Welcome > What's New

What's New

We are excited to announce the following new features, changes and performance enhancements in Amicus Attorney, as well as our complimentary products Amicus Billing, Amicus Anywhere, and Amicus Client Portal.

April 2024

Mass changes of appointments is now supported

Mass Changes has now been enabled for Appointments in List Views. Previously it was just limited to Tasks. Selecting Change Appointments from the Actions menu displays a Select People dialog where contacts associated with the appointments you wish to support can be moved to the Assign textbox using the right arrow.

An option to manage Firm Calendar & Task Profiles [Administrator]

Selecting the new Firm Profiles option under the Calendar & Tasks section in Firm Settings displays a list of various Calendar & Tasks - Firm Profiles shared across the firm. You can also click New to create a new profile. You can then select the Who, How, When and What associated with the profile, then click Save. The new profile is automatically sorted by name, so it is easily found.

Using Firm Profiles

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.

A strong Warning appears before resetting the Outlook, Exchange\Office 365 and Google Calendar and Contacts Link

Resynchronizing removes all existing links Amicus and [Outlook, Exchange;Office 365 and Google] records, as well as re-initializes the link and may cause duplication. It should only be done under the direction of a member of the Support Team. The updated re-initialization warning message makes it clear what is being done if Configure is selected in the Calendar and Contacts Integration dialog. If a user selects OK to proceed new options appear in the Reset Contacts and Reset Appointments fields. The default is "DO NOT RE-INITIALIZE". The Reset Now button is only enabled if one or more of the options is selected to be reset..

New Firm Appointment Location field [Administrator]

A new Location item under the Calendar & Tasks section in Firm Settings allows firms to define a list of Appointment Locations for Events. The items can be edited, removed, and moved up or down in the list. New locations can also be added to the list.

New Location icon in Event Details

Appointment Locations defined in Firm Settings in the Calendar-Locations dialog can be retrieved by firm members from the Event Details dialog. Clicking on the new Location icon that displays to the left of the Location field in the Date, Time, Category section displays the list of your firms pre-defined locations.

New Sticky Notifications

During Daily Checks new Stickies appear if there is a time discrepancy that could affect a third-party link, especially APX and if an Event or multiple events fail to process. 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. 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.

New Confirmation prompt

This appears when attempting to remove all Contacts from a file, preventing them from being accidentally removed. 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.

New Edit Link option offers improved Communication Management

When a Contact’s information originates 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 when selected so that Contacts that originate from a linked contact can be edited or removed.

New Deleted Items Report

This new report lists the items deleted, who deleted them and what was deleted. Click on Reports > System Administration to access the Deleted Items Report dialog. Enter From and To dates to specify the date range, then click OK to generate the report.

January 2024

New sophisticated prompts now appear within Amicus

New prompts now provide greater clarity alerting users of potential issues when the Server Service is not available or if a password needs to be changed.

New optional columns have been added to the People module

Prefix and Suffix columns have been added to provide additional information about clients. 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, then select Show Fields and move them to the Show window in the dialog that displays.

Common Tasks are now more accessible within Amicus

Clicking the Tasks icon which has been added to the right of the Calendar icon in the Amicus Floating Toolbar allows for quick access to the Tasks Module. To enable this option, click View > Toolbars > Show Amicus Toolbar

Improved Spell Check Options

The updated control in the My Application – Spell Check dialog allows users to temporarily exempt edited Auto-Text until their 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.

More "Firm" Document Assembly variables are now available

Document Assembly options have been expanded so that firms can include the full addresses for Home, Office and Other in addition to the existing options for the firm's Primary Address. This is especially helpful when attempting to include satellite offices for assembled documents.

New filter option in the Select Files window

An option to “Include Closed Files” is now available in the updated Select Files window beside the “Show” field. This means “All Files” can now include all Open and Closed files if this option in selected. This checkbox is hidden when it is not appropriate. For example, when “Active Files” is chosen from the drop-down list in the “Show” field.”

Improved Time Entry Search

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

New Time Entry columns have been added for tracking the Date and Time

Three new columns (DatePosted, DateUnposted, DateBatchPosted) allow for easier troubleshooting should the need for support arise.

A new central Time Posting log stored in the same folder as the server log tracks Time Entries

This allows for faster troubleshooting for posted or unposted Time Entries. Every month a new log appears under your AmicusLogs called "TimePosting_Month_Year". This log behaves as the email log.

