BSA Pro - Tips & Tricks!
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Please review the following Tips. If you have a tip, please email it to us.

REMEMBER: THE BEST WAY TO AVOID PROBLEMS IS TO REGULARLY BACK UP YOUR DATA TO NEW FLOPPY DISKS!


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TIPS INDEX - Click on a topic to jump to that section
Mailing Labels
Trust Account Set Up
Flat/Contingent/Recurring Fee Set Up
Custom Rates for Matters
Unfinalization
Print Bills or Create Reports by Biller or by Other Criteria
Create Custom Reports
Date Entries in BSA
Printing Screens in Programs
Saving Client information with a corrupted database in BSA
Importing Clients from Timeslips version 9.1 and greater
Using Alphanumeric Fields such as Client/Matter Case/File Numbers
Setting up new Clients when you charge interest
Billing a Monthly Minimum Amount
Non-refundable Retainer
Personalized Memo





VIDEO HELP

1. How to make a back up in BSA Pro:


2. How to reinstall BSA Pro:

Printing Mailing Labels, Envelopes or Form Letters

If you use Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect, you can print mailing labels, envelopes or form letters for all or selected clients as follows:

In BSA Pro
1. From Home Menu select Utilities
2. Select EXPORT
3. Select either ALL or Selected Clients
4. Select the fields for export. It is slightly easier if you select them in the order you want them to appear on your labels although it is not critical. For mailing labels and envelopes, you will probably want to select the First Name, Last Name, Address 1, 2, etc. as well as the city, state, and zip code.
5. Select OK
6. Select Continue
7. If you selected SELECTED CLIENTS in step 3 you can now select the clients for whom you wish to create labels, envelopes, etc.
8. Select Continue Export
9. Specify the name and location of the text file to create. For example, you may want to save the file in c:\clients\clist1.txt
10. Select OK and the export will commence. You will be advised if the export was successful.
11. If it was successful, you can now quit BSA.

Using Word 7.0 or greater (including Word 2000)
1. From a blank document, select Tools
2. Select Mail Merge
3. Select CREATE
4. Select Mailing Labels, Envelopes, etc.
5. Select Active Window
6. Select Get Data
7. Select Header Options
8. Select Create
9. From the list of fields options, remove the fields that are not applicable. For example, you might highlight the TITLE, JOB TITLE, COMPANY, HOME PHONE AND WORK PHONE fields and select Remove Field each time. Note: The Postal Code is the Zip Code.
10. Select OK and then Save the Header file description you've created. You might call it HdrBSA.Doc. Once you save this file, you will not need to Create a Header Options file again. The next time you prepare mailing labels, you will select Open in step 8 (the previous step) and then simply specify the file you saved in this step.
11. Select Get Data.
12. Select Open Data Source
13. Specify the file you created in step 9 of the BSA98 Pro procedure above. In this example, it was c:\clients\clist1.txt.
14. Select Set Up Main Document
15. If you're creating labels, select the printer information, label products and product number and select OK.
16. Select Insert Merge Field.
17. Select the SAMPLE data as you want it to appear. For example, you might select the First Name and then enter a space and then select the Insert Merge Field button again and select the Last Name and then enter a carriage return (enter key) and then select the first address line, enter a carriage return and so on until your labels/envelopes look the way you want.
18. When you've selected the data as you want it to appear, select OK.
19. Select MERGE - Note: You can select various options such as filters and sorts by selecting Select Options.
20. Select Merge again and the labels/envelopes will be created.
21. You can save the document if you will need to use it again before your client/mailing list changes in BSA.

Using WordPefect 7:
A. The first step is to create a data file for WP to use in the merge process:
1. Select Insert
2. Select Spreadsheet/Database
3. Select Import
4. Select Data Type as ASCII Delimited Text
5. Select Import As and specify Merge Data File
6. Select Filename and specify the file you created in step 9 from the BSA procedure above.
7. Leave the defaults for the Field (it should be a comma mark), Record (these should be [CR] [LF] , and Characters (Encapsulated ").
8. Select OK - The text file is converted to a WP data file.
9. Select File from the file menu
10. Select Save As and save the newly created data file. You might save it as CLIST1.DAT, for example.
11. Close the file.
B. Create your Mailing Labels document
1. Create a new blank document
2. Select Format
3. Select Labels
4. Select the label type you're using
5. Select Tools
6. Select Merge
7. Select Form
8. Select Use file in active window
9. Select OK
10. Select Associate a data file
11. Specify the WP data file you created in step A-10 above. E.G., CLIST1.DAT
12. Select OK
13. Select Insert Field and select each field you want to appear in the order you want them on the label and then select Insert after each selection. For example, you might select the First Name and then enter a space and then select the Insert button again and select the Last Name and then enter a carriage return (enter key) and then select the first address line, enter a carriage return and so on until the label looks the way you want.
14. When you've selected the fields, select CLOSE
15. Select MERGE
16. Select Merge again and the labels are created. Note there are certain options you can specify before selecting Merge. You may wish to explore these options.
17. You can save the label document if you think you'll use it again before your client/mailing list changes in BSA.

