What Is Attorney Time and Billing Software?

May 21, 2025 By Allison Lemasters Leave a Comment

Attorney time and billing software helps law firms better manage their billing process by assisting with time tracking, invoice generation, expense monitoring, collections, and more. Timekeeping software for lawyers offers features that typical accounting software does not — features essential for compliance in the practice of law, such as monitoring billable hours and accommodating trust accounting.

Legal time and billing software brings a new level of efficiency, accuracy, and security to the billing process for attorneys. Keep reading to learn the basics of time and billing software for law firms and what benefits this software can provide your practice.

How Do Attorneys Keep Track of Their Time Using Software?

Attorney time and billing software has several features for legal time tracking — namely, digital timers that can be categorized by client, matter, and activity. This allows legal professionals to log time as they work on various tasks throughout the day, easily stopping and starting different timers as they switch tasks. When it’s finally time to prepare an invoice, the timers provide a clear record of what was done.

Rather than needing to remember each task and guess how long it took to perform, time tracking software makes it easy to record the time you spend on each task, even sorting it according to different hourly rates in your firm. Additionally, quality time tracking software often comes with a mobile app version, which lets you track time whether you’re in the office or leaving a court appearance. Switching between matters is as simple as stopping one timer and starting another.

How Does Legal Billing Work Through Software?

Once you’ve completed time entries for your billable tasks, legal billing software helps you quickly convert those entries to invoices. The most helpful features for this process include:

Flexible rate structures to accommodate hourly rates, flat fees, or any other alternative fee arrangements.
Customizable formatting to better match your firm’s brand or format aesthetics.
Batch invoicing to simplify billing for ongoing services or high volumes of transactions.

From there, billing software can also assist with sending out invoices, collecting payment, and even issuing client reminders on automatic schedules. By removing much of the repetitive, time-consuming parts of the billing process, you have more time and mental energy to devote to your clients as well as billable tasks.

Software also speeds up the prebill review process with automation that catches errors and cuts down review time. Plus, it helps firms collect payments faster by giving clients a secure portal with 24/7 access to view and pay invoices online.

What Really Sets Good Time and Billing Software Apart for Attorneys?

The most important traits for time tracking software are convenience, reliability, and user-friendliness. The complex nature of legal billing makes it critical that any support software is simple to navigate, so you can find the information you need when you need it.

Some of the best features of a great billing software include:

Automatic Payment Reminders | Rather than chasing down every unpaid invoice and having to track what’s been paid, schedule reminders to each client for collections

Client Portals | Quickly see each client’s key information, including open matters, client budget, and billing rates that are specific to them

Cloud-Based Software | Using a cloud-based program means less upfront cost, less infrastructure, and far more flexibility — including smartphone-compatible solutions to use on the go

Reporting and Analytics | Get a better sense of your firm’s expenses, overhead, and which matters bring in the most success for your business

Trust Accounting Management | Legal billing software works for lawyers in unique ways, including features that accommodate specific needs, such as IOLTA accounts

Legal billing software simplifies the way you track time, generate invoices, and collect payments. It also eliminates the work of transferring time logs to invoices by consolidating both processes to the same place. But also, and perhaps more importantly, it’s designed to fit the way you work.

Good billing software won’t add steps to your day or create more headaches, but quite the opposite: it will remove friction from your billing process, eliminate repetitive tasks, and leave a lot less room for error. Most software is also now cloud-based, meaning that if you have an internet-enabled device of any kind — be it phone, desktop, or laptop — you can start using this software as soon as today.

Bill4Time: The Best Timekeeping and Billing Software for Attorneys

Lawyers need their software to be intuitive, easy to navigate, and compliant with legal ethics. At Bill4Time, we place a strong focus on making solutions that make your job as a legal professional easier: by simplifying, streamlining, and securing the billing process.

Bill4Time lets you spend less time managing, and more time practicing — by automating the most time intensive billing processes and ensuring you always have access to client information, both in and out of the office.

Ready to make your billing process a whole lot easier? See for yourself what Bill4Time can do, and sign up for a free trial today. You can also click the button below to schedule a free custom demo, and we’ll walk you through how Bill4Time would work for your firm.

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How Much Does Legal Billing Software Cost?

April 24, 2025 By Dan Bowman Leave a Comment

Attorney time and billing software can cost around $30 per month per user to hundreds of dollars per month per user, depending on the provider. There are a variety of legal e-billing vendors to choose from, each with their own sets of features, all of which are around a similar price point. But if you really want to know how much a billing software will cost you per month, you’ll need to consider more than price; it’s also about worth.

The true value of billing software is in saved time, smooth workflows, and an overall easier collection process. With that in mind, the best software will feel less like an expense, and more like an essential piece of your practice — one that runs things behind the scene so you can focus more attention on your clients and billable tasks.

What Factors Affect the Cost of Legal Billing Software?

