Happy New Year from Orion
Happy New Year! This year has been an exciting one for Orion, as we have launched many new product modules (Expense Reimbursement Manager, iOrion® Mobile App, AR Collection Manager, etc.) and we have made excellent upgrades to our existing software (Orion Version 4.5). We look forward to even more enhancements to Orion in 2014.
In this Orion Newsletter, the Support Corner articles focus on important year-end procedures, including 1099 Form processing. Make sure to check those out below.
Stay tuned to our newsletters for more information regarding the 2014 Orion User Group Meeting, which will be taking place next fall. You won’t want to miss it!
Follow Orion on LinkedIn – Winner Announcement
Many of you are LinkedIn users, but did you know Orion has a LinkedIn company page? We post important updates on our software as well as links to webinars, giveaways and other educational opportunities.
In our last Orion Newsletter, we announced that we would be randomly giving away a Starbucks giftcard to one of our lucky LinkedIn followers. We are happy to announce the winner of our Starbucks giftcard giveaway is…
Mary Mickens
Accounting Manager at
Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber, P.A.
Congratulations, Mary! Also, thanks to all of our new followers who have taken the time to connect with us on LinkedIn!
News You Can Use from 4L Law Firm Services –
Mileage Reimbursement Rate to Drop in 2014
The IRS recently announced that the standard business deduction mileage rate will be reduced in 2014 from 56.5 cents per mile to 56 cents.
The change is effective for “mileage allowances or reimbursements paid… on or after January 1, 2014”. The half-penny reduction is thought to be tied to lower gas prices as compared to one year ago.
Not to be hyper-technical about all of this, but if you are reimbursing lawyers and staff in calendar year 2014 for use of personal vehicle usage on a 2013 date, the Notice requires the 2014 payment be calculated using the lower 56 cents per mile rate, not the higher 56.5 cent rate in effect when the travel occurred. In order to avoid a “lively discussion” with others about the appropriate reimbursement rate, you may want to encourage everyone to submit final reimbursement requests for calendar year 2013 with sufficient time for you to process the reimbursement check before heading out of the office on Tuesday, December 31st. Happy New Year everyone, feel free to contact me for more information on this topic.
Mike Marget is the Senior Managing Director of 4L Law Firm Services, an affiliate of Orion. 4L performs outsourced book-keeping and billing services and provides a managed IT solution for small and mid-sized firms.
New! Update to AP Imaging Module
Orion’s AP Imaging Module allows users to store scanned copies of vendor invoices within Orion. If your clients require copies of vendor invoices for client advances that appear on their bill, the AP Imaging Module will save your firm valuable hours each month. Our update to this module contains many great features, which are listed below.
• Images can now be imported from PDF (versus scanner)
• Images can be associated with Firm related expenses
• New options involving Client requirements on expenses
• Images can be printed along with a Prebill
• Warnings appear in Prebill Manager and are printed on the Prebill itself when an image is required
• Check Requests now support an option to attach images
• Image annotations can be done from within Orion’s AP Imaging Module
Contact the Support Desk for more information.
New! iOrion® for iOS7
iOrion® has been launched for Apple’s newest operating system, iOS7. iOrion is one of the most complete financial and practice management apps available, and was originally released earlier this year. Along with a new look and feel to match the iOS7 theme, we’ve added “Quick Picks” for Time Entry. This allows the user to record their billable time even more quickly. We’ve also made enhancements to improve the app’s speed and performance.
Interested in getting iOrion at your firm? Make sure to watch our iOrion Demo, and contact the Support Desk for more information.
Client Spotlight
“Collection time at our firm has been reduced by using Orion to quickly and easily accept credit/debit card payments. We are very impressed with Orion’s integration with PayPros Legal.”
– Michael L. Haynes, Controller/CFO
Cohen, Pollock, Merlin & Small, P.C.
Cohen, Pollock, Merlin & Small, P.C. was founded in 1977 and has held fast to their philosophy to provide sophisticated and responsive legal services to individuals, institutions, and businesses by a group of highly qualified legal practitioners. The heart of their practice is practical business and personal law with a concentration on their clients’ business development and planning, and the protection, preservation and enhancement of their clients’ assets. From their office in Atlanta, Georgia, they serve a national client base and provide local counsel to international clients as well.
