Introduction:

The below document is an outline of training that will need to be covered with attorneys to ensure invoicing can be completed successfully. After this training, attorneys will be able to:

1. How to set up a client/Payee
   
1. Individual
   
2. Entity
   
3. Joint Name (to be used when you want the invoice to have both the names of the individual (ie Jane and John Smith)
   
4. Add Client and Payee Contact information
   
2. How to set up a matter 
   
1. Required Information
   
2. Invoice Settings/If Applicable
   
3. How to associate a client and a matter
   
1.   Difference between third party payor/client and when to use each
   
4.  Time tracking -> invoice
   
1.      Different time tracking types
   
2. Needs work section
   
5. Reviewing Invoices
   
1. Locating Invoices for Review
   
2. Line item edits
   
3. Removing and adding time cards
   
4. Adding notes
   
5. Deleting an invoice
   
6. Approving an invoice
   

Documentation

Setting Up Clients & Matters

When setting up a client and a matter, it is important to follow the guidelines for your practice area – each is set up slightly differently. For more information, reach out to your managing attorney. Across all practice areas there are things that will be required to successfully invoice.

Setting up a person or entity:

Items marked with * will affect the client’s invoices. 

1. Individual
   
1. First Name*: Person’s first name
   
2. Middle Name: Middle initial or middle name. This will not appear on client’s invoice.
   
3. Last Name*: Person’s last name
   
4. Social Security: Get at least the last four
   
5. Date of Birth: day client was born
   
2. Entity
   
1. Name*: Legal Name (the one filed with the state and on their tax returns), this is the name that will show up on the invoice
   
2.  DBA: The name they go by
   
3.  EIN: Add their full EIN
   
4. UBI: if a WA client add their UBI
   
3. Joint Name (to be used when you want the invoice to have both names of the individuals, i.e. John and Jane Smith
   
1. Add everyone separately – very important for conflict check
   
1. Follow step 1A for John Smith
   
2. Follow step 1A for Jane Smith
   
3. Add a third Individual with both names
   
1. First Name: John and Jane
   
2. Last Name: Smith
   
3. Very important: Make sure all time is tracked to this third individual
   
2. Required information for all the above: 
   
1.  Role(s): Client/Payee
   
1. If there is no payee, the client will automatically become the payee. If there is a payee, the payee contact information will appear on the final invoice.
   
2. Location*: where the primary attorney is located - this designates where the remittance address will be for the client’s invoice
   
3.  Originator: who is setting up this matter
   
4. Primary Attorney*: The attorney who will be responsible for reviewing the invoice and is the client’s primary point of contact
   
5. Paralegal: The primary paralegal
   
6. Internal Contact: Typically the same as the primary paralegal.
   
7. Internal Contact: who should we contact if we have a question regarding this matter
   
8. Contact Information*
   
1. Physical Address
   
2. Mailing Address, if different
   
3. Phone number, mark primary if client can be contacted at this phone number
   
4. Email address, mark primary if client can be contacted at this email address
   

Setting up a Matter

Setting up a matter correctly helps ensure your file structure is set up correctly through DMS and assists the accounting team in invoicing your clients correctly. Items marked with a * will affect the client’s invoices.

1. Required Information
   
1. Matter name: Title of matter – be descriptive this is what shows up in DMS
   
2. Matter Description*: Specific Invoicing Information (Flat Fee, Discount, Special rates, etc.)
   
3. Matter Category*: Main type of law. 
   
4. Sub Matter Category: The specific subbranch of this matter’s practice area. 
   
5. Client: Associate your matter with a client
   
6. Location: where the primary attorney is located
   
7. Originator: who is setting up this matter
   
8. Primary Attorney: The primary point of contact. This attorney will be responsible for reviewing the invoice. 
   
9. Paralegal: The second point of contact
   
10. Point of Contact: who should we contact if we have a question regarding this matter
    
11. PNC Stage: existing or consultation
    
12. If Applicable: Invoice Setting to add a discount
    

How to associate a client and a matter

You can associate an existing client when you set up a new matter. The option will be here:

If you need to add multiple clients or include a payor, you will need to do so after the matter is set up. To do so:

1. Open the matter and click on "Associated People" on the left side of the screen 
   
2. Add New Person
   
1. From here you will have the ability to add an entirely new person to Clever Case. Follow steps in Setting Up New Client checklist above
   
2. Associate the person to the matter by designating them as a client or payee
   
3. Add person to matter:
   
1. This will allow you to associate an existing person with the matter. Search for the person by typing their name into the "Person" Box
   
2. Select their association with the matter by designating them as "Client," "Third Party Payor," or other relevant designation. 
   
