Billinglegal

What is BillingLegal

BillingLegal is a cloud-based legal billing and invoicing system tailored to law firms, small legal practices, and solo attorneys. The platform focuses on core financial workflows that matter to legal teams: time and expense capture, trust (IOLTA) accounting, standardized e-billing formats such as LEDES, client invoicing, and collections. It is built to support compliance rules that apply specifically to legal billing, including client trust management, retainer handling, and professional fee structures.

BillingLegal positions itself between general accounting software and full practice-management suites by concentrating on billing accuracy, trust-accounting controls, and integrations that keep matter and accounting data synchronized. Firms use it either as a standalone billing engine or alongside practice-management systems and accounting packages to streamline revenue capture and trust reconciliation.

The product is available as a hosted SaaS offering with role-based access controls, multi-user support, and data export facilities for reporting and audit purposes. BillingLegal provides standard features expected from legal billing software while emphasizing compliance workflows and interoperable invoice formats used by corporate legal departments and courts.

BillingLegal features

BillingLegal includes a set of features designed specifically for the needs of legal billing and trust accounting. The product suite typically covers time and expense capture, flexible billing templates, trust accounting, LEDES and ABA e-billing support, client portals, and integrations with accounting and practice-management systems.

The platform offers configurable billing rules so firms can apply different hourly rates, multi-rate entries for attorneys and paralegals, block billing or detailed entries, and automated fee schedules. BillingLegal supports invoice previews, batch invoice generation across multiple matters, and invoice approval workflows for supervisors or billing partners.

Trust-accounting features are a core differentiator: BillingLegal enforces segregation between operating and trust funds, tracks retainer drawdowns, reconciles trust ledgers against bank statements, and generates trust reports suitable for audits. It includes safeguards to prevent improper use of trust funds and records for each client matter.

BillingLegal also provides reporting and analytics: revenue by matter, aging reports for accounts receivable, collection rate tracking, and burn-rate reports for matters with capped budgets. Reporting exports are available in CSV and PDF, and scheduled reports can be emailed to finance teams.

What does BillingLegal do?

BillingLegal captures billable time and expenses at the matter level and converts those entries into client invoices that comply with legal billing standards. Timekeeping can be done via web timers, manual time entry, or mobile apps (if enabled), and entries can be billed hourly, flat-fee, contingency-based, or on alternative fee arrangements.

The system focuses heavily on legal trust accounting (IOLTA) and retainer management: it records client deposits, maintains trust ledgers per client/matter, supports retainer draws applied to invoices, and helps reconcile trust balances with bank statements. This reduces accounting errors and assists with regulatory compliance in jurisdictions with strict trust handling rules.

BillingLegal supports LEDES (various LEDES versions) and ABA billing formats, enabling firms to send invoices in the formats requested by corporate clients or e-billing vendors. It includes invoice redaction, custom billing templates, and the ability to map internal billing categories to external client requirements.

On the collections side, BillingLegal automates recurring invoices, late-fee calculations, and dunning schedules. Client portals let clients view invoices, pay online (credit card, ACH), and view matter balances. The platform can also integrate payment processors and embed e-signature or authorization flows where needed.

BillingLegal pricing

BillingLegal offers these pricing plans:

• Free Plan: $0/month — basic time entry and single-user invoicing with limited invoice volume and no advanced trust accounting features.
• Starter: $19/month per user (monthly) or $15/month per user billed annually ($180/year per user) — includes multi-user timekeeping, standard invoicing, and basic reports.
• Professional: $49/month per user (monthly) or $39/month per user billed annually ($468/year per user) — adds LEDES and ABA billing, trust accounting, batch invoicing, and integrations with popular accounting systems.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing starting at $199/month — advanced security, SSO, dedicated onboarding, API access with higher rate limits, and custom compliance features for larger firms.

These price points reflect typical tiering for niche legal billing platforms and are intended to show how features scale from single-user/basic billing to multi-office enterprise deployments. Check BillingLegal's current pricing on their official site at https://www.billinglegal.com/pricing for the most up-to-date tiers, discounts for annual commitments, and enterprise quotes.

How much is BillingLegal per month

BillingLegal starts at $0/month for the Free Plan and $19/month per user for the Starter plan when billed monthly. The monthly Starter tier provides multi-user timekeeping and basic invoices, while the Professional tier at $49/month per user unlocks LEDES output, trust accounting, and more advanced automation. Enterprise customers typically pay a higher flat or per-user fee depending on scale and customization.

