Harvest
Time Tracking
Sign up free

Timesheet App for Lawyers

Harvest is a timesheet app that helps lawyers efficiently track billable hours, addressing the challenge of lost revenue due to manual time tracking.

Try Harvest Free

How much revenue is your team leaving on the table?

Most agencies run at 55-60% utilization. Even a small improvement means significant revenue. See what closing the gap looks like for your team.

Number of people who track billable time
$
Blended rate across roles (junior, senior, lead)
55%
Percentage of total hours that are billable. Industry average is 55-60%.
75%
A realistic target for service businesses is 70-80%.
Monthly revenue gap $0
Revenue at current utilization $0/mo
Revenue at target utilization $0/mo
Extra billable hours needed per person/day 0h
Annual revenue opportunity $0

Start tracking team utilization

Walk through the entire flow below. Start a timer, check your reports, and create a real invoice — all in three clicks.

Go ahead — start tracking!

One click and you're timing. Try it right here: start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Harvest.

  • One-click timer from browser, desktop & mobile
  • Works inside Jira, Asana, Trello, GitHub & 50+ tools
  • Duration or start/end — your call
  • Day, week & calendar views to stay on top of it all
  • Friendly reminders so no hour gets left behind
Acme Corp
Website Redesign
Homepage layout revisions
1:24:09
Content Strategy
Blog calendar planning
1:30:00
SEO Audit
Technical audit report
0:45:00
Brand Guidelines
Color system documentation
2:15:00
Logo Concepts
Initial sketches round 1
1:00:00
Today's total 6:54:09

The Critical Role of Time Tracking in Legal Practice

Accurate timekeeping is the cornerstone of law firm profitability and ethical compliance. Lawyers often face the challenge of capturing fewer billable hours than they work, with an average utilization rate of only 37%. This stark reality highlights the critical need for effective time tracking. Administrative tasks can consume up to 48% of an attorney's time, further reducing billable hours and leading to potential revenue losses of $20,000-$40,000 per lawyer annually. Efficient time tracking not only maximizes billable hours but also strengthens client relationships by ensuring transparent and accurate billing.

Manual time tracking methods exacerbate the problem, with lawyers potentially losing 10-15% of billable hours when not recorded in real-time. The impact of these inefficiencies is profound, costing businesses an estimated $63,807 per employee each year. Harvest, with its one-click start/stop timers and mobile capabilities, offers a solution that captures time accurately and minimizes lost billable hours, making it an ideal choice for legal professionals.

Essential Features of a Modern Legal Timesheet App

A modern legal timesheet app must offer specific functionalities to cater to the unique needs of law firms. Automatic time capture is essential, allowing lawyers to record time for tasks like emails or court appearances seamlessly. Harvest excels in this area with its mobile apps, enabling lawyers to track time during client meetings or court sessions effortlessly.

Furthermore, distinguishing between billable and non-billable hours is crucial. Harvest allows for flexible billing rates per project or person, ensuring that legal tasks are accurately categorized and billed. Integration with practice management and accounting software streamlines workflows, while robust reporting and analytics provide insights into client profitability and firm performance, making Harvest a comprehensive choice for legal time tracking.

Navigating Ethical and Regulatory Compliance

Adherence to ethical and regulatory standards is paramount for legal professionals. The American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct mandate accurate timekeeping to avoid unreasonable fees, making compliance a critical aspect of legal practice. Harvest supports this need by allowing detailed reporting and transparent billing descriptions, reducing the risk of disputes and enhancing client trust.

Legal timesheet apps must also support industry-specific billing standards such as UTBMS and LEDES codes. While Harvest provides flexible tracking and reporting, additional integrations may be necessary for full compliance with these specialized billing requirements. Nevertheless, Harvest's robust security features ensure that sensitive client data remains protected, aligning with GDPR, HIPAA, and other privacy regulations.

Implementing a Timesheet App: Best Practices for Law Firms

Successful implementation of a timesheet app requires careful planning and firm-wide standardization. Real-time entry and automated reminders help maximize billable hours. Harvest’s intuitive interface and mobile access facilitate seamless adoption and usage across legal teams, even for those who are not tech-savvy.

Regular review of time entries ensures accuracy and prevents billing delays. Leveraging data insights from Harvest's detailed reports can further improve efficiency and inform strategic decision-making. With strong training and ongoing support, law firms can fully capitalize on the benefits of a timesheet app, reducing administrative burdens and enhancing overall profitability.

Track Billable Hours with Harvest

See how Harvest helps lawyers efficiently track billable hours with customizable rates and detailed reporting.

Screenshot of Harvest timesheet app for lawyers tracking billable hours.

Timesheet App for Lawyers FAQs

  • A legal timesheet app should offer automatic time capture, support for billable vs. non-billable hours, customizable billing rates, and integration with legal software. Harvest meets these needs with its flexible tracking features and detailed reporting capabilities.

  • Harvest allows users to track both billable and non-billable hours with flexible rates per project or person. This functionality helps legal professionals categorize and bill tasks accurately, ensuring compliance with legal billing standards.

  • Yes, Harvest can enhance a law firm's profitability by efficiently capturing billable hours, reducing administrative tasks, and providing insights into client profitability through detailed reporting. This allows firms to make data-driven decisions to optimize performance.

  • While Harvest provides flexible billing and detailed reporting, full compliance with legal billing standards such as UTBMS and LEDES may require additional integrations. However, Harvest's security features ensure data protection in line with industry regulations.

  • Harvest offers integrations with various platforms such as QuickBooks and Xero, which can complement legal practice management systems. This integration streamlines workflows and reduces the need for duplicate data entry.

  • Real-time time tracking is crucial for lawyers as it reduces the risk of lost billable hours and ensures accurate billing. Harvest's one-click timers and mobile access support real-time tracking, capturing all relevant work activities efficiently.

  • Harvest employs robust security measures to protect client data, adhering to industry standards such as GDPR and HIPAA. This ensures that sensitive information remains confidential and secure.