'Nanny-cam' app allows clients to track lawyer billing
More and more lawyers are using apps for legal research, trial work and client management. But there have been few low-cost options for clients who want to keep tabs on their lawyers.
That’s changing. Clients increasingly will have access to apps that promise to help them track billing, draft documents, find lawyers and “add transparency and a measure of convenience” to dealings with lawyers, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports.
The WSJ looked specifically at Viewabill, which the paper describes as a “client nanny-cam” that allows the clients to track legal billing in real-time. The app sends alerts based on dollar thresholds and allows clients to mark any item they question.
The app, which is being beta tested by select companies and law firms, isn’t aimed only at lawyers. It can be used to track the billing of accountants and others.
New Jersey bankruptcy lawyer Brian Baker has been testing the app and tells the WSJ that he expects it will help clients understand what lawyers do.
Also coming this month is a free mobile app by Rocket Lawyer aimed allowing consumers to find lawyers and create basic legal documents, including non-disclosure agreements, and access low-cost legal advice, the WSJ notes.
