Billing and Invoicing Checklist

Open the matter in Clio, PracticePanther, or your PMS and verify status is Open / Active rather than Closed, Pending, or On Hold. Closed matters that still have unbilled time get caught here; billing a closed matter without reopening it is a common pre-bill reject.

Pull the signed engagement letter from the DMS and confirm fee structure (hourly, flat, contingency, hybrid), rate schedule, and any negotiated discounts. Hourly rate changes that took effect mid-matter are a common source of invoice disputes.

Corporate clients often route invoices through an AP inbox or an e-billing portal (LEDES 1998B for Tymetrix, Legal Tracker, Collaborati). Confirm the billing contact, AP email, and any matter-specific billing guidelines before generating the pre-bill.

Run the unposted-time report in the PMS and email each attorney with gaps. Block-billed days and entries posted weeks late are the two biggest write-down drivers; catching them before pre-bill is cheaper than negotiating them afterward.

Reconcile filing fees, PACER charges, deposition transcripts, expert invoices, and courier costs against vendor statements. Attach receipts to the cost entry — corporate clients on UTBMS guidelines will reject unsupported expenses over $25-$50.

For matters governed by client billing guidelines, every time entry needs the right L-code (litigation), A-code (activity), and E-code (expense). Miscoded entries are auto-flagged by Legal Tracker / TyMetrix and rejected at submission.

Run the pre-bill in the PMS with all fees, costs, and the current trust balance shown. Send the PDF to the responsible attorney for that matter — do not skip this step even on long-running matters with stable narratives.

Responsible attorney rewrites vague entries ("reviewed file", "strategy call"), splits block-billed time, and write-downs on inefficient work. Junior associate language sent unedited is the #1 cause of client invoice disputes and bar grievances for fee padding.

Document the reason for each write-down (duplicate work, inefficiency, courtesy, fee cap reached) in the pre-bill notes. Write-offs above the firm threshold — commonly $500 or 10% of the bill — need managing partner approval before the invoice issues.

Send the pre-bill, the proposed write-off amount, and the written justification to the managing partner. Capture the approval in writing — email or signed memo — and attach to the matter file for the next bar audit.

Run the client trust ledger for every matter being billed. Confirm the per-client balance against the bank statement; a Rule 1.15 violation starts with an undetected negative ledger, and bank IOLTA overdrafts are auto-reported to disciplinary counsel in most states.

Most states require written notice to the client identifying the amount and purpose before funds are moved out of IOLTA to operating. The pre-bill itself usually satisfies this if it shows the proposed trust application and gives the client a stated window (commonly 10 days) to object.

If the engagement letter requires an evergreen minimum (commonly $5,000-$10,000) and applying this invoice would drop the trust below it, include a replenishment request with the invoice. Continuing to work against an unfunded retainer is the most common cause of write-offs at matter close.

Lock the bill in Clio / Tabs3 / CosmoLex so further edits go to a new period. Confirm the invoice number, billing period, fee total, cost total, trust application, and balance due all tie to the approved pre-bill.

Individual clients usually take email PDF; corporate clients route through Legal Tracker, TyMetrix 360, Collaborati, or Passport. E-billing portals require a LEDES 1998B export and matter-level credentials — sending a PDF instead is a common rejection reason.

Generate the LEDES 1998B (or 1998BI for international) export from the PMS and upload to the client's portal. Watch the rejection queue for 24-48 hours — most portals respond same-day with line-item rejections that need re-coding and resubmission.

Send via the confirmed channel with a short cover note from the responsible attorney. Log the send date in the PMS; the aging clock starts on send, not on finalization.

Apply ACH, wire, check, and card payments to the specific invoice and matter — not to the client's general AR bucket. Mis-applied payments are the most common reconciliation defect at month-end three-way close.

Pull aging at 30 / 60 / 90 / 120+ days. Anything past 60 needs an attorney touch — by 90, recovery rates drop below 70% and write-off probability climbs sharply.

Use the firm's tiered demand language: friendly reminder at 30 days, formal demand at 60, attorney-signed letter at 90. Do not threaten withdrawal without checking the engagement letter and applicable rules — withdrawal for non-payment requires court permission in pending litigation.

Reconcile the bank balance, the firm's book balance, and the sum of individual client ledgers — all three must tie to the penny. Managing partner signs the reconciliation; this is the document the state bar will ask for in an audit and is required monthly under Rule 1.15 in nearly every state.