The Time & Billing Tab in Staff Profiles allows you to configure individual time tracking, a default hourly rate, and exception rates based on particular tasks for each staff in Neos. A default hourly rate can be defined if a task does not have a set rate. These settings are used with the Time Tab and Timekeeper for tracking time spent and cost for a Staff member working on a Case.
NOTE: You must have Modify permissions to Directories > Staff Directory to configure Time & Billing settings. To add new tasks, you must also have Add permissions to Directories > Mini Directories.
Time Tracking
Firms can now set the ability to track time for individual staff. By default, current and new staff will be set to track time when Time Tracking is activated in Firm Preferences. When Time Tracking is enabled, the following check box settings will display.
Automatically Track Time – When selected, the timer will automatically start when Staff open a Case and automatically start/pause when navigating to/from the Case. If this option is NOT selected, the Timer Auto Prompt is hidden.
• Timer Auto Prompt – When selected, a prompt will display when the timer automatically starts. Refer to Accessing the Automatic Timekeeper for more details.
To turn off Time Tracking for individual staff, click the slider, then Save. The check box settings will be hidden and that staff will not be able to automatically track time using the Timekeeper. However, they can still manually add time using the Time Tab (if permissible).
To turn on Time Tracking for individual staff, click the Enable slider, then Save.
If your firm uses Advanced Analytics, a new field for "Daily available hours to work" will display under the Time Tracking section on the Time & Billing tab in Staff Profiles. Enter an estimate of the daily available work hours for this staff. This field will only be available if Time Tracking is enabled. This number field can accept a value between 0 and 24 and will allow up to 2 decimal places. This field defaults to "8" hours.
Billing
The following Billing section and Enable Billing for Time toggle will only be visible when Time Tracking is enabled. If the Billing toggle is "off", the Staff can still track time but will not be able to bill for the time.
The Default hourly rate is a set amount that the Staff should use when tracking time in Neos. This amount will automatically populate the Rate field when saving an automatic time entry and manually adding time on the Time Tab where the Billable checkbox is selected.
NOTE: The rate associated with a Task (from Mini Directories > Tasks) will NOT overwrite the staff's default rate.
When Staff are set to track time, select their LEDES Timekeeper code from the dropdown. The associated UTBMS Code from the Activity Codes Mini Directory will be inserted when downloading a LEDES 98b invoice. The field will populate the TIMEKEEPER_CLASSIFICATION field and is used for job titles and categories. Timekeeper codes are standard in Neos and refer to the job title of the Staff that will be billing hours to a client for time spent in their Case. The following LEDES Timekeeper Codes have been added: PT (Partner), AS (Associate), PL, LA (Paralegal), OC (Of Counsel), and OT (Legal Nurse Consultant).
A LEDES Timekeeper ID field has been added to better align with the standard formatting. This field populates the TIMEKEEPER_ID field and is used for identifying individual staff. This alphanumeric text field can contain up to 20 characters.
Exception Rates
A staff's rate may change based on a particular task. Using the Tasks Mini Directory, standard rates can be set and used by anyone in your firm, however, Exception Rates allow you to define rates by tasks for individual staff. The UTBMS Code column has been added to show the associated code linked to the selected Task from the Tasks Mini Directory.
Click the + Add button at the top right of the Time & Billing Tab to add an exception rate.
On the Add Exception Rate window, select the Task. Tasks must be defined in the Tasks Mini Directory.
The Per is displayed from the Tasks Mini Directory for the selected task.
Enter the Rate that should display when the Staff selects this task. The staff's default hourly rate is prepopulated.
Click the Save button to save your changes.
Click the Save button at the top right of the Time & Budgeting Tab to save changes.
Edit Exception Rate
Click the pencil icon
to edit a task exception. NOTE: Only the Rate field can be modified from the Edit Exception Rate window. To change the Task, delete this entry and add a new exception rate.
Delete Exception Rate
Click the trash icon
to delete the exception rate. The item will be deleted without warning; however, Discard will revert your changes.
Click the Save button to save changes to the Time & Billing Tab.