Pre-bill preparation

Ask for this when: an invoice is coming up and you want the time on a matter read through before it goes to the attorney or the client.

"Prep the pre-bill for 00041-Alvarez." "What's going on the Delgado bill this month?" "Review the time on this matter before we bill."

What it does

For the matter and the period you name, it reads the time entries in Clio and shows them in date order with the attorney's own descriptions, then flags, as suggestions only:

• Wording a client would not understand ("call", "email"), with better wording proposed from the file - the email or meeting that day
  • in the attorney's usual style. You or the attorney type it into Clio; the assistant cannot change an entry.
• Possible missing time: emails and meetings on the matter with no entry that day. If you confirm one and say the minutes, it logs it the usual way, shown first, on your yes.
• Questions: two entries with the same wording on one date, or non-billable entries in the period, in case one was meant otherwise.
• What the assistant itself logged in the period, so you know which lines came through it.

It ends with a one-screen pre-bill note for the attorney, which it can put in your Drafts addressed to them.

What it can't do

• It never invents or rounds a duration, totals a bill, or states a rate. Minutes are as Clio shows them; money is Clio's.
• It cannot edit, delete, or "fix" a time entry. It suggests wording; a person changes it in Clio.
• A suggestion is labelled a suggestion until someone types it in.