Use PCLaw Sync
Use PCLaw Sync day to day to refresh matters, send approved CaseClock time, process the charge file, and fix common holds.
Use this guide if you are the person who keeps the PCLaw matter list and billing handoff moving. Lawyers keep using the normal CaseClock workflow to record, review and approve their own time.
Before you begin
- Set up PCLaw Sync must be complete.
- The Sync computer must be on, awake and signed in to the Windows account that runs the program.
- PCLaw Cost Recovery must use the shared to-pclaw\caseclock-WIPFEE.txt file and be set to delete the file after processing.
Your regular routine
When PCLaw has new matters, changed matter details or changed rates, run the firm’s saved CaseClock matter export in PCLaw. Save it to the shared from-pclaw folder so CaseClock Sync can refresh the firm’s list.
Ask lawyers and assistants to record, review and approve their entries in CaseClock as usual. An eligible entry queues for the next PCLaw charge file. See Review and approve entries.
Check the firm’s PCLaw connection in CaseClock before the billing run. If the firm needs a file sooner than its usual timed schedule, an administrator can use Write now where that control is available.
Open PCLaw Cost Recovery and process the charge file from to-pclaw\caseclock-WIPFEE.txt. Leave Delete after processing selected so PCLaw removes the file when it has taken it.
Check the Cost Recovery result. If PCLaw rejects a record, correct the entry or its PCLaw data, then choose Send again when CaseClock offers it.
What happens next
An entry marked Sent to PCLaw was included in a charge file that PCLaw took from the shared folder. It does not by itself prove that PCLaw accepted every record. The Cost Recovery result is where you see record-level rejections.
If nothing new is approved, Sync does not create an empty charge file. The exact timing is a firm setting, so use the connection’s stated schedule rather than assuming that every firm runs at the same interval.
When an entry waits
| What you see | What to do first |
|---|---|
| No PCLaw matter list has reached CaseClock | Run the saved CaseClock matter export in PCLaw and save it to from-pclaw. |
| The matter is not in the latest PCLaw list | Export the matter again after it is created or changed in PCLaw. |
| No rate | Set the rate on the matter in PCLaw and refresh the matter list, or correct the rate on the entry where appropriate. |
| No PCLaw nickname | Add or correct the lawyer’s PCLaw nickname in CaseClock Settings. |
| The previous PCLaw file remains in to-pclaw | Run Cost Recovery on that file. Confirm Delete after processing is selected before waiting for another file. |
| A record is rejected in Cost Recovery | Correct the record, then use Send again. |
Do not process the same file twice
CaseClock Sync waits for the current charge file to leave the shared folder. If it stays there, resolve that file first instead of trying to create another one.
Common questions
A lawyer cannot choose a new matter in CaseClock.
The matter may not have reached CaseClock yet. Run the PCLaw matter export, then confirm that the matter and its number appear in the export. See Choosing clients and matters.
Why does an entry have no rate?
PCLaw rates can depend on the matter’s rate category and the lawyer. Correct the PCLaw matter data or rate, refresh the matter list, and check the entry again. Do not substitute another lawyer’s rate.
What should lawyers do after they approve an entry?
Nothing more for the PCLaw handoff. They can check the entry status in CaseClock. The billing administrator processes the charge file in Cost Recovery.