Legal invoices need matter-level detail and careful fee handling. Everhour connects billable time to cleaner client billing.
Fill in your details, add line items, hit Print when ready.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Tax | Amount |
|---|
The calculator gives you the number — Everhour takes it from there.
One click and you're timing. Start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Everhour.
Set a budget, assign rates, and get alerted before you're over.
Measurement
Track your budget through time or costs
Every report you need — configured your way, always up to date.
Tracked hours flow straight into a polished invoice — no copy-paste, no manual math.
Use this page to prepare a client invoice for legal work, usually by matter, client, date range, attorney or paralegal, rate, time entry, expense, and payment term. A litigation invoice may show research, drafting, calls, filings, and court preparation as separate lines. A transactional invoice may group drafting, review, negotiation, and closing tasks by phase.
Legal invoices are driven by the engagement terms and professional-responsibility rules that apply to the lawyer. ABA Model Rule 1.5 requires fees and expenses to be reasonable, and the scope of representation plus the fee and expense basis or rate must be communicated to the client, preferably in writing, before or within a reasonable time after representation begins.
A usable legal invoice identifies the client, matter, invoice date, invoice number, billing period, timekeeper, description of services, hours, rate, expenses, subtotal, taxes if applicable, payments or credits, amount due, due date, and remittance instructions. The description should be specific enough for review, such as "Drafted motion to compel, 1.8 hours at $325 per hour."
Lawyer invoices commonly reflect hourly fees, fixed fees, contingent fees, and advance-fee retainers. Advance legal fees and expenses require extra care because ABA Model Rule 1.15 requires them to stay in a client trust account until earned or incurred. If an invoice applies trust funds to earned fees, the record should make the movement clear without treating unearned funds as ordinary revenue.
A lawyer invoice should match the engagement letter. Hourly matters need timekeeper rates and time detail. Fixed-fee matters need clear scope lines and any milestone language. Contingent-fee matters require a written agreement signed by the client, with the percentage and expense treatment stated; ABA Model Rule 1.5 bars contingent fees in criminal-defense representation and certain domestic-relations matters.
Corporate legal departments often require more structure than a PDF invoice. LEDES 1998B uses 24 pipe-delimited fields, and UTBMS codes classify legal work by task, activity, and expense. If a client requires e-billing, collect the matter number, timekeeper IDs, UTBMS codes, expense codes, and billing guidelines before work starts so the invoice does not fail review.
A free invoice works for a solo lawyer sending a single matter bill, a fixed-fee closing invoice, or a simple expense reimbursement. It also works when the client accepts a standard PDF and the billing history is already organized somewhere else. The risk grows when multiple timekeepers, non-billable entries, trust movements, client billing guidelines, or repeat monthly invoices enter the workflow.
Everhour fits the managed side of that workflow by separating billable and non-billable legal time through project billing status, task-level non-billable controls, custom task rates, and member-rate exceptions. Admin reports can show billable time, non-billable time, billable amount, and cost, giving a firm a cleaner base before generating or reviewing an invoice.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
High Performer
G2
Summer 2026
Best Ease Of Use
Capterra
Summer 2026
Rated in the top time trackers across G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius — with consistent praise for ease of use, integrations, and support.
A lawyer invoice should include the client, matter, invoice number, date, billing period, timekeeper, work description, hours, rate, expenses, payments or credits, amount due, due date, and payment instructions. The invoice should match the fee basis communicated to the client, such as hourly, fixed, contingent, or advance-fee retainer billing.
Trust-account detail belongs on the invoice when the bill applies an advance fee or client funds to earned fees or incurred expenses. ABA Model Rule 1.15 requires advance legal fees and expenses to be held in a client trust account until earned or incurred, so the invoice should avoid presenting unearned trust funds as ordinary payment.
A lawyer invoice can reflect a contingent fee only when the fee arrangement is allowed and properly documented. ABA Model Rule 1.5 requires a contingent-fee agreement to be in writing, signed by the client, and state how the fee is determined. The rule prohibits contingent fees in criminal-defense cases and certain domestic-relations matters.
A United States legal invoice does not use a national VAT or GST invoice regime. Sales and use tax rules are state and local, and service taxability varies by state and service type. A legal invoice should apply tax only when the applicable jurisdiction and service treatment require it.
Vague time descriptions cause disputes because the client cannot connect the charge to the matter work. A line such as "legal services, 6 hours" gives too little context. A better line names the task, date range, timekeeper, rate, and matter activity, while keeping privileged or sensitive detail out of the client-facing description.
Everhour lets admins set project billing status, mark specific tasks as non-billable, apply custom task rates, and use member-rate exceptions. Reports can show billable time, non-billable time, billable amount, and cost, so a firm can review client-chargeable work before billing.
Everhour Billing & Invoicing turns tracked billable time and expenses into client invoices, calculates amounts from rates and billable expenses, and excludes non-billable work. Invoice data can be grouped by project, task, person, date, or another available breakdown for the client's expected format.
Track billable and non-billable matter work before invoice review. Everhour gives firms project billing controls and reports that make client-ready legal billing easier to manage.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime
