Timers and manual entry
One running timer per member, manual entries for the rest, Firm rounding applied.
Time and invoicing
Turn completed work into a clear client invoice.
Time gets tracked in one tool, invoiced from another, and explained to the client by phone when the two disagree. BetterDocket keeps time on the Case it belongs to, builds the invoice from that time or from flat-fee lines, issues it as a permanent PDF the Client can read in the portal, reminds them on the due date, and lets you record the payment when it arrives. It never touches the money.
The problem
Where the time goes today.
Time lives apart from the matter
The timer app does not know which Case it is running for. Reconciling entries to matters at month end is its own unbillable job.
Invoices raise questions
An entry written for the file reads badly to a client. The call to explain it costs more than the entry billed.
Chasing payment by hand
Someone remembers to send the reminder, or does not. Partial payments get noted in a spreadsheet that drifts from the invoice.
How it works
Time and invoicing in BetterDocket.
Step by step. Each one is something the product does today.
Capture time on the Case
Run one timer per Firm Member or enter time manually, with your Firm's rounding rules applied. Billable entries carry an internal note and a separate client-facing description.
See howBuild the invoice
Combine time entries and manual lines, so a flat fee is one line and an hourly matter pulls its unbilled time. Choose the bill-to Client explicitly.
Issue a permanent PDF
Issued recipients, identities, lines, dates, and instructions freeze. The Client reads the invoice in the portal and receives it by email. Corrections keep an auditable trail rather than rewriting history.
Remind on the due date
BetterDocket reminds the bill-to Client on the due date and weekly afterward, with per-invoice and firm-wide controls.
Record what you receive
Log full or partial payments received by check, transfer, or your payment processor, and reverse a mistake without altering the issued record.
Report and export
Firm and Case time reports, CSV export, and display preferences for how time is shown.
What you get
Included from the first Case.
Client-facing descriptions
Keep the internal note for the file and write the line the client reads separately.
Immutable issued invoices
A permanent PDF per invoice, with corrections that leave a trail.
No money movement
BetterDocket does not collect payments, hold Client Funds, manage trust accounts, or replace accounting software.
In your practice
Where this matters most.
Civil litigation
Litigation your client can actually follow.
See the fitEstate planning
From intake questionnaire to signing, without the email chase.
See the fitReal estate
Every closing date, contingency, and document in one place.
See the fitFamily law
Fewer “any news?” calls in every divorce and custody matter.
See the fitDeliberately focused
What time and invoicing does not do.
BetterDocket organizes the administrative work around a matter. The legal work, and the tools you already use for it, stay where they are.
- It does not collect payments or integrate with a payment processor. Clients pay you the way they do today; you record it.
- It does not do trust accounting, retainer ledgers, or bank reconciliation, and it is not accounting software.
- It does not handle taxes, credits, refunds, recurring invoices, or third-party payers.
- Invoices are in US dollars.
Keep reading
Related guides
What is a client portal for law firms — and what it isn't
A client portal is a private page where a client sees their case: status, next steps, messages, and requests. What it does, what it isn't, what to look for.
Read the guideHow to keep legal clients updated without spending hours on the phone
Post one visible status update per milestone in a place clients can check themselves — a portal — instead of returning each call. Here is the playbook.
Read the guideHow small firms decide which matters need attention today
Stop reconstructing priorities from inboxes. An attention queue built from four signals — unread, pending, stale, upcoming — tells you where to look.
Read the guideQuestions.
Does BetterDocket process payments?
No. It issues the invoice and reminds the Client; the money moves through your existing processor, check, or transfer, and you record the payment on the invoice. BetterDocket never holds Client Funds.
Can I bill a flat fee?
Yes. Invoices combine time and manual lines, so a flat fee or a stage fee is one manual line. Contingency matters can simply never use time or invoicing at all.
Can I fix an issued invoice?
Issued invoices are immutable records. Corrections are made as new, auditable actions, such as recording or reversing a payment, so the history stays intact.
Does the client see my internal time notes?
No. Each billable entry has an internal note and a separate client-facing description. Only the client-facing description appears on the invoice.
What does this cost?
It is included. BetterDocket is $10 per Firm plus $1 per open Case each month, prorated by day, with unlimited team members and every capability on this site. There is no add-on, module, or per-seat fee for any of it.
Issue your next invoice from the Case it belongs to.
Time, flat fees, reminders, and recorded payments. No money through BetterDocket.
14 days. No card.