Improved Custom Accounting Template Options

The Accounting Profile Wizard has been updated to include a new “Batch Posting” option and a new Time Entry Posting Validation to ensure that unexpected entries are not present in the exported text file.

A new E-Billing classification has been added to the Administration Profile

Expanded E-Billing options are now available in the drop-down list of the E-Billing Position field based on user feedback. Some bills could be rejected when the word “Assistant” was present in the text file forcing firms to manually edit each file. To resolve this issue "Paralegal" is now included in the drop-down list.

Improvements to the Referral Report

A new option in the Generate – Referral Report dialog allows Clients to view a report that only includes Matters where an option was chosen in the Referred by field during creation. The drop-down menu in the "Came To Us Because" field defaults to All, which includes all Matters regardless if the Referred by field was left blank. The new option often generates a shorter list, which contains only relevant Matters.

Report showing the parameters for Posted Time Entries

A new Advanced Report is now available which shows the parameters for Posted Time Entries, instead of the date the time entry was created.

A new prompt now appears when an attempt is made to unpost a Time Entry

To avoid duplications a prompt displays informing you that "Unposting may result in duplication when this entry is reposted and to update your accounting system accordingly".

Improved SQL Version Check for Auto-Updates

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.

Improved HotDocs Advance Setup

The integration with HotDocs Advance has been optimized to ease the setup process and help with troubleshooting in the event of an issue.

June 2023

The Exchange / Office 365 Synchronization has been optimized with a new nightly restart

The Office 365 / Exchange Sync now includes a new nightly maintenance to keep the system optimized for all users.

Updated Embedded Viewer

We now offer modern browser control when viewing HTML inside Amicus Attorney. Email Previews have an updated viewer, as well as Office 365 Authentication, the Dailies Pages and the Contact Mapping Window and Announcements Pages. All IE and Chromium users have been updated to leverage WebView2, which has been included with Amicus as of 20.8. Using WebView 2 control ensures a good resolution in Amicus and when using web technologies such as Google Maps from the Contact Card.

Improved File Management

A refactored File Summary has been added to Amicus Attorney to prevent accidental deletions. A new message prompt now displays when the File Summary is being edited asking "Do you want to restore the previously deleted text."

New prompts displays when editing Matters

Alerts now appear when the Responsible Lawyer or the Introducing Lawyer on a Matter is changed. This helps avoid accidental changes to a Matter.

Select Firm Members for Document Assembly

Firm Member details can now be merged into Document Assembly Templates from Client Files. Simply select the appropriate Firm Member(s) on the Matter, then choose Generate a Document.

Easier to manage Firm Groups [Administrator]

Firm Administrators can now view and manage members of a selected group as a new Groups option has been added to the drop-down list found under the Access Class field.

New Client Portal User Management [Administrator]

Now easier for an Administrator to open the Contact details for any Client Portal user in the User Management list view.

You can now create additional Task-Based Billing Codes

Amicus Attorney comes with a series of codes known as Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS). These codes are used to classify legal services. You can create additional codes in the Task-based Billing dialog accessed by selecting Activity Codes under the Time section in Firm Settings. This new capability is especially helpful in jurisdictions outside of North America.

New filters have been added to the User Management list to improve usability [Administrators]

Firm Administrators can now view and manage members of a selected group as a new Groups option has been added to the drop-down list found under the Access Class field. They can also open the Contact details for any Client Portal user in the User Management list.

Users can now define how they want to view other Firm Member's appointments

A new field has been added to the Preferences dialog which allows you to select how you would like to show other Firm Member appointments. You can show them as Attendee(s) / Title or Title / Attendee(s).

A new preference has been added pertaining to Time Entry creation

The new preference controls whether or not a prompt appears for the file selection after clicking Save & New. This new field helps to speed up the creation of Time Entries.

Users can now define how they want to view other Firm Member's appointments

A new field has been added to the Preferences dialog which allows you to select how you would like to show other Firm Member appointments. You can show them as Attendee(s) / Title or Title / Attendee(s).

Document Assembly Toolbar Imrprovements

Document Assembly fields Perform Merge and Select Fields under the Add-in heading in Word now supports the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Word. (We still recommend using 32-bit versions of Word for Document Assembly since the toolbar to save assembled documents back to Amicus does not yet support 64-bit versions of Word.)

