Billing shouldn’t be the hardest part of running a law firm, but for many small practices, it often is. Manual processes, missed hours, and confusing rates all create unnecessary headaches that can cost you revenue. That’s why finding the best legal billing software is vital.
Investing in robust law firm invoicing software will position you to take a massive leap toward your growth goals this year while promoting long-term performance.
The good news is that there are plenty of options out there. The bad news is that narrowing your focus to a few top platforms can be tough. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the five best legal billing software for small firms to guide your search.
What Is Legal Billing Software?
Legal billing software is a specialized type of digital tool that helps you track time, generate invoices, manage trust accounts, and process client payments. Unlike general invoicing tools, the best legal billing software is purpose-built to meet the unique compliance and operational needs of attorneys.
Why Do Small Law Firms Need Billing Software?
When technology isn’t the main focus of your business, it can be easy to fall into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” trap. But the reality is that having the right technology at your disposal saves you time and gives you more opportunities to do what you do best: deliver focused legal services to your clients.
When you rely on the best legal billing software, you can accomplish the following:
Increase Accuracy
Every time one of your team members handles a billing task manually, there’s a chance for error. Even the most diligent staff members will occasionally make mistakes.
The best legal billing software promotes better accuracy and drastically reduces the risk of errors by automating critical billing and time-tracking processes. Sending accurate invoices also fosters client trust and can strengthen your reputation.
Speed up Payments
Documenting billable work is an important step toward stronger revenue. However, you also need to collect payments in a timely manner to avoid cash flow disruptions. Legal billing software accelerates invoicing workflows by automating rate calculations, formatting invoices, and providing easy-to-use templates.
The best legal billing software will also simplify collections by making it easier for clients to pay. They can access their bills through a client portal and make payments using multiple methods, including credit or debit cards.
Support Compliance
Whether you’re managing trust accounts or billing for court-appointed cases, you need to have all of your documents in order.
Legal billing solutions help you stay audit-ready by creating a detailed and compliant trail of records. You can document every transaction and demonstrate your commitment to doing business the right way.
Improve Cash Flow
A solution with invoicing capabilities can cut down on delayed payments and help you maintain a healthy cash flow. Integrating your billing tools with your accounting software creates a holistic view of your financial health and helps you prepare for leaner periods when business is slow.
Maintain Transparency
Transparency enhances trust with current clients and opens the doors for referrals. Over time, being transparent about the way you conduct business and manage client accounts will boost your reputation.
You already do business with integrity. Demonstrate this commitment by using the best legal billing software.
Enhance Efficiency
Time wasted on manual billing and invoicing tasks means decreased efficiency. You’ve got a business to grow, and you can’t afford to lose any more time handling billing processes the old-fashioned way.
With the right software, you can make hour tracking, billing, and payment processing faster than ever. That means you won’t be wasting time chasing payments, but can instead focus on meaningful client work.
How to Create a Paperless Document Management Workflow for Your Law Firm
To provide your clients with the best value possible, consider setting up paperless
document management workflows.
Don’t know where to start? Consider this your step-by-step map to creating a more efficient, eco-friendly law firm.
Download our free guide to create a paperless document management workflow for your law firm today!
How to Choose the Best Legal Billing Software for Your Small Firm
The case for innovative billing software is clear. Now, the question is what you should look for in a billing solution for law firms. Here are some features and attributes to focus on.
Ease of Use
Adopting a platform with all the bells and whistles won’t do much good if no one likes using the application.
With that in mind, you should take advantage of demo opportunities to make sure the software is intuitive for every member of your team, including attorneys, paralegals, and administrators. If it takes more than a few hours to learn the basics, it may not be worth the time investment.
Trust Accounting Features
Trust accounting features promote compliance with state bar rules. Choose a software with robust trust accounting tools so you can avoid ethical challenges and protect your firm’s reputation.
Affordability and Transparent Pricing
Subscription-based software solutions are notorious for add-on features and confusing pricing models. That’s obviously not ideal, as you want a platform that’s affordable and transparent about costs.
Look for tools with clear pricing tiers and minimal hidden fees. You should be able to derive value from a solution even if you opt for the lowest subscription tier.
Customer Support
A responsive and knowledgeable support team is critical. Read customer reviews and find out what level of support a solutions provider offers. You want to ensure that help is just an email or phone call away when you need it most.
Even the best solutions will have bugs or issues occasionally. What matters is how responsive the provider is in addressing your concerns and helping you overcome hang-ups.
Cloud Accessibility and Data Security
Cloud-based platforms are non-negotiable for modern law firms — think of all the times you need access to your tools when you’re away from the office. A cloud-based solution can support your work needs, no matter where you happen to be.