The main factors that affect billing software’s price are the features they offer, the size of your firm, any unique needs of your practice, and the provider’s payment plans. You will commonly see multiple ‘tiers’ of pricing with scaling offerings of features, support, and integrations. Depending on the provider, there may also be added fees to look out for, particularly if their software does not have its own payment processor.

Regardless of the numbers, providers typically price on a per-user, per-month basis. Sometimes, they will offer a slight discount for paying annually versus monthly; for example, Bill4Time’s basic plan comes at a lower rate when paid annually and includes more within its base pricing than many others at a similar level.

Another factor for pricing is whether the software is cloud-based or uses on-premise technology. Typically, cloud-based software is almost always the best option; it’s cheaper due to using less hardware and requires far less maintenance from you, the end user. Additionally, cloud-based billing software is far more flexible, particularly those that come with mobile app support.

Cloud technology also saves money by letting you incorporate smart devices your business already has, cutting down upfront investment even further. On top of that, cloud technology has consistent pricing and can easily scale up as your business grows and gains new, loyal clients.

Is Free Legal Billing Software an Option for Law Firms?

That depends on how you define ‘option.’ Free tools may seem like a smart move, but in reality, they will end up costing you more than they ‘save.’ So, when it comes to legal billing software, free is less of a green light and more of a red flag.

The word free is pretty tempting, especially for a small law firm owner. But free software rarely offers any security, support, or meaningful features. Even if the software does happen to have good features, they will most likely be sitting behind a paywall. On top of that, you’ll likely be stuck figuring it out solo, with no guidance on ways to actually improve your billing process.

Rather than asking, “What’s the cheapest billing tool I can get by with?” ask: “What software is actually going to help my practice thrive?” The right billing solution won’t feel like an expense; it’ll be momentum to your firm’s success. If it doesn’t feel like that, then it’s not the right choice.

With that in mind…

**What’s the Right Legal Billing Software Budget for Your Firm?**

The right budget strikes a balance between price and value: a price you can afford, with a value that you want. So to find the right fit, start by asking: what is most valuable to your firm?

Are you looking to save time?
Do you want support for compliance?
Want to simplify the invoicing process?
Need to speed up collections?
Seeking a better billing workflow overall?

Any or all of these can be answered with legal billing software. But finding the right software for your firm’s practice matters more than picking something with trendy features. A solid way to evaluate cost is to consider how many billable hours you could recover by using the software. If it saves even a few hours a month on invoicing, follow-ups, or reconciling payments, the time regained may outweigh the monthly fee.

Before committing to any software, make sure to do a free trial — regardless of who the provider is. Just because a platform has high marks and five-star reviews doesn’t mean it will work well with your firm. Plus, since most software is cloud-based, free trials don’t require tons of setup.

How Much Should Billing Software Cost for a Small Law Firm?

Billing software pricing can vary widely depending on the provider, the size of your firm, and the features included. Most platforms offer tiered plans to accommodate different needs. For instance, Bill4Time’s entry-level plan starts at $27 per user, per month when billed annually.

But price is just one of many factors that determine the true “cost” of billing software. The “cheapest” option might cost less money, but it also might end up costing you missed hours, clerical errors, and unpaid invoices.

If the software doesn’t actively save you time, stress, and energy, then it’s not worth the price. Look for software that’s both affordable and helpful. Good providers offer software that’s user-friendly, flexible, and efficient — and that’s what we provide at Bill4Time.

Bill4Time strikes a keen balance between cost and value. For less than $30 per month, you’ll have a simple, efficient, streamlined way of handling your billing. From initial time tracking to collecting the final payment, everything goes into one single source — including a native law firm payment processor, which means more secure collections for you and your clients. Firms of all sizes use Bill4Time for case management, time tracking, trust accounting, and much more.

You’ve probably seen plenty of threads discussing the best legal billing software on Reddit and other forums — and it’s smart to look at what other attorneys are saying. Once you’ve done your research, the next move is to see how platforms like Bill4Time perform in real life. Start a free Bill4Time trial today, or click below to schedule a demo tailored to your firm. Let us show you how billing software can boost your firm’s operations and be an excellent return on investment.

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What Is the Best Attorney Time and Billing Software?

April 16, 2025 By Allison Lemasters Leave a Comment

The best attorney time and billing software supports the natural rhythm of your practice: accurately tracking hours, sending polished invoices, and getting you paid on time without taking more of your time.

In the practice of law, a few minutes can be the difference between profitability and burnout. Every tool you choose matters, even those that track your work. But the “best” software for your practice doesn’t always mean the most popular or even the one with the most features.

The real question is: which software works the same way you do?

If you’re looking for a solution that’s simple to run and gets the job done, this article is for you. Below, you’ll find tips for finding software that fits how you bill time as an attorney, so you can focus on your practice knowing the essentials are, quite literally, accounted for.

How to Choose the Best Attorney Time and Billing Software for Your Firm

To find an ideal billing software, start by looking at how you keep track of billable hours today.

