Fee Arrangements

How a case is billed is set on the case, and the matching fee arrangement section(s) appear for the fee type(s) it uses. A case can combine more than one. These sections are the structured version of your fee agreement, and they drive what Time Entries and Expenses turn into on the invoice.

A few rules govern how fee types change over a case’s life. Fee types may be combined on a single case, so an hourly matter can carry a flat fee for a discrete piece of work alongside it. You can change the fee types until the first invoice for the case is finalized; after that the billing structure is locked. Flat fees are the one exception: you can always add a flat fee to a case, even after finalization, but once a flat fee has been used it can’t be removed.

Hourly Rates

For hourly work, this section is a rate table per timekeeper: each row is a user (or a group or role), showing their firm default rate next to their rate on this case. That’s the point: pricing tailored per person, per case, instead of one firm-wide number. Time entries bill at the rate of whoever did the work.

Two toggles keep the table readable: Enabled Only (hide departed users) and Has Billed? (show only people who’ve actually worked this case). A user’s row can be re-priced but not removed: their rate history belongs with the case.

Flat Fees

For flat-fee work, this section defines the fixed price for each covered service. A flat fee is a cap: no matter how many hours go in, the earned fee never exceeds the agreed amount.

A flat fee can be split into milestones, each with its own amount, earned as that piece of the work completes. What you’ve earned at any moment is the base fee (once earned) plus the earned milestones, and that’s what flows to the invoice. Earning fees in stages keeps your billing aligned with the work, and your trust withdrawals aligned with what’s actually yours. The two stay consistent automatically: marking the fee earned marks all its milestones earned, and earning the last milestone marks the fee earned.

Contingency

For contingency cases, this section captures the arrangement: the percentage you collect on a judgment or settlement, whether the client pays expenses, and any retainer involved.

Where You’ll See It

These sections appear on a case, only for its fee type(s). The fee agreement they reflect is part of the client’s file; see the billing guides in Financials for how fees become invoices.