You can now create customizable Task-Based Billing Codes [Billing]

Amicus Attorney comes with a series of codes known as Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS). These codes are used to classify legal services. You can now create additional codes in the Task-based Billing dialog accessed by selecting Activity Codes under the Time section in Firm Settings. This new capability is especially helpful in jurisdictions outside of North America.

Optimized Payment Distributions [Billing]

There are now expanded Payment Distribution capabilities when an invoice is paid. Amicus now supports payments via General Retainer from Multiple Bank Accounts.

Improvements to Event Categories [Administrator]

A warning message displays if there is an attempt to delete an Event Category in Firm Settings that is currently in use by one or more Events.

Improved Firm Settings [Administrator]

To help prevent unintentional deletions the system now performs a check to see when Firm Settings are in use. 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.

Upgrading to SQL 2019 [Administrator]

SQL 2019 offers a number of performance features and improvements. 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. Prompts display when an unsupported SQL version is detected with a link to learn how to update to a more recent version of SQL. Amicus also now performs a monthly check to verify the current version of Microsoft SQL.

Help Center Improvements

A link to the What’s New page featuring all the latest features in this release and past releases can now be found under the Support section in the Help Center. This link was previously labelled Product Bulletins. There is also a new link under Administrator to make it easy for your Firm Administrator to update to a newer version of Microsoft SQL.

February 2023

An updated show / hide icon for people on file

Toggle between Show People on this File / People on this File in the file details to show or hide people associated with a file. The newly updated icon is now closer to the heading making it easier to find.

Easier access to all APX Reports [Billing]

The Payment Methods report has now been added to the Reports list making all APX reports accessible from the APX setup page.

Warning Message when Office 365 and Exchange links have already been configured [Administrator]

When an Administrator in a firm with multiple Administrators begins the process of configuring the Office 365 and Exchange links a strong warning will display if the link has already been configured. This lets the Administrator know the process has already been completed, and warns them that if they continue with the process all users in the firm will be disabled.

New options have been added to the Exchange Calendar and Contact Link setup

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.

Enabling 4K resolution at your workstation

A prompt displays at login if Amicus detects that a Firm Member is working on a 4K monitor. Clicking Yes applies the advanced 4K settings after they log out and log back into Amicus. The next time the Firm Member logs into Amicus they will notice that the 4K resolution has been enabled at their workstation.

Applying 4K Settings for Firm Members [Administrator]

Apply the 4K settings for your Firm Members in the Preferences > My Application - Defaults on Login window by selecting the Apply 4K settings checkbox under the Screen Optimization section to enable 4K resolution.

Rebuilding Outlook Columns

This new utility allows for historical data that was lost during the initialization of your Outlook/Exchange Email to be recreated. The Rebuild Outlook Columns button only displays in the E-mail Initialization / Reset window if regular synchronization was enabled in the Outlook / Exchange E-mail window.

Expanded Package Documents capability

A new pop-up menu option under Actions > Package Documents allows documents in Client files to be easily saved to a Folder, in addition to being saved to a Zip File.

An additional prompt allows you to remove record restrictions when deactivating a Firm Member's status to Former Firm Member [Administrator]

Deactivating a Firm Member involves completing a checklist to ensure that all restrictions are removed from records so that the records can still be accessed after the Former Firm Member has left the firm. Warning prompts appears if the items from this checklist are not completed.

The external SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) setup utility allows us to support SQL 2019 [Administrator]

A new Configure button now available under Firm Settings from the General-Reporting Services window guides you through launching the external SSRS setup utility. This allows us to support SQL 2019.

When recalculating Client Balances a prompt displays if the number of records exceeds 300 [Billing]

Recalculating client balances matches them with the account balances stored in the Amicus database. A new prompt displays if the number of Files and Clients records exceeds 300. The prompt informs you that processing such a huge amount of records will impact other Amicus Users and you are asked to consider running this task during off peak hours.

New redirecting message for My Time – Statistics report

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.

Removing an Event from a Precedent Workflow Template

Events that are part of a Precedent Workflow Template can no longer be deleted from the Events Details dialog. An error message displays if a user clicks Delete in the footer of an Event Details window that is part of a Precedent template.

The Tax Rate field can now accommodate States requiring taxes to be computed to the third decimal [Billing]

Charges have been implemented in Amicus Billing Tax Settings to allow for the Tax Rate to accept up to 3 decimal places.