What kind of billing do you do? (hourly, flat fee, contingency, a hybrid model, etc.)
How many people need access to billing features and data?
Are you frequently out of the office?
How much help would you need with learning new software?

All of these factors are essential for figuring out how to maximize billable hours with software. Let’s look at each of these questions individually and how software should help answer these questions.

What Kind of Billing Do You Do?

Most firms don’t rely on a single billing model. You may bill hourly for litigation, use flat fees for estate planning, or negotiate contingency arrangements for plaintiff-side work. Many practices even mix their approaches based on matter type or client preference.

The billing software you use should handle that complexity without added friction. Whether you’re toggling between fee structures in the same matter or managing hybrid arrangements across multiple attorneys, flexibility is non-negotiable. For example, software like Bill4Time allows for customized billing setups that reflect real practice demands, down to rate changes, matter-specific rules, and detailed audit trails, so your billing adapts as your matters do.

How Many People Need Access To Billing Features and Data?

That number might be more than you expect. Even if you’re the only one sending invoices, billing touches nearly every aspect of your firm. Your paralegals and attorneys log time, your admin staff follows up on payments, your partner reviews reports, maybe you even have a billing specialist… the list goes on.

Effective billing software supports this division of labor without compromising data integrity. Look for platforms that allow granular, role-based access so each user can view or manage only what they need. That kind of structure helps protect sensitive financial data while still keeping your team productive and aligned.

Are You Frequently Out of the Office?

Mobility adds another layer to the timekeeping challenge. If your practice takes you from the courtroom to client sites to depositions in different cities, logging time from your desk isn’t realistic. Writing things down to enter later increases the risk of forgetting the details or misallocating time entirely.

The best providers of legal software also have a mobile app for time tracking, so you can log time in real time. Being able to capture time entries on the spot, switch matters mid-task, or review what’s unbilled while you’re still in motion helps you stay accurate without disrupting your schedule.

How Much Help Would You Need With New Software?

No matter what you choose, software will only be as effective as your knowledge of it — and that comes back to onboarding. Having support staff to help, as well as additional learning resources to access on your own time, ensures you know what the software can do. More importantly, it helps you integrate the software into how you practice, rather than adjusting your practice to match the software.

After you consider the needs of your firm, you next want to figure out which features are the most important to you. You can focus on evaluating these as you test different platforms to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

What Features Set the Best Attorney Billing Software Apart?

The most critical features of billing software include:

Matter-Based Time Entry | You need to link time to the right matter with precision, especially when multiple matters exist for the same client.
Native Payment Processing | Using one system to track time, another to generate invoices, and a third to collect payment is inefficient and risky. When payments run through the same system that generated the bill, reconciliation is simpler and cleaner.
Multiple Timers Option | Your software should let you easily switch between timers without breaking stride.
Editable, Flexible Invoicing | You’ll want to be able to adjust language for clarity, redact internal notes, or break down line items differently for a client with specific preferences.
Invoice Customization | Branded invoices signal professionalism and help set expectations with clients. You should be able to control how your bills look without hiring a designer or fighting a formatting tool.
Insightful Analytics and Reporting | Time and billing reports should help you spot trends, track write-offs, and evaluate staff performance, not just show how many hours you worked.
Batch Invoicing Capabilities | When you’re billing dozens of clients at the end of the month, sending invoices one at a time burns hours you’ll never get back. Your software should let you generate and send multiple invoices in one go.

For billing software, the most important traits overall are accuracy, efficiency, and security. A software that addresses the above factors will help you print accurate invoices the first time, at a much quicker rate, within a much safer framework. If your billing process is simple, clean, and secure, that creates a better experience for you and your clients.

How Should Attorneys Keep Track of Their Time With Billing Software?

Here’s what an ideal day-to-day could look like with the right software to assist your billing:

Start each day with a fresh timer, or view upcoming calendar events and tasks to see what needs to happen first. From there, you can set up different timers for each task.

Your timer runs in the background as you work; at any moment you can pause or switch timers if you change to a new task, keeping each timer linked to the right matter.

Once you finish a task, you can stop the timer and add quick notes about what you did. You can also enter time manually, if you missed logging something earlier in the day.

Speaking of missing things… ever worry about forgetting to invoice for something? Good software will have easy ways for you to see what tasks you haven’t billed for yet.

Once your time entries are approved, they’ll automatically populate the invoice template connected to that matter. From there, you can easily make edits.

Sending the final invoice is as easy as an email or message via the client portal. Then, you can collect payment with that same software, keeping it all in a secure, closed loop.

Make Your Practice Run Smoother With Time and Billing Software

Your billing process is the engine that keeps your practice running. And when your tools are clunky, slow, or hard to collaborate with, that engine sputters and your practice suffers. But with the right software, your firm doesn’t just keep up; it sails smoothly.

At Bill4Time, we understand the rhythm of running a law firm. With us, you can simplify the tedious, automate the repetitive, and get back more time to focus on your clients. Whether you’re a solo attorney or a small team, Bill4Time has the flexibility, transparency, and security to keep your billing as professional as the work behind it. Our software is especially efficient when multiple parties are working on the same cases, making collaboration that much easier.

