Layout is a program supplied with RTG Bills. It can make more extensive changes to the bill formats than the choices available from within RTG Bills. More information about Layout is here.

This article provides step-by-step instructions for using Layout to add the fee amount to the Attorney Summary on the bill. Normally, the Attorney Summary shows the timekeeper name and initials, the number of hours, and the hourly rate. It does not show the amount (hours times rate). RTG Bills does calculate the amount for each timekeeper, so it can be added to the bill format.

After you change a bill format with Layout, some sections of the bill format will be locked so you cannot use the standard formatting features of RTG Bills to make further changes to those sections. So first make as many changes as possible in RTG Bills, then use Layout for the additional changes which only it can handle.

You must start with a bill format that includes the Attorney Summary. Use the standard bill formatter to edit the bill format you want to modify:

Setup > Bill Formats

On the Edit A Bill Format window, click Edit Sections. Click the Fees tab. In the Fee Totals frame, check the box for Show Attorney Summary.

At this point, you should make any other desired changes to the bill format, then save the bill format. View a sample bill to make sure that everything is correct. Return to the main window of RTG Bills and follow the instructions below to add the amount to the Attorney Summary.

1. To start the program Layout, choose:
   
   

   File > Tools > Layout > OK

   
   
2. In the RTG Layout window, click on the bill format you want to change, then click Edit.
   
   
3. In the Edit A Bill Format window, click the Edit Sections button.
   
   
4. In the Edit A Section window, from the dropdown list, choose Attorney summary (one line). You have to make two changes here:
   
   
   • Double-click code 229 (the last one) to edit it. On the Edit A Row window, change the value of Skip from 1 to 0. Click Close.
     
     
   • Back at the Edit A Section window, single-click 229 to select it, then click Insert Row. That creates a second, identical row. Double-click the second one to edit it. Change Command from Print Label to Print Data. From the dropdown list, choose Transaction fee amount. (This will print the total dollar amount for one timekeeper.) Change the Alignment to Right or Dollar and change Skip to 1. (Right gives no dollar sign, Dollar gives a dollar sign on the amount.)
     
     The value of Indent will determine where on the line the amount appears. Enter 7.2. Click Close.
   
   
   
5. At the Edit A Section window, you should have a line at the bottom that has code 28. (If the code is not 28, you chose the wrong item from the dropdown list of data items.) The last two lines should look roughly like this:
   
   

   229	" per hour"		Current	0
   28	Transaction fee amount	7.20	Right	1

   
   When those two lines are correct, click Close.
   
   
6. At the Edit A Bill Format window again, click View to see a sample bill and check the Attorney Summary. If it is correct, click Save at the Edit A Bill Format window to save your changes. Click Close to leave Layout.

Now that you have created the new bill format, you must edit the matter to tell it to use this bill format. That setting is on the Billing-1 tab of the Edit A Matter window.