So we have billing settings at the firm level which controls some behavior, but at the matter level you have some additional controls that let you truly customize billing at a matter level.

On This Page

Matter Billing

Image Removed

Enable

Toggles billing on/off for the matter. You can not turn this off while there are any billable or billed items remaining.

Billing status

Billing status may be different than the case status. For example you may have closed the matter because the case is done but the client still owes your firm money. Here you can choose the billing status and whether or not it is tied to the status of the case.

• Use matter status for billing
  • Whether or not the matter is active is dependent upon the status of the matter.
• Active for billing
  • Independent of the matter’s status, the matter is able to be billed.
• Closed for billing
  • Independent of the matter’s status, the matter is no longer able to be billed.

Basics

Image Removed

Bill template

• The default bill template that will be used for the matter
• Can be changed at the time of billing

Send to email address

• The email address where the bill will be sent
• To use multiple email addresses, separate them with a comma.
  • example1@domain, example2@domain
• Can be left blank if you wish not to send bill emails
• Client email address is displayed below. Check the box to populate the address field.

Email template

The email template used for sending bills.

No. of copies to print

Number of copies that will be printed at the time of billing (1, 2, or Do not print)

Custom matter rates

Image Removed

• With custom matter rates enabled for a matter, rates can be overridden with a different value for that specific matter.
• Select the item in the Client Rate column to open the client's contact record and set a specific rate for that client.

General Retainers

Image Removed

Enable

Toggles General Retainer functionality on/off for the matter.

To pay

Dictates to what the Retainer balance can be applied.

• New charges (default)
  • Retainer balance can be applied against unbilled items that are to be included on a bill
• New charges and Accounts Receivables
  • Retainer balance can be applied to both new charges and past AR

Payment automation

This option controls how General Retainer balances are applied at the time of billing.

• Automatic (default)
  • The retainer will automatically apply to a bill if a retainer balance is available.
• Manual
  • The retainer does not apply automatically but can be applied by the user.

Retainer replenishment

This function lets you indicate that the client is required to maintain a retainer balance with your firm (not for Trust yet) and have this calculated and communicated on the bill.

Image Removed

Enable

Toggles Retainer replenishment on/off

Minimum balance and Top-up trigger amount

When Retainer replenishment is enabled, you can enter a minimum balance and top-up trigger amount. At the time of billing, the system looks at the retainer balance and trigger. If the balance has reached the trigger amount, a minimum retainer balance request is added to the client invoice.

Trust Accounting

Image Removed

To pay

• New charges (default)
  • Trust funds can be applied against unbilled items that are to be included on a bill
• New charges and Accounts Receivables
  • Trust funds can be applied to both new charges and past AR

Payment automation

• Automatic (default)
  • Trust funds will automatically apply to a bill if a retainer balance is available.
• Manual
  • Trust funds does not apply automatically but can be applied by the user.

Mass billing settings

Image Removed

Mass billing setting let you indicate what happens to this matter when it is included in mass billing.

Exclude this matter from Mass Billing

• Means this matter will be skipped when doing a regular mass billing unless the matter is hand picked from the list

Only bill expenses when Mass and Single Billing

Billing arrangement

Here you can indicate if a matter is set to hourly or fixed fee billing, as well as various options for each.

Image Removed

Arrangement

Pick hourly or fixed fee. Settings will automatically be inherited from Billing Settings.

Default time entry behavior

Here you can indicate what the default time entry behavior is set to when i first create a time entry. This can be changed at time of entry or thereafter.

• Bill 
  • Item will appear on bill as entered.
    
• Hide
  • Not included on bill
  • Not included in WIP (except for hours on reports)
  • Optionally be used for fee allocation
    
• No charge
  • Shows on bill with “No Charge”
  • Not included in WIP (except for hours on reports)
  • Optionally be used for fee allocation
    

If WIP is less than quote

• Bill quoted amount
  • If work in progress is less than the quoted amount for the matter, the new charges for that bill will default to the quoted amount.
• Bill quoted amount plus WIP
  • If work in progress is less than the quoted amount for the matter, the new charges for that bill will default to the quoted amount plus the value of the work in progress.
• Bill WIP only
  • If work in progress is less than the quoted amount for the matter, the new charges for that bill will default to the value of the work in progress.

If WIP is greater than quote

• Bill quoted amount
  • If work in progress is greater than the quoted amount for the matter, the new charges for that bill will default to the quoted amount.
• Bill quoted amount plus WIP
  • If work in progress is greater than the quoted amount for the matter, the new charges for that bill will default to the quoted amount plus the value of the work in progress.
• Bill WIP only
  • If work in progress is greater than the quoted amount for the matter, the new charges for that bill will default to the value of the work in progress.

Fee reductions

...

Appear as discount

• The fee reduction will show on the bill as a discount when the proper merge field is in place.

  • SP_FeeDiscountDescription

...

Hide line pricing and show total only

• This option removes the individual line item pricing and shows the total at the bottom  of the bill.

...

Quote

Image Removed

Quoted amount 

Used to indicate either a fixed fee quote or an hourly quote. When used in hourly a check is done at the time of billing to see if the calculated value of the billing is different than the quoted amount.

Quote amount includes

This option indicates what values to compare the quote against.

• Fees only
• Fees and Costs
• Costs only

Fixed Fee

When Fixed fee is set as the billing arrangement, the options below will appear.

Every billing cycle

With this option selected, each bill created will inherit the quoted amount. This can be overridden at the time of billing.

Image Removed

Custom schedule

Use custom schedule to split the quoted amount over time. 

Image Removed

Fixed fee custom schedule columns

Amount - The amount to be billed

Description - Will populate time entry if one is created for the bill

Date -  Bill on (or after) this date

Bill on step - Must be billed on (or before) this step

Pay on step - Must be paid on (or before) this step

Inv # - Once billed, this column shows the invoice number and is hyperlinked to that invoice

Add row - This adds another row to be populated 

X - The X to the far-right deletes rows

Image Removed

Auto fill

To use auto-fill, enter and amount and select the button. This will add as many items as the amount entered goes into your quoted amount. The last row will include the remainder.

Image Removed

When a bill is created on or after the next unbilled date, the bill will populate with the scheduled amount.

Image Removed

Discount

Image Removed

Here I can preset a discount for a matter as either a percentage of fees or a dollar amount.

Discount type

• Percentage
• Fixed amount

Fee allocation

This setting takes the default from Admin > Billing Settings but can be changed to suit this customer.

Image Removed

Allocate fees

• Pro-rate
  • Fees are allocated to the timekeepers based on $ value % of total fees billed.
• Responsible party
  • All fees are allocated to the responsible lawyer on the matter
• Selected Timekeeper
  • Fees are allocated to a specific timekeeper

Allocate fee adjustments

This option lets me choose how to allocate fees that are not tied to a time or flat fee entry. Fee adjustments which can come from you changing the fee amount on the bill screen or adding a discount are examples of fee adjustments.

• Based on original fee split
• Responsible lawyer
• Selected Timekeeper

Enable origination fee

This option lets you select one timekeeper and give them a % of the overall fee allocation. This is typically done in firms where attorneys are rewarded with a % of the fees collected for any case that the attorney brought in to the firm.

• Toggles Origination fee on/off for this matter

Originator timekeeper

Specifies the timekeeper to which the origination fee will be attributed

Origination fee %

The percent of the bill that will be attributed to the Originator timekeeper

E-Bill

Image Removed

Enable

Toggles E-billing on/off for the matter

UTBMS task code set

Specifies UTBMS code set to be used on this matter

File format

Currently specifies one LEDES format for E-billing.

...