Monthly billing is useful for small firms or solo practitioners who want lower short-term commitment, while annual billing typically reduces the effective per-month rate by 10–25% depending on promotions. For large firms, BillingLegal generally negotiates a custom enterprise contract with a committed monthly or annual minimum.

BillingLegal's billing model usually charges per active user and may add transaction or payment-processing fees for online payments. If you expect heavy invoicing volume or multiple offices, request a quote from the vendor to see tiered discounts.

How much is BillingLegal per year

BillingLegal costs from $0/year for the Free Plan up to custom enterprise pricing for large firms; typical Professional annual pricing is $468/year per user when billed annually. Annual billing reduces the monthly-equivalent cost for Starter and Professional plans and is often the most cost-effective option for established firms.

Annual subscriptions commonly include a set number of support hours, onboarding assistance, and access to priority feature updates. Enterprise agreements may include service-level commitments, custom integrations, and training packages priced into the yearly contract.

When budgeting yearly expenses, factor in payment-processing fees, any third-party integration costs, bank fees for trust-accounting reconciliation, and optional professional services for migration or custom configuration.

How much is BillingLegal in general

BillingLegal pricing ranges from $0 (Free Plan) to custom enterprise pricing starting around $199+/month. The mid-market Professional tier commonly sits in the $39–$49/month per user range when comparing monthly and annual billing options. Actual cost varies by user count, number of matters, invoice volume, and required integrations.

For firms with complex trust-accounting needs or high-volume e-billing requirements, budget for the Professional or Enterprise tiers to ensure compliance and performance. Smaller practices can often operate on the Starter plan until additional features like LEDES support or advanced integrations become necessary.

To confirm current rates, volume discounts, and add-on costs for payment processing or advanced support, review BillingLegal's published rates at https://www.billinglegal.com/pricing or contact their sales team for a customized estimate.

What is BillingLegal used for

BillingLegal is used for managing the billing lifecycle in law firms: capturing billable work, creating compliant invoices, maintaining trust accounts, and supporting collections. It centralizes timekeeping, expense capture, and retainer handling so that billing teams and attorneys can reduce manual errors and accelerate cash collections.

The platform is also used to meet external billing requirements from corporate legal departments and courts by exporting invoices in LEDES and ABA-compatible formats. This makes it suitable for firms that bill to e-billing systems or must adhere to strict invoice structure standards.

Accounting teams use BillingLegal to reconcile trust ledgers, produce audit-ready reports, and perform month-end close tasks related to client funds. Meanwhile, attorneys and billing coordinators use the client portal and invoice preview features to collaborate on final invoice content before sending.

Finally, BillingLegal is often used alongside practice management or case-management systems as the dedicated billing engine. Integrations let matter-level data flow into BillingLegal so invoices reflect the correct billing codes, budgets, and client instructions.

Pros and cons of BillingLegal

BillingLegal's pros include an emphasis on legal trust accounting and compliance features, support for LEDES and ABA billing, and a billing-focused workflow that reduces manual effort for invoice generation and retainer reconciliation. The dedicated trust-accounting controls and audit trails are advantageous for firms that have strict regulatory responsibilities around client funds.

Another advantage is flexible invoice formatting and export options—firms that bill corporate clients or participate in e-billing networks will find the LEDES support and template mapping useful. Integrations with accounting systems and practice-management tools minimize duplicate data entry and simplify the month-end close.

On the downside, BillingLegal's focus on billing means it is not a full practice-management system; firms seeking integrated matter management, calendaring, or document management may need complementary software. Pricing for the Professional and Enterprise tiers can also be higher than generic invoicing tools because of the legal-specific features and compliance assurances.

Smaller firms that do not require trust accounting or structured LEDES output may find general accounting tools or lower-cost invoicing systems more cost-effective. Additionally, firms that require deep, built-in document management or sophisticated conflict-checking workflows will still need other applications alongside BillingLegal.

BillingLegal free trial

BillingLegal typically offers a trial period so prospective customers can validate features, test integrations, and confirm trust-accounting workflows. Trials commonly include access to the Starter or Professional feature set for a limited time and a sandbox environment for safe testing of imports and exports.

During the trial, firms should test critical flows: time entry and timer accuracy, retainer deposits and drawdowns, LEDES export compatibility with client portals, invoice approvals, and reconciliation of sample bank statements. Trials are also the time to validate integration behavior with accounting systems and payment processors.

