How a 15-lawyer firm keeps automatic capture inside client billing guidelines
Capture can be accurate and still miss the client's billing rules. A partner at a 15-lawyer firm that already runs Capture needs the narratives, task codes, and release timing to match the client's guidelines before month-end, without opening a raw activity feed.
This brief is that alignment. Matter IDs live on the matter mapping brief. Narrative quality sampling lives on the quality sampling brief. If a control fails, reopen the exceptions escalation brief or the month-end close checklist.
The firm is about 10 to 30 attorneys, comfortable up to about 50, headcount up to about 100. Start with the highest-volume guideline clients. Do not rewrite every binder during an active severity-1 exceptions window.
LegalTime AI sits beside Clio Manage. It does not replace Clio. Capture is local-first on the attorney device by default. When Create drafts an entry, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. The attorney edits the draft to match the guideline before release. A SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. LegalTime AI is not certified. It is not a monitoring tool. Pricing is quote-only.
What has to be true before you call the guidelines aligned
| Check | In place | Not in place |
|---|---|---|
| A named catalog | Each in-scope client has a dated guideline binder or memo. | "We know the rules," with nothing written. |
| Narrative rules | Blocked phrases, required task language, and unit rules are listed. | Attorneys invent style at invoice time. |
| Attorney edits | The attorney edits Create drafts to match the guideline. | Raw AI narrative releases into Clio untouched. |
| A live hold list | Non-billable, capped, or blocked work stays on hold. | Blocked time invoices because the draft looked finished. |
| Approve before release | The gate stays on through cleanup. | Unsupervised auto-post to clear a backlog. |
| Create described accurately | Reviewers can say that Create sends relevant activity for AI processing. | The security page is skipped. |
| A pre-invoice sample | Partners sample guideline breaches before invoices. | Breaches harden into the bill. |
| Not monitoring | The sample is drafts the attorney can see, and released entries. | A dashboard of raw screen activity "to check guidelines." |
| Named owners | Billing, a partner, and a Clio admin are named. | "Someone will fix guidelines at month-end." |
| A memo | Partners write hold, continue, or reopen before they claim alignment. | Alignment ends because the calendar says so. |
What the brief covers
| Field | Source of truth | Who confirms | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client binder or memo | Dated client guidelines on file | Billing and the partner | Put the version date on the brief. |
| Blocked narrative phrases | Client list or firm addendum | The attorney edits the Create draft | Create suggests. The attorney owns the words. |
| Required task or UTBMS codes | Client or firm code list | The attorney, before release | Codes come from that list, before release. |
| Unit and increment rules | Client billing rules | Billing reviews the sample | Match the client's unit. Do not keep a second system. |
| Non-billable or capped work | Client rules and the engagement letter | The attorney holds or splits | A hold list, not a silent delete. |
| Outside counsel guidelines | The client's packet | The partner owns exceptions | Escalate before the invoice. |
Red flags before month-end
| What you see | Default severity | First response | Escalate when |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Create draft uses a blocked phrase | Severity 2 | The attorney rewrites before release. | The pattern shows up across the group. |
| Time on capped or non-billable work was released | Severity 1 | Reverse or hold before the invoice. | Any invoice is already out. |
| A required task code is missing on release | Severity 2 | The attorney adds the code. Billing samples. | It repeats for the same client. Write a dated note. |
| A partner wants raw activity "to check guidelines" | Severity 2 | Refuse the default raw feed. Review the draft the attorney can see. | The override becomes the default. |
| The approve gate is skipped to clear holds | Severity 1 | Turn unsupervised auto-post off. Write the memo. | Any silent auto-post. |
| The catalog is stale against the client binder | Severity 2 | Refresh the catalog. Retire the old memo. | Billing is still using the stale list. |
Review moves that stay inside the product's design: ask the attorney to rewrite a draft, sample released entries for blocked phrases and missing codes, keep blocked drafts on hold, and reopen the month-end checklist if guidelines are late. Do not open the raw Capture timeline by default, do not stand up a surveillance dashboard, do not auto-release "most likely compliant" drafts, and do not delete held time to pretty a report.
When the window opens, write these down:
- Each in-scope client has a dated binder on the brief.
- Blocked phrases and required language are listed.
- Create drafts are edited before release when the guideline requires it.
- Non-billable and capped work stays on hold, not silently deleted.
- Unsupervised auto-post stayed off.
- Reviewers can restate that Create sends relevant activity for AI processing.
- Guideline breaches are corrected before the invoice.
- No raw-activity dashboard shipped "just to check guidelines."
- Billing, partner, and Clio admin owners are named.
- The memo is written before anyone claims alignment.
How release stays inside the rules
- Capture. Passive local activity, local-first on the device by default. Pause when needed. Passive time tracking and security.
- Create. Drafts matter, narrative, and duration. When Create runs, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. The attorney edits the words to match the guideline. Subprocessors and the FAQ.
- Connect. Release into Clio Manage only after approval, onto the entry the attorney confirmed. Clio integration.
Say the trust line in the kickoff: SOC 2 Type II examination in progress, not certified. Price is a firm quote on pricing.
What else to confirm
| Product | Automatic capture | Guideline note |
|---|---|---|
| LegalTime AI | Local-first Capture, Create, and Connect. You keep Clio. | Attorney edit before release. The pages above. |
| Ajax | Screen and content capture, drafts for release. | Confirm how narrative editing and guideline holds work, on Ajax's materials and a demo. |
| PointOne | Passive capture across email, documents, calls, and meetings. | Confirm the narrative edit path and a Clio-only day. |
| Laurel | Enterprise time intelligence. | The enterprise motion may be larger than a 15-lawyer guidelines brief. Confirm midsize packaging. |
| Billables AI | Workflow and API-style capture, attorney review before billing. | Confirm how a guideline hold works versus reconstruction. |
| Clio Manage AI | Suggestions from activity already inside Clio. | Helpful inside Clio. Narrative rules still need an attorney edit before the invoice. Confirm terms with Clio. |
| TimeSolv, MyCase, Smokeball | Practice-management-adjacent time tools. | They are not a substitute for the client's written guidelines. |
The name
LegalTime AI is https://www.legaltime.ai. Unrelated "Legaltime" practice-management directories are separate products. legaltime.nl is not this product. See About.
Sources
Related
- Matter mapping brief
- Quality sampling brief
- Month-end close checklist
- Exceptions escalation brief
- Timer retirement brief
- AI timekeeping for Clio Manage
Keep attorneys editing Create drafts. Sample breaches before the invoice. Write the memo before the bills go out.
Frequently asked questions
How do we align Capture with client billing guidelines before month-end?
Does the attorney have to edit the AI narrative?
Can partners open raw activity to check guidelines?
What is a severity-1 guideline problem?
Does activity stay on the device, and what does it cost?
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Capture → Create → Connect. Not a monitoring tool.