Most Law Practice Management Software (LPMS) includes some sort of timekeeping and billing functionality. However, the vast majority of these provide only basic tracking, and reporting. Software specifically built for legal time tracking and attorney billing will generally have more granular reporting, increased tracking, and advanced invoicing capabilities, just to name a few enhancements. Many of them will either sync directly with your other software, or work well in tandem.
In this Legal Time & Attorney Billing Software portal you can compare features, read community reviews, get additional details, and find the best application for your law firm. If you see an Affinity Partner badge, it means Lawyerist Insiders are entitled to a discount. (Already a member? Log in here. If not, register here—it’s free!)
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What Time & Attorney Billing Software Does
Time Tracking
When attorneys look into time and billing software, they are generally looking for something that will help them track the time they spend on particular tasks for their clients. They want something easy, intuitive, and efficient. This can mean different things for different people.
At its most basic, time tracking is a ledger that allows you to input an amount of time you spent on a task and then associate that with a matter. In addition to this manual input, most applications will allow you to turn a timer on and off as you start and stop a task. You can then associate the results of that timer with a particular matter.
Most legal time tracking programs differ from each other in the convenience of the input of this information. Some will track and automatically associate phone calls, others will have a time entry button incorporated into your email app, and still others will allow you to create time entries right out of your task manager.
Advanced Reporting
The obvious result of tracking attorney time is to bill the client for the sum of the efforts your office put into the client’s case. It’s no secret that capturing all of your billable time will generally increase your earnings. However, more important than simply capturing time, is categorizing that time appropriately and then running reports based on that data.
Using proper reports, even Flat Fee attorneys can realize a benefit from timekeeping and billing software. Understanding where your office spends its time can help you recognize inefficiencies, find expensive aspects of your practice, and know where to invest your money and efforts in the future. That which is measured, improves. And these reports can easily help you track your key performance indicators (KPIs).
Many times, this is where you see the main separation between LPMS timekeeping, and specialized apps like the ones in this Portal. The more specialized the software gets, generally, the more granular the reports can become. However, not everyone needs this minutia. Before looking for what these applications are capable of, we recommend that you determine what it is you need to track. Then, find software that can handle that.
Client Billing
Most of the providers in this Portal have features that make it easier for you to bill your clients. And, more importantly, for your clients to pay you. Online bill pay, emailed invoices, and the ability to set-up recurring payments all tend to help you collect more of your fees. However, rarely does anything beat getting the money up-front. Many of these will also help you automate or streamline the funding of your client trust accounts.
How to Choose Timekeeping & Attorney Billing Software
When choosing time and billing software for your legal practice, it can be challenging to know which specific features you need to keep your business running smoothly. We’ll try to make it easy to select the right attorney billing software for you.
- First, determine your firm’s needs for attorney billing software. Some programs offer only timekeeping, while others allow you to create bills and invoices and run reports.
- Read through our feature definitions list.
- Then, get more information about the software that most interests you by visiting the product page for each.
- Finally, sign up for a trial account with one or two likely software options, put them through their paces, and select the one that will work best for your firm.
Legal Time & Attorney Billing Software (Alphabetical List)
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Bill4Time is cloud-based timekeeping and billing software with practice management features that cater specifically to lawyers. Learn more about Bill4Time
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FreshBooks is timekeeping and billing software with extensive invoicing, payment, and reporting features. Learn more about FreshBooks
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Timeslips legal time and billing software has been used by lawyers for years, but it is both desktop-based and Windows-only, which limits its utility. Learn more about Timeslips
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TimeSolv is full-featured, cloud-based time tracking and billing software designed for small to medium-sized lawyers and law firms. Learn more about TimeSolv
