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Understanding the Invoice Approval Workflow in Lawcus

Learn how to manage invoice approvals to improve billing accuracy and control.

Trupteeranjan Padhi avatar
Written by Trupteeranjan Padhi
Updated over a week ago

The invoice approval workflow in Lawcus is designed to help legal firms maintain better oversight of billing activities. It ensures that every invoice is accurate, verified, and approved before reaching the client; increasing accountability across your organization.

Note: You can enable or disable invoice approval workflows as per your requirements. See below for detailed instructions.

How to Disable the Invoice Approval Workflow?

By default, invoice approval is enabled in Lawcus. To disable it:

  1. Click on your User Avatar, then select Settings.

  2. Expand Bill Settings, then click on Invoice Workflow.

  3. Toggle on Skip approval process to disable the workflow.

    Note: This is the default setting, but can be changed when generating an invoice. Typically, the billing team manages this setting, though they can still assign reviewers as needed during invoice creation.

  4. Toggle on Skip approval process for Credit Requests AND/OR Skip approval process for Trust Requests to skip approval for Credit Requests and Trust Requests.

  5. To allow editing of invoices after they’ve been approved, toggle Allow edit after approval.

  6. Define the Approval Process Method:

    1. Select the Manual Radio Button to handle the approval manually to assign reviewers at the time of generation of the invoice, offering full control over the reviewer.

    2. Select the Responsible Timekeeper Radio Button to automatically send the invoice to the responsible attorney for review.

    3. Select the Originating Timekeeper Radio Button to automatically send the invoice to the originating attorney for review.

  7. Click Save to apply changes.

For teams that existed prior to this update, the Skip Approval Process option will be enabled by default. To begin using the approval workflow, these teams will need to manually enable it.

Steps in the Manual Invoice Approval Process

To submit an invoice for approval:

  1. Open a Draft invoice that you want to send for approval. If you are creating a new invoice, just click on Save. (Only invoices in draft status can be submitted.)

  2. Click on the More Actions button on the top and select Submit for Approval button.

  3. Select the User(s) or User Group(s) who should approve the invoice.

    Tip: Multiple approvers can be selected, but only one approval is needed. Once approved, others are notified.

  4. Optionally, modify the Approval request subject and message. You can also use Email Templates for consistency. The Request Invoice Approval email template is available by default. Refer to this article to learn how to assign an email template or create your own default version.

  5. Click Submit for Approval.

  6. Approvers receive In-app notifications with the linked invoice number for direct access to the invoice, and Emails with a link redirecting to the Pending Approval page for review and approval.

  7. Approvers can also click the invoice number directly from the Billing page to open and review the invoice.

  8. Approvers will see two options: Approve or Reject. If Rejecting, a reason must be provided.

  9. In the confirmation prompt: Click Approve to confirm. Or enter a Rejection reason and click Reject.

  10. Once an invoice is approved or rejected by one approver, others can no longer act on it unless it is resubmitted. All participants are notified of the outcome.

Approved invoices can further be edited if you have Toggled On Allow edit after approval on the settings page.

Automatically Submit for Approval

  1. On the Invoice Approval Settings page, select either the Responsible Timekeeper or Originating Timekeeper option.

  2. When you create and Save an invoice, it will be automatically submitted to the selected timekeeper for approval.

  3. The approver can then follow steps 6 to 10 to complete the approval process.

Enabling Invoice Approval Permissions for User Roles

By default, not all users have invoice approval privileges. To grant access:

  1. Click your User Avatar, then choose Manage Your Organization.

  2. On the left panel, click Roles and Permissions.

  3. Scroll to find Allow Invoice Approval. It is nested under Invoicing.

  4. Check the box for the relevant user role(s).

Note: Team Owners and Admins have invoice approval access by default. To grant access to others, you can create custom roles. Click + New Role to set up a new role, and refer to this article for more details on managing custom roles. Also, Owners and Admins can approve or reject any invoice, even if it was not submitted to them for approval.

Bulk Invoice Actions (Submit, Approve, Reject)

Lawcus also supports bulk actions to streamline invoice management:

  1. Click on Billing in the left menu.

  2. Select multiple Draft Invoices, or Rejected Invoices using the checkboxes.

  3. Click Bulk Actions and choose Submit for Approval.

  4. All Pending for Approval invoices can be either approved or rejected using the respective buttons: Approve or Reject.

  5. Once approved, multiple approved invoices can be selected to Send them to the client. or mark as Sent.

The bulk actions are also applicable for individual selections.

FAQ Section

FAQ1: If an invoice has been automatically submitted for approval, how can I submit it to a different approver?

Answer: Once an invoice is automatically submitted, it cannot be edited directly. The recommended approach is to reject the invoice first, then manually resubmit it to the desired approver.

Related Articles
How to Create an Invoice in Lawcus?
Adding Payments to an Invoice in Lawcus
Understanding User Roles & Permissions in Lawcus
Simplified Flat Rate Billing in Lawcus
Getting Started with Lawcus: A Guide for Lawcus Onboarding
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