly capabilities so you can generate documents repeatedly based on firm templates. These templates can also include custom fields on Contacts and Files so you can include any data you already have in Amicus Attorney.
With this update we have further improved how much information can be included in Document Templates when they relate to specific Contacts or People on Files. When a document is generated from a file, you can choose to include details about each person on the file including the role that they play.
When editing your Merge Templates, you will now see that the People on the File category of fields has been renamed People on the File - Basics, as we have added 3 new categories with dozens of new fields. In the past users could add an Address Block for a contact of file, but they could not choose just the City or State fields. The People on File - Basics variables list now includes variables for all Primary Address fields, plus the Primary Email and Primary Web Address.

When a user wants to insert specific fields into a document they can now pick from the entire lists of People on the File - Communications fields, People on the File - Addresses, as well as People on the File - Custom Information.

The People on the File - Communications and People on the File - Addresses include all of the fields you need to track contact information in Amicus Attorney as listed here:

Firms can create an unlimited number of custom fields on contacts. Contact custom fields have always been available for including in Document Templates. With the addition of the People on the File - Custom Information category you can now add any custom fields for Contacts on files into your Merge Templates. This is a huge improvement.

Now you are able to enter a vendor and select a billing behavior for client expenses. Entering the vendor in the To field on the Client Expense Details dialog allows your client to know to whom the payment was made, along with what the expense was for based on the Description.
Billing Behavior on the Client Expense Details dialog allows you to track non-billable client's expenses. The Billing Behavior selections are the same as what is currently available on the Time Entry dialog.

A To field and a Billing Behavior field with a drop-down menu now display on the Client Expense dialog.
• Enter the vendor in the To field.
• Select a Billing Behavior from the drop-down menu. The options are Bill (default), No Charge - Show on Bill and No Charge - Don't Show

You now have the capability to turn on Amicus Billing at your convenience.
When you upgrade your Amicus license to include Billing, you can continue to integrate with your current billing system. You may want to complete your current billing cycle before activating Amicus Billing.
When you are ready to make the transition from your prior billing system to Amicus Billing go to your Firm Settings and select Accounting to activate the Billing wizard.
The Billing wizard takes you through a series of simple steps to prepare your database for Amicus Billing.

A Use Amicus Billing checkbox has been added to the Time - Accounting System dialog.
• When unchecked the Billing wizard will not run automatically when a Billing license is applied for the first time.
– Your integration selection with other third party billing software remains active.
• If checked the Select your Accounting System dropdown list consists only of Manual Entry and QuickBooks.

Time/Fees and Expenses captured by other supplemental software such as "Equitrac Print Management" Software can be imported into Amicus and updated to the appropriate file.
Access to importing of Time/Fees and Expenses are available on both the ATTORNEY and BILLING views of the Office module.
You can control access to importing Time/Fees and Expenses in the Billing Security profile.
Select Actions in the main menu bar to display a drop-down list, click Import and select either Time/Fees or Expenses from the pop-up window that appears.

If you select Expenses the Import - Expenses dialog displays:

If you select Import - Time/Fees the Import - Time and Fees dialog displays:

Check the First row in import file contains Field Names if the first row of the CSV contains a header.
Enter the path and name of the CSV file you would like to import into the Data File field or click Browse to browse to the location of the CSV file.
Select Import to start importing the Time/Fees or Expenses into Amicus.
Use the View Log button to view the results of the import.
Records that are unable to be imported are listed in the log an saved in a separate file (Failed_Import.CSV). You can make corrections as needed and re-import these records.
Standard import profiles are shipped for Time/Fees and Expenses. However, you can configure your own Profile to fit your needs (see the Billing Administrator Help).
Here is a list of the acceptable Amicus fields
Time and Fees Date * Client ID * Matter ID * Short Filename Duration Amount * Description Lawyers Initials * UTBMS Task Code UTBMS Activity Code		Expenses Date * Client ID * Matter ID * Short Filename Quantity Unit Amount Amount Description Tax 1 Tax 2
* Mandatory Fields, all others are optional
	Note: UTBMS Task and Activity codes are required on all time entries for Task Based Billing. If the file is UTBMS enabled, then both the Task code and UTBMS activity code should be on the import record for these files. Otherwise the record is treated as an exception and "Task Base Billing - Missing Task/Activity codes" displays when a user selects "View Log".

An existing payment method can now be edited without deleting it first. This is useful when you want to change or add a Month on an APX Payment method.
Select a contact from the People Index to display their Contact Card, click Actions > Manage APX Payment Method from the top menu bar.

A screen containing a list of current APX Payment Methods displays. Double click on a Payment Method or right-click and select Open to edit the payment method.

The Payment Information dialog displays.

The Credit Card radio button and Card Number are disabled. Add or edit the fields you wish to update.
Click Submit to return to the list of APX Payment Methods where the new information has been added.

