Activate: How to Streamline Law Firm Billing

Effective billing, like learning any skill, requires repetition. 

 

If you can use the same process for billing every time, it makes it much easier to repeat that process, including for collection purposes. 

 

But, as with many things that require repetition in business, the use of templates can help tremendously, in streamlining your law firm processes. 

 

So, the first question is whether you use ‘activity codes’ for billing.  If you do, it’s easier to generate items on an invoice, tied to the specific activities you perform for clients regularly.  There are activity codes/billing codes for law firms available online (‘LEDES billing’ is a common set of activity codes for law firms to employ), and some softwares include default activity codes for billing – but, you can also generate and maintain your own activity codes, if you wish.  All you need to do is create a shorthand for the task, and maybe employ a number, to make it look official, ya know. 

 

That’s step one; but, step two is where the magic starts.  If you can attach templated billing descriptions to your activity codes, then you’re in business.  That way, every time you select a billing code, you will also produce a billing description, which can be the final version of that billing description, or which can serve as a foundation (draft) of a final version. 

 

Billing can be a repeatable motion, even though most law firms don’t treat it that way. 

 

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If you’re ready to streamline your law firm billing, give us a buzz. 

Through a unique partnership between the bar association and Jared Correia's Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, Vermont Bar Association members have access to experienced law practice management consultants at a special discounted rate.

To get started, visit Red Cave's Vermont Bar Association landing page, and start running your law practice like a business.