You should also consider how secure a particular platform is. After all, it will be storing confidential client data and billing information. Investing in a remotely accessible solution with advanced security features will give your team the flexibility it needs to get more done without compromising client data.
The 5 Best Legal Billing Software for Small Firms
Many platforms claim to be the best legal billing software, but only a select few truly meet the needs of small law firms. Here’s a breakdown of the five top contenders, starting with the one that stands above the rest.
1. TimeSolv
TimeSolv is designed specifically for attorneys and professional service firms. Its powerful billing tools are paired with time tracking, trust accounting, reporting, and payment capabilities. The easy-to-use, cloud-based system can grow right along with you.
The time tracking feature is particularly valuable. By ensuring that you’re accurately tracking billable hours, TimeSolv helps support your billing processes and reduces the risk of missed revenue opportunities.
Here’s a closer look at the pros and cons of the platform:
Pros:
- Built specifically for legal billing and time tracking
- Includes trust accounting and split billing
- Fully cloud-based and mobile-friendly
- Offers numerous customizable reports
- Integrated payments with TimeSolv Pay
- Outstanding customer support
- Competitive pricing for small firms
Cons:
- May include features that solo practitioners don’t use daily
- Limited in-person training resources compared to larger platforms
Despite the few prospective drawbacks, TimeSolv delivers loads of value for small firms. The development team is available to assist with training and implementation, which flattens the learning curve even further and helps you maximize your ROI.
2. Sage Timeslips
Sage Timeslips is one of the most well-known legal billing platforms. It’s been around for years, but it’s starting to show its age.
Pros:
- Trusted by established firms
- Flexible billing templates
Cons:
- Higher cost and difficult onboarding
- Poor pricing transparency
- Not cloud-based
Sage Timeslips offers both cloud-based and on-premises versions. While some firms may find this choice appealing, the on-premise variation could definitely use an interface upgrade. The cloud-based version is a relatively new offering, and Sage appears to still be working out the bugs.
By comparison, TimeSolv offers many of the same features (and more). It’s also priced better. See how Sage Timeslips compares to TimeSolv.
3. Bill4Time
Bill4Time is a legacy billing tool that offers legal-specific features at mid-tier pricing.
Pros:
- Decent time tracking and invoicing
- Integrates with some accounting tools
- Cloud-based access
Cons:
- Dated interface and limited innovation
- Key features like trust accounting require upgrades
- Less intuitive compared to TimeSolv
Some solutions, like TimeSolv, offer a truly intuitive interface. You’ll feel almost as though you’ve used the platform before, even if it’s your very first time. On the other hand, Bill4Time looks and feels dated, which can make learning your way around feel frustrating and tedious.
Want to see how Bill4Time stacks up against TimeSolv? Check out our head-to-head comparison.
4. PracticePanther
PracticePanther offers a broad mixture of case-management tools alongside its billing and time tracking features. However, the case management capabilities steal the spotlight, which can make the billing features feel like an afterthought.
Pros:
- Intuitive user interface
- Includes billing and document management
- Integrates with QuickBooks and LawPay
Cons:
- Billing features feel tacked on
- More expensive than TimeSolv
- Better suited for mid-sized or multi-location firms
PracticePanther is one of the top billing solutions for law firms, but it’s more geared toward mid-sized and large practices. The price tag may make it cost prohibitive for small, single-location firms.
5. Smokeball
Smokeball emphasizes document automation and time capture through activity-based billing. The platform comes with lots of features, but it also involves a fairly steep learning curve.
Pros:
- Innovative automatic time tracking
- Strong document features
- Good for firms focused on litigation
Cons:
- Feature-heavy; may overwhelm small firms
- Limited integrations
- Mixed reviews on customer support
Smokeball has much to offer. In fact, it may include too many features and tools for small teams. You don’t want your staff to get bogged down looking for the tool they need, but that’s a legitimate concern with Smokeball.
Choose the Best Legal Billing Software for Your Practice
TimeSolv stands out as the best legal billing software for small firms.
TimeSolv offers compliance tools, trust accounting, and integrations to help you run a more efficient and nimble practice. Additionally, the platform offers transparent pricing and includes in-demand billing features as a standard offer without requiring you to upgrade to a higher subscription tier.
TimeSolv doesn’t complicate your workflows — it simplifies them to save you time and reduce the hassle of legal billing. By using it, you can get paid faster, deliver better experiences for your clients, and focus on achieving your growth goals.
Explore Trust Accounting in Our Comprehensive Guide
Discover common trust accounting mistakes and essential best practices in the trust accounting guide from TimeSolv. Our free resource helps you prevent and overcome common trust accounting mistakes so you can promote transparency.
