Leanlaw

What is leanlaw

LeanLaw is a cloud-native practice management tool focused on timekeeping, billing, and legal accounting for law firms. It is designed to replace spreadsheet-based time and billing workflows and to integrate directly with QuickBooks Online so firms can maintain accurate ledgers and trust account records while producing client invoices. LeanLaw is aimed at small and mid-sized law firms, virtual law practices, and legal accountants who need matter-level profitability and time reporting tied to their accounting system.

LeanLaw emphasizes matter-based time capture, configurable billing arrangements (hourly, contingency, fixed/flat fee, blended rates), and trust (IOLTA) compliance. The product is optimized for firms that require precise revenue recognition, automated invoice posting to QuickBooks Online, and consolidated reports on timekeepers and matters. LeanLaw also supports mobile and desktop time entry, timers, and practice-level dashboards for oversight.

LeanLaw is typically used by billing partners, office managers, and accountants inside law firms. It reduces manual reconciliation by keeping matter balances, trust balances, write-offs, and invoice history in a single place and by syncing those details to QuickBooks Online to keep the firm’s financial books consistent.

LeanLaw features

What does leanlaw do?

LeanLaw provides a set of features centered on timekeeping, billing, trust accounting, and reporting:

• Matter-centric time tracking with manual entry and live timers that associate time entries with clients, matters, and activities.
• Flexible billing arrangements including hourly, task-based, flat-fee, contingency tracking, and blended rate setups.
• Trust accounting (IOLTA) tools for tracking client trust deposits, disbursements, and reconciliations to support regulatory compliance.
• Direct integration and two-way synchronization with QuickBooks Online to post invoices, payments, trust transactions, and retainers into the firm’s accounting ledger.
• Billing and invoice customization with templates, PDF generation, and invoice workflows that allow draft review before posting.

LeanLaw also includes practice reporting and analytics:

• Matter and timekeeper profitability reports that break down realization, collection, and burdened rates.
• Time and expense reports for client statements, contingent-fee summaries, and write-off tracking.
• Audit trails for trust transactions and invoice edits to support compliance and internal controls.

Additional operational features include expense capture, user and rate management, calendar and task linkage (where configured), role-based access control for firm staff, and exportable reports for accountants. LeanLaw’s interface is optimized for quick data entry and reconciliation workflows commonly used by legal bookkeeping professionals.

LeanLaw pricing

LeanLaw offers these pricing plans:

• Starter: $39/user/month billed monthly (discounts available for annual billing)
• Professional: $69/user/month billed monthly (includes advanced reporting and trust features)
• Enterprise: Contact LeanLaw for pricing (custom onboarding, volume licensing, enhanced support)

These plan names and prices represent the common tiers used by LeanLaw for single-firm licensing and multi-user firm subscriptions. Plans typically differ by the number of included users, access to advanced trust accounting workflows, priority support, and available onboarding and training services. Check LeanLaw's current pricing plans for the latest rates, bundled discounts, and enterprise options.

How much is leanlaw per month

LeanLaw starts at $39/user/month on the Starter plan when billed monthly. Monthly billing is common for firms that prefer flexible subscription management; annual billing often reduces effective per-user cost.

How much is leanlaw per year

LeanLaw costs the equivalent of $468/user/year for the Starter plan when you multiply the monthly rate by 12; discounted annual billing options may be available and are shown on LeanLaw’s pricing page. Enterprise contracts are usually quoted annually and often include onboarding and implementation fees.

How much is leanlaw in general

LeanLaw pricing ranges from approximately $39/month per user to custom enterprise pricing. Small single-user practices or new firms can expect to start at the lower tier, while multi-office firms that need custom integrations, dedicated onboarding, or premium support move to Professional or Enterprise pricing. The final cost depends on user counts, whether you bill annually or monthly, and the scope of onboarding services.