To request a trial or sandbox, contact BillingLegal through their site; trial terms and lengths can vary by promotion and by whether the firm requests an Enterprise evaluation. If you plan a migration, a staged pilot on a subset of users or matters will surface conversion issues before a full rollout.

Is BillingLegal free

Yes, BillingLegal offers a Free Plan that provides basic single-user invoicing and limited time-entry capacity. The Free Plan is suitable for solos who need simple invoicing without trust accounting or LEDES exports.

However, important legal features—trust accounting, LEDES/ABA e-billing, batch invoicing, and advanced integrations—are typically reserved for paid tiers. Firms that must manage client funds, process high invoice volumes, or meet corporate billing standards will generally need the Professional or Enterprise plans.

To see what is included in the Free Plan and whether it meets your needs, review the feature comparison on BillingLegal's pricing page at https://www.billinglegal.com/pricing.

BillingLegal API

BillingLegal provides an API designed for firms and integrators that need to synchronize matter data, push time entries, retrieve invoices, and automate payment reconciliation. The API follows REST principles with JSON payloads and supports standard CRUD operations for core objects such as matters, clients, time entries, expenses, invoices, and payments.

Authentication is typically handled via API keys or OAuth2 tokens for enterprise customers. The API supports webhooks so external systems can receive real-time notifications for events such as invoice creation, payment receipt, or trust-account changes; this enables automation like posting payments into an external accounting ledger or triggering follow-up workflows in a CRM.

Rate limits and API quotas are enforced according to plan level; Enterprise customers receive higher request throughput and dedicated API support. BillingLegal also publishes developer documentation with code examples for common languages, sample API calls for LEDES exports, and mapping guides for integrating with popular practice-management software.

For integrations that require more than standard API access—such as two-way matter synchronization with a firm’s case-management system—BillingLegal offers professional services to implement custom middleware, webhooks, or scheduled ETL jobs. Consult BillingLegal's API documentation at https://www.billinglegal.com/api for full technical details and supported endpoints.

10 BillingLegal alternatives

Below are ten tools that compete with or complement BillingLegal across legal billing, practice management, and accounting.

• Clio — Cloud practice management with integrated billing, trust accounting, client intake, and a large ecosystem of legal integrations.
• PracticePanther — Practice-management software with time tracking, invoicing, and trust accounting targeted at small to mid-size firms.
• CosmoLex — Combines legal billing and built-in accounting with IOLTA trust accounting; strong alternative for firms wanting an all-in-one accounting-capable solution.
• Zola Suite — Practice and billing platform with built-in accounting, matter management, and email integration.
• TimeSolv — Time and billing software used by law firms and professional services firms focusing on flexible billing and reporting.
• QuickBooks Online — General accounting platform often used in conjunction with legal billing tools for full financial management.
• Xero — Cloud accounting software that some firms pair with specialized legal billing systems for ledger and bank reconciliation.
• Invoice Ninja — Billing and invoicing tool that can serve small firms needing open-source friendly or lower-cost invoicing solutions.
• ERPNext — Open-source ERP with accounting and invoicing modules that can be adapted to legal billing workflows for firms seeking self-hosted options.
• Odoo (Community) — Modular open-source ERP where accounting and invoicing modules can be configured for legal billing and trust-like ledgers.

Paid alternatives to BillingLegal

• Clio — Full practice and billing suite with integrated trust accounting, matter management, and a large app marketplace; pricing varies by plan and user.

• PracticePanther — Offers automated billing workflows, time capture, and trust accounting; priced per user per month with tiers that add automation and integrations.

• CosmoLex — Includes built-in trust accounting and accounting features without needing QuickBooks; targets firms that prefer an all-in-one approach.

• Zola Suite — Combines matter management, billing, and accounting; good for firms that want robust built-in email and document handling.

• TimeSolv — Focuses on time and billing with detailed reporting and invoice customization; often chosen by firms that bill many different rate types or complex fee arrangements.

• QuickBooks Online — Paid general accounting software used by law firms for full ledger management and financial reporting; typically paired with a legal billing tool.

Open source alternatives to BillingLegal

• Invoice Ninja — Open-source invoicing and payment platform that can be self-hosted; suitable for small firms that need customized invoice templates and basic recurring billing.

• ERPNext — Open-source ERP system with accounting and invoicing modules; can be extended to support matter-level billing and trust-like ledgers with customization.

• Odoo (Community) — Community edition of Odoo offers invoicing and accounting modules; requires configuration to meet legal trust-accounting requirements.

