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How to Add a New Time Entry in Lawcus?

Efficiently track billable hours in Lawcus: Learn how to add time entries using various methods.

Maninder Kaur avatar
Written by Maninder Kaur
Updated over 2 months ago

Accurately tracking billable hours and effectively managing time is crucial for legal professionals. Lawcus provides a user-friendly interface with multiple methods for adding time entries. Whether you prefer to add time entries from the Activities, Matters, Tasks, or use the +New icon, Lawcus offers flexibility to suit your workflow. This guide will walk you through each method, ensuring you can seamlessly add time entries and maintain accurate records.

Elements of the Time Entry Form

The Time Entry Form is designed to capture all the essential details of your work quickly and accurately. Below are the key elements and their functions:

  1. Client: Start by selecting a client. This will automatically narrow down the Matter list to those associated with that client.

  2. Matter: A matter must be selected to create a timesheet (if this setting has been made mandatory). You can configure whether Matter is mandatory by going to: Settings > Bill Settings > Activity Settings > Form Settings and toggling the Matter option.

  3. Time Tracking: Enter the Duration manually, or use the built-in Timer to track time automatically.

  4. Activity Category: Choose the appropriate Activity Category for the entry. For more details, refer to the article on Activity Categories. You may also utilize the UTBMS codes. You can also add a new category here by clicking on +Add new category.

  5. Applied Rate: Select how the rate should be applied: User Rate, Matter Rate, or Custom Rate (define a specific rate as needed). Note that the Custom Rate will supersede all predefined rates.

  6. Discounts: Apply a discount if required:

    1. Percentage-based discount,

    2. Fixed-amount discount. Enter the corresponding value in the Discount field.

  7. Non-Billable Billing Option: Select the Checkbox to mark the entry as non-billable if applicable.

  8. Show on Invoice: For transparency, you can still display non-billable entries on the invoice by selecting this option.

  9. Description: Add a detailed description of the task performed. To ensure consistency across your organization, you can make the Description field mandatory under: Settings > Bill Settings > Activity Settings > Form Settings, then Toggle the Description option.

Tip: Use Nova AI to generate clear and professional descriptions effortlessly.

Matter and Description are disabled as mandatory fields by default. Enable them in settings if your workflow requires it.

How to Add a New Time Entry

Add a Time Entry from the Activities section

  1. On the left sidebar menu, click on Activities.

  2. Click on New Time Entry.

  3. Fill in all the applicable timesheet information, such as the Client, Matter, Date, Duration, Description, and any relevant Tags.

  4. Once you have entered the necessary information, click Save to add the time entry to your records. Use Save & Add New option to save the entry and add a new entry. Use Save & Duplicate option to save the entry and create a duplicate form to retain some of the details.

Add a Time Entry from the Matters Section

  1. From the left sidebar menu, click on Matters and click open the desired matter.

  2. On the top bar menu, click Time and select Add. Alternatively, you can click on Add Time from the options available under Quick Actions.

  3. Fill in all the applicable timesheet information, including the Date, Duration, Description, and relevant Tags.

  4. After entering the required details, click Save to create a new time entry. Use Save & Add New option to save the entry and add a new entry. Use Save & Duplicate option to save the entry and create a duplicate form to retain some of the details.

Add a Time Entry using the +New Icon

  1. Locate +New icon located on the top bar.

  2. Click on the Icon and select New Time Entry from the options.

  3. Fill in all the applicable timesheet information, such as the Date, Duration, Description, and relevant Tags.

  4. Once you have provided the necessary details, click on Save to add the time entry to your records. Use Save & Add New option to save the entry and add a new entry. Use Save & Duplicate option to save the entry and create a duplicate form to retain some of the details.

Add a Time Entry from the Tasks option

  1. Click on Tasks from the left sidebar menu.

  2. Select the task against which you wish to enter the time and click Create Time Entry.

  3. Fill in all the applicable timesheet information, including the Date, Duration, Description, and relevant Tags.

  4. Once you have entered the required details, click on Save to add the time entry to your records. Use Save & Add New option to save the entry and add a new entry. Use Save & Duplicate option to save the entry and create a duplicate form to retain some of the details.

Add a Time Entry from a Note

  1. Click on Matters in the sidebar menu to open the Matters screen.

  2. Click on the desired matter to view its details.

  3. In the Info section, hover your mouse pointer over the Note entry. Lawcus will display icons next to the entry.

  4. Click on the Time Entry icon. Lawcus will create a time entry based on the contents of the note.

    Note: The entry will be made with a default time of 10 minutes, but you can change this to the actual time spent.

  5. Please make any necessary changes and click the Savebutton to save the entry. Use Save & Add New option to save the entry and add a new entry. Use Save & Duplicate option to save the entry and create a duplicate form to retain some of the details.

Create time entries using UTBMS codes

On your Lawcus account, you can use UTBMS to make time entries for activities related to each task or matter. For example, adding this code while creating a time entry saves you the effort and stress of inputting long descriptions for the just-completed task or activity. Also, following UTBMS makes you comply with regulatory requirements, if any.

Note: You must have enabled UTBMS codes on your account.

Steps to create a time entry with UTBMS codes

To include UTBMS codes while making a time entry:

  1. Navigate to Activities, then click on New Time Entry.​

  2. Input all the necessary details into the time entry form.​

  3. Click the Activity Category field and choose a relevant activity code from the drop-down list.​

  4. Click on the UTBMS task code field and locate an appropriate task code from the drop-down list.​

  5. Click on Save to wrap up the process. Use Save & Add New option to save the entry and add a new entry. Use Save & Duplicate option to save the entry and create a duplicate form to retain some of the details.

Steps to customize the hourly rate per time entry

Before saving the time entry or while updating an existing time entry, click on the Applied Rate field and select Custom Rate and add the Rate.

Note: You can always add User Rate or Matter Rate as needed. Matter Rate will supersede User Rate and Custom Rate will supersede all.

All that jazz! You can use several options to optimize your timesheet creation process.

FAQ Section

FAQ1: Can a teammate view all the time entries added by other teammates on a matter?

Answer: A team member can get access to specific team activities if the admin gives them the Team Activities permission in their role.

FAQ2: Can I track time without attaching any client or matter to it, and is it saved for subsequent analysis?

Answer: It is possible to track time without associating it with a matter or client. You can save the tracked time for future analysis by creating an admin matter and adding the tracked time to it.

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Overview of Time Entry Reports in Lawcus.
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