Orbovich & Gartner is proud of its ability to communicate clearly and meaningfully with its clients. One area where that ability can be especially important -- or potentially vexing -- is the billing process. Our attorneys strongly believe that our clients deserve to know what work has been done on their behalf and what services the client received in exchange for the charges assessed. We have never sent bills whose only description was "For Legal Services Rendered."

Our billing software allows the attorney working on a client's project to enter directly from his or her desk an explanation of all services provided. A dedicated and experienced member of our support staff, Sarah Schandle, handles all other aspects of Orbovich & Gartner's billing process. Once a month Sarah prepares draft statements for review of accuracy and appropriateness by the attorneys who actually did the work. Because Sarah is also responsible for posting accounts receivable, she is able to respond to most routine billing questions directly and immediately, without involving an attorney in the inquiry.

Because most clients like to monitor their legal charges by specific projects, we generally provide a separate billing statement for each distinct legal project. For clients with multiple projects, statements are organized into batches so the client receives a single mailing each month. Sarah can post one payment to multiple billing accounts in accordance with a client's instructions, so that the client can pay multiple statements with a single check.

Another benefit of our billing software is our ability to customize a client's billing statement to provide the information the client finds most useful in the manner they find most convenient. Our attorneys recognize that many clients carefully scrutinize their legal bills, and our billing statements are designed to facilitate that scrutiny, not frustrate it.

Orbovich & Gartner regularly provides the following information for our clients:

• Identification of the specific project covered by the statement
• Initials of each attorney providing services
• Hours spent by each attorney providing services, by day
• Description of services provided by day by attorney
• Identification of client staff, or other individuals, involved in the attorney's activities