What is leanlaw used for

LeanLaw is used primarily to track billable time and expenses by matter and to convert that time into accurate legal invoices that feed directly into QuickBooks Online. Firms use LeanLaw to maintain matter-level profitability, produce client bills with correct trust accounting treatment, and eliminate manual ledger entries that create reconciliation errors.

Common use cases include: managing hourly and flat-fee projects, tracking contingency and mixed-fee matters, performing trust account reconciliations for client retainers and disbursements, and producing month-end revenue reports tied to QuickBooks Online. Billing managers use LeanLaw to implement billing rules, automate recurring invoices, and set up approval workflows.

LeanLaw also supports firms that want to centralize time entry across remote teams, provide consistent invoicing formats to clients, and give partners immediate visibility into outstanding work-in-progress (WIP) and accounts receivable. Accounting staff benefit from LeanLaw because invoices and payments sync to QuickBooks Online in a way that preserves matter and client detail for financial reporting.

Pros and cons of LeanLaw

Pros:

• Precise matter-level timekeeping and billing that aligns with legal practice workflows and trust accounting requirements.
• Tight QuickBooks Online integration that reduces manual posting and reconciliation work for accounting staff.
• Flexible billing models that support hourly, flat-fee, contingency, and blended rate scenarios.
• Reporting and audit trails designed for legal billing and compliance needs.

Cons:

• Firms not using QuickBooks Online will need additional steps to integrate accounting data, since LeanLaw’s strongest integration is with QuickBooks Online.
• Some advanced features (custom reporting, integrations, dedicated onboarding) are gated behind higher-priced plans or enterprise contracts.
• Firms with very specialized practice management needs (case document management, advanced matter workflow automation, or native client portals) may need additional tools alongside LeanLaw.
• Learning curve for firms migrating from spreadsheets or legacy timekeeping systems; successful migrations typically require planned data import and onboarding.

Overall, LeanLaw is well-suited to firms that prioritize accurate legal billing and QuickBooks Online accounting fidelity, but it may not cover every use case for firms that need full end-to-end case management in a single package.

LeanLaw free trial

LeanLaw typically offers a trial period to evaluate the core timekeeping and billing workflows before committing to a subscription. The trial commonly includes full access to timers, invoice creation, matter setup, and the ability to sync a test QuickBooks Online account so firms can see how postings appear in their accounting ledger.

Trials are intended for practice managers and firm administrators to test imports, set up matter and rate structures, and validate trust accounting behavior. During the trial, firms should exercise the invoicing and reconciliation flows to ensure QuickBooks Online posting matches internal bookkeeping practices.

To start a trial or request a demo, check LeanLaw's trial and demo options and follow their onboarding guidance for QuickBooks Online connection and data import.

Is leanlaw free

No, LeanLaw is not free. It offers paid subscription tiers with differing feature sets; however, LeanLaw typically provides a free trial period to evaluate the platform before purchase. Long-term usage requires a paid subscription aligned with the firm’s size and feature needs.

LeanLaw API

LeanLaw exposes integration points to connect with third-party systems, accounting platforms, and custom internal tools. The company provides REST-style API endpoints and developer documentation to allow partners and internal IT teams to extract matter, time entry, invoice, and trust accounting data programmatically.

Typical API capabilities include retrieving time entries, creating or updating matters, exporting invoice records, and synchronizing payment/retainer events. Webhooks or polling mechanisms are commonly supported so external systems can react to invoice posting or payment events as they occur in LeanLaw.

For developers building custom integrations or automated reporting, LeanLaw also documents the data model used for matters, clients, and timekeeper entities and provides sample request/response formats. For implementation details and API reference, review LeanLaw's developer documentation and API reference to confirm available endpoints and authentication methods.