August 2022

APX (Abacus Payment Exchange) Test Transaction [Billing]

Onboard to APX and receive a $5 gift to see for yourself how funds flow through the APX portal and into your bank account!

New APX Disbursement Report [Billing]

The new APX Disbursement Report comes directly from APX. It allows you to view funds that were collected from APX and disbursed into your bank account. You can select a Report Period and/or enter search criteria to filter the report. This is especially helpful for bank reconciliations since nightly deposits could include funds for multiple transactions.

Expanded Email Settings for APX [Billing]

The new APX Email Settings options gives firm members greater control on how they are notified about APX transactions. Enable or disable specific notifications and adjust distribution lists so the right team members are informed. This could include failed payments, refunds, voids, recurring payments and more.

Removing APX Payment Methods via the Client Portal [Billing]

A new Remove button allows clients to have greater self-serve options by being able to manage their own APX payment methods. A payment method cannot be deleted if it is tied to a recurring payment schedule.

Removing APX Payment Methods via Pay Now [Billing]

Clients who are sent a PayNow link allowing them to quickly pay their invoices can now manage their own saved payment methods. A payment method tied to a recurring payment schedule cannot be deleted.

New options for managing former firm members

Former firm members will no longer appear in lists when opening an Office avoiding the possibility of a former firm member being assigned to a file or being added to a group. This will efficiently manage former firm members that remain in Amicus Attorney for historical purposes.

New Document Template Cleanup Utility [Administrators]

This utility removes MSXML references from all Word Document Assembly templates. This takes a few minutes after the process is activated from the background. It does not affect your firm members. The templates in your database are scanned and all MSXML references are removed and saved.

Updated Document Preview

The Document Preview capability has been updated to support additional characters and document formatting. Previewing documents associated to a Client file has also been optimized so that it is now faster and more reliable than ever.

Timeslips Link Enhancements

Improved Uniformed Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) mapping when setting up the link for Timeslips. This update includes improvements to streamsline the mapping process for firms setting up the Timeslips link for the first time.

Flexible Preview Panes on Client Files

A slider has been added to resize the Preview pane of Communications and Documents tabs on Files. You can now drag the scroll bar up to increase the size of the preview pane and down to decrease the size. Adjusting the size of the preview pane saves it to your Preferences. This functionality is user-specific and does not affect other firm members.

File Communications

For optimal performance and improved launch times, lists of communication records are capped at 1,000 items, which can be adjusted by Technical Support if a firm prefers to raise or lower the bar. 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.

Bills can now be exported to a single PDF [Billing]

Saving multiple draft bills to a single pdf file makes it easier to share multiple draft bills for review before they are finalized. This same capability extends to finalized bills should you wish to save them as a single PDF.

Exchange Health Check Improvements [Administrator]

Notifications to Firm Administrators now include precise date/time details. 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 so that they can take the appropriate action. Additional improvements prevent unnecessary notifications when a firm's synchronization is taking longer than normal.

Expanded Automated Backup Options [Administrator]

The Rolling backup capability allows the Firm Administrator to set the specific number of backups that they wish to retain. This feature has been optimized to now support several new versions of SQL.

Worldox Integration Updates

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 and Amicus now supports this terminology change.

Google Calendar Sync

There is now new exception-handling for repeating events. Deleting or rescheduling an instance of a repeating event is now synchronized between Amicus and Google Calendar.

New features have been added to the Tutorial Office

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

Installer

Amicus is now transitioning to .NET Framework 4.8 [Administrator]

Amicus is taking advantage of performance improvements and security enhancements as we move to .NET 4.8. If NET 4.8 is not installed the Amicus update process automatically configures .NET 4.8 as necessary. A restart may be required at the end of the update process before you can log back into Amicus.

New “Toast” message in Auto Update

Toast message pops up at the bottom of all workstations during an Auto Update to provide status updates. There are no notices when the update is in progress. Toast messages pop up when the workstation update commences and when it is complete.

February 2022

Introducing Abacus Payment Exchange (APX) [Billing]

APX 2.0 takes secure credit card and ACH payment processing to another level. Firms already using APX will appreciate the significant improvements. New users will benefit from the accelerated Onboarding Experience, which will get them up and running in APX 2.0 within minutes!

Seamless integration [Billing]

Abacus Payment Exchange is fully integrated within Amicus Attorney. It streamlines your billing and collections by taking care of your credit card and ACH payment processing needs. This allows 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 no duplicate entries of information into multiple systems.