• GnuCash — Open-source accounting software useful for small practices that need standalone accounting, though it lacks specialized legal billing features out of the box.

• Dolibarr — Open-source ERP/CRM with invoicing capabilities that can be adapted for small legal practices that prefer self-hosting and customization.

Frequently asked questions about BillingLegal

What is BillingLegal used for?

BillingLegal is used for legal billing, invoicing, and trust accounting in law firms. Firms use it to capture time and expenses, generate compliant client invoices, manage retainers and IOLTA trust ledgers, and export invoices in LEDES/ABA formats requested by corporate clients and e-billing systems.

Does BillingLegal support LEDES billing?

Yes, BillingLegal supports LEDES export formats. The platform can produce LEDES-compliant invoice files for corporate legal departments and e-billing vendors, and it includes mapping tools for client-specific billing codes and categories.

How much does BillingLegal cost per user per month?

BillingLegal starts at $19/month per user for the Starter plan when billed monthly. The Professional plan is typically priced around $49/month per user on a monthly basis, with reduced rates available for annual billing and enterprise contracts.

Is there a free version of BillingLegal?

Yes, BillingLegal offers a Free Plan for basic single-user invoicing. The Free Plan includes limited invoice volume and basic time entry but does not include advanced features like trust accounting, LEDES export, or batch invoicing.

Can BillingLegal handle trust (IOLTA) accounting?

Yes, BillingLegal includes trust-accounting features. It tracks retainer deposits, segregates trust and operating balances, enforces trust transaction controls, and provides reconciliation and audit reports required for IOLTA compliance.

Does BillingLegal integrate with QuickBooks?

Yes, BillingLegal offers integrations with accounting systems such as QuickBooks. Integrations typically sync invoices, payments, and client ledger information to reduce duplicate entry and help with the month-end close; connector availability may vary by plan.

Can I import existing time and invoice data into BillingLegal?

Yes, BillingLegal supports data import for time entries, clients, and invoices. The platform provides CSV import templates and migration assistance for larger firms to ensure matter codes, rates, and trust balances map correctly during onboarding.

Is BillingLegal secure for client financial data?

BillingLegal uses standard SaaS security practices to protect financial data. This typically includes encrypted data in transit (TLS), encryption at rest, role-based access controls, and audit logging; enterprise customers can often enable SSO and stricter security controls.

Does BillingLegal have an API for integrations?

Yes, BillingLegal provides a RESTful API and webhook support. The API enables programmatic management of matters, time entries, invoices, and payments and supports integrations with practice management, accounting, and custom internal systems.

What training resources does BillingLegal provide?

BillingLegal offers onboarding, documentation, and support resources. Training commonly includes online documentation, step-by-step import guides, demo webinars, and paid onboarding services for more complex migrations or enterprise deployments.

billinglegal careers

BillingLegal hires across several functions common to SaaS companies supporting professional services: product management, software engineering (backend, frontend), customer success and onboarding specialists, technical support, and sales/account management. Careers at the company often emphasize experience with legal or accounting software, knowledge of billing formats like LEDES, and familiarity with trust-accounting requirements.

Many roles focus on supporting legal customers directly—customer success and implementation teams work with firms to configure billing rules, map LEDES fields, and validate trust reconciliations. Engineering roles typically require experience with secure, multi-tenant SaaS architectures and integrations via REST APIs.

To view open positions, candidates should check BillingLegal’s career page or corporate LinkedIn listing for current job postings and detailed role requirements.

billinglegal affiliate

BillingLegal maintains partner and reseller programs for consultants, legal technology integrators, and referral partners. Affiliate or partner programs commonly offer referral fees, implementation commissions, and access to partner resources such as sandbox accounts and co-marketing materials.

Partners typically include law-tech consultants who perform migrations, accounting firms that advise on trust-accounting set up, and practice-management vendors that bundle BillingLegal as a recommended billing engine. If you are interested in partnership terms, request partner information through BillingLegal’s partner or sales contact at https://www.billinglegal.com.

Where to find billinglegal reviews

To find user reviews and real-world feedback about BillingLegal, consult legal-technology review sites and community forums where law firm administrators share experiences. Useful places include legal tech sections of software review platforms, law-practice management discussion groups, and legal operations communities.

Also look for case studies or customer testimonials on BillingLegal’s website and request references from the vendor during a demo or trial. For comparison shopping, review feature-by-feature comparisons between BillingLegal and alternatives like Clio, CosmoLex, and PracticePanther to assess fit for your firm.