Successful legal billing is the lifeblood of a law firm. Without it, you can’t pay your staff or keep the lights on. Yet to up the stakes, even more, legal billing also represents a key opportunity to build positive relationships with clients. Our basic guide to legal billing best practices breaks down how you can […]

When you run a law firm, positive client relations are key to building the next round of leads. There are many factors that influence how a client feels about working with your firm, but one of the most critical factors in that mix is billing. In particular, clients don’t want to feel like they’re being […]

In 1989, the Supreme Court ruling on Missouri v. Jenkins established that law firms can bill clients for paralegal hours in accordance with the market rate, not what the paralegal is actually paid by the firm.[1] Tracking billable hours for paralegals has become a standard part of law firm culture, but it still leaves the […]

Invoices can seem like just another routine piece of paperwork, but they carry a lot of importance for clients—and not just in terms of the balance due at the bottom of the page. Whether or not an invoice is straightforward and easy to understand can have a huge impact on a client’s sense of urgency […]

It’s a situation no lawyer wants to be in—following up with a client whose account is overdue. And while it’s hard to avoid challenging accounts altogether, there are a few steps you can take to bypass most potential problem accounts. Get retainers First, if you don’t already do so, collect retainers. Holding a retainer in […]

Depending on global, economic or personal factors, it’s natural to wonder if your firm should offer discounts—out of compassion, a desire for continuing firm cash flow, or some mixture of the two. Know the why First, ask yourself why you’re considering giving the client a discount. Are they hard up for money? If so, why […]

You want clients to keep coming in the door. (Or, in the age of the pandemic, contacting you remotely.) And you want to be able to cover your firm’s expenses — and have an income. All those things are possible by determining appropriate rates for your firm. Laying the foundation Before you begin calculating your […]

Many tasks eat into a law firm’s billable hours — including the billing process itself. Whether it’s writing descriptions for invoices, waiting for the right attorney to review the bill, or following up with overdue notices, billing takes up valuable time. But there are a few things you can do to expedite your billing process […]

Should you invoice clients immediately after providing a service? Or should you wait and send out invoices on a monthly schedule? It can feel like a toss-up, especially since getting paid is important, and you’d like to have that happen as soon as possible. But take a step back and look at the big picture. […]

Organized billing – a necessity for timely payments – requires being on top of a number of administrative tasks, which recur, month after month. It absorbs valuable hours, and law firms are always looking to cut down on the time it takes. Track time as it occurs You can’t bill what you haven’t tracked. Make […]