Updated Interface [Billing]

Key improvements have been introduced to the look and feel of the APX 2.0 platform. Forms for entering credit card and banking information have an improved usability for both firm members and clients using the Client Portal. Even the onboarding screens have been updated to make it easier for new firms to start using the system. Ease-of-use improvements abound.

New PayNow Email Templates [Billing]

The PayNow capability lets you email payment links with your invoices to clients so they can quickly pay their bills. This capability dramatically reduces the collection time for firms. The new HTML payment request template ensures a more professional look and feel when sending PayNow links to your clients. 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.

Improved PayNow Customer Experience [Billing]

Clients who receive a PayNow request email will also appreciate an 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.

New APX Portal to track payments [Billing]

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.

Simple Onboarding [Billing]

When you decide to make the move to APX 2.0, the Onboarding process is a breeze. You do not have to wait for approval. Firms can start processing payments immediately after signup. The 2-3 business day wait times are a thing of the past. Sign up today so you can start taking advantage of APX 2.0!

New Recurring Payments [Billing]

Amicus now leverages the power of APX 2.0 to support recurring payment options that schedule payment processing. With weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly options, you are in control of when payments should be made. You can even do one-off scheduled payments for a later date, that does not require a recurrence pattern. Payments can be made to operating or trust accounts as needed.

Introducing HotDocs Advance for Client Intake

Leverage the power of HotDocs Advance for Client Intake in Amicus Attorney. By publishing HotDocs Advance Public Interviews, firms can present web-facing client intake options in Amicus. Firms can post the link to their website and invite prospects to fill in their own contact details. This frees 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.

Pending Contact Approval Security Profiles

There are two new security profile options. The first one is View and the second one is Approve / Reject. These new options allow designated firm member(s) to View the new Pending Contacts created via a Client Interview in the People module. The firm member reviews the pending contact’s answers, conducts a duplicate check, as well as a conflict search, Afterwards, they can Approve / Reject them as new contacts.

Google Contact and Calendar Sync

Amicus supports a Google Contact & Calendar Sync that allows for sharing of events and contacts between the two systems. 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.

Convert Custom Pages

A new dropdown menu in the Custom Page editor window allows for an easy conversion of any Half-page layout to a Full page layout without reformatting.

Optimized Exchange Health Check

The Exchange Health Check alert system designed to warn users of any disruptions in their contact and calendar synchronization has been further optimized based on feedback from users. After-hours maintenance will no longer trigger unnecessary alerts.

June 2021

New Interface

We are pleased to announce the rollout of our new User Interface (UI) for Amicus 20.7. The same great workflows, features and functionality that Amicus users have been accustomed to have been maintained in the updated UI.

Dashboards

The Home screen dashboards on the ATTORNEY-side and BILLING-side give you an up-to-date summary of the various aspects of your practice.

New Notification changes

A new alerting system includes alerts and prompts when synchronization goes off-line for any reason.

More Dynamic File Details

The updated UI maximizes the entire screen real estate in our File Details dialogs meaning that you can explore more data without scrolling. The reading panes have been improved, “People on File” is now hidden, and the vertical layouts have been switched to horizontal layouts.

Clear Search Tool

A new Clear Search tool displays in the Amicus taskbar after a search has been completed in select modules.

Enhanced Security

Our enhanced security for Exchange / Office 365 Connections tracks Contact, Calendar & Email Integrations and improves performance.
- Amicus now allows for Token-based authentication, although users can continue to connect using their Username and Password.
- The XML manipulation API's have been replaced with Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXLM).

Daily Checks

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.

Optimizations

Amicus 20.7 has optimized its resources to handle the surge in virtual private network (VPN) usage resulting in significant improvement in the way Amicus handles auto-updates. Subsequent updates will benefit from this change.

BILLING-side improvements

If you have access to the BILLING-side, along with the dashboard found on the Home screen, you will notice improvements to our reports and new printing options that make it easy to print copies of emailed bills.

November 2020

Mobile App V2

The Amicus Attorney Mobile App has been completely rebuilt with a brand new "more intuitive" interface. We have added some great new features. It is available from the App Store for iOS devices or from Google Play for Android providing 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. Log in using your Amicus Anywhere account.