4. Examples:
   
1. Family Law Example of adding existing clients to matter
   
2. Estates Example of adding existing clients to matter

Difference between third party payor/client and when to use each

Client:

This is who we are doing the work for. If there is no other person involved, the client will automatically be invoiced and receive all invoices.

Tracking Time

When a new time card is created, you must include a client and a matter. Not doing so will cause the time card to appear in the ‘Needs Work,’ a section of Clever Case we will discuss below. Time cards can be tracked in the following ways, and each will appear on the invoice differently:

Common pitfalls:

1. Hourly Work
   
1. All hourly work will appear on the invoice unless you click ‘Do not invoice’ or the timecard is listed under contingency. 
   
2. Flat Fee Work
   
1. Flat fee work should have one line item as “Flat Fee Billable” which will be the actual charge for the flat fee work. This should only be entered once, either at the start or end of the matter depending on your invoicing preference. 
   
2. All other time should be tracked as flat fee non billable at the user’s standard rate for the actual amount of time spent on the matter for that session. Do not enter it at $0. 
   
3. Contingency Work
   
1. This should always be tracked as Hourly Contingency Non-Billable at your standard rate. 
   
4. Pro-Bono Work
   
1.  This should always be tracked as Hourly Pro-Bono at your standard rate. The client WILL receive a $0 invoice for all time spent so they can be kept up to date on work done on their matter. 
   
5. Costs
   
1. Costs must be recorded in Clever Case with quantity 1, rate as the price of the expense. Accounting will verify if and how the cost was paid and invoice the client accordingly. If a cost was incurred but the client should not be charged for it, you must note that in the description. Be as accurate as possible – ie “Cost paid to Benton County Clerk for filing articles of dissolution” not “filing fee.” Save any receipts as a PDF in the client DMS file. 
   
6. Discounts
   
1. All time must be tracked at the hourly rate. If you agreed to give your client a 20% discount off your standard rate of $300, track your time as $300, not $225. If you agreed instead to work for the client AT $225 with no mention of a discount, track your time at $225. 
   
7. Point of Clarification
   
1.   All time should always be tracked at your standard hourly rate, or the rate agreed upon in the fee agreement. Do not enter your rate at $0. 

“Needs Work”

The “Needs Work” section in Clever Case is where all time cards will appear that will cause an error when creating an invoice. It is therefore extremely important to ensure you have no time cards remaining in the “Needs Work” section before invoicing begins. To find “Needs Work:”

1. Open Clever Case and click “Xero” on the left side of the screen
   
2. Click “Needs Work” on the screen that appears
   
3. Change the date filters to the current month
   
4. Enter yourself or your paralegal as a billing user
   
5. Check “include pro-bono” and “include non-billable” 
   

Photo of "Needs Work" where Katherine is selected as the billing user with one time card needing attention.

The above time card appears because it is a running time card. Clever Case is unable to invoice time cards that are currently active. Common causes of time cards appearing in “Needs Work” and their fixes:

1. The timecard isn’t associated with a matter
   
1. When looking at needs work, the “Matter ID” column will be blank. To fix, click on the pen next to the time card and enter the correct matter number. You may need to look this number up using a new tab. 
   
2. The time card isn’t associated with a client.
   
1. When looking at needs work, the “person” column will be black. To fix, click on the pen next to the time card and select the correct person from the drop down. If a matter is listed but no people appear, there is no person associated with the matter. You will need to go to the matter page directly and follow the steps in “associate person with a matter” above to resolve, and then return to the time card to select the correct person from the drop down. 
   
3. There is no primary attorney associated with the matter
   
1. When this happens, the “Invoice Attorney” will appear blank. Like when a time card is not associated with a client, you will need to make this fix in the matter itself. Navigate to the matter in a new tab and add a Primary Attorney” under the matter set up page. 

Reviewing invoices