Ready to run a tighter ship without running yourself ragged? Bill4Time might be the smoothest move you make this year. Sign up for a free trial, or click the button below to set up a free demo customized for your firm.

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How Do Lawyers and Paralegals Keep Track of Their Time?

March 19, 2025 By Nina Lee Leave a Comment

It’s the end of a long day at your firm. Your associate stares at their laptop, trying to piece together how they spent the last ten hours. Court appearances, client calls, research, drafting — what was billable? What wasn’t? Across the office, a paralegal flips through their notes, trying to separate admin work from tasks that can actually be invoiced. It’s a familiar struggle in law firms everywhere.

But here’s the truth: most lawyers and paralegals aren’t guessing anymore. They’re using software.

Legal time tracking software has become the backbone of law firm billing, replacing messy spreadsheets and end-of-day estimations with precise, real-time tracking. Instead of scrambling to remember what they worked on, legal professionals log their time as they go — on their desktops, in mobile apps, or through automated tools that sync with calendars and emails.

And the best legal time tracking software doesn’t just record hours. It categorizes tasks, assigns different billing rates for attorneys and paralegals, and integrates with accounting tools so firms don’t leave money on the table.

In this short guide, we’ll explore the different ways firms are handling time tracking and why using time tracking software has become the best option.

How Do Lawyers Manage Time Tracking?

While most lawyers are using some sort of software, the truth is that time tracking methods vary. Ask twelve lawyers how they track their time, and you’ll probably get a dozen different answers. Some still rely on old-school methods like scribbling hours on a notepad or logging them in a spreadsheet at the end of the day. Others use dictation tools to record their billable activities on the go.

The problem? It’s easy to forget billable tasks, unconsciously round down time, or miscalculate your total hours.

Others rely on Outlook or Google Calendar as a rough record of client meetings and casework — better than nothing, but far from precise. Then there are lawyers who dictate their hours into a voice recorder or send themselves emails throughout the day, hoping to compile everything later. While this approach captures more detail, it still requires someone — whether the attorney or an assistant — to manually enter those hours into the billing system.

The real question is how should lawyers track their time? The answer is simple: technology. The firms that get the most out of their billable hours rely on dedicated time tracking software. Instead of leaving hours up to memory or messy notes, software makes tracking seamless, reducing the risk of lost revenue.

However, there is a key to using time tracking software effectively: using it contemporaneously. It’s best to record time as you work, rather than trying to recall what you did at the end of the day (or worse, the end of the week).

Other features that set time tracking software apart:

Mobile apps – Lawyers aren’t always at their desks. A mobile time tracker allows you to log hours from court, client meetings, or even the airport.
Automatic tracking – Some platforms integrate with calendars, emails, and case management systems to track time spent on client-related activities.
Reminders and prompts – If you forget to log time for a certain activity, software can nudge you to fill in the gaps.
Reporting and analytics – Software provides insights into where time is spent, helping firms optimize billing and identify inefficiencies.

At the end of the day, manual tracking is a hassle. It leads to lost billable time, inaccurate invoicing, and frustrated attorneys trying to piece together their work. Time tracking software removes that burden, making it easier to bill accurately and get paid for every minute of work.

How Do Paralegals Manage Time Tracking?

Paralegals juggle more of a mix of billable and non-billable work, which can make time tracking even trickier for them than it is for attorneys. Unlike lawyers, whose hours are mostly dedicated to client work, paralegals handle everything from drafting documents and conducting research (billable) to administrative tasks like organizing case files and sending invoices (non-billable).

This makes time tracking one of the most important skills for a paralegal. That constant shift between billable and non-billable time makes accurate tracking essential — for transparency, and for helping your firm optimize workload distribution and billing efficiency.

Most law firms rely on a single time tracking system where attorneys, paralegals, and support staff log their hours as separate users. This setup keeps everything in one place, making it easier to review and invoice billable time accurately. Additionally, you’ll want to look for:

Pre-set categories – Quickly distinguish between billable legal work and admin tasks without needing to manually classify each entry.
Role-based billing rates – Automatically apply the correct billing rate for attorneys, paralegals, and other staff to prevent underbilling or overbilling.
Time entry organization – Sort and filter time logs based on client, matter, or task type, so no billable work slips through the cracks.

Without a reliable system in place, firms risk losing revenue from untracked or misclassified time. That’s where software like Bill4Time can help. With Bill4Time’s built-in categorization features, firms can easily separate billable from non-billable work and assign different billing rates to different roles so that every minute is accounted for. Instead of sorting through spreadsheets or manually calculating rates, paralegals and attorneys can enter their time directly into the system, and the software takes care of the rest.

Paralegals play a vital role in legal work, and their contributions — both billable and non-billable — deserve to be accurately documented. With the right software, your firm can track every minute with confidence, making sure that both your lawyers and paralegals get credit for their work.

