Giving Thanks to You, Our Customers!
As Thanksgiving draws near, and as many are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Sandy’s wake, we are reminded of what we are truly grateful for – and #1 on that list is you, our customers!
This quarter’s newsletter contains a veritable cornucopia of news about Orion. Take a look at Orion’s holiday schedule so you will know when to reach us. Also, our upcoming calendar includes educational webinars and tradeshows across the nation such as LegalTech New York in January 2013.
Orion’s new integration with PayPros will allow firms to accept credit card payments for greater convenience and faster A/R collections. In this month’s issue PayPros Chief Legal Counsel, Jeffrey Dorman, gives us some insight on how to establish a structure or accounts to accept credit payment while complying with state bar ethics guidelines and opinions.
We also have some great useful webinars on 1099 reporting coming up, in December and January. The December webinar will guide you through Tax Identification Numbers and the January webinar will go more in-depth to help your firm get everything together for the January 31 1099 deadlines.
This issue’s Support Corner addresses “Excluding Zero Dollar Invoices” and the Tech Tip provides useful information on email security and encryption.
Thank you for being part of the Orion family – we hope you have a happy, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday!
Orion Holiday Schedule
Thanksgiving Schedule:
November 21 – Office Closes at 2:00 pm
November 22-23 – Office Closed
Christmas/New Year’s Schedule:
December 21 – Office Closes at 2:00 pm
December 24-25 – Office Closed
December 28 – Office Closes at 2:00 pm
December 31 – January 1 – Office Closed
January 2 – Office Reopens
Establishing a Structure of Accounts to Accept Credit Payment While Complying with State Bar Ethics Guidelines and Opinions
by: Jeffrey Dorman, Paypros Chief Legal Counsel
Perhaps there is no more sensitive subject when it comes to State Bar compliance issues than meeting trust account requirements. The consequences of failing to meet guidelines set forth in State Bar Opinions and in the Ethics Code are severe. Failure to comply can lead to reprimand and possible suspension of the license to practice law. This month’s article by Jeffrey Dorman, Paypros Chief Legal Counsel, discusses how to establish a structure of accounts to accept credit payments while complying with state bar ethics guidelines and opinions Follow the Link to learn more.
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/State_Bar_Compliance.pdf
Upcoming Webinars
In the upcoming months Orion will be hosting a series of webinars on 1099 Reporting. The first one “Getting Ready for IRS Form 1099 Reporting” will be held on December 19, and the second “Are you Ready for the January 31 1099 Deadline” will follow on January 16. Read on for more information and links for registration.
December 19 at 2pm EST
“Getting Ready for IRS Form 1099 Reporting” hosted by Mike Marget, Senior Managing Director and CEO, and Heather Tang, Managing Director and Chief Law Firm Accounting Officer of 4L.
It’s December. Do you know where all your TINs are? Law firms – like everyone else engaged in a trade or business – are required to provide most “vendors” with an IRS Form 1099 before the end of January. The reporting rules are complex, but the starting point is collection of Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) from payees over the course of the year.
The learning objectives of this 45-minute webinar include:
How and when to obtain TINs from payees.
Maintaining TINS in the Orion accounting software.
Recognizing which 2012 disbursements must be reported.
Recognizing which bank accounts are covered by the regulations.
Special rules applicable to payments to other lawyers and their clients.
Webinar will take place on Wednesday, December 19th at 2pm (EST). You can register for the webinar by Click here to register.
January Webinar..
January 16 at 2pm EST
“Are You Ready for the January 31 1099 Deadline?” Hosted by Mike Marget Senior Managing Director and CEO, and Heather Tang, Managing Director and Chief Law Firm Accounting Officer of 4L
It comes only once a year, but at the most inopportune time. Because law firms are engaged in a trade or business like everyone else, they must provide IRS Form 1099s to many – but not all – of the people and entities with whom they transacted business in 2012, no later than January 31, 2013.
The learning objectives of this 45-minute webinar include:
Collecting Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) from payees.
Extracting data from the Orion accounting software for 1099 reporting purposes.
Recognizing which 2012 disbursements must be reported.
Reporting to vendors.
Reporting to the IRS.
Webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 16th 2013 at 2pm (EST). Click here to register.
Please contact us with any questions you may have.
LegalTech® New York and Upcoming Product News
Orion will be attending LegalTech® New York, the largest legal technology conference of the year, January 29 – 31, 2013.
For more LegalTech® conference information, please visit www.legaltechshow.com.
And soon Orion will also be making an important announcement involving the new iOrion and Orion 4.5. Stay tuned for the details!
Support Corner
Excluding Zero Dollar Invoices
In this issue we help uncover the trick to discontinuing $0.00 Prebills/Invoices. Although a Matter may have an accounting transaction that has not yet appeared on an invoice, a Prebill will continue to print until a zero invoice has been created. By following our steps in this month’s brochure you can easily and quickly prevent Prebills from printing this scenario. View our ‘how to’ steps and an accompanying diagram here.
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Support_Center_FAQ_November_2012.pdf
Tech Tip
Securing Your Email
Securing your emails in today’s world is vital to protecting yourself and your clients. Unencrypted, plain-text emails can easily be intercepted, read and cited. In this month’s issue we address this concern and give you some quick tips to guide you through the process of engaging your local security consultant to review and analyze their email procedures and conduct an audit of their communications. Securing Your Email.
http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Securing_Your_Email.pdf