Practice Automation Libraries (PALS) [For Administrators Only]

PALS are preset customizations that make Amicus Attorney even easier to use from the first day that you use them. 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. 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 Encryption

When documents are encrypted you are guaranteed absolute integrity whenever a file is accessed or shared. Encryption settings can be adjusted by a Firm Administrator.

Get Paid Faster - Accept Credit Cards link

It is now easier to sign up for APX (Abacus Payment Exchange) with the addition of a Get Paid Faster - Accept Credit Cards link in the Trust Receipt and Receive Payment dialogs.

SQL 2019

SQL Server 2019 is built on the concept to move artificial intelligence a step further with improvements over database services and security.

March 2020

HotDocs Advance Integration

You can now leverage industry leading HotDocs Advance's document assembly capabilities within Amicus Attorney. Get up and running with just a few clicks of your mouse. HotDocs Advance makes it easy to edit and publish templates using Amicus Attorney variables (including custom fields). Powerful document automation awaits!

Document Bundles

A new option makes it easy to package any documents on a Client File to a ZIP file for easy sharing. The ZIP file maintains your folder structure, so the recipient can see the layout as you intended.

Expanded Portal Payment Options for APX

Invoices can now be shared with all Clients in the portal, not just the Primary Client. This means that all portal users can now add their own credit card or ACH information, so you get paid more quickly.

Date Range filters in Communications Lists

The Communications tabs on Client Files now includes a date range selector to speed up performance. By default, you will see all communications (phone calls, emails & phone message) from the last 12 months. Change the date selector as necessary to see more lists. We’ve also added a new cap option to further improve performance.

Display Custom Records in Amicus Anywhere

Custom Records on Client Files can now be accessed in Amicus Anywhere. Your Administrator uses the designer to control the layout in Amicus Anywhere. Great new customization options are at your fingertips.

Share Custom Records in Client Portal

Custom Records on Client Files can now be shared in the Client Portal. This includes the ability for your clients to add new records. Your Administrator uses the designer to control the layout in the Client Portal. This can be controlled separately from Amicus Anywhere, so you can still keep files private if you wish.

Automatic Update Service

Amicus Attorney 20.4 users can take advantage of a powerful new automated update utility to quickly move to Amicus Attorney 20.5. Triggered by your Administrator, workstations are automatically notified of a pending update and logged out after 10 minutes. After the Amicus Server has been updated, all workstations are updated automatically without the need to change any permissions. Offline workstations will update automatically when reconnected to the network. Amicus Attorney 20.3 and earlier users will be able to take advantage of this new feature on subsequent updates.

Advanced TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) Port Settings

A new firm setting displays the current TCP Port settings and allows the firm administrator to set a preferred port for network connections. This new setting helps to prevent competition with other applications trying to use the same port.

New QuickBooks Management Options in APC

Abacus Private Cloud users now have a new option to self-manage their QuickBooks instances from within Amicus Attorney.

Refactored Google Contact & Calendar Authentication

Amicus has been updated to take advantage of Google’s improved verification on the oAuth consent screen. Firms already setup to synchronize Google Contacts & Calendar won’t notice any difference unless they need to disable and reconnect in the future.

April 2019

Single Sign-On

Amicus Administrators can now enable SSO for their firm to allow firm members to access Amicus Attorney, Anywhere and Mobile App with one set of credentials.

Pay Now [Billing]

Firm members can now easily include a Pay Now link with emailed invoices that allows the client to easily pay their bill by credit card.

Reversing APX payment methods [Billing]

APX now has the ability to reverse APX payment methods.

APX Payment Method List [Billing]

APX now has a new APX Payment Method List report that lists all Primary Clients with their Payment Method.

Apply Taxes using Activity Codes [Billing]

There is now an option to apply taxes individually on Time Entries using Activity Codes.

New Security Profile [Billing]

A new Security Profile allows the responsible lawyer to change time entries on draft bills.

Expanded UTBMS Activity Code List [Billing]

The UTBMS Activity Code list has been expanded.

Reprint Bills [Billing]

Amicus Billing Users can now Reprint bills.

Referral Report [Billing]

As referrals are the leading way to get clients, the new Referral report is handy to track how clients are being referred.

Custom Dashboards [Admin]

List Views and Core Fields have been added to Custom Pages. The default preference can be set to automatically open a Custom Page when the file is opened.

Track Time Entry Changes [Admin]

You can keep track any material changes to a Time Entry by activating the new option Track Changes.