Do Lawyers Get Paid for Billable Hours?

Not exactly. While clients pay for the hours lawyers bill for their work, that money goes straight to the firm, not the individual attorney. Lawyers typically earn a salary and, in some cases, bonuses for exceeding billable hour targets. The exact structure depends on the firm, but even solo practitioners don’t pocket every dollar they bill.

Where Does the Money Go?

Let’s break it down with a quick example. The average lawyer billing rate in the U.S. varies by state and practice area, but a mid-range estimate is around $300 per hour. If a lawyer bills 1,800 hours a year — a common goal in many firms — that’s $540,000 in revenue for the firm. But that doesn’t mean the lawyer is walking away with half a million dollars.

Here’s why:

Firm Overhead – A large portion of firm revenue goes toward operating costs. Rent, legal research tools, practice management software, staff salaries, employee benefits, insurance, bar dues, marketing, and technology all come out of the firm’s earnings before lawyers see their share. Some firms have high overhead costs, especially in major cities, while others keep expenses lean, but no firm operates without them.

Non-Billable Work – Even though billable hours drive firm revenue, lawyers don’t spend every working hour on billable tasks. Internal meetings, business development, client intake, and administrative work all take time but don’t directly generate income. Since salaries and bonuses are usually based on the firm’s overall profitability — not just an individual lawyer’s billed hours — there’s not always a direct correlation between what a lawyer bills and what they take home.

Profit Margins & Partner Distributions – Like any business, law firms need to turn a profit. After covering overhead, firms allocate revenue to partner distributions, reinvestment in the business, and other financial priorities. Partners — especially equity partners — typically take a percentage of firm profits, which means a portion of the revenue from associate billables goes toward partner compensation.

Most law firm associates receive a fixed salary, sometimes with bonuses tied to hitting high billable hour targets. Solo lawyers, on the other hand, get paid directly from what they bill — but they also have to cover office expenses, malpractice insurance, marketing, and every other cost of running a practice.

What Do Lawyers Spend Most of Their Time Doing?

Billable hours don’t tell the full story of a lawyer’s workload. Attorneys spend a significant portion of their day on case preparation, legal research, client communication, and administrative work — some of which is billable, some of which isn’t. Time tracking software helps firms separate billable from non-billable tasks, making it easier to see how much time is actually bringing in revenue.

At the end of the day, lawyers aren’t directly paid for billable hours — they’re paid based on a mix of salary, performance incentives, and firm profitability. While billable hours drive firm revenue, they don’t translate dollar-for-dollar into an attorney’s paycheck.

Do Paralegals Get Paid for Billable Hours?

Just like lawyers, when clients are billed for the hours paralegals work, that revenue goes to the firm, not straight into the paralegal’s pocket. Paralegals typically earn an hourly wage or a salary, with the firm collecting fees from clients for their billable work.

However, many firms offer bonuses tied to productivity and billable hour goals, providing financial incentives for paralegals to meet or exceed their targets. For example, some firms have tiered bonus structures where paralegals receive increasing bonuses as they surpass specific billable hour thresholds. These bonuses can range from a few thousand dollars to significantly higher amounts, depending on the firm’s policies and the individual’s performance.

How Much Do Paralegals Make?

According to the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), the median hourly wage for paralegals and legal assistants in the United States was $24.87 per hour as of 2020. However, it’s important to note that paralegal billing rates in 2025 charged to clients are typically higher to account for overhead and profit margins. For example, some firms bill paralegal time at rates ranging from $50 to $200 per hour and beyond, depending on the complexity of the work and the market rates in their region. The difference between the billing rate and the paralegal’s pay contributes to the firm’s revenue, covering operational costs and profitability.

The Role of Billable Hours in Career Advancement

Firms may use billable hours as a metric for performance evaluations, influencing decisions on raises, promotions, and bonuses. Effective time management and diligent tracking of billable hours are crucial for paralegals who want to advance in their careers and maximize their earnings.

So, while paralegals don’t receive direct payment for each billable hour, their compensation is closely tied to the revenue generated from their work. Understanding your firm’s billing practices and striving to meet billable hour goals can lead to financial rewards and career advancement opportunities.

Bill4Time: The Best Way to Track Time Accurately

Whether you’re a lawyer tracking every minute of client work or a paralegal juggling billable and non-billable tasks, one thing is clear: time tracking software makes a difference. The old ways — handwritten notes, spreadsheets, or relying on memory — lead to lost revenue, inaccurate billing, and extra administrative headaches. That’s why law firms of all sizes turn to Bill4Time to streamline their timekeeping and billing processes.

Bill4Time is built for law firms, making it easy for everyone on the team to log their hours accurately, whether they’re in the office, in court, or working remotely. With role-based billing rates, firms can correctly classify and charge for lawyer and paralegal time without extra manual effort. Some of the features that make Bill4Time the go-to choice for all legal professionals:

Multi-user tracking – Assign different billing rates for lawyers, paralegals, and staff, ensuring accurate invoices.
Contemporaneous time tracking – Log billable hours as you work, so you never forget what you did.
Mobile access – Track time on the go, no matter where you are.
Easy invoicing – Turn billable hours into professional invoices with just a few clicks.

