Orion Law Management Systems today released an extensive update to its financial and practice management software that includes ethical wall management, integration with Aderant’s BillBlast e-billing software, updates to its LawPay integration, enhanced W-9 management, and enhanced mobile access.

Atlanta-based Orion says today’s version 5.2 release includes hundreds of enhancements across its platform, which is a full-featured financial management, firm management and practice management system designed for mid-sized law firms.

One feature announced today is ethical wall management for clients and matters, designed to keep confidential data safe from being seen by unauthorized users.

Orion clients can now set up ethical walls to restrict access to sensitive client and matter data. Users can be blocked from viewing or searching for information related to a confidential client or matter.

Ethical walls can be managed on a user-by-user basis at the client or matter level.

According to Kevin C. Harris, senior project manager at Orion, the ethical walls can be implemented or assigned on a user-by-user basis at the client or matter level. They also be globally assigned to multiple clients or matters using the File Maintenance or Matter Maintenance Manager views within Orion.

Another new feature is integration with Aderant’s BillBlast e-billing software, designed to streamline submission of electronic invoices and improve compliance with client e-billing requirements.

Orion says the integration will help users accelerate the acceptance and payment of invoices and thereby increase firms’  productivity and profitability.

The integration also allows users to extract and upload images for reimbursement requests and vendor invoices from Orion’s database.

I reported in January on Orion’s launch of Orion ePay, a secure online payment system powered by LawPay. Today’s release updates Orion ePay for better performance.

Orion ePay enables firms to add secure payment links to invoices, emails and other documents that clients can click to make payments. Clients are also able to initiate payments without the link through a secure payment web page.

W-9 Management is enhanced in Orion version 5.2.

Among other highlights of today’s release:

  • W-9 Management. Orion’s new W-9 Management is designed to improve a law firm’s compliance with IRS 1099 requirements. When requesting check payment for a new vendor, legal professionals can attach a W-9 directly from either Orion desktop or the iOrion mobile app. If the W-9 is missing or outdated, Orion automatically requests an updated version from the vendor.
  • iOrion 5.2 mobile updates. iOrion is Orion’s financial management mobile app for Apple iOS or Google Android devices. Today’s updates add check request approvals, unified matter lookup and views, and an updated payment calendar, including payments by project attorneys who are completing split assignments.

The updated version 5.2 is available at no cost to all Orion customers.