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Corporate Governance

Legal Billing Summaries

Creating comprehensive billing summaries is time-consuming and requires manually organizing timesheets, expenses, and case activities into client-friendly narratives. Law firms struggle to balance detailed accounting with readability while ensuring compliance with billing guidelines and maintaining transparency that sophisticated clients demand.

Automation ROI

Time savings at a glance

Manual workflow3.5 hoursAverage time your team spends by hand
With CaseMark8 minutesDelivery time with CaseMark automation
EfficiencySave 26.3x time with CaseMark

The Problem

Creating comprehensive billing summaries is time-consuming and requires manually organizing timesheets, expenses, and case activities into client-friendly narratives. Law firms struggle to balance detailed accounting with readability while ensuring compliance with billing guidelines and maintaining transparency that sophisticated clients demand.

The CaseMark Solution

CaseMark automatically transforms raw time entries and expense data into professional billing summaries that clients can easily understand. Our AI organizes activities by category, provides context for legal work, and ensures compliance with billing protocols while highlighting value delivered.

What you'll receive

Executive Overview with Total Fees and Expenses
Billing Period and Matter Information
Major Activities and Accomplishments Summary
Detailed Breakdown by Attorney/Timekeeper
Activities Organized by Task Category
Itemized Expense Section with Explanations
Compliance Notes and Adjustments
Forward-Looking Anticipated Activities
Budget Status and Cost Management Commentary

Document requirements

Required

  • Time Entry Records
  • Expense Reports

Optional

  • Engagement Letter
  • Case Files and Notes
  • Budget Reports
  • Previous Billing Summaries

Perfect for

Law Firm Billing Managers
Corporate Legal Department Directors
Solo Practitioners and Small Firm Attorneys
Legal Operations Professionals
Finance Teams in Law Firms
In-House Counsel Managing Outside Counsel

Also useful for

This workflow is applicable across multiple practice areas and use cases

Litigation General95% relevant

Litigation matters require detailed billing summaries to track costs across discovery, motions, trial preparation, and court appearances, ensuring clients understand the breakdown of legal expenses throughout complex cases.

Litigation is one of the most billing-intensive practice areas with extensive time entries across multiple phases, making transparent billing summaries essential for client relationships and matter management.

Commercial litigation clients, often sophisticated businesses, demand detailed billing transparency to track legal spend across prolonged disputes, depositions, and motion practice.

Commercial litigation typically involves high-value matters with corporate clients who closely scrutinize legal expenses and require comprehensive billing documentation for internal approval and budgeting.

M&A transactions involve multiple workstreams (due diligence, drafting, negotiations) requiring clear billing summaries to allocate costs across deal phases and justify expenses to clients and stakeholders.

M&A deals generate substantial legal fees across various activities and team members, making detailed billing summaries critical for client transparency and internal cost management.

Class Action82% relevant

Class action cases require meticulous billing records to document attorney time for fee petitions, court approval, and to demonstrate reasonableness of fees in common fund or fee-shifting scenarios.

Class action litigation uniquely requires detailed billing documentation not just for clients but for court review of attorney fees, making comprehensive billing summaries legally necessary for fee recovery.

Regulatory General78% relevant

Regulatory matters often involve ongoing compliance work, agency interactions, and investigations requiring detailed billing to track costs across extended engagements and multiple regulatory proceedings.

Regulatory practices typically involve complex, long-term client relationships where transparent billing helps clients budget for compliance activities and understand the value of preventive legal work.

Frequently asked questions

Q

How does CaseMark ensure billing summaries maintain attorney-client privilege?

A

CaseMark analyzes time entries and creates descriptions that are sufficiently detailed for transparency while remaining appropriately general to protect privileged communications and work product. The AI is trained to avoid disclosing confidential strategy or client communications that could waive privilege if the summary were disclosed.

Q

Can the system accommodate client-specific billing guidelines and restrictions?

A

Yes, CaseMark can be configured to follow specific billing protocols outlined in engagement letters, including rate agreements, expense policies, prohibited charges, and required task codes. The system flags entries that may need special explanation and demonstrates compliance with established guidelines in the summary.

Q

What's the difference between raw time entries and a billing summary?

A

Raw time entries are individual line items showing dates, hours, and basic descriptions. A billing summary transforms this data into an organized narrative that groups activities by category, provides context about why work was necessary, highlights accomplishments, and presents information in a format that both legal and non-legal stakeholders can understand and appreciate.

Q

How often should law firms generate billing summaries for clients?

A

Billing frequency varies based on client agreements and matter type, but most firms generate summaries monthly or at significant case milestones. Corporate clients often expect monthly summaries for budget tracking, while individual clients may receive them quarterly or at major phases. The summary serves not just as an invoice but as a regular case update demonstrating value.

Q

Does the system help identify potential billing issues before sending to clients?

A

Yes, CaseMark flags potential concerns such as block billing that should be itemized, duplicative time entries from multiple attorneys, vague descriptions requiring clarification, and costs approaching budget thresholds. This quality control helps firms address issues proactively and maintain strong client relationships through transparent, defensible billing practices.