Finalization / Unfinalization

  Finalization in BSA Pro is when you tell the billing program that a billing period is complete and you are ready to send the client a bill.  BSA lets you select the 'Cut Off' date so you don't have to worry about making entries after the date you plan to finalize.
  Once you finalize a bill for a matter, the 'current' entries (those added since the last finalization), if any, are shown on the bill and moved from the 'Current' to the 'Finalized' category in the internal workings of BSA.
  If you're charging interest, this means that the balance due, if any, is now subject to interest AFTER the grace period you have set has expired.  In other words, if you don't finalize a bill, it can't accrue interest.
  Finalization also means that balances due, if any, are subject to 'Aging' for reports and the Aging Summary option on bills. So, once a bill is finalized, any balance due will be considered due and payable by BSA and it will start to be tracked for its age so that older balances can be seen and more aggressively monitored if desired.
  You would normally finalize a bill when you're ready to send it to the client for review and payment. This normally happens once a month.
  You can UNfinalize bills in BSA (all or just selected ones) if you make a backup of all your data just BEFORE you finalize your bills. If, shortly after finalization, you find an error in a bill, you can restore just that bill, correct the error and re-finalize the bill.
  However, if the error is discovered after the bill has already been sent out, it is probably best to simply make a correcting entry in the CURRENT bill since it would be confusing to a client to receive two, different bills for the same period.
  Also, if you find an older charge you want to add to a bill after you have finalized it, you can simply enter it as a new, current charge with the old date. BSA will sort it properly and add it to the list of current charges and it will appear on the next bill for the client.  (It won't bear interest, however, until it has been finalized.)

Trust Account Set Up

When you set up your client trust accounts in BSA, you can enter the client's current trust balance as a type DEP (for DEPosit) with a Description of Previous Balance Forward (or something similar). This is similar to setting up a client's bill in BSA with his previous balance as the Matter Balance Forward.

Date Entries in BSA

When you enter dates in BSA, be sure to enter a valid year. If you enter an invalid year or leave the year blank, you may not get what you intended. To check your date entries, set your Windows date settings to show 4 digits in the year and use Change/View Bills to see the dates on your entries.

Printing Screens in Programs

You can print any screen you are looking at in any program in Windows by pressing the 'Print Screen' button on your keyboard (top row near the far right side of most keyboards). Then, open Windows Paint program (found in Programs | Accessories) and select Edit | Paste (or press Ctrl + V) and the screen image will be copied. Then, select File | Print and the screen shot will be printed.

Print Bills or Create Reports by Biller or Other Criteria

 Sometimes, you may want to print all of Mr. Brown's bills without printing any of Ms. White's bills. Or, you might want to create a report only for Ms. White's matters. Or, you only want to include matters that have special billing terms.
 If this comes up often, you can set up a custom bill format (or formats) for Mr. Brown's bills and call it Br1 (Br2, etc.) and a custom format for Ms. White's bills and call it Wh1. You then associate all of Mr. Brown's matters with format Br1 and Ms. White's matters with Wh1.
 Then, when you want to print bills for Mr. Brown only, you can choose to print SELECTED MATTERS (rather than All Matters) and select the 'SELECT MATTERS...' button. Then, you can choose the option to 'SELECT MATTERS...' by bill format and choose the format(s) you set up for Mr. Brown. This will only print the bills with the format you selected. So, it would only print bills for Mr. Brown. If you wanted to print all of Ms. White's bills, you'd select the Bill Format Wh1.
 With reports, you select the type of report you want for Selected Matters and then select 'For Selected Matters'. Again, select the 'SELECT MATTERS...' button and select the matters you want included in the report by bill format.
  As another example, if you have matters that pay a monthly minimum amount (see below for more on this...), you might want to use a Custom Bill Format for those matters. Then, when you want to print bills or look at reports for just those matters, you would opt to print bills or generate the report for 'Selected Matters' and then use the 'SELECT MATTERS...' button to highlight the appropriate matters automatically just by selecting the Custom Bill Format in question.
 With some planning and creativity, you can combine these ideas in a variety of ways to make things work better for your office.

