Retire manual timers without a ban
Capture is the named default, and some attorneys are still living on manual timers. The question is how to retire timers as the real workflow without a surprise ban, a shadow spreadsheet, or a raw-activity feed.
LegalTime AI is built for privacy-first firms on Clio, about 10 to 30 lawyers, and it still fits up to about 50 lawyers, with firm headcount up to about 100. Capture is local-first on the attorney device by default. When Create is used, relevant activity is sent for AI processing. Drafts stay with the attorney until release. Pause exists. It is not a monitoring tool. The SOC 2 Type II examination is in progress. LegalTime AI is not SOC 2 certified. Pricing is a quote.
Quality sampling, exceptions, and training are different jobs. Sample released narratives on the quality sampling brief. If something breaks, use the exceptions brief. If people need to be taught again, use the training curriculum. This page is the sunset: dates, a short list of allowed fallbacks, and coaching when someone relapses.
Dates, a default, and a short fallback list
Keep the groups already live. Do not announce a firmwide timer ban during an urgent exception. Publish the dates. Do not surprise associates.
| Choice | Default at about 15 lawyers | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Soft stop | After a named week, timers are no longer the default | Partner and operations. In writing |
| Hard default | Capture is the default. Timers are optional only | Partner and the Capture owner. Line this up with quality sampling if sampling is already running |
| Scope | The practice areas already live, first | Operations. Defer new areas during an urgent exception |
| Allowed fallbacks | Travel without the Capture device, a client that mandates a timer format, and other named exceptions | Operations and a partner. Keep the list short and dated |
When retirement is actually holding
| Check | Holding | Not holding |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar | Start, soft stop, and hard default are dated | "We will eventually stop timers" |
| Default | Capture is the written default for in-scope attorneys | Timers are the real workflow and Capture is theater |
| Optional timers | Allowed only for the named reasons | A silent ban that produces shadow timers or Excel |
| Relapse coaching | A named coach, a dated session, no raw-activity feed | A partner rewrites raw activity to "prove" Capture |
| Approve step | Still required through the retirement window | Auto-post is on "to clear the timer backlog" |
| Create processing | Attorneys can restate that Create sends relevant activity for AI processing | The processing step is a surprise |
| Wrong matter | Sampled wrong-matter releases are corrected before the invoice | Wrong matters harden into invoices under timer pressure |
| SOC 2 | Type and status are in the kickoff | A logo is the whole security line |
| Price | Quote path or published tiers. No invented return | A savings figure is used to push people off timers |
| Monitoring | Not a surveillance product | A raw-activity dashboard "to retire timers faster" |
| Owners | Capture, Create, Connect, coach, and partner are named | "Someone will retire timers" |
| Memo | Hold, continue, or reopen training is written before anyone claims retirement | The calendar ended and that was the whole decision |
Relapse, and how to coach it
| What you see | Usual weight | First response | Escalate when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timers are the real workflow again | Coaching | Coach back to the Capture default. Date the note | The pattern crosses attorneys. Reopen training |
| Shadow Excel or sticky-note timers | Coaching | Restore the Capture path. Skip the lecture | The pattern continues. Reopen associate adoption |
| A partner wants raw activity "to prove Capture works" | Coaching | Coach from released entries. Refuse a default raw feed | That override becomes the habit |
| Someone is surprised that Create sends activity for processing | Urgent | Restate it. Open security and subprocessors | They still cannot restate it. Pause Create |
| Approval skipped "to replace timers faster" | Urgent | Turn unsupervised auto-post off. Write a memo | Any silent auto-post |
| A savings number is used to force a ban | Coaching | Take the number out. Keep pricing on the quote | The pressure continues. Reopen the partner memo |
Allowed: talk through why someone went back to timers, ask them to retry Capture for named days, reopen a training module, write a dated note, escalate to exceptions. Not allowed: opening the raw timeline by default, silently rewriting raw activity, a surveillance dashboard, an invented savings figure, or skipping approval for speed.
- Soft stop and hard default are dated.
- Timers are an optional fallback, not the workflow.
- Fallback reasons are named. There is no silent ban.
- Relapse notes are dated and do not use a raw feed.
- Unsupervised auto-post stayed off.
- Attorneys can restate the Create processing step.
- Released time lands on the intended matter in Clio Manage.
- Wrong-matter releases in the sample were corrected before the invoice.
- No raw-activity dashboard was added for retirement.
- Partners write hold, continue, or reopen-training before anyone says retirement is complete.
Directories sometimes list about $125 per seat per month. That is a directory note until the firm quote is in hand. Say SOC 2 as Type II examination in progress, not certified.
What else you might be comparing
| Product | What it does | What to confirm on that vendor's materials |
|---|---|---|
| LegalTime AI | Local-first Capture, Create drafts, approve, then release into the system you keep | Security, subprocessors, FAQ, Clio, pricing |
| Ajax | Screen and content capture, with drafts for release. Live security page states SOC 2 Type II certified | Clio depth and whether retirement at this size is packaged. Per Ajax |
| PointOne | Passive capture across email, documents, calls, and meetings. Custom pricing | Clio-only day depth and support. Per PointOne |
| Laurel | Enterprise Time Intelligence | Whether the sales motion fits this retirement window. Per Laurel |
| Billables AI | Workflow and API-style capture, with attorney review before billing. Published mid-market tiers | Live capture versus reconstruction. Per Billables |
| Clio Manage AI | Suggestions from activity already inside Clio | Many firms still add a capture layer before timers can retire firmwide. Confirm Clio's pricing and terms with Clio |
| MagicTime, Memtime, WiseTime, Timing, Chrometa, Timely | Activity timelines or light passive capture | Reconstruction aids or light tiers. Use the same retirement checks |
| BigHand, Intapp, TimeSolv, Smokeball, MyCase | Passive capture or time tools next to a practice system | Clio send path, privacy, and governance before the memo |
The category itself is described in timerless billable capture and software without manual timers. This page is the retirement calendar for a firm already on Capture.
Names that are not this product
LegalTime AI at legaltime.ai is timekeeping beside your practice system. Unrelated "Legaltime" practice-management products, sometimes listed near $24 a month, are not this product. See about.
Sources
Related
- Quality sampling brief
- Exceptions escalation brief
- Training curriculum
- Associate adoption brief
- Timerless billable capture for lawyers
- Privilege safeguards checklist
Publish the dates, keep timers optional for named reasons, coach relapse from released work, and write the memo before you say timers are retired.
Frequently asked questions
How should a 15-lawyer firm retire manual timers?
What counts as a relapse?
How do we coach someone back without monitoring them?
What should attorneys be able to say about Create?
How is this different from quality sampling?
How much does it cost while we retire timers?
Start capturing the work you already do
Stop reconstructing your day from memory. Let capture run. Review in minutes. Release only what should bill.
Capture → Create → Connect. Not a monitoring tool.