The best way to understand how Bill4Time simplifies time tracking? Try it for yourself. Sign up for a free trial today, or click the button below to schedule a free demo. You can experience firsthand how Bill4Time can help your firm track every billable hour effortlessly, eliminate manual errors, and boost profitability.

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What Is the Best Time Tracking Software for Lawyers?

March 6, 2025 By Taylor Dahlem Leave a Comment

Legal time tracking software is the best way for lawyers to track their time. This software specifically caters to the complex nature of billable hours, with numerous features to help you organize your time and quickly generate accurate invoices. And the best legal time tracking software will be one that’s simple to use, easy to learn, supports your billing process, and has secure remote access.

Want to learn more about time tracking software? Keep reading as we examine what the best apps for keeping track of billable hours have in common. We’ll also take a detailed look at some of the options out there to see how they stack up against each other.

Let’s start with some key criteria you should be looking for in a quality legal time tracking software.

What Should You Look for When Choosing Legal Time Tracking Software?

When reviewing what the best app is for keeping track of your billable hours, the most important qualities are security, simplicity, and support. The software should comply with legal ethics rules, be easy to integrate into your practice, and provide ample support — both to your operations and to you as you learn how to use the software. Let’s look at each of these in further detail.

Security

Above all, the software you choose must protect your firm’s data and your client’s information, per Rule 1.6 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. This is potentially the main reason you should be skeptical of using free or very cheap legal billing software: it likely lacks the safety measures to warrant ethical use. As you’re browsing options, make sure to ask about the provider’s security measures. Some examples of questions you could ask the provider might be:

Are your security measures compliant with Rule 1.6 and similar legal standards?
How do you protect your customers’ data?
Who will have access to my data — and how will they gain access?
How do you ensure the right people have access (and bad actors do not)?

Simplicity

Second to security is simplicity: how easy the software is to learn, and whether or not it simplifies your time tracking process. This applies not only to logging billable hours but also to your entire billing process, as the best software should be able to handle both.

On that note, time tracking works best when it’s part of a complete legal practice management solution; this way, when it’s time to create invoices, you don’t have to transfer your timesheets to another source. As you browse options, here are some questions you can ask the provider to ensure their software fulfills this need:

Are there any parts of the billing and invoicing process your software doesn’t handle?
Will I need any third-party integrations for any part of the tracking and billing process?
How will this software save me time compared to doing it manually with a spreadsheet?
Do you offer free demos and/or trials so I can see firsthand how your software works?
How easy is it to log hours, generate invoices, and send them out with your software?

Support

The main benefit of using time tracking software is the assistance it provides and the structure it gives to your operations. For example, using software for task and workflow automation can help cut down time spent on the most repetitive tasks.

But support isn’t just about the software itself; it’s also about how much help the software provider gives you as you’re learning. Training resources, how-to videos, and live customer support are important because they give you the best chance to make the software work for your firm. Make sure to ask providers questions like:

What resources do you have to help me learn your software?
Where do I go if I have questions or don’t know how to do something in the software?
Is there a dedicated account manager or support rep for my firm?

Attorney Time Tracking Software Options

Several providers exist, each with their own spin on software solutions. Here are a few of the most common options out there and some of the benefits they provide to users.

Bill4Time

Bill4Time makes tracking billable hours simple and efficient, with a cloud-based system that allows you to log time from anywhere. Its invoicing feature turns timesheets into invoices instantly, reducing the time spent on this administrative work. You can also customize your invoices with your own branding to keep your firm name top-of-mind.

And unlike many competitors, Bill4Time includes a built-in payment processor, so you can track time, invoice clients, and accept payments — all in one system, without relying on third-party integrations.

Legal professionals also praise Bill4Time’s easy-to-navigate interface and its wealth of legal-specific features, like LEDES or UTBMS formatting. Users also have access to live support, how-to guides, and training materials to get up to speed quickly — which doesn’t take long, as it’s an intuitive, easy-to-use software.

Clockify Time Tracker

Clockify is a general-purpose time tracking app designed for freelancers and businesses, with small-to-medium-sized companies as its primary users. It offers basic time tracking features, letting users log hours, share timesheets with clients, and generate invoices automatically. Clockify also includes productivity monitoring, allowing supervisors to track employee activity.

While Clockify works well for simple time tracking, it isn’t built specifically for legal professionals. That means it lacks law firm-specific features, such as built-in trust accounting compliance, legal billing codes, and client confidentiality safeguards required under ABA rules.

Google Workspace Options

Google offers a few time tracking solutions — namely, their Time Tracking app. This app focuses on simplicity and collaboration between multiple parties while tracking time. The time tracking components are not necessarily compliant with ethical practice standards, and you will most likely run into security and support issues if you decide to use them.