Managing Edits to Time Entries [Billing]

The new Time and Fees Change Reason option appears at the bottom of the Time Entry Details dialog.

Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)

Opting in this program means a firm shares anonymized information about their firm's use of Amicus Attorney. We use this data to help us design new features. A firm can opt in/out at any time.

Smarter Controls

Smarter controls have been added to the File Details window. 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 field.

Calendar and Task Filters

The Calendar and Task filters will remember previous settings between sessions.

Date Calculator

Now, when you select Tools > Date Calculator or the Show Me the Date icon, the Date Calculator remains open so you can do further calculations.

AbacusNext Account Portal

A new link to the AbacusNext Account Portal now displays under the Support tab in the Help Center.

Document Assembly

The Document Assembly Guid e has been updated to include new shortened variable names.

Amicus Anywhere

The Amicus Anywhere calendar now has Week and Month views.

Resetting the Client Portal Password and opting in/out of Email Notifications

It is now easy for a client to reset their password if they forget it and opt in/out of email notifications.

Shared fields in the Client Portal

The visibility of a shared field can now be changed at any time in the Client Portal.

October 2018

User Preferences [For Administrators Only]

Amicus Administrators can now change most User Preferences for other firm members from their desktop in the Modify User Preferences screen. This can be accessed by going to User Management under Administration, right-clicking on a user and selecting Open User Preferences from the pop-up menu that appears. The Modify User Preferences screen can also be accessed from the Administration Profile.

Email

A completely refactored Outlook link allows for more seamless integration. The updated integration includes dozens of performance improvements and optimizations based on feedback from users.

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.

Outlook Embedded View

With this update you will notice a much improved Tree View in the left pane of the Embedded Outlook view. As part of the email integration you can enable the Embedded Outlook view right in your Communications module.

Document Assembly

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 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.

Billing Behavior on Client Expenses

The Client Expense Details dialog has been updated to include Billing Behavior. This can be accessed from any module by selecting File > New > Expense Entry in the BILLING-side. Enter a vendor in the To field and select a Billing Behavior from the pull-down menu.

Activating and De-Activating Billing [For Administrators Only]

There is now the capability to activate the Amicus Billing functionality at a later date for additional licenses. Updating Amicus Billing at a later date allows a user to continue to work and post time entries to other Billing softwares.

A Use Amicus Billing checkbox has been added to the Time - Accounting System dialog. This can be accessed by selecting Accounting under the Time tab in Firm Settings.

When an additional Amicus Attorney/Billing user license is purchased as a bundle users can toggle this selection on/off even after the Billing wizard is completed.

Updating Billing Licenses [For Administrators Only]

Amicus can be upgraded to include a Billing license in the Evaluation period.

Import Time/Fees and Expenses

You can now import Time/Fees and Expenses (Client Costs) from a CSV file in both Amicus ATTORNEY and BILLING views. The Actions menu now includes the Import options of Time / Fees and Expenses.

APX

The following enhancements have been made to APX (Abacus Payment Exchange).

An existing payment method can now be edited.
You can now apply an APX - Credit Card / ACH payment while creating a bill on single, consolidated and split billing.
The Bill Summary report has been updated to include the APX payment option in the Payment amount field.

September 2018

Address fields

The five US Virgin Islands territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) have been added to the State Address pull-down lists for the following dialogs:

Credit Card payment method
E-Check payment method

Also, on the following tabs during the Onboarding process:

Firm Address Basic Details tab
Home Address on Personal Information tab

May 2018

Client Portal

We have introduced a new Billing module in the Client Portal where clients can:

View and share their invoices
Make payments via credit card and ACH
Generate and print a report of Client Portal billing activities

The new Billing module can easily be accessed from the Home Page of the Client Portal by clicking on the Billing tile on the main screen or on the Billing tab at the top.

Feedback

We have now added a new tool so you can tell us exactly what features you would like to see added to Amicus Attorney in the future. This tool can be accessed by clicking Suggestions/Feedback in the Help Center or to the left of the Help in the Amicus Main Menu.

Announcements

Notices are now broadcast to Amicus Attorney users upon login. These may include notices about upcoming training sessions, new product updates or other announcements. This page can also be opened by clicking Announcements under the Contact Us tab in the Help Center. To the left of the Help is a Feedback option.

