Frequently Asked Questions
What is Portal4Law™?
A: Portal4Law is an all-in-one, practice management solution for attorneys, legal departments, paralegals, and experts. It increases organizational efficiency by providing tools to collaboratively manage clients, matters, documents, image scans, emails, appointments, tasks, and business contacts. It also features multiple-fee-arrangement invoicing to boost profitability. Within minutes of subscribing to this secure hosted-service, firms are well on their way to becoming more responsive to the demands of their clients and the courts.
What does Portal4Law cost?
A: After your free 30-day trial, pay as you go at just $39.99/user/month. Alternatively, you can enjoy a free month every year by choosing an annual subscription. You may terminate your subscription at any time without penalty.
Will Portal4Law work on my computer?
A: Almost certainly yes! Portal4Law is compatible with a wide range of contemporary hardware, operating systems, and browsers. Read the complete details.
How do I get started with Portal4Law?
A: It takes a few minutes and starts with a click to our signup page. If your browser is not yet enabled for Microsoft® Silverlight® 4, you'll be automatically invited to a free download and installation (typically takes less than 1 minute). Next you'll key in some basic contact information and choose a password. We'll use this information to automatically initialize your private Portal4Law database. You'll then be asked to review the Portal4Law User Agreement. [Get a headstart by looking at it now, if you prefer.] After confirming you have reviewed and accept the User Agreement, you'll engage our secure payment system. The data collected will enable a seamless transition from the free trial to paying subscription, should you decide to continue with us. The next thing you see will be the Portal4Law login page.
How much training is needed to use Portal4Law?
A: No formal training is required. After reading the Quick Reference, users are able to "learn by doing," thanks to an intuitive interface and context-sensitive help. The only prerequisites are basic personal computer experience and a legal background.
I am concerned about security "in the cloud." How does Portal4Law protect my sensitive information?
A: For PortalSoft, security is Job #1. Following are some of the security measures taken. 1. Information traveling to/from our service is encrypted (via SSL), protecting it from prying eyes. 2. Information is stored in independent, isolated customer databases. 3. Disks and servers are configurable with a high degree of redundancy, protecting the service from failures of hardware (disks, power-supplies, and the like). 4. Daily backups protect against whole-site failure or human error. 5. Our facilities at Rackspace® are SAS 70 Type II-compliant — further assurance that your data will get the 24x7 monitoring and professional protection it deserves. In sum, we provide a level of protection well beyond what you could affordably provide in your own office.
How is access to Portal4Law controlled?
A: Access to the service itself requires a valid userid and password. Once logged in, a user's powers to view, create, modify and delete data are strictly controlled. Allowed actions are governed by permissions, which depend on one's userid as well as group membership (e.g., administrators, accountants, guests, etc.).
What type of documents can be stored in Portal4Law?
A: Any electronic document or scanned paper document. Types of documents include PDFs, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, JPEGs, GIFs, TIFFs, and emails.
Is there a limit to the size or number of documents I can store in Portal4Law?
A: Individuals are allocated 10 GBytes as a minimum — sufficient to store 10,000 files of typical size. Multi-user firms get proportionally more. Do contact us if you need even more capacity!
I've been paper-based to date. Can Portal4Law help?
A: Absolutely! Scan all or the most important paper documents you have. Engage a service at pennies per page if it's mountain high. Then upload the scans to us. Portal4Law will OCR them so they can be searched and easily shared with your colleagues. What's more, in the cloud they are protected from fire and flood.
Can I export the documents I've uploaded to Portal4Law?
A: If entitled by the security system to do so, a user can export any selection of files to any folder or disk. This supports easy production of a CD by which to share files with other law offices or the court.
What fee arrangements are supported in Portal4Law invoices?
A: Time-slip-based, periodic flat, and milestone-based flat fees are supported — singly and in combination — at the matter level. In addition, retainer fees at the client level may be specified. Fixed expenses, discounts, discount rate classes, and advanced replenishing deposits round out a robust and flexible invoicing subsystem.
Does Portal4Law support Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) codes?
A: Absolutely. The full set is initialized into the invoicing system. You may also name and add your own activity and expense codes.
How can Portal4Law help us collaborate inside and outside the firm?
A: First, by permitting all logged-in users to instantly see changes made to anything – clients, matters, documents, contacts, appointments, tasks, slips, and invoices. Second, by permitting authorized users to directly email selected information to outside parties.
How do I terminate my Portal4Law account and get all my data back?
A: We're confident our product and support will inspire you to stay with us, but if you feel you must leave, here's how: While logged into Portal4Law, the Account Master User may terminate the entire account or just individual user IDs. Your firm has full read-write access to data until the last day of the month in which the account is terminated. As part of full-account termination, you can direct Portal4Law to download a comprehensive copy of all your data.
What if I need help with Portal4Law?
A: Live support is available Monday-Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM (Pacific time), 650.396.7376. If you prefer email, send your technical questions to support@Portal4Law.com and your billing questions to billing@Portal4Law.com any time. Your email will be answered no later than the next business day.
