Time & Billing
Everything you need to know about tracking time, generating invoices, recording payments, managing expenses, and running billing reports in B.Legal.
Manual Time Entry
What it does
Manual time entry lets you log billable or non-billable time for any matter by specifying a date, duration, and narrative description. This is the most direct way to record work performed, and every other time capture method in B.Legal ultimately creates entries in this same format.
How to use it
- Open the time entry form. Navigate to the Time section in the sidebar, then click the + button. On macOS you can also press Cmd + N from anywhere in the app.
- Select the matter. Pick the matter the work relates to. The entry stays attributed to that matter for the life of the case.
- Set the date and duration. The date defaults to today. Enter the hours in decimal format (e.g., 1.5 for one hour and thirty minutes).
- Write the narrative. Describe the work performed. You can type a full description or enter shorthand and use the AI button to generate a full narrative (see AI Narrative Generation below).
- Set the billing status. Choose Billable, Non-billable, or No Charge. Billable is the default.
- Save the entry. The entry appears immediately in the time log and in the matter's unbilled work.
Tips
- The billing rate comes from the matter, so entries on the same matter bill consistently.
- Entries that have been billed carry their invoice number and a snapshot of the narrative as it appeared on the invoice.
- Email, Zoom, and iMessage capture (see the Communications guide) create pending suggestions that become regular time entries once you approve them.
AI Narrative Generation
What it does
B.Legal's AI expands attorney shorthand into full, client-appropriate billing narratives. On macOS, the AI runs locally via Ollama by default; you can optionally switch to Anthropic Claude for cloud-based generation. On iOS, the cloud backend is the default because iPhones can't run a local model.
How to use it
- Open a time entry. Create a new entry or edit an existing one.
- Type shorthand in the narrative field.
Enter abbreviated notes the way you naturally write them. Examples:
"rev draft MSJ"-- Review draft motion for summary judgment"tc w/ opp re sched"-- Telephone conference with opposing counsel regarding scheduling"prep for dep of PL"-- Preparation for deposition of plaintiff
- Generate the narrative. Click the AI button next to the narrative field. B.Legal generates a full narrative in a few seconds.
- Review and edit. Read the generated narrative, make any corrections, and save. Nothing is auto-saved -- you always review before the narrative is committed.
Tips
- To use the local Ollama backend (the macOS default), make sure Ollama is installed and running on your Mac.
- To switch to Anthropic Claude, go to Settings, then AI, and select Claude. You will need your own Anthropic API key.
- The narrative generator also powers the email, Zoom, and iMessage capture pipelines, so captured entries arrive with a draft narrative already written.
Viewing & Filtering Entries
What it does
The time log displays all time entries across matters in a filterable list. Seven billing statuses track each entry from unbilled through billed, and bulk operations let you act on many entries at once.
How to use it
- Navigate to Time. Click "Time" in the sidebar (or press Cmd + 3 on macOS) to see the full time log.
- Filter by billing status. Narrow the list by status to see, for example, only unbilled or only billed entries.
- Search entries. Use search to find entries by narrative or matter.
- Use bulk operations. Select multiple entries to apply batch actions instead of editing one at a time.
Tips
- Each matter's detail view has its own billing tab showing the entries for that matter, including unbilled totals.
- The Reports section shows unbilled work grouped by matter -- a quick pre-billing review before you invoice.
Creating Invoices
What it does
B.Legal generates invoices from unbilled time entries on a matter. Pick a matter and date range; line items are created from the matching entries, the narratives are snapshotted onto the invoice, and the entries are marked billed with a reference to the invoice number.
How to use it
- Open the Invoices section. Click "Invoices" in the sidebar, or navigate to a specific matter and open its Invoices tab.
- Create a new invoice. Click the + button (on macOS, Cmd + Shift + I). Select the matter and the date range to invoice.
- Review the line items. B.Legal pulls in the unbilled time entries for the selected matter and period. Each entry becomes a line item showing the date, description, hours, rate, and amount.
- Preview the invoice. Open the preview to see the rendered invoice your client will receive -- firm details, matter reference, line items, and totals.
- Send or download. Email the invoice as a PDF through your connected Gmail account, or export the PDF and deliver it yourself. Sending transitions the invoice from draft to sent.
Tips
- Generating an invoice locks in a snapshot of each line item, so later edits to a time entry never silently change a bill you already sent.
- Invoices generated from the web app can also include the matter's billable expenses as separate line items.
- You can schedule reminder emails on outstanding invoices; B.Legal sends scheduled reminders when the app runs.
Recording Payments
What it does
When a client pays an invoice, recording the payment in B.Legal updates the invoice's balance due, its status, the client's payment history, and your collections reports. Partial payments are fully supported.
How to use it
- Find the invoice. Go to Invoices in the sidebar (or the matter's Invoices tab) and locate the outstanding invoice.
- Record the payment. Use the invoice's "Record Payment" action. Enter the amount, date received, and payment method: check (with check number), wire, card, cash, trust, or other.
- For partial payments: enter the partial amount. The invoice status changes to "Partially Paid" and the remaining balance due is computed to the penny.
- Save. The invoice status updates to Paid or Partially Paid, and the payment appears in the client's payment history and your collections numbers.
Tips
- Use the "trust" payment method when the payment is drawn from client trust funds, so the payment record reflects the source of the money. Record the corresponding trust withdrawal in the Trust section.
- Overdue invoices are highlighted in the Invoices list and surfaced on the dashboard with days-overdue counts.
Tracking Expenses
What it does
Expense tracking records costs incurred on behalf of a client -- filing fees, expert witness fees, court reporter costs, postage, and other out-of-pocket disbursements -- against the right matter, with a category and a billable flag.
How to use it
- Open Expenses. Click "Expenses" in the sidebar, or go to a matter's Expenses tab.
- Add a new expense. Click the + button. Fill in the date, matter, category, amount, and a brief description.
- Mark as billable or absorbed. Billable expenses are tracked for pass-through to the client. Absorbed expenses are firm costs not charged to the client.
- Save. The expense appears in the matter's expense list and in the firm-wide expense totals.
Tips
- Invoices generated from the web app include the matter's billable expenses as separate line items below the time entries.
- The expense audit view flags potential issues -- duplicates, unusually large amounts, weekend entries, and missing receipts -- so you can review them before billing.
Billing Reports
What it does
B.Legal provides built-in reports to analyze your firm's billing performance: billed and collected summaries, collection-rate tracking, accounts-receivable aging, and a pre-billing WIP report of unbilled work by matter.
How to use it
- Open Reports. Click "Reports" in the sidebar.
- Review the WIP report. See unbilled hours and amounts, entries this month, billed year-to-date, and an expandable unbilled-entries-by-matter list.
- Review billing performance. The billing reports show billed vs. collected totals and A/R aging buckets (current / 30 / 60 / 90+ days) computed from your invoices and recorded payments.
- Export. Export your time entries to CSV for spreadsheet analysis.
Tips
- The dashboard shows the key billing numbers at a glance when you open the app: unbilled, billed, collected, overdue invoices, and top matters by unbilled work.
- Collected figures come from recorded payments -- record every payment (including partials) and the reports stay truthful.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are a feature of the macOS app.
Need more help with billing?
Our support team can walk you through invoice setup, payment recording, and report configuration.