The Transfers tab on the Create Bills dialog now includes an APX - Credit Card / ACH section. Here you can Add an APX payment or select from the drop-down menus if the APX payment is already on file.
APX payments are allowed on single, consolidated and split billing.
Creating a bill and applying a payment allows for greater efficiency. Below is an example of a Consolidated bill with an APX payment applied.

The Billing Summary report provides you with a summary list of the bills you currently have in draft or final.
We have updated this report to include APX payments in the CurrentTransfers and Payments fields. This allows you to see the APX payment in the Payments column.

Below is a Bill Summary report combining the above APX payment with a General Retainer payment in the Payments column.

	You will be able to download the App from the App Store for iOS devices or from Google Play for Android. With the Mobile App you will always have easy access to your Client Files and to view and manage phone calls, time entries and notes. The app also helps to make sure nothing slips through the cracks with friendly prompts to help you record the details of your calls and to make sure you remember to do time entries for your calls and email. You can even work offline when you aren’t connected to the internet with automatic synchronization when you reconnect.
To enable the app you must be licensed for Amicus Anywhere. Enter your existing credentials.
	We will now take you through a quick walkthrough to introduce some of the features of the Amicus Attorney Mobile App. A Recent Files link displays on your main Navigation screen. Click this link to view a list of files that you have been working on. You can open any of these files and see basic details about the matter from the palm of your hand. You will also be able to see the Primary Contact and any other contacts on the file. Beside each contact are icons to easily place a phone call or send them an email.
You can also drill down by clicking on the contact’s name to see all of their phone numbers and email addresses.
		We have added some helpful prompts to make sure you record the details of all your calls. After you make a call to a contact on a file you receive a prompt with the amount of time you spent making the call. If you would like to record the details. Click Yes and a phone call record appears with the relevant details already filled in. Make whatever edits you like, then click Done at the top. You will then see a further prompt asking you if you would like to create a time entry associated with the phone call? Click Yes to display a New Time Entry screen. The Duration and Description fields are filled out with information from the prior screen. Make edits to the fields or add an Activity or Task Code if you wish. Click Done to record the Time Entry.
		If you go back in the Navigation and select Time Entries the new time entry you recorded displays at the top. You can use filters to display only Time Entries within a certain criteria such as Date, Posted and Unposted Entries. The list includes any recent time entries whether they were created on your phone or back in Amicus Attorney. Click the Notes option to add notes to a file so that they are accessible to other Firm Members in the future. The Notes module on your device lists any recent notes based on the filters you have selected. This is also true for the Phone Calls module where you can see any of your incoming or outgoing Phone Calls based on the filters you select. The newly created Phone Call would appear at the top of the list, but you will also see any of your recent phone calls.
		To learn more about the Amicus Attorney Mobile App click the new link under the Documentation heading in the Amicus Help Center. Selecting Office > Help Center in the navigation list displays the Help Center view.

Dynamic resizing allows you to use the entire screen’s real estate.

A collapsible More… link has been added to expand the email and see more details.

An Events option has been added to the expanded email allowing you to easily link events to your emails.

The More… link changes to Hide when the details of the email are expanded.

The More…/Hide state is remembered between sessions.

The introduction of the Billing module in the Client Portal makes payments easier for your clients. This feature is only available to firms who have access to Amicus Billing. The Billing tile displays how many invoices are outstanding. This means it will be the first thing that your clients see upon logging into the Client Portal. The new Billing module is also accessible from the menu bar.

You can share both paid and unpaid invoices with your clients. Each shared invoice will display an Invoice Number, Date and the Total amount billed per invoice. The amount is net of write up/down and includes fees, expenses, taxes, and interest (if posted as AR). Payments will list the Date, Payer (Received from), and the Account. Your clients can view and pay invoices directly in the Client Portal via credit card and ACH. APX for Credit card, as well as E-Checks or ACH payment processing is a payment solution that uses a single platform to process Credit Card and ACH payments within Amicus Billing so you get paid quickly. Mousing over the Billing tile changes the text to “Show me my bills”.

To opent the Client Portal Billing module and view all shared files, click on the Bills tile or the Billing option on the menu bar.
	The list of invoices displayed in the Billing module can be filtered using the controls in the left pane. You can choose to Show All, Outstanding or just the Paid invoices. The “from” field defaults to the start for the current month, but you may use the calendar controls to change this date. Invoices are sorted by date starting with the more recent invoice. There is no “To” option as the current date is always used when displaying the invoice list.