Does Google have a free time tracker? Technically, yes — some users rely on Google Sheets to create manual timesheets. While this might work in a pinch, spreadsheets can be difficult to organize, prone to errors, and time-consuming when it comes to turning tracked hours into invoices. These inefficiencies are precisely why many attorneys look for dedicated time tracking software instead.

Timesolv

Timesolv is another option that offers a way to track hours anywhere and streamline your billing process. Many of its features are useful for the billing process, but it lacks certain functions that help generate detailed, easy-to-read reports. Another drawback is the high cost of data migration — a necessary step for many firms switching from other case management or billing systems.

While it covers basic billing needs, Timesolv’s branding options are limited, and there are fewer pre-built invoice templates compared to other platforms. For firms that need fast, professional-looking invoices, this could be a roadblock.

Toggl Track

This time tracking software prioritizes generating customized data reports to help with finances and revenue growth. Although it calls out law firms as one of its clients, Toggl is not specific to the legal world, meaning it lacks components critical for legal billing, such as LEDES or UTBMS formatting.

Additionally, Toggl is solely for tracking time and cannot be used as a case management software. And while the low cost of a platform that just does time tracking may sound appealing, you’re likely going to end up spending even more money piecing together your legal workflow tech stack. Time tracking, after all, is just one part of practice management.

Track Your Time — and Your Practice — With Bill4Time

Most time tracking platforms aren’t built for the way law firms work. Even fewer offer the full support and practice management features that attorneys need. Bill4Time does both. It makes tracking billable hours simple and accurate while also providing a complete practice management solution to keep everything organized in one place.

Want to see how Bill4Time could improve your firm’s time tracking and workflows? Sign up for a free trial, or click the button below to schedule a free demo customized for your firm. We look forward to saving you time (and money)!

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What Do Lawyers Use to Track Billable Hours?

February 14, 2025 By Dan Bowman Leave a Comment

Legal time tracking software is typically how lawyers calculate their billable hours and keep track of everything. According to the American Bar Association, nearly 9 out of 10 firms were already using time tracking software by 2021, and for multiple reasons. The complex nature of time tracking requires methods that keep lawyers organized and accurate — two goals time tracking software helps facilitate.

This software can be, for an attorney, like a “billable hours calculator” that works based on start-and-stop timers and custom hourly rates. This reduces potential errors and speeds up the billing process, as you track time in the same software that generates your invoices.

Finding the best legal time tracking software for your firm can make a world of difference in your efficiency, whether you’re a solo practitioner or running a large corporate practice. But with a ton of options on the market, it’s helpful to know what you’re looking for. Read on to learn more about effectively tracking time and how exactly time tracking software can work for your firm.

How to Keep Track of Billable Hours Effectively

Generally, there are two ways you can track time: manually and digitally. Let’s examine both.

Manual Tracking

Various methods of tracking by hand have emerged over the history of practicing law, all of which have their own pros and cons. Some of the most common methods include:

Real-Time | Writing down time spent on tasks as they occur — for example, spending a half-hour answering a client’s email and then immediately writing down the time spent.

Intervals | Rather than tracking things as they happen, attorneys may opt to do all of their tracking in regular intervals, typically daily or even weekly.

Delegated | An attorney passes their entries to a paralegal or assistant, who enters the times into the firm’s tracking system of choice (e.g., spreadsheets, paper charts)

Calendaring | Many attorneys will simply reference their calendars to calculate billable hours. Events, emails, meetings, and court dates are reference points for this method.

Manual tracking methods like the ones above come with several pros: they’re simple, easy to understand, and follow some sort of consistent timing that easily slots them into a routine. Essentially, they are a “quick and dirty” way to get a close estimate of billable hours.

Unfortunately, manual methods are often subject to human error — through flawed arithmetic, mistakes while entering data, or simply not being exact enough.

Sometimes, simply forgetting to bill for certain tasks can happen as well. Even the best attorneys with the sharpest memories might forget to bill for tasks, especially if there is a gap of time between completing tasks and recording them. Recent studies show that the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve theory still rings true today, which more or less means if you don’t write something down right away, you’re very likely to lose it!

Digital Tracking

While manual methods have been around for decades, software built specifically for tracking billable hours has become the preferred choice for many attorneys. Unlike spreadsheets, which were adapted for timekeeping but not designed for it, legal time tracking software allows lawyers to log their hours as they work, apply custom billing rates, and generate invoices with ease.

A recent TechReport by the American Bar Association highlighted a growing reliance on digital time tracking across the legal field:

Roughly two-thirds (66%) of firms use time tracking software.
Nearly 85% of lawyers reported personally using remote-access software.
Seven out of 10 firms are using cloud-based software in their operations.

Additionally, there is a clear trend towards using digital tracking in favor of manual tracking, especially via cloud-based software. Solo lawyers, for example, nearly tripled their usage rate from the previous year.

