By Bob Felber
As a young lawyer in tough economic times, you may be faced with increased pressure to find billable work and get your time entered and released quickly – in some firms by the next day!
As you enter your time, keep in mind that, while you may never see that time entry again, others will – particularly, the partner who sends out the invoice on which that time entry appears and, ultimately, the client who receives the invoice. If your time entry is ambiguous, trivial, confusing, or not consistent with firm or client billing guidelines, you are creating headaches for the partner who must spend his or her time reviewing and editing that invoice prior to sending it to the client.
Make sure you have taken the time not only to get your time entered on the correct file but to state clearly and concisely the value of the work you have undertaken. To accomplish that, consider the following guidelines:
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When entering your time, put yourself in the shoes of the client reading the invoice. Confusing invoices = no payment! Also, remember that the client contact with whom you work may not be the same person who reviews and pays the invoice.
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Avoid trivialization of your work and be descriptive. For example: “Prepare memorandum to S. Smith regarding Davidson County building codes” is better than “Email to S. Smith”; “Confer with J. Doe re: strategy for completing Jones Company license agreement” is better than “Exchange emails with J. Doe.” Time entries should convey value delivered rather than the mechanics of completing a task.
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Use care in billing for meetings with colleagues within the firm. While these meetings may be very productive and ultimately benefit the client, clients tend to balk at paying for a lot of internal meetings and some have policies stating that they will not pay for them.
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Watch the shorthand. Bills are a serious matter to clients and should not be casual. Using a lot of abbreviations for terms that the person processing the invoice will not likely understand only creates a potential for confusion and delay in payment.
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In the end, make certain that you follow both firm policy and client billing guidelines when entering time.
If you are careful and thoughtful with your time entries, the result will likely be a happier partner, a happier client and a more successful associate.