Track Time, Create Invoices, and Set Up Payment Plans

MyLawyerLink connects time entries, invoices, and payment plans so you can track work on a case, bill clients, and collect payments — including online through the client portal when Stripe is connected.

Before you start

• You need an active subscription and permission to view or edit billing (team.billing.view / team.billing.edit).
• Set a practice email on your firm team profile (/account/teams/[id], Practice section). Invoice emails require a firm billing sender address.
• For online payments, connect Stripe under Account → Settings → Firm → Integrations and enable payments in client portal settings.

Log time on a case

1. Open a case and go to the Time entries section, or use Time entries from the main menu (/time-entries).
2. Click Add time entry (or open /time-entries/new).
3. Enter duration, description, date, and whether the entry is billable.
4. Optionally set an hourly rate. If you leave it blank, MyLawyerLink uses (in order): the case billing rate, then the timekeeper’s default hourly rate (Account → Settings → Office → Members), then their most recent prior rate on that team.
5. Save.

Billable entries that have not yet been added to an invoice appear as unbilled time when you create an invoice.

Set each team member’s default hourly rate under Account → Settings → Office → Members so new entries bill correctly when a case has no billing rate.

Create an invoice

1. Go to Invoices → New (/invoices/new) or start from a case's Invoices section.
2. Choose scope:
   • Single case — one matter
   • Multiple cases — selected matters for one client
   • Client (all cases) — roll up unbilled time across that client's cases
3. Select unbilled time entries to add as line items, or add manual line items.
4. Choose billing mode (standard or retainer statement) when your team uses retainers.
5. Save the invoice as a draft or finalize it.

Open the invoice at /invoices/[id] to review totals, status, and payment history.

Send an invoice to the client

1. Open the invoice detail page.
2. Click Send invoice email.
3. MyLawyerLink emails the client using your firm's billing email profile.

The client can view the invoice in the client portal when portal invoice access is enabled. If online payments are on, they can pay through Stripe.

Payment plans

Payment plans split an invoice into scheduled installments.

1. From an invoice detail page, open Create payment plan (or go to /payment-plans/new for a standalone plan).
2. Name the plan and choose a schedule — weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, or custom installments.
3. Set amounts and due dates for each installment.
4. Save.

Clients with portal access can see upcoming installments. Mark installments paid manually when you receive checks or off-platform payments.

Mark invoices paid

When payment arrives outside Stripe (check, wire, etc.):

1. Open the invoice.
2. Use Mark paid and record payment details.
3. The invoice status updates for your records and reporting.

Tips for accurate billing

1. Log time as you work — descriptions are easier to write while the work is fresh.
2. Review unbilled time before month-end — filter by case or client on the new-invoice screen.
3. Keep practice email current — bounced invoice emails usually trace back to a missing or wrong sender address.
4. Test portal payments — run a small test invoice with Stripe in test mode before inviting real clients to pay online.

Related guides

• Set Up the Client Portal — let clients view and pay invoices
• Using Merge Fields — placeholders in billing email templates