One settlement,
start to finish.
From the day the settlement lands in your IOLTA to the month it closes in your books: what Disbo does, what your staff do, and the one thing your signer approves.
What happens and who does it.
Six steps, in the order we walk through on a demo. Your staff prepare; your signer approves; Disbo does the keying, printing, mailing, matching and chasing.
- 1The case comes in
The matter arrives from your case system.
Client, settlement amount, payees, liens and documents come in from Filevine, SmartAdvocate, Clio, CASEpeer, Litify or Neos. The deposit in your IOLTA is linked to the case.
0fields retyped1record per case
- 2The sheet is checked
Pay stays off until it balances.
Your signed closing statement is the sheet. Every payee, every amount. The total must equal the settlement and no payee can exceed the ledger; change a line by a dollar and Pay turns grey.
$0.00difference required10payees on this case
- 3Your signer releases
Staff prepare, your signer approves.
Only a named signer can release money, from a phone, with a second factor. One approval covers the case. Who, when and from where go on the audit log.
2people to move money1approval per case
- 4ACH or check, per payee
Direct deposit or a check, your call per payee.
ACH to the bank the payee linked through Disbo, from your own IOLTA, with the statement attached. Or a check printed and mailed for you with the documents enclosed. Nobody at the firm touches paper.
2–3days by ACH7–10days by check, tracked
- 5Tracked to cashed
Sent, delivered, cashed, on the case.
Delivery scans, cleared dates and check images come back to the case. Uncashed checks age on a report by status and days; "where's my check?" is one click, not a phone call.
34checks aging, by bucket1click to void and reissue
- 6Books and month-end
Posted to the books, reconciled at month-end.
Each deposit, payout and case cost posts to QuickBooks Online, Sage, NetSuite or Xero against the case. At month-end, bank, book and client ledgers are prepared side by side for your bookkeeper to review and sign (three-way reconciliation is in beta).
1entry per payout3legs at month-end
A month to pay a settled case. Ninety days to close it.
Today, a few hours of work are spread across a month, and uncashed checks keep the case open for three. Typical timings; yours may differ.
Today
- Settlement check deposited, wait to clear
- Build the settlement sheet
- Create documents for every recipient
- Enter every payment in QuickBooks
- Print the checks
- Sits on the attorney's desk for signature
- Stuff, stamp, mail
- In the mail, nobody knows where
- Month-end three-way reconciliation by hand
- "Where is my check" calls on uncashed checks
- Void and reissue checks that go stale
Through Disbo
- Day 0Deposit linked to the case; the sheet is pre-filled from your case system
- Day 0Staff review the sheet; Pay turns on at $0.00 difference
- Day 1Your signer approves from a phone, two-factor
- Day 1ACH released; checks printed and mailed with documents enclosed
- Day 2–3ACH lands; every entry already posted to the books
- Day 7–10Checks delivered, scanned, tracked; aging watches the rest
- Month-endBank, book and client ledgers prepared for one review
What each case takes today, and with Disbo.
Minutes of staff time per settled case, seven payees. The keying, printing, mailing and chasing go away; the review and the approval stay.
| Step | With Disbo | Today | Disbo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match the deposit to the case | Linked by case ID; exceptions flagged | 5 | 1 |
| Review the sheet, build the payout | Pre-filled; must tie to the penny | 25 | 15 |
| Enter the payments in QuickBooks Online | Posted automatically | 21 | 0 |
| Pull and attach documents | Already on the case | 21 | 3.5 |
| Print, sign, stuff and mail | Disbo prints and mails, tracked | 17.5 | 0 |
| Signatory review | One approval per case, two-factor | 3.5 | 2 |
| Update the case system | Written back on its own | 7 | 0 |
| "Where's my check?" calls | Status on screen | 7 | 1.8 |
| Chase uncashed checks | Aging report; reissue from the row | 3.5 | 1 |
| Void and reissue | Flagged; one click | 1.4 | 0.4 |
| Reconcile | Prepared for review (beta) | 10.5 | 1.4 |
| Close the case | On the ready-to-close list | 10 | 2 |
| Go back and fix a mistake | 1 in 100 cases, not 1 in 20 | 4.5 | 0.3 |
| Per case | 7 payees a case | 2 hr 17 min | 28 min |
See Disbo in 47 seconds.
A settlement in, every payee paid, the books reconciled. Press play.
What the bar asks about.
Three questions every managing partner asks before the first settlement. Tap one.
Do you send our checks?
Yes, with every document. Each check is printed and mailed for you, drawn on your own IOLTA with your check number and your firm on the envelope. The lien letter, the signed statement, and anything else you attach go in the same envelope. You see it mailed, delivered, and cashed.
Who holds the money?
No one. Most payouts are checks, drawn on your IOLTA and cleared by your bank like any check you write today. The rest are electronic payments that pass through our banking partner instantly and never sit anywhere or earn interest. Disbo holds nothing; it is software, like your bank's bill pay.
What does the audit log show?
One log per payment: who prepared it, who approved it, and when it was sent, delivered, and cashed. Uncashed checks are aged by days outstanding. Every open case shows its settlement, what is still in trust, and who has been paid, so nothing lives in a side spreadsheet.
Questions about how it works
What do my staff still do?
Review the sheet and queue the payees, usually in minutes, because the sheet is pre-filled from your case system and your signed closing statement. Everything after the approval is done for you: printing, mailing, posting to the books, tracking and aging.
What does the signer do?
One approval per case, from a phone, with a second factor. A signer can also release a single payee if you prefer to pay in stages. Operators cannot release money; only named signers can.
Does Disbo replace our case-management or accounting system?
No. The case system still holds the matter and the accounting system still holds the books. Disbo reads the case and writes the entries, keyed to the case number, so the three agree.
Where is the money while this happens?
In your IOLTA. Checks are drawn on your account and leave it when the check is presented. ACH leaves your IOLTA at the moment of release and lands with the payee through a pass-through account at a regulated bank; Disbo never holds a balance.
How long does it take to start?
A setup call with our team: connect your case system and your books, confirm who prepares and who signs, and send your next settlement through Disbo. Most firms are sending within the week.
Send your next settlement
through Disbo.
Bring one open case to the demo. We run it end to end on your numbers.
Book a Demo →