Clicking on a tab at the top of Billing module performs one of the following actions:
	Opens the selected file and defaults to the “Document” selection of the “File Details” screen. This tab is disabled when an invoice is not selected.
	Opens a PDF of the selected bill. This tab is disabled when an invoice is not selected.
	Displays the invoice history including the billed amount and payments. This tab is disabled when an invoice is not selected.
	Displays the invoice payments when a row has been selected. When an invoice has not been selected a dialog displays with a list of all payments of shared invoices.
	Enabled only when the firm is APX enabled. This option allows your client(s) to take advantage of APX services. Client(s) can make payments by clicking on this tab and adding a Payment method even if there is no invoice to be paid. Void or Refund must be done at the firm level. Overpaying a bill or entering a negative amount is not permissible. Partial payments or choosing to pay multiple bills at the same time is acceptable.
Note: The defaults in the Billing-side of Amicus Attorney control the payment allocation and the firm settings of “Payment Hierarchy.”
You are notified after a client makes a payment in the Client Portal. Open a matter and go to Admin > General in Amicus-ATTORNEY or BILLING to select a distribution option. You can choose to have an email sent Nightly or Immediately to the Responsible Lawyer or to assigned Firm Members.
In addition to the email notification, a sticky note is sent to the Responsible Lawyer.
After you receive notification that a payment has been made to the Client Portal you may want to get a report on the payment along with other portal activities by going to Office > Reports > Client Portal.
Select My New Client Portal Changes – Date Range to display a dialog box. Use the calendar controls to select a Start Date and use the current date for the End Date. A report displays that includes bill payments made in the Client Portal for the selected date range.

When a payment is applied to multiple invoices, the displayed payment amount shows the amount applied to each invoice.
In the File Index you can also click View Recent Client Portal Activity to run the report My New Client Portal Changes – Date Range for today’s date.

The Amicus menu bar at the top of windows provides access to the tasks, features, and tools appropriate for that window. To the left of the Help is a new Feedback option.

Clicking on Feedback opens the Feature UpVote page. Post suggestions that other users can vote on. Review recent suggestions and add your vote to features that you would like to see implemented in future releases of Amicus Attorney.
The Feature UpVote page can also be accessed by clicking Suggestions/Feedback under the Contact Us tab in the Help Center.

Customer feedback is important to us as we want to know what we do well, as well as how we can improve your experience with Amicus Attorney by focusing on the features you need.

The broadcast message may include notices about upcoming training sessions, new product updates or other notifications.

Task/Activity Codes with Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) codes on precedent items ensures that the proper Task/Activity Codes are always selected.
The codes are passed to the resulting Time Entry ensuring that the correct code is being used regardless of which Firm Member is assigned to a resulting event. This also makes it easier to find the corresponding billing code when creating a Time Entry.
The Task/Activity Codes option is only shown in the Event Details window when an existing precedent is being edited.
Task/Activity Codes cannot be pre-defined when an event is created manually from a Task list or Calendar.
Editing an Existing Precedent to define task-based billing codes
To modify an existing precedent, open a file and select an item under Events in the left navigation pane.

Select Use Precedent or Actions > Precedent > Use from the menu bar to display all existing precedents.

Select a precedent, then click Edit to display the Precedent Profile dialog, then double-click on an item to display the Event Details window.

The new Task/Activity Codes option displays at the bottom of the list in the left-hand column.
Viewing Events created from a precedent without preset Task/Activity Codes
In the Event Details screen, click on the Task/Activity Codes option in the left pane to populate the right pane with a Preselect Task-Based Billing Codes for Time Entry dialog:

Click on the icon beside Task Code to display the Select Task-Based Billing Task Codes dialog. The Codes display in a tree folder in the left-hand column. Expand a folder by Clicking the + (plus symbol) or double-clicking a parent folder. Click the – (minus symbol) to collapse a folder.

Double-click on an item or select it and click the right arrow to move it to the Current Selection window. Click OK to return to the Event Details screen.
Follow the same procedure to select an Activity Code and Activity Detail.
Note: Since both the Task and Activity Code values need to be sent to the resultant Time Entry, they need to be preselected together on the Event Details window.
As the Activity Detail is optional you can save without selecting a code for this field.
After the Task-Based Billing Codes have been selected the Event Details screen displays with the selected codes beside their icons.

Creating a Time Entry
Clicking Do Time Entry in the footer of the Events Details window displays the Time Entry Details dialog.where selected values are automatically passed to the Time Entry created from the event.
Event with Task-Based Billing Codes	Prefilled Details passed to Time Entry

Firm Members can further modify the fields in the Time Entry dialog including the Task Code, Activity Code and Activity Detail.
Using Time Entry Assistant
The Time Entry Assistant helps make sure that time entries are created for all billable actions by passing predefined Task and Activity Codes to Time Entries.
Select Tools > Time Entry Assistant to launch the Time Entry Assistant.

Select an item from the window and click Do Time Entry to display the Time Entry Details dialog.