Create Custom Reports

 While BSA has many built in reports, you might want to create a custom report. Since your data is kept in a Microsoft (r) compatible database, you can use other products to create your own reports. The only thing to keep in mind is to ALWAYS WORK WITH A COPY OF YOUR BSA DATA - NEVER WORK WITH THE ACTUAL BSA DATABASE FILE.
  To create custom reports, you should make a copy of your BSA database file (BSA.MDB) found in the folder where BSA Pro is installed. Then, you can open that database file in other programs and explore it and create whatever reports you desire. If you open the database in Access, you might need to convert the data to your version of Access but Access will warn you of this and do so automatically. This is a good example of why you would NEVER work with the actual BSA database file. Once another program converts the data to a format that is useful to the other program, BSA will be unable to use it. That's why you would NEVER convert your actual BSA database file but rather only work on a COPY of the file.
  So, again always work with a copy of the BSA database file. You'll find you can open your data in Excel using the 'Get External Data' option under the 'Data' menu option. In Access, you can simply double click on the COPY of the BSA.MDB file and open/convert it.
 Another way to create custom reports is using the process for opening your data in Word and WordPerfect. This is described above on this page in the context of creating mailing labels but it works the same way for any data you want to sort and print from your BSA/CC database.
 For example, in Word 2000, you would select VIEW | Toolbars | DATABASE | Insert Database | Get Data | [specify the BSA.MDB database by locating it in the folder where you installed BSA] | Highlight the table you want to work with | Select OK | Select Query Options | Click on the 'Select Fields' tab | Select the fields you want in the report | Select OK | Select 'All' records | Select OK.
 This is just one example. You can use this method in WordPerfect as well and there is virtually no limit to the reports you can create this way.

Flat/Contingent/Recurring Fee Set Up

TRUE FLAT FEE -   It's important to note that you can always change the suggested, calculated entry when entering FEES in Add New Charges or Payments to Bill. Just because the program calculates a charge based on the rate and time, you're never stuck with the calculated amount - you can always change it (before it is finalized).
  So, if the flat fee is $1000, you can enter the Date, Biller, Description and Hours and let the program calculate the amount. At that point, the cursor will be in the amount column and the amount will be blue. You can change the amount from the suggested, calculated amount to the $1,000 flat fee. If you don't want to track your time after that, just print the bill and you're done. If you want to track your time, you can set a custom rate of $0 for the billers for the flat fee matter and keep track of your time and it will automatically bill zero dollars as $0.
  If you want to change the way the zero amount looks, you can go into SET UP | BILL PRINTING and change the text that is shown for zero amounts to something else. Or, you can produce the first bill showing the flat fee amount and then turn off the Amount column for the Bill Format associated with Flat Fees if you want.
  If the client did not pay the flat fee in full up front, then as the client remits payments, you simply enter the payment and produce a new bill which shows the new balance due.

MINIMUM FLAT FEE -   Enter the minimum flat fee paid up front by the client as a Payment. This will cause a credit balance in the amount of the minimum flat fee. Then, simply keep track of your time as usual. When the time charges exceed the credit balance, the bill will automatically start to show a balance due which the client pays.

RECURRING FEE -   If you have an agreed monthly amount the client is to pay, you can remind the client of that amount using a Bill Memo. Bill Memos can be added to any Bill Format and can appear in 3 different positions on the bill. You can read more about Bill Memos in the Help system in BSA if you're interested.

CONTINGENT FEE -   For Contingent Fees, if the charge comes at the end, you can set the matter up for a custom rate of zero and track your time if you want. Then, at the end, when you know the amount that is due, you just make your final entry and change the computer-suggested amount to the amount of the contingent fee. There are probably more ways of doing it depending on exactly how your office policy works. As you play with this, you may find different, better ways for your needs.

