Pre-Bills and Time Entry: A Billing Coordinator Workflow for Law Firms

In many small and mid-sized law firms, billing is a monthly scramble. Attorneys are chased for missing time, pre-bills sit unreviewed, invoices go out late, and collections calls happen only when cash is tight. The work is administrative, but it touches money, client relationships and professional rules, so firms are understandably careful about who does it.

A dedicated remote billing coordinator can run the process end to end while attorneys keep every billing judgment. This guide lays out the workflow: time-entry reminders, pre-bill preparation, attorney review, invoicing, collections and trust-account boundaries. For the broader set of legal roles, see the law firm role playbook.

What a billing coordinator does and does not do

The coordinator does:

• Remind timekeepers about missing or late time entries.
• Check entries for formatting problems: missing matter numbers, vague descriptions flagged for attorney review, block billing if your guidelines prohibit it, and task codes required by clients.
• Generate pre-bills in your practice-management or billing system and route them to the responsible attorney.
• Apply the edits the attorney makes, finalize invoices and send them through the approved channel.
• Upload invoices to client e-billing portals and respond to portal rejections.
• Track receivables and send reminders on the schedule your firm sets.
• Prepare a monthly billing and collections report.

The coordinator does not:

• Decide what time to write down or write off.
• Set or negotiate rates or fee arrangements.
• Move money in or out of trust accounts.
• Give legal advice or discuss the merits of a matter with clients.

Writing these lists into the role description up front avoids confusion later.

Step 1: time-entry discipline

Billing quality starts with time entry. The coordinator can send reminders on the cadence the firm chooses: daily nudges for attorneys with no time entered, a weekly summary of missing days, and a firm deadline for the end of each billing period. Reminders work best when they are friendly, specific ("no time entered for Tuesday or Wednesday") and backed by the managing partner.

The coordinator also reviews entries for common issues against the firm's billing guidelines and each client's outside-counsel guidelines: missing task or activity codes, entries on closed matters, entries that need more description, and items clients refuse to pay for. The coordinator flags; the attorney decides.

Step 2: pre-bill preparation

At the end of the period, the coordinator generates pre-bills for every matter with activity. A clean pre-bill package includes:

• The draft invoice with time and expense entries.
• Any flags from the entry review.
• Unbilled expenses waiting for receipts.
• Retainer or trust balances, shown for information.
• Client-specific instructions, such as required invoice formats or approval contacts.

The package goes to the responsible attorney with a clear due date for review.

Step 3: attorney review

Pre-bill review is where firms often stall. The coordinator keeps a tracker showing which pre-bills are out, who has them and when they are due, and sends reminders. Some attorneys prefer to mark up a PDF; others edit in the billing system. Either way, the coordinator applies changes exactly as instructed and asks when something is unclear. Questions of judgment, like whether to reduce an entry, always go back to the attorney.

Step 4: invoicing and e-billing

Once approved, the coordinator finalizes invoices and sends them by email, client portal or mail as each client requires. Corporate clients often use e-billing platforms with strict formatting rules, task codes and line-item limits. Portal rejections are common and frustrating; a coordinator who knows the main platforms can resolve most of them quickly by correcting format issues and resubmitting, routing substantive objections to the attorney.

Step 5: collections follow-up

A simple, consistent reminder schedule improves collections without damaging relationships. A typical sequence:

1. A courtesy email shortly after the due date with the invoice attached.
2. A second reminder after a further interval, copying the responsible attorney if your firm prefers.
3. A call or personal email from the attorney for anything that remains open.

The coordinator logs every contact, records promises to pay and updates the aging report. Payment plans and write-offs are attorney decisions.

Trust accounting boundaries

Client trust accounts are governed by state bar rules, and responsibility stays with the lawyers. The coordinator can show trust balances on pre-bills, prepare reports the lawyer reviews and flag when a retainer is running low so the attorney can request replenishment. The coordinator does not transfer funds, approve disbursements or reconcile trust accounts on their own authority. If you use a bookkeeper for trust reconciliations, keep that role and its approvals separate. The American Bar Association's Model Rule 1.15 is a useful reference, but always follow your own state's rules.

Confidentiality and supervision

Lawyers must supervise nonlawyer assistants and make reasonable efforts to protect client information. Practical steps include a confidentiality agreement, named logins, multi-factor authentication, access limited to billing functions, and a clear policy on where documents can be stored. Our article on legal intake assistant ethics covers supervision in more depth.

The monthly calendar

The monthly report

A one-page report helps the managing partner see the health of billing at a glance:

• Unbilled time by attorney and matter age.
• Pre-bills outstanding and how long they have been out.
• Invoices sent this period and any portal rejections still open.
• Receivables aging by client.
• Retainers running low.

Choose the measures that matter to your firm and keep the format consistent month to month.

Sample messages the coordinator can use

Good templates save time and keep the tone consistent. Have the managing partner approve them before use.

Missing time, to an attorney: "Quick reminder: I don't see time entered for Tuesday or Wednesday this week. The billing deadline is Friday at noon. Thanks!"

Pre-bill ready for review: "Your pre-bills for this period are ready in the billing system: four matters, with two entries flagged for description. Could you review by Wednesday so invoices go out on time?"

First payment reminder, to a client: "Hello, this is a friendly reminder that the attached invoice for the matter referenced above is now past due. If payment has already been sent, thank you, and please disregard this note. Let us know if you need anything from us."

Portal rejection, internal note: "The client's portal rejected invoice 1042 for missing task codes on three entries. I've added the codes from the guideline sheet and resubmitted. No attorney action needed."

The first 30 days

A billing coordinator becomes independent quickly when onboarding is structured:

• Week 1: Access to the billing and practice-management systems, a walkthrough of the last billing cycle, the firm's billing guidelines and a summary of major clients' outside-counsel guidelines.
• Week 2: The coordinator runs time-entry reminders and the entry review, with a senior staff member checking their flags.
• Week 3: The coordinator prepares pre-bills for a subset of attorneys and manages their review tracker.
• Week 4: The coordinator runs the full cycle, including invoices, portal submissions and first collection reminders, and presents the first monthly report.

Agree a short daily check-in for the first two weeks, then move to a weekly review. Our first 30 days success plan has a general template you can adapt.

Tools a coordinator should know

Many firms use Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther or a more specialized billing system, along with QuickBooks or another accounting platform, and client e-billing portals. ExecWing screens for familiarity with the tools you use and trains on your configuration and guidelines. See our legal administrative assistants page for the related roles.

Common mistakes

No firm-wide time deadline. Without one, billing slides every month.

Coordinators editing without clear instructions. Every change to time or amounts should trace back to an attorney's instruction.

Ignoring outside-counsel guidelines. A short summary sheet for each major client prevents most portal rejections.

Mixing trust and operating tasks. Keep trust-account work under direct lawyer control.

Frequently asked questions

Can a remote coordinator work in our billing system securely?

Yes, with a named login, multi-factor authentication and a role limited to billing functions. Client documents stay in your systems.

Who decides on write-downs?

The responsible attorney, always. The coordinator applies the change and records the instruction.

Can the coordinator call clients about overdue invoices?

They can send reminders and make courtesy calls using a script your firm approves, and escalate anything sensitive to the attorney.

Is the coordinator dedicated to our firm?

Yes. Each placement is dedicated, on a customized schedule based on your needs and budget.