Law-firm billing turns on matter terms, trust handling, and confidential narratives. Everhour keeps billable work organized by project.
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A law-firm invoice should turn the engagement terms into a clean payment request. Include the client, matter name or number, invoice date, invoice number, billing period, fee basis, rates, expenses, payment terms, and remittance details. For hourly matters, each time entry should connect the work performed to the person, date, rate, and amount charged.
The invoice also needs to match the fee arrangement. A fixed-fee matter can use milestone or phase lines. A contingent-fee matter needs separate written fee documents and, at closing, a written statement showing the matter outcome, client remittance, and how that remittance was determined. Advance fees and expenses belong in a client trust account until earned or incurred.
Law-firm billing commonly uses hourly fees, fixed fees, contingent fees, and reimbursable expenses. ABA Model Rule 1.5 requires lawyers to communicate the scope of representation and the basis or rate of fees and client-responsible expenses, preferably in writing, before or within a reasonable time after representation begins. The invoice should follow those terms instead of introducing new rate logic.
A practical hourly line can read: "March 5, 2026, A. Rivera, research motion to compel, 1.4 hours, $325 rate, $455." Expense lines should identify court costs, filing fees, travel, or other client-responsible charges under the engagement terms. A lawyer may charge only reasonable fees and expenses, with reasonableness judged by factors such as time and labor, local customary fees, amount involved, results, and fee type.
Legal invoices need careful narrative control. Billing descriptions can include information relating to representation, so lawyers must avoid unauthorized disclosure and make reasonable efforts to prevent inadvertent or unauthorized access. A useful narrative gives the client enough context to review the charge, such as "drafted discovery responses," without adding strategy, privileged details, or sensitive third-party information.
Client billing requirements can add another layer. Corporate legal departments often require LEDES 1998B, an ASCII pipe-delimited legal e-billing format with 24 fields, and UTBMS task, activity, and expense codes. A standard PDF invoice will not satisfy that client if the engagement requires coded e-billing. Treat the client's billing guidelines as part of the invoice workflow, alongside the engagement letter.
A one-off invoice tool is enough for a small fixed-fee matter, a simple hourly invoice, or a single expense reimbursement request. It works best when the billing period is short, the client does not require LEDES or UTBMS coding, and the person preparing the invoice already has final time entries, rates, expenses, and payment terms.
A managed workflow fits firms that invoice from tracked billable time by matter, separate non-billable work, review entries before billing, and need reports by client, lawyer, task, or amount. Everhour supports project billing status, task-level non-billable controls, custom task rates, member-rate exceptions, and admin reports for billable time, non-billable time, billable amount, and cost.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
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A law-firm invoice should include client and matter details, invoice number, invoice date, billing period, fee basis, rates, itemized time or fixed-fee lines, client-responsible expenses, payment terms, and remittance details. Hourly invoices should show who performed the work, the date, the task description, hours, rate, and amount.
Private-sector legal invoices do not follow one prescribed federal invoice form. For federal tax records, invoices function as supporting documents that help show income and expenses. Federal contract invoices are different: FAR 32.905 defines proper invoice fields for federal procurement, including contractor details, invoice number, contract references, line items, payment terms, and payee information.
Advance legal fees and expenses paid by a client belong in a client trust account until earned or incurred. The invoice should separate earned fees, reimbursable expenses, trust funds applied, and any remaining balance. ABA Model Rule 1.15 also requires complete records of client-account funds and other client property for five years after representation ends.
Billing narratives should give enough detail for client review without exposing unnecessary representation information. A short task description such as "reviewed deposition transcript for summary judgment issues" is usually safer than a narrative that reveals legal strategy, witness impressions, or privileged analysis. Confidentiality duties apply because invoices can contain information relating to representation.
Sales and use tax rules depend on state and local law, nexus, the service type, and the place of sale. The United States does not use a national VAT or GST invoice regime, and there is no single national sales-tax rate. Service taxability is state-specific, so a firm should apply the rule for the relevant jurisdiction and service.
Everhour lets admins set billing status at the project level, mark specific tasks as non-billable, use custom task rates, and apply member-rate exceptions. Admin reports can show billable time, non-billable time, billable amount, and cost, which helps firms review matter work before invoicing.
Everhour Billing & Invoicing converts uninvoiced billable time and expenses into client invoices, calculates amounts from rates and billable expenses, and excludes non-billable work. Invoice lines can be grouped by project, task, person, date, or other available breakdowns, depending on the client's billing format.
Track billable legal work by matter, separate non-billable entries, and prepare invoices from approved time. Everhour gives law firms cleaner billing records and invoice-ready reporting.
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