Unbilled Hours Are a List, Not a Memory
Drafting on Monday, a conference on Wednesday, two appearances on Friday. None of it written against the matter. So billing becomes a negotiation downwards, because even you cannot show what went into it.
Logged by the person who did the work
A line about what was done
Two and a half hours, drafting the rejoinder. The line matters more than the number, because it is the line the client reads when he questions the bill.
From a phone, at the end of a hearing
The junior logs the appearance before he leaves the court building. A week later he would guess, and his guess would be low.
Matter by matter
Time belongs to a matter, never to a client in general. The company with four suits sees where its hours went.
Unbilled time as a list
Everything logged and not yet billed, by matter and by client. That list is the bill waiting to be raised.
The bill, under the arrangement you agreed
A matter carries its own terms, so the bill follows them.
- A monthly retainer, raised whether or not a date came up
- A fixed fee for the brief, with stages billed as they pass
- A per-appearance rate, picking up the appearances recorded
- Time spent, at the rate agreed for that matter
- Unbilled expenses added, and receipts recorded against the bill
What it will not do for you
It cannot log what nobody enters
A conference that never reached the screen is not on the bill. Firms where seniors will not log their own hours get the juniors’ time and only that, which is worse than a clean guess.
It does not set your fees
Rates, arrangements and what you finally charge a client are yours. The software records the work, raises the bill you approve, and leaves the judgement with the advocate.
Frequently asked questions
Must every advocate log time, even on fixed fee matters?
No. Logging can be limited to time-based briefs if that is how you want to run it. Where hours are logged on fixed fee work anyway, over a year it shows which matters ate far more effort than the fee assumed.
Can a bill mix time, appearances and expenses?
Yes. Unbilled time, appearances and out-of-pocket expenses on the matter come up together, and you take off whatever you decide not to charge.
How are part payments handled?
A receipt is recorded against the bill and the balance stays visible on the client. Outstanding fees are listed by client and by age.
Can we see unbilled time before month end?
Any day you like. Reading it around the twenty-fifth leaves a week to ask about a line while the work is still fresh.
Tell us what you need.
Send a short brief and one of our engineers will come back to you — usually the same day.
- No obligation
- We reply the same working day
- Your details stay private