Pre-filled Task-based Billing Codes

Pre-defining Task-based billing codes with Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) codes on precedent items ensures that the proper Task/Activity Codes are always selected. It 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.

Email

Based on feedback from our customers we have implemented a responsive email framework delivering an updated look and feel, as well as improving the functionality of our email within Amicus Attorney.

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.

Working with Office 365 when Multi-factor Authentication is enabled

An App Password is required to give Amicus Attorney permission to access your Office 365 account if you have enabled Multi-factor Authentication (MFA).

You are required to update your Firm Settings, as well as your Preferences to use the Exchange link in the Contact & Calendar synchronization and in the Email Integration.

Note: Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is an authentication process that requires a user to provide a second form of identification in addition to their password.
Please see the Outlook/Exchange E-mail Link and Outlook/Exchange Contacts & Calendar Link under the Documentation tab to learn more in the Amicus Help Center.

November 2017

Amicus-managed Documents

The following significant improvements have been made to Amicus-managed documents.

New Setup Wizard — The wizard quickly creates a sophisticated folder structure. It also facilitates the option to re-scan for documents that may not have been accessible to the server when the firm first made the move to Amicus-managed.
Virtual Folders — Firm Members can now see folder views of all their documents making navigation easier and filtering more efficient after moving to Amicus-managed.
DocumentsFolders — This new option displays in the navigation pane on the left side of a main brad page under Documents.
Folder view — A border separates it from the preview pane on the left and the breadcrumbs at the top. Folders and document records display based on your access rights. A document that has edit restrictions and cannot be edited or deleted in the Details view, reacts the same in the Folder view.
Documents Details — Enhancements have been made to support virtual folders.
Versioning — Version Control makes it easy to keep track of all the versions of a document. A padlock displays on an image if a document has been checked out in the icons view.

Client Portal

With this new version we have introduced:

Dynamic screen size – This allows you to take advantage of your entire screen real estate to see more details about client files.
Continuous scrolling – You can now use the wheel on your mouse to scroll and jump down to whatever you want to see in a list or use the vertical scroll bar on the right.
File Details – A Maximize button has been added at the top to enlarge the File Details window, and take advantage of the entire screen when viewing client file details.
- Once the window is expanded, the Maximize button changes to a Restore button to restore the File Details to its previous size.

New Task Filter

A great new tool has been added for task filtering from the Events list within a file.

My Active To Do's — A new File Brad heading has been added which displays only tasks assigned to you. This makes it easier for you to see what you need to do next, as well as see what needs to be completed before other tasks can be scheduled.

Prefilled Task-based Billing Codes

Amicus Attorney now has an option to pre-define Task-based billing codes with Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) codes on precedent items.

This ensures that the proper Task/Activity Codes are always selected. It 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.

Amicus Billing

We are excited to introduce the following new enhancements to Amicus Billing:

APX (Abacus Payment Exchange) — APX is a payment solution that uses a single platform to process accounts and bill clients so you get paid the same day. With APX, there are no hidden fees or long-term contracts. Only a 3% flat fee is charged for credit card transactions. APX accepts most payment options including Mastercard, Visa, E-Checks, American Express, Discover and ACH.
APX - Credit Card and ACH Report — A new report has been added to the Reports module to support APX payments.
New Billing Security Profiles — As an Administrator you can now go into User Management or the Admin Profile and set Billing Security Profiles. In addition, a Firm Administrator can create new Billing Security Profiles.
- This feature allows firms to have more control and flexibility in granting or restricting access to billing functions and viewing of billing modules and reports.

Note: To make a payment in Amicus Attorney you must have access to Amicus Billing.

For more on using these features, see the Amicus Billing User Help.

Amicus Anywhere

For more on using these features see the Amicus Anywhere Help, available within that product or from the Amicus Help Center.

Dynamic screen size – This allows you to take advantage of your entire screen real estate to see more details about client files.
Continuous scrolling – You can now use the wheel on your mouse to scroll and jump down to whatever you want to see in a list or use the vertical scroll bar on the right.
File Details – A Maximize button has been added at the top to enlarge the File Details window, and take advantage of the entire screen when viewing client file details.
1. Once the window is expanded, the Maximize button changes to a Restore button to restore the File Details to its previous size.

Help Center

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 bar displays the Amicus Help Center view.

Upgrades/Installs and Updates

Administrators—See the "Getting Started > Updating Amicus Attorney" topic in the Administrator Help.