monitor ALL pre-bill activity in real-time by providing access to raw time entries. ...
. Jay Schottenstein ...
Fall
08
“The essential basis for a positive attorney-client relationship is trust. This can only be achieved with mutual transparency, especially as it relates to financial matters.” – Alan Dershowitz, Viewabill cofounder
Press Kit February 2013
Viewabill℠ Fact Sheet Overview:
Viewabill is a cloud-based disruptive technology that enables clients of legal, accounting and consulting firms to manage and monitor ALL pre-bill activity in real-time by providing access to raw time entries. With quick and simple set up for both clients and firms, anyone can achieve meaningful and actionable transparency within the confines of hourly billing.
Founders:
Alan M. Dershowitz (co-founder) Robbie Friedman, esq. (co-founder, co-ceo) David Schottenstein (co-founder, co-ceo)
Advisory Board:
Jay Schottenstein (AEO) Michael Weiss (Express)
Funding: Formation: Location: Pricing: Public Launch: Media Contact:
Randy Steere Michael Muse (LocalResponse)
To date, Viewabill is privately funded. Viewabill is a registered service mark of No Surprises Software, LLC, an Ohio limited liability company. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio “Matter”-based annual subscription fees, payable by firms. Q2 2013 Barbara Goldberg/Matt Levinson O’Connell & Goldberg
[email protected] /
[email protected]
Our Story
It began with a basic thought:
Better information informs better decisions.
The instant knowledge is
gained, one begins to react and adjust. When more time and comfort is given, better decisions result.
With data accessible in an instant, we readily view credit card balances, energy usage, data plan charges and even how many steps we’ve taken since lunch. Streaming information allows us to make better decisions when they need to be made— like when to modify spending, turn off the lights or when to take one more walk around the block before the day is done.
The Problem. Unexpected invoices and lastminute questions lead to distrust in professional relationships.
Information is still lacking between clients and professionals. Clients are faced with not knowing what’s
Spacious amounts of time between
been done or what is owed until an invoice
invoices leads the human process of
is received. And when invoices do arrive,
seeing, reacting, and adjusting to be
they are surprisingly high and opaque.
pushed back by months at a time (at the earliest).
An Idea appeared. In 2011, David Schottenstein, founder and CEO of a rapidly-growing custom clothing company had just fired his third law firm in five months over billing disputes when he and Robbie Friedman, a former NYC corporate attorney and longtime friend, began working together as client and attorney. To maintain their friendship and avoid the seemingly inherent tension that exists in many attorney-client relationships, they worked out a successful billing process. By exchanging updates, status reports and time estimates daily, Robbie's invoices weren't a surprise to David. As a result, David paid Robbie on time. The Viewabill concept was born.
Today.
The Right Experience. Alan M. Dershowitz (co-founder) Mr. Dershowitz has been called “the nation’s most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer” and one of its “most distinguished defenders of individual rights,” “the best-known criminal lawyer in the world,” “the top lawyer of last resort,” and “America’s most public Jewish defender.” He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.
Robbie Friedman (co-founder, co-ceo) After graduating from University of Michigan Law School, Mr. Friedman went to NYC where he launched his legal career at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He then served as General Counsel for Astor & Black, managing corporate and private equity matters and external attorneys.
David B. Schottenstein (co-founder, co-ceo) At the age of 21, Mr. Schottenstein founded Astor & Black, which quickly became the fastest growing custom clothing company in the US. In 2009, he was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year; 2010, Inc.’s 30 Under 30; and in 2011, Mr. Schottenstein sold a majority stake in Astor & Black to a private equity group.
Viewabill
It’s about time.
“Lawyers had relationships with clients: If there was an issue with the bill, we’d sit down and talk about it,” said ABA President Stephen N. Zack. Relationships are at the core of the way lawyer-client transactions are trending, as the billable hour has become a plague for both lawyer and client. As Joseph K. West, associate general counsel, Wal-Mart, noted, “Both in-house and outside counsel hate the billable hour. It hurts relationships.” – ABAnow, 2.12.11
Viewabill is the only solution to the underlying tension that exists between clients and hourly service providers, stemming from asymmetric information and a lack of billing transparency. Viewabill is a cloud-based web- and mobile-application that provides your company real-time insight into your service providers’ activities and time-entries. Once connected with a firm’s Viewabill account, your company can track and monitor time-entries throughout the course of a billing cycle and proactively remain updated on matters, budget and expectations. Connect with any number of firms, across industries, and view all time-entries from a beautifully simple and intuitive dashboard. And since Viewabill is cloud-based, access it any time, anywhere.
Featur es
Knowledge is Power. Information is Liberating.
Execut
What if your clients had information – and not just any information, but the right information at the right time?
Features • • • • •
Track all service providers, across firms and industries, on one simple and beautiful dashboard Send “pencils down,” request clarification, search past entries – make Viewabill useful. Set customized alerts and mobile-app notifications to manage budgets. See more than time entries – track when entries are entered. Manage and direct spend.
The gift of transparency – it’s on us
Everything you want; nothing you don’t.
Every feature has been designed to strengthen the attorney-client
Whether you manage outside attorneys alone, or you oversee a legal department, Viewabill is scalable to enable just the right amount of
relationship without additional
oversight and management.
time or costs.
It’s easy for you, but it’s also easy for your attorneys. No extra work is required, thanks to our seamless integrations with existing billing systems.
Light as a Cloud.
Manage matters when and where you want to. Viewabill is cloud-based, so you can sign-in any time. There’s nothing to install or purchase. Viewabill is always up to date and your data is always accessible.
Department Oversight.
Set Permissions.
Quick Access.
Use Viewabill departmentwide and ensure accountability – internally and externally.
Configure Viewabill to ensure appropriate level of information-sharing to employees.
Add, delete or modify employee access with ease.
View and search all Viewabill matters with connected firms, and assign each matter to internal staff to ensure that information flows to the appropriate corporate individuals.
Is Cloud-computing acceptable? Yes! •
Any jurisdiction to weigh in on the issue has concluded that cloudcomputing is permissible and does not waive attorney-client privilege.
•
According to the 2012 ABA Legal Technology Survey, 21% of lawyers used cloud-based software in the past year. The No. 1 reason cited for not using the cloud: unfamiliarity (55%).
•
Viewabill’s cloud is constantly updated and backed up, keeping your data safe.
On Budget. Always. Set fully customizable budget goals, alerts and notifications. Stay in the loop, even after delegating matters internally.
Transparency and Accountability