CUSTOM RATES

You can have a Custom Rate for each and every Client if you want. When you set up your Billers (the people who bill for their time) you set a Default or standard rate for them. This would be their most common rate. When you set up your Matters, you can accept the Default rate for all Billers by doing nothing. If, however, you want a Matter to be billed at a Custom Rate, you select the Biller Rate option when you are setting up the Matter and specify the Custom Rate you want used for this Matter.
For example, to Add a New Client/Matter, select the button with that name on Home Menu. Then, select Add a new CLIENT. Enter some information for the client and select Continue. Give the Matter a description and select Continue. Look carefully at the next screen entitled 'Biller Rates, Bill Format and Interest Options'. The first button (on the top, left) says 'Biller Rates' and next to it: 'This matter uses the Default Biller Rates.' Select that button and then select the Custom Rate button.
Select the Biller you want to change and select the 'Change Selected Biller Rates' button. Enter the 'New Hourly Rate' and 'Save Rate Change'. Change as many Billers as you want for this Matter. When you're done, select 'Back' and answer 'YES' to the 'Change Rate Setup for Select Matter' question. You'll notice the wording is now Red and says "This matter uses Custom Billing Rates." Select 'Continue' and you'll be back Home. Thereafter, when you are entering time for this matter, the Billers you selected will use the Custom Rate rather than their normal, default rate. To set up Custom Rates for Matters that have already been set up, select 'Change Client/Matter' from Home Menu and select 'Change Matter Information'. (Notice the Purple language next to that button includes 'Biller Rates'.) Then select a Matter from the list that appears and then select the 'Biller Rates' button and follow the same procedure as before. You can read more about this topic in the built in Help system by searching under the term 'Biller Rate'.

Saving Client Information with a corrupted database

It's important to make regular back ups on new media as stressed elsewhere. If your database becomes corrupt and you don't have a good back up, you simply cannot recover all your billing data since some of it is not there in a corrupted database. If you're in this situation and you've tried the Repair Utility and nothing has worked, you will have to re-install the program and start over. You may be able to save most of your client information such as names, addresses and phone numbers with the following tip. Use the 'Export to ASCII text file' feature in Utilities to export all your client information to a text file. Then, re-install the program (and get a new password if necessary - see Question P7 on the Tech Support/FAQ page for more on this) and Import your clients from the ASCII text file you created in the old copy of the program into the new copy you just installed. Your matter descriptions will be lost but your clients' names, addresses, phone numbers and case numbers should be intact. Then, you can update/add the matter descriptions you need and enter a beginning balance and start again. While it is not perfect, it can save you a lot of time if you are in this unfortunate situation. Next time, of course, be sure to follow proper back up procedures. This experience will probably help convince you of the need for a good back up methodology.

Using Alphanumeric Fields

Most of the input fields in BSA are alphanumeric. This means you can put numbers or letters in them. When you have a data field, you don't have to just put numbers in or just letters in it. For example, with a field for a Phone Number that contains a FAX number, you could put simply:
(555) 555-5555
Or, if you want, you can put:
FAX (555) 555-5555
With this latter example, the word FAX will appear in the output (normally, the bill). The same is true with Case and File numbers. BSA allows a Case and a File number for clients and for matters. This means you have 4 data fields available that can contain anything you want. Just because we call them Case and File numbers, doesn't mean you have to only put numbers in or even that the data you put in must be a Case or a File number. It can be anything you want! So, you could put:
3201-3324561
for your case number. Or, you could put:
Case No. 3201-3324561
With this latter example, the words Case No. will appear in the output. This might cause some problems if you're sorting your client list on Case Numbers. But, if you always use the same preface (Case No.) it won't affect the sorting. Also, remember you have two case/file number fields per client and matter. So, you could use one of the fields for sorting and one for output that looks nicer or is easier to read.

Non-refundable Retainers

If your fee agreement is for a flat fee up front that is non-refundable and an hourly billing after your fees, expenses and/or other charges exceed the flat fee, then you can easily handle this in BSA Pro by entering the flat fee payment as a Payment in BSA Pro and then start billing as normal. This will yield a 'credit' balance on the bills.  Once the credit balance is used up by the subsequent charges, the bills will no longer reflect a credit balance and the client can start paying the Amount Due shown on the bill.
 You can put the bill on HOLD if you don't want to print bills until the balance is positive. Once the credit has been used up, take the bill off hold and the bills will start printing again.

Setting up new Clients when you charge Interest

In order to charge interest in BSA, you need to turn interest on and set a Rate and a Grace Period. To do this, select Set Up from Home Menu and then Interest. You'll see a screen that lets you enter the interest rate as an annual rate (e.g., 12%) and the number of days for the Grace Period (e.g., 30). The Grace Period is the number of days after finalization you want to pass before you start charging interest. The idea is that the client should be given a reasonable time after the bills are printed, finalized and mailed for the client to receive the bill, review it, prepare a check and mail it to you.
Once you turn interest on and set the grace period, you can then set up your individual clients/matters for interest. By default, all matters will use the interest rate and grace period you just set up. If you want to change this, you can do so when you set up the client/matter by selecting the Interest Rate button in the 'Matter Set Up' screen for a new client/matter or by selecting Change Client/Matter Information from Home Menu and then changing the Matter information relating to Interest.
When a Matter is new to you and to BSA, there is nothing more to do with respect to interest. You just enter the charges and payments in BSA and print and finalize the bills. BSA will keep track of the balance due and, if it is not paid in full within the grace period, BSA will begin to charge simple interest at the rate you specified until the interest bearing balance is paid in full.
When a Matter is not new to you (but new to BSA) and you already have outstanding balances (old charges) and possibly interest due, you can set it up as follows.
Old Charges - Interest on previous balances that were incurred before you started using BSA (old charges) is controlled in the 'Matter Set Up' screen for New Matters or 'Change Matter Balance Forward Amounts' screen for Matters that you have already set up in BSA (Existing Matters).

