Whether you’re new to billing clients or have been tracking time for years, one thing is certain — staying on top of every minute spent on a case is a challenge. You might have days where you hop from one task to another, making it hard to accurately track time. And without a system in place or some kind of attorney time tracking template, this can lead to missed hours, inaccurate billing, and even tension with clients over unclear invoices.
Technology, fortunately, can make time tracking much easier. Many legal time tracking software solutions have a corresponding app for on-the-go tracking. These tools can help lawyers record every action taken on behalf of a client, no matter where they are.
But with so many options available, figuring out which one best fits your needs isn’t always obvious. Let’s take a closer look at how firms are currently handling billable hours and what you should look for in a tracking app. By the end of this, you’ll have a clearer idea of what’s important and how to make the best decision for your practice.
How Do Law Firms Track Billable Hours?
Most law firms today rely on comprehensive law practice management software to track billable hours. Time tracking is often integrated directly into these systems, allowing you to log hours without switching between multiple platforms.
The best options offer built-in timers that you can start and stop as they work. You can also categorize tasks, link them to specific matters and contacts, and automatically feed the data into your firm’s billing system. Many of these platforms also include a mobile app, allowing you to track time on the go and access all of your firm data.
Here’s how it typically works: let’s say you’re heading into a client meeting, and you open the app on your phone or laptop. Before you start the timer, you select the client and matter from a dropdown menu in the app, tying the time directly to the correct case. When you wrap up, you stop the timer and enter any additional description for billing purposes. The app then automatically saves the time to that client’s matter, so when you generate the bill, it’s already included, ready to be invoiced.
This approach gives you much more than a simple stopwatch — it also helps categorize and document your work accurately. If, for instance, you spend an hour in court, you can open the app as soon as you leave, enter “court appearance,” and tag it to the client. If you take a break to answer a quick email for another client, you pause the original timer and start a new one, assigning the time to the right client as you go.
Ultimately, it removes the mental burden of trying to remember scattered tasks, making sure you don’t miss recording any billable work, even during a busy day.
Is There a Free Timer for Billable Hours?
There are free options available for tracking your billable hours; however, while the price point of free tools can be attractive, they typically come with limitations. You might find that the free versions offer fewer features, such as no ability to export time reports or lack of integration with other systems you’re using. All of this can slow down your workflow, especially if you spend time manually transferring hours into invoices or generating reports by hand.
Another issue to consider is security. Free apps may not have the same level of data protection as paid versions, which could be problematic when dealing with sensitive client information. Always confirm that any app you choose meets legal ethics and privacy requirements, as you don’t want to accidentally expose confidential data through a poorly protected platform.
In short, free timers can be a good starting point for tracking billable hours, but they may not offer the comprehensive features that established firms require. If you’re simply looking to get a sense of how much time you’re spending on different tasks, a free timer might work. But as your practice grows, you’ll likely need something more robust.
Is There an App to Track Hours Worked on iPhone and Android?
Bill4Time offers a mobile app for both iPhone and Android, providing the convenience of tracking billable hours wherever your work takes you. The mobile app is an added convenience for those times when you need to track billable hours on the go, but the full platform is available whether you’re at your desk or working remotely.
What Is the Best Real-Time Tracking App?
Bill4Time is by far the best real-time tracking app for legal professionals. It’s packed with features that help lawyers keep track of billable hours, boost productivity, and simplify billing. Overall, it lets you handle your time tracking in a way that makes sense for legal work.
Here are a few other Bill4Time features that can help you manage your billable hours:
- Real-time syncing across devices: You can log hours on your phone, and everything also updates on your desktop. That way, you don’t have to worry about gaps between what you’ve logged on the go and what you need to bill once you’re back in the office.
- Task-specific time tracking: Bill4Time is a task manager with time tracking, so it allows you to assign time to specific tasks, clients, or matters. You can break down your time entries by activity, making it easier to see where your day went and to bill clients accurately based on the type of work performed.
- Billing rate flexibility: Different tasks or clients often require different billing rates, and Bill4Time makes it easy to assign those rates to each time entry.
- Custom reporting: Bill4Time generates law firm operations reports that help you see important data, like outstanding balances, aging accounts, expenses in a certain time period, productivity, user activity, and so much more.
- Invoice generation: Once you log your time, Bill4Time can automatically create invoices with itemized billing. It handles everything from tracking retainers to creating trust account reports, taking the hassle out of the billing process.
Bill4Time is built to handle the complexities of legal work without adding extra stress. Whether you’re working from the office, at home, or on the go, the app syncs across devices so you never miss a beat. If you’re looking to take control of your time and make billing easier, sign up for a Bill4Time demo today and see firsthand how it can transform your practice.