Orion and PayPros® Legal Integration Update
After reading the great testimonial above, are you ready to get PayPros credit card processing at your firm? Accepting credit/debit cards with Orion, powered by PayPros, adds a host of benefits. Here are just a few reasons why firms choose to accept credit/debit cards from their clients:
• Authorization is received in seconds and the money is deposited into your bank account within 24 hours.
• Eliminate reconciliations – payments are processed directly in your Orion Financial Management System.
• Accepting credit/debit cards also eliminates the hassle of dealing with bounced checks and associated bank fees.
Is your firm ready for the best credit card processing solution? Send us an email today for more information.
ALA Annual Conference & Exposition
As a proud supporter of the ALA, Orion is happy to announce that we will be attending the 2014 ALA Annual Conference & Exposition, taking place May 19th-22nd, 2014 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We look forward to spending time with our clients and fellow ALA Members at this event each year, make sure to stop by our booth while you are there!
Registration for attendees is now open. Join Orion in Toronto… for more information, click here.
Webinar Update –
Primer on 1099 Reporting for Tax Year 2013
Orion and 4L Law Firm Services would like to thank all of you that attended our latest webinar “Primer on 1099 Reporting for Tax Year 2013”.
In case you were unable to attend, or would just like to view the webinar again, please click here. You may also click here to download webinar outline. If you have any questions, please contact our webinar host, Mike Marget of 4L Law Firm Services.
Stay tuned for more information as we will be hosting another informative 1099 webinar later next month!
Support Corner – End of Year Procedures
Processing and creating 1099 Forms is done once a year and can be a challenging task. Procedures performed on a daily, weekly or monthly basis are easy to remember. Those performed only once per year require “refreshing” your memory every time you need to use the procedure.
The key to making the production of 1099 Forms easier and less stressful is in setting up vendors correctly on the front end and in knowing how to get the most out of the 1099 processing program. The documents and videos below will help with this process.
Preparing for 1099 Processing
Preparing for 1099 Processing Guidelines
– This document contains guidelines and procedures to follow in order to prepare for 1099 processing.
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Preparing_for_1099_Processing
Preparing for 1099 Processing Video – Part 1
– This video focuses on how a vendor is initially set-up for the 1099 default and how to correct a distribution line in a voucher.
http://video.orionlaw.com/t/wt5Tqp7YtgDC
Preparing for 1099 Processing Video – Part 2
– This video covers setting up your work-file query to be used with 1099 processing. *Most clients will not need to re-do this task, but if you are a new client this video may be helpful.*
http://video.orionlaw.com/t/wt5Tqp7YtgDC
Processing 1099 Forms in Orion
Processing 1099 Forms in Orion
– This document contains instructions on how to process 1099 forms in Orion.
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Processing_1099_Forms
Processing 1099 Forms in Orion – Part 1
– This video goes over the step-by-step instructions listed above on processing 1099 forms in Orion.
http://video.orionlaw.com/t/aayVQxsfvyF
Processing 1099 Forms in Orion – Part 2
– This video focuses on editing the layout of your 1099 form.
http://video.orionlaw.com/t/Z6quV77ZB
Revised Styles for 1099-MISC and 1096 Form
– This link will begin downloading the newest Orion styles to match the corresponding IRS forms. *You must update your styles before printing your 1099 forms.*
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/1099_1096_templates_2013.zip
Updating 1099 and 1096 Report With Most Recent Styles
– This video shows you have to use the link above to update your reports within Orion.
http://video.orionlaw.com/t/PS2duO0kl09Q
End of Year Procedures
Orion End of Year Procedures for 2013
– This document contains procedures that should be performed before entering activity for the new year.
Top Five Tech Tips of 2013
Over the course of the year we have covered many different topics in our monthly and quarterly Orion publications. This month, we are including a list of our most popular Tech Tips to share with our readers, in case you missed any of these throughout the year.
1. Speed Matters – Shortcuts for Windows & Orion
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Tech_Tip_April_2013
2. Apple iOS 7 – What Changes Should I Expect?
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Tech_Tip_August_2013
3. Securing Your Firm’s Email – Block Spam Before Your Inbox
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Tech_Tip_February_2013
4. LinkedIn Premium – Is It Worth the Upgrade?
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Tech_Tip_February_2013
5. Database Servers – Why You Need SSD Drives
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Tech_Tip_October_2013
Do you have a topic that you would like to see featured in our upcoming publications? Send the Support Desk an email and let us know what you want to see in next year’s Tech Tips.