Legal billing depends on matter detail, fee terms, and trust handling. Everhour turns approved time and expenses into invoices.
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Legal invoices turn matter work into a client-facing billing record. The practical job is simple: identify the client and matter, apply the engagement's fee terms, list time or fixed-fee charges, separate reimbursable expenses, and show payment instructions. In the United States, private-sector invoices do not follow one federal invoice-format statute or national VAT/GST invoice regime.
The client engagement controls the invoice structure. A litigation matter billed hourly needs dated time entries, descriptions, rates, and totals. A fixed-fee business formation matter needs the agreed scope and phase. A contingent-fee matter needs fee treatment that matches the signed agreement, including whether expenses come before or after the fee calculation.
A useful legal invoice starts with matter identifiers, invoice date and number, client contact details, billing period, payment terms, and remittance instructions. Line items should match the fee model: hourly charges by timekeeper, fixed-fee milestones, reimbursable expenses, or an advance payment applied as earned. Expense charges should reflect a reasonable amount agreed in advance or an amount that reasonably reflects the cost incurred.
Matter-based detail reduces disputes. A paralegal entry can read, "March 5, 2026, discovery index preparation, 1.8 hours at $125, $225." A lawyer entry can show research, drafting, client conference, or hearing preparation without exposing privileged strategy. Client e-billing guidelines may also require UTBMS task, activity, and expense codes for electronic invoice review.
Advance legal fees and expenses require special care because ABA Model Rule 1.15 treats client funds as property to safeguard. Advances must be deposited into a client trust account and withdrawn only as fees are earned or expenses are incurred. Complete client account records must be preserved for five years after the representation ends, so the invoice should make earned fees, expenses, and remaining advances easy to trace.
Electronic legal billing adds another decision point. LEDES 1998B is a 24-field ASCII pipe-delimited format and is widely used in United States legal e-billing. UTBMS codes classify legal tasks, activities, and expenses. A firm that serves insurers or enterprise legal departments should confirm the client's billing guidelines before sending the first invoice, because rejected codes and missing matter data delay payment.
A one-off invoice works for a small fixed-fee matter, a single consulting-style legal project, or a short hourly engagement with a clear billing period. It is enough when the firm can manually verify time, expenses, payment terms, and trust-account treatment before sending. The risk grows when multiple timekeepers, matters, billing rates, write-downs, and client e-billing rules enter the same month.
A managed workflow fits recurring legal billing. Everhour Billing & Invoicing converts tracked billable time and expenses into invoices, calculates amounts from rates while excluding non-billable tasks, supports client defaults and invoice customization, and exports invoices to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks with status sync back to Everhour. That gives the billing team a cleaner path from approved time to accounting handoff.
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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The invoice should follow the client engagement terms. Hourly matters need timekeeper detail, rates, dates, and task descriptions. Fixed-fee matters need the agreed scope or milestone. Contingent-fee matters need treatment consistent with the signed agreement, including the percentage and expense method. Advance payments should be shown in a way that separates client funds from earned fees.
Advance fees should not appear as ordinary earned revenue until the work is earned or the expense is incurred. ABA Model Rule 1.15 requires advance legal fees and expenses to be deposited into a client trust account and withdrawn only as earned or incurred. The invoice should show applied amounts clearly so the client can follow the trust balance.
Client billing guidelines decide whether LEDES or UTBMS codes are required. LEDES 1998B uses a 24-field pipe-delimited format for legal e-billing. UTBMS codes classify legal services and expenses by task, activity, and expense type. Firms that bill insurers, large companies, or outside counsel programs should confirm the required format before submitting the invoice.
United States legal invoices do not use a national VAT or GST registration number because the United States has no national VAT or GST invoice regime. Sales and use tax obligations depend on state and local rules, nexus, service taxability, and the place of sale. A state seller permit or sales-tax account applies only where required.
A contingent-fee matter needs a written closing statement at the end of the matter. ABA Model Rule 1.5 requires the statement to show the outcome and, if there is a recovery, the client remittance and how it was determined. Contingent fees are prohibited for divorce-related domestic relations fee outcomes and criminal defense representation under the rule.
Everhour Billing & Invoicing converts tracked billable time and expenses into invoices, calculates invoice amounts from rates while excluding non-billable tasks, and supports client settings such as taxes, discounts, contacts, and payment terms. Invoices can be exported to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks, with status details synced back to Everhour.
Move from manual matter billing to tracked time, billable expenses, invoice customization, and accounting export. Everhour gives legal teams cleaner invoice preparation from approved work.
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