1. New Matters - When you set up a new matter, you are given a chance to enter the old charges (previous balances) in the 'Matter Set Up' screen. These old charges (previous balances) will begin to accrue interest as you specify in the Matter Set Up Screen. The Matter Set Up screen asks you to specify "How much of the unpaid balance is presently accruing interest?" So, assume the client owes you $500 on that matter and $300 of it is presently accruing interest and the remaining $200 will begin to accrue interest on Jan. 25, 2002. In that case, you would calculate the unpaid interest from your last billing to today on $300 and enter that amount in the 'Unpaid Interest' box and then you would answer the above question that $300 of the unpaid balance is presently accruing interest.
The Matter Set Up screen also asks you to enter when the remainder ($200) of the $500 should begin to accrue interest. You would enter 1/25/2002.
At that point, BSA will take it from there. All you have to do is enter your new charges in BSA and Print and Finalize your bills with whatever Cut Off Date you normally use. BSA will include the outstanding interest you hand-calculated on the bill, calculate interest on the $300 from the set up date, calculate interest on the remainder balance ($200) from 1-25-02 and set up the new charges you entered in BSA to begin bearing interest after the Grace Period has expired.
2. Existing Matters - If you've already set up the Client/Matter, you can effect the same result by selecting Change Client/Matter | Change Matter | select the matter and then select the 'Balance Forward' button. You'll see a 'Change Matter Balance Forward Amounts' screen where you can make the same entries.

Billing a Monthly Minimum/Maximum Amount

If the agreement with your client requires the client to pay a monthly minimum or maximum amount regardless of the total balance due on the matter, you can easily handle this in BSA by using a Custom Bill Format. Let's say your agreement requires the client to pay a minimum of $200 per month regardless of the total balance due for the matter. You can create a Custom Bill Format (we'll call it C200 for Custom $200) which includes a Bill Memo Number 1 that says: "Please pay $200 regardless of the Account Balance."
  Then, you can change the label of the line in the Statement Information section of the bill that normally reads "Amount Due" to "Account Balance". Then, associate this Custom Bill Format (C200) with this matter and the Bill Memo will print near the top center of the bill and will advise the client of the amount to pay.
  If other clients have agreed to pay $500 per month, you can create a Custom Bill Format (call it C500) with the $500 amount and associate that format with the matters for those clients. You can add as many Custom Bill Formats as you have payments amounts.
  If your agreement is that the client pay the Amount Due or $200, whichever is less, simply change the language to: "Please pay $200 or the Amount Due, whichever is less."

Put a unique memo on a bill

  If you need a unique memo printed on a bill from time to time, you can create a Custom Bill Format for this purpose and then enter the text you need in the Bill Memo section of the bill formatting options for the Custom Bill Format. After you create the Custom Bill Format, associate the matter in question with the Custom Bill Format and print the bill. You create a Custom Bill Format by selecting Set Up from Home Menu and then Biller Formats | Add or Edit Bill Formats | Add a New Bill Format. After you name the format and give it a code select '4. Bill Memos' and select one of the 3 memo buttons to create the Bill Memo.
  Another option, if the memo is brief, is to put it in the spaces for the Client or Matter Case or File Numbers and then have those print on the bill. Most data fields in BSA Pro allow you to enter numbers or letters. So, you are not limited to entering case or file numbers in those fields. To add a brief note to a case/file number select 'Change Client/Matter' from Home Menu. To add the note to the Matter Information part of the bill, select 'Change Matter'. To add the note to the Client Information part of the bill, select 'Change Client.' Then, select the Client or Matter as appropriate and enter the text you want to appear in the case or file number field.
  Once you have the note entered, select 'Set Up' from Home Menu and then select 'Bill Printing'. Check to be sure you have allowed the case/file number field to print on the bill by REMOVING the check mark for those items as appropriate.

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