Timekeeping in a law firm: what, who and why

Timekeeping in a law firm means recording work against each client and matter, with its duration and a description. Firms use those records to calculate hourly fees, manage budgets and explain charges. The firm's policy determines which roles complete timesheets; recording work does not automatically make it billable.

Timekeeping assigns work to a client and matter

A useful time entry identifies the date, the person, the client and matter, the duration and the work performed. Its narrative should let the client understand the task being charged. Attendance and payroll records track working hours; a legal timesheet allocates that work to matters.

Firms commonly use a six-minute increment, or 0.1 hour, as the New York State Bar Association describes. The engagement terms determine the billing basis. A timesheet should distinguish billable hours from non-billable time, such as internal training. A fee earner, called a timekeeper in billing, has work recorded against an hourly rate.

“Timekeeping” is the usual spelling; “time keeping” and “time-keeping” also appear. Reconstructing the day afterwards relies on memory; Sixminute automatically captures the working day and writes matter-matched entries for review.

Firm policy determines who completes a timesheet

The firm sets who records time, including trainees, paralegals and support staff. Everyone whose work it intends to bill needs a record supporting that charge. The New York State Bar Association recommends identifying rates for other lawyers and paralegals in the engagement agreement. The policy should specify chargeable tasks and non-billable categories for each role:

• Partner: “Review settlement proposal and advise client.” Record business development separately.
• Associate: “Draft defence addressing limitation argument.” Keep internal administration separate.
• Trainee lawyer (advocaat-stagiaire): “Research limitation period for draft defence.” Identify training separately for supervision and billing review.
• Paralegal: “Review disclosure documents for privilege.” Apply the agreed rate and scope.
• Secretaries and support staff: “Organise hearing bundle.” The policy and client agreement determine whether this is chargeable or internal support.

Recorded hours support fees, budgets and profit

Recorded hours let a firm calculate hourly fees and compare the effort spent on fixed-fee matters with the price agreed. They support utilisation and realisation analysis, including any write-down before billing. Unbilled work in progress also shows the partner what remains to review.

Incomplete records weaken those decisions. In Primary Research Group's 2014 survey of lawyers at US firms with at least 25 lawyers, 57.7% said they had reduced recorded time because they could not remember how long a task took. The average reduction was 5.9 hours a month.

Task records also show a colleague who did what and when before a handover. Comparing completed work with the budget helps the partner decide whether the next stage needs a revised estimate.

Dutch bar rules require fees clients can check

Dutch lawyers must be able to explain the basis of their fees. NOvA, the Nederlandse orde van advocaten, sets out the relevant expectations in the Gedragsregels 2018, Rule 17:

• Paragraph 1 calls for a reasonable fee, taking all circumstances into account.
• Paragraph 2 requires clear agreements about fees, costs and billing when accepting instructions.
• Paragraph 4 generally calls for periodic, properly specified bills showing the rate and time spent or another agreed basis.

A disciplinary ruling on missing time specifications found that supplying them belatedly failed to satisfy Rule 17(4).

The Verordening op de advocatuur, Article 6.5 separately requires orderly practice administration; its commentary identifies the deken's supervision. NOvA's Rule 17 commentary explains that fee disputes can go to the Geschillencommissie Advocatuur where agreed. These rules require supporting records for hourly fees; the firm sets its staff timesheet policy.

Wwft and working-time records serve separate duties

The Wwft requires client due diligence records for specified services; employment rules concern actual working hours. The advocacy supervisor explains that the Wwft applies to specified services under Article 1a. This anti-money-laundering law requires client identification and reporting of unusual transactions. Its client due diligence records are separate from billable timesheets and fee specifications under Rule 17.

Bureau Financieel Toezicht states that client due diligence data must be retained for five years after the relationship ends or the relevant transaction. The Belastingdienst requires seven-year retention of basic tax administration. Those periods concern different records.

Where the Arbeidstijdenwet applies, Article 4:3 concerns working and rest times. The Labour Inspectorate expects actual start and finish times and total breaks. A billable timekeeping system organised around client tasks does not, by itself, establish those records. The firm's working-time registration arrangements should address that duty separately.

How Sixminute records the whole working day

Sixminute automatically captures work in every computer application, phone calls through its mobile app and meetings through Outlook and Google Calendar. It matches each task to its client and matter and writes an entry with its duration and a client-ready narrative.

Computer Event Reconstruction (CER) uses computer events to reconstruct the working day across every application. No per-application integrations are needed, so work in a court portal or PDF reader is covered too, whichever billing system the firm uses.

Sixminute takes no screenshots, logs no keystrokes and filters on the device, sending only what the timesheet needs. Setup takes about 5 minutes, with no applications to connect individually.

Entries stay private to the lawyer until released into the firm's existing practice-management or billing system. Lawyers using Sixminute spend about 6 minutes a day reviewing and releasing their timesheet. In Sixminute's tests, lawyers billed 9 to 15% more hours for the same work, equivalent to about 36 minutes a day.

Set the policy and check a day's entries

Start with a written policy that says who records time and how each entry reaches billing review. Specify chargeable work and non-billable categories, including training, so the completed timesheet reflects the whole workload.

1. Set a same-day review routine and assign responsibility for missing entries.
2. Check a completed matter's records against its engagement terms and invoice. Make sure the client can follow the work and charging basis under Rule 17.
3. Document retention periods for billing records, Wwft records and working-time records separately.
4. Trial automatic time capture against an ordinary working day. Compare recorded tasks with the work actually done, keeping non-billable time separate. Release only entries the lawyer has checked against the matter and agreed billing basis.