The Task Code, Activity Code and optionally the Activity Detail are preset based on the settings defined in the Event Details window. Make any further changes as necessary.
Click OK to create the corresponding Time Entry.
Using Time Saver
Time Saver speeds up the creation of Time Entries by silently using the default settings without showing you each one.
Select the appropriate time entries in the Time Entry Assistant window, then right-click to display a shortcut menu or click Time Saver in the footer to create the time entries.

A prompt displays indicating that the time entries have been saved along with instructions on how to view and edit them separately in the Time Sheets module.
Additional prompts may appear when multiple time entries have been created from the same matter, such as a prompt asking if they should be merged.
Overriding a Code Set
Sometimes Code Sets may not match as they are often setup on the Event before it was associated with a Matter.
In the event of a mismatch, the Task Codes belonging to the Code Set selected on the Matter overrides the Code Sets on the Event.
When there is a Task-Based Code mismatch the following prompt displays to make this clear:
Click OK to close the prompt.
Review the newly created time entries to add the Task and Activity Codes as necessary by going to the BILLIING-side, and selecting Admin > Accounting from the left menu.
Ensure that Task-Based Billing is enabled, and select the appropriate Code Set from the dropdown list.

Viewing Time Entries
Navigate to the Time Sheets module to see all the newly created Time Entries. Open an entry to view the Time Entry Details.

The Task, Activity Codes and Activity Detail are preset based on the settings defined on the event.
Viewing Events created from a Precedent without preset values
If you run a Precedent and open an event that does not have predefined values for the Task / Activity Codes the option is hidden on the Events Details dialog.

The Task / Activity Codes option is hidden in the left pane if Task & Activity Codes were manually created in the Tasks or Calendar module.
Note: The only time the Task / Activity Codes option is visible is if the values have been set from the Precedent Editor.
Printing Events
The Predefined task-based billing codes are not included when printing events as this information is only valuable when it is passed to the relevant Time Entry.
Using Precedent Variables
Precedents now allow for the use of variables in Event Titles and Main Notes. This helps distinguish between multiple precedents with identical workflows when there is only slight changes to terminology. Using Precedent variables reduces the number of precedents you need to create by allowing you to customize the text whenever a precedent is run.
Note: There is no limit to the number of variables that can be included in a specific precedent, and a Firm Member can use the same variables multiple times on different events.
Adding Variables to an existing precedent
At execution you are now prompted to fill in the appropriate text in place of variables that can be inserted into the Event Title and Main Note on events in the precedents.
The easiest way to set this up is to modify an existing precedent to include variables.
To modify an existing precedent:
Open a file and select an item under Events in the left navigation pane. Select Use Precedent or Actions > Precedent > Use from the menu bar to display all existing precedents.

Select a precedent, then click Edit to display the Precedent Profile dialog.
Double-click on an item to open the Event Details window.

Note: Variables are anything enclosed within two double angle brackets.
The text is used as default content to ensure smooth assembly. For example, we have inserted <<Witness X>> into the Title and Main Note field.

Click OK to close the Event Details and return to the Precedent Profile.

Click Save or Save & Use to save the changes.
Running a Precedent containing variables
When you run a precedent with 1 or more variables a 2-part wizard displays prompting you to enter alternate text on the 1st pane and prompting you to select the appropriate dates on the 2nd pane.
Select an item, click Use Precedent or Actions > Precedent > Use from the menu bar to display the Select Precedents dialog.

The 1st pane of the wizard appears on top.
Replace the Variables with relevant text in the fields under the Replace with column beside its corresponding Variable. For example, we have replaced Witness X in the Variables column with Witness 3.

Note: The textboxes under the Replace with column can only be left blank if the entire Title field is not denoted by a variable as Events cannot be saved without a title.
Click the Next arrow to display the 2nd pane which is the Date selector prompt.

Select one of the following radio buttons: Leave all dates blank. I will assign them later, Set all dates to be, Apply the following dates (Select dates by clicking in the corresponding fields to use the calendar controls.)
Click an option in the footer. The Back arrow returns you to the 1st pane and Cancel aborts the procedure. Clicking OK creates the events. The text entered in the Replace with column on the 1st pane appears in place of the Variables and the Date field is replaced with the date selected from the calendar controls on the 2nd pane.

Using Multiple Variables
You can include as many unique variables as you want in events that make up the Precedent.
You are only prompted once when the Precedent is run for variables that are included in multiple places as identical variables are treated as a single entity during the replacement process.
Scroll bars appear as necessary if a Precedent contains more variables than can be listed on a pane. Fields are sorted in alphabetical order from A to Z.
Running a Precedent without Variables
When you run a Precedent that does not contain variables the prompt for replacement text does not appear. You will see the single pane to select dates.

The Back arrow does not appear since there is only one pane.

New Features and Enhancements

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