About this example
This example is the monthly statement a New York law firm sends a robotics company for a supply contract dispute: October's work by a partner, an associate and a paralegal on the complaint, the exhibits, the filing and the first document requests, plus the court fee, courier and document hosting costs.
Clients and their general counsel read a legal bill line by line, so this one follows the conventions they expect. The first page names the matter, the billing period, the billing partner and the terms, and lists professional fees by timekeeper with hours, hourly rate and a one-line summary of the work. Disbursements follow at cost. A trust account table applies the retainer held in trust, shows the balance due and the trust balance left, and asks for the retainer to be topped up as the engagement letter provides. The time entries are listed by date, timekeeper and task code, with totals that match the fee lines, and the statement closes with payment instructions that keep the operating and trust accounts apart, and terms on billing, disbursements and fee disputes.
Who it is for
Law firms, solo attorneys and other professionals who bill clients by the hour against a retainer held in trust.