Matter-Coded Billable Time Suggestions
Yesterday's work, assembled into matter-coded draft entries with task codes and narratives, waiting for the lawyer to accept.
These images are illustrations of the concept, not screenshots of the actual product.
Overview
Matter-Coded Billable Time Suggestions is a TimeCampus concept for law firms and legal teams that bill in tenths of an hour. Instead of asking a lawyer to rebuild yesterday from memory at the end of the week, the design assembles the day from calendar, document, email and call metadata, never screenshots or keystrokes, and is designed to propose billable entries that already carry a client-matter number, UTBMS task and activity codes and a draft narrative.
In a law firm, time that is not recorded while it is fresh is often never billed, and time recorded loosely causes its own trouble: entries with no matter, several tasks block-billed into one line, or narratives too vague to pass a client's billing guidelines. The concept is designed to deal with each of these when the time is captured, while leaving the lawyer in charge. Nothing is recorded until they accept, edit or split a suggestion.
The illustrated desktop page, Billable time suggestions, covers one day with four totals: time captured, time suggested as billable, time accepted and time that still needs a matter. A table lists each block with its time range, activity, matter number and client, a task and activity code pair, hours in tenths and a status of accepted, suggested or needs matter. The selected row offers Accept, Edit and Split, and a Draft narrative panel shows a single-task description with the reason that matter was chosen, in this sample because a document review batch name matched the matter number. An email thread with no matter is flagged as needing one. On a phone, the same suggestions become cards with Accept and Edit, a Pick matter button on the unassigned thread and a reminder that nothing is recorded until you accept. Clients, matters and people shown are sample data.
The concept carries TimeCampus's self-assembling timeline and billable-aware time entries into legal work, and it is designed to work with ProServiceWorld, another Burdenoff product. ProServiceWorld is designed to supply the firm's client-matter numbers that suggestions draw on, and accepted entries are designed to be sent to it as draft time, where they wait for submission and partner approval and where the client's billing guidelines are applied at pre-bill. The desktop footer reports two entries sent to ProServiceWorld and pending approval, and the phone confirms the same two entries sent.
What this concept shows
- Daily totals for time captured, suggested as billable, accepted and still needing a matter
- Suggested entries in tenth-of-an-hour units, most already coded to a client-matter number and client
- UTBMS task and activity code pairs on every coded suggestion
- Accept, Edit and Split on a selected suggestion, plus an Accept reviewed button in the header
- A draft single-task narrative with the reason the matter was proposed
- Unassigned work, such as an email thread, flagged as needing a matter, with Pick matter on the phone
- Accepted entries designed to go to ProServiceWorld as draft time pending approval
- Notes that no screenshots or keystrokes are captured and that nothing is recorded until accepted
How it works
- Open Billable time suggestions for the previous working day and read the captured, suggested, accepted and needs-matter totals.
- Scan the suggested entries, each with its time range, activity, matter, task and activity codes and hours in tenths.
- Select a suggestion to read its draft single-task narrative and why that matter was proposed.
- Accept it as it stands, edit the narrative or codes, or split it into separate entries.
- Assign a matter to anything flagged as needing one, at the desk or with Pick matter on the phone.
- Let accepted entries go to ProServiceWorld as draft time for submission and partner approval.
Who it's for
- Litigation and transactional attorneys
- Law firm partners who approve time
- Paralegals and legal assistants
- Legal billing and finance teams
- Legal operations managers
Illustrations
2 illustrations of this concept. Select one to view it full size.
Billable Time Suggestions for One Day
This illustration shows the Billable time suggestions page in the TimeCampus desktop app, with the full navigation on the left, including Timeline, Time Approval and Invoicing. A date picker and Accept reviewed and Add entry buttons sit in the header. Four tiles give the day's time captured, suggested billable, accepted and needing a matter. The table lists each block with time range, activity, matter number and client, a task and activity code pair, hours in tenths and a status badge. Activities include drafting interrogatory responses, a client call about a custodian list, reviewing a document production set, a case strategy meeting, an unassigned email thread and a deposition outline. The selected row offers Accept, Edit and Split, and the Draft narrative panel shows a single-task description and why the matter was matched. A footer reports entries sent to ProServiceWorld pending approval, and a note says no screenshots or keystrokes are captured. All clients and figures are sample data.
Billable Suggestions on a Phone
This illustration shows the billable suggestions on a phone, with a TimeCampus header, a search field, a compact side rail for Timeline, Timer, Projects, Insights and Settings, and a bottom tab bar for Timeline, Timer, Projects and Insights. A summary line gives hours suggested and hours already accepted. Each suggestion is a card with the activity, hours and matter number, the client on most cards, and a chip holding its task and activity codes, above a large Accept button and an Edit button. The document review card at the top is highlighted. An email thread card in an amber tone is marked as needing a matter and offers a single Pick matter button. A deposition outline card shows a row of three small avatars. A green confirmation reports two entries sent to ProServiceWorld, and a closing line says nothing is recorded until you accept. Names and figures are sample data.
Topics
- legal time tracking
- billable hours for lawyers
- UTBMS task codes
- matter-based time entry
- automatic time capture for law firms
- tenth of an hour billing
- avoid block billing
- legal billing narratives
- law firm timekeeping software
- capture billable time from email and calendar
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Part of an industry solution
This concept appears in a cross-product solution on burdenoff.com — see how it works alongside other Burdenoff products to solve a problem in that industry.