Ultimately, while manual tracking methods have improved over the years, digital methods are quickly becoming the norm for practicing attorneys. Time tracking software is far easier to do in real time — regardless of where you are — which gives you an easy, efficient way to record your time right after completing a task.

Is There a Tool to Track Billable Hours for Different Practice Areas?

A high-quality legal time tracking software will have multiple ways to account for different practice areas. Some features that work great for unique situations in various practice areas include the following:

Customizable Billing Structures

Every practice area has its own way of handling fees. A family law attorney working on a divorce case might bill by the hour, while a personal injury lawyer works on contingency. Some firms also use blended billing, charging different rates for partners, associates, and paralegals. Good legal time tracking software can (and should) provide settings that accommodate any billing structure you use.

Mobile Access

If you’re in a practice area that takes you away from the office often, it’s great to have a way to record billable hours while you’re on the move. The best time tracking software will come with a mobile time and billing app that you can run on any smart device, so you don’t miss a minute of work you put in.

Detailed Reporting

No matter how a firm bills, reporting features provide valuable insights into time management, case progress, and profitability. Running reports on pending invoices, total hours worked per case, or time spent on specific tasks can help firms identify inefficiencies and adjust workloads accordingly.

For firms that bill hourly, reports can highlight unbilled time and compare billable targets to actual hours worked. Those handling flat-fee matters can track how much time is spent on each case type to assess whether their pricing is truly profitable. Contingency firms can analyze case timelines to better estimate how long similar cases will take in the future.

Auto-Text Abbreviations

Clear and consistent billing makes invoices easier for clients to understand and reduces the chances of disputes. Auto-text shortcuts help attorneys in any practice area log time faster by filling in commonly used descriptions with just a few keystrokes. Instead of typing out “Reviewed and responded to client email regarding…” every time, an attorney can use a preset abbreviation, like “RR,” to generate the first part of the entry instantly. Over time, these small efficiencies add up, making billing faster and more accurate across the board.

As a final note, time tracking software works best when it’s part of a complete legal practice management software. This cuts down on the amount of software you need to manage your billing and invoicing process, making the entire process simpler and more accurate.

What Is the Tool for Tracking Billable Hours for Free?

Truthfully, there aren’t any free tools that track billable hours — at least, not any that were designed for it. You could possibly try using free tools like Google Sheets or other open-source platforms, but ultimately, they won’t have enough function to be worth your time (literally).

Quality time tracking software costs money because it’s maintained by service providers who not only keep your data secure but also help you maximize the software’s potential. Even if there is time tracking software that’s free to use, you should proceed with caution. Some providers try to lure you in with a “freemium” option, which sounds like a good idea until you see why it’s free.

Free-to-use time tracking software typically is lacking in one or more areas: security, function, usability, customer support, you name it. And if it is usable, it will likely come with heavy restrictions designed to frustrate you into purchasing the full, paid version. So, really, it’s just a ploy to hook you in and get you to spend money.

Using time tracking software should create processes that are better than doing it by hand, “better” meaning faster, more efficient, more accurate, and ultimately more profitable. Free software is free for a reason, and paying for software is not a downside; in fact, with the right time tracking software, you can capture more billable time, reduce errors, and spend less time on administrative work — ultimately increasing revenue.

What Percentage of Lawyers’ Hours Are Billable with Software vs. Without?

On average, about a third of the hours lawyers work (30%) qualify as billable hours. This may seem like a small number if you’re not an attorney, but lawyers know firsthand how much time they spend on non-billable work, from business development to tedious admin tasks. Thankfully, there is a way lawyers can improve that percentage right away: by using time tracking software.

Time tracking software makes tracking billable hours easier, quicker, and more efficient. It also leads to a far more accurate representation of your day-to-day workflow as an attorney. Tracking in real-time helps reduce forgotten entries, and small increments of work are easier to capture; even a quick email to a client that takes five minutes can quickly be recorded. Plus, with software formulas calculating the final invoice based on your hourly rates, there is much less room for error.

Using time tracking software also saves you time on billing and invoicing. You can set up automated workflows for the most repetitive, rote tasks that go into your job — for example, the steps you go through for client intake, or the different workflows for different types of cases. With less time spent on repetitive work, you can spend more time connecting with your clients. And with a written record of the tasks you accomplish for each case, it’s much easier to make sure you didn’t miss anything when you’re drafting the invoice.

Bill4Time: The Ultimate Attorney Billing Cheat Sheet

Are you tired of manually adding up billable hours in a spreadsheet, asking yourself, “How many billable hours is 45 minutes?” yet again? If so, maybe it’s time for Bill4Time to help you out. This software is the most efficient way to track billable hours, especially because time tracking is only one part of Bill4Time’s complete practice management solution. You can capture your entire workflow in one place, eliminating several points of transferring data and cutting down on potential billing errors.

We welcome you to try Bill4Time yourself and see how much it can help your practice. Sign up for a free trial today, or click the button below to schedule a free demo. We look forward to helping you save effort, time, and money in your practice!

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