To use time capture tools or not to use time capture tools for your firm? That has been a question that people have been asking for some time. I have seen both sides of this argument over the last few years and I have some opinions. But first let's take a look at the issues here.

It is a fact that entering time cards is seen as a necessary evil for some, if not most, attorneys. And why not? Imagine having to keep track of all of the tasks you did all day in 6 minute increments. This would be a daunting task for anyone much less attorneys that are in some of the fastest paced and highest stressed jobs out there.

Next is the fact that study after study shows that attorneys that enter their time contemporaneously enter up to 20% more time than those that don't. Those time entries also tend to have better narratives since the work was fresh in their mind. Attorneys that enter time at the end of a week or month are absolutely missing time. Those same attorneys have worse narratives and I would bet that they have less accurate task and activity codes associated with those entries.

So now back to the question at the top of this article. Do we give attorneys the ability to look back at what they did and fill out the time cards accordingly or do we say that time capture will make attorneys lazier and help them to do it later? I would bet that if you go to your billing department right now and ask them the names of the attorneys that are absolutely awful at entering time they could name them immediately. They are the ones stuck rerunning prebills for those that enter their time late...again. This type of tool will not make those attorneys any better at getting their time in though it could be argued that it will help them to enter more time they would have missed because they just suck at putting their time in.

So here is my feeling on the subject. If the firm has a culture, or policy, of daily time entry then I can see where time capture could arguably make this easier to do. If a timekeeper is just diligent about getting their time in quickly this tool could also help them expedite that process. For those folks that say the ones putting it in at the end of the month will be able to enter more time you are missing the bigger picture and things need to change. Clients are looking for attorneys to enter their time daily. They are asking for accruals on a regular basis. It is now in may of the OCGs that time will be entered daily. The culture is changing and your firm needs to change with it.

In my experience attorneys are, for the most part, very bright people that like to overachieve. Saying that attorneys are not responsible enough to use a tool that can help them to do their job quicker, better or more efficiently is almost a joke. I say give them the option to use the tools available and the guidance of when the time needs to be entered and they can figure out how best to do it.

As always I welcome your feedback and opinions.

John Blake is a veteran in the law firm billing and compliance space. He has worked at Thomson Reuters Elite, Bellefield and currently is employed by Fulcrum Global Technologies as Director of Sales. He has met with literally hundreds of law firms throughout the US and is a national speaker on OCG compliance. He can be reached at jblake@fulcrumgt.com.

For more information on Fulcrum Global Technologies you can visit us at www.fulcrumgt.com.