10 LeanLaw alternatives

• Clio — Full-featured practice management with timekeeping, document management, billing, and robust integrations.
• Rocket Matter — Cloud practice management focused on billing, timekeeping, and practice workflows with built-in CRM features.
• PracticePanther — Legal practice platform offering time and billing, document automation, and client communication tools.
• Bill4Time — Time and billing software geared toward professional services including law firms, with invoice customization and reporting.
• Timeslips — Legacy timekeeping and billing system that remains popular for firms needing detailed time entry controls.
• CosmoLex — All-in-one legal practice management with trust accounting built into the platform and integrated billing.
• Zola Suite — Practice management with built-in accounting and billing, oriented to firms wanting an integrated ledger.
• QuickBooks Online (with legal templates) — Accounting-first approach where firms add time/billing extensions to manage legal workflows.
• Smokeball — Practice management and automation focused on small law firms with built-in time capture.
• Tabs3 — Longstanding legal billing and trust accounting package commonly used by firms with specific billing customizations.

Paid alternatives to LeanLaw

• Clio: Combines matter management, timekeeping, billing, and document management; integrates with many apps and has marketplace add-ons.
• CosmoLex: Provides integrated accounting with built-in trust accounting and legal invoicing; removes the need for separate QuickBooks synchronization.
• Rocket Matter: Provides flexible billing rules, client portals, and practice management features suited to mid-sized firms.
• PracticePanther: Offers automated workflows, invoice templates, and integrations with payment processors and accounting tools.
• Bill4Time: Specializes in professional services billing with advanced time capture, expense tracking, and customizable invoices.

Open source alternatives to LeanLaw

• Kimai: Open source time-tracking application that supports invoicing and reporting; suitable for firms that want a self-hosted timekeeping core and then integrate to accounting separately.
• ERPNext (with time/HR modules): Open source ERP that can be configured for professional services billing, time entry, and client accounting with customizations.
• Dolibarr: Modular open source ERP/CRM that includes time tracking and invoicing modules which can be adapted for legal billing with additional configuration.

Open source options typically require more setup, custom configuration for trust/IOLTA workflows, and an external accounting integration to achieve the same legal compliance features LeanLaw provides out of the box.

Frequently asked questions about LeanLaw

What is LeanLaw used for?

LeanLaw is used for legal timekeeping, billing, and trust accounting. Law firms use it to capture billable time by matter, produce invoices, manage client trust balances, and synchronize invoice and payment data with QuickBooks Online for accounting and reporting.

Does LeanLaw integrate with QuickBooks Online?

Yes, LeanLaw integrates directly with QuickBooks Online. The integration posts invoices, payments, retainers, and trust transactions to QuickBooks Online so firms maintain a consistent accounting ledger without manual double-entry.

How much does LeanLaw cost per user per month?

LeanLaw starts at $39/user/month on the Starter plan for monthly billing; higher tiers such as Professional and Enterprise carry higher per-user rates or custom quotes depending on included services.

Can LeanLaw handle IOLTA/trust accounting requirements?

Yes, LeanLaw includes trust accounting features. It tracks client retainers and disbursements, produces trust reconciliations, and records trust transactions so firms can meet regulatory trust account obligations when paired with proper bookkeeping practices.

Does LeanLaw offer a free trial?

Yes, LeanLaw typically offers a trial period to evaluate the platform. Trials allow firms to test time entry, invoice generation, and QuickBooks Online sync in a sandbox or test QuickBooks environment before committing to a paid subscription.

Is LeanLaw suitable for small solo practices?

Yes, LeanLaw is suitable for small and solo practices. Solo attorneys can use LeanLaw to capture billable time accurately, manage flat-fee matters, and produce compliant invoices while keeping accounting in sync with QuickBooks Online.

What integrations does LeanLaw support besides QuickBooks Online?

LeanLaw supports integrations through its API and select third-party connectors. Common integrations include payment processors, calendaring tools, document management systems, and reporting tools; developers can use LeanLaw’s API to build or extend integrations for specific workflows.

Can LeanLaw import historical time and matter data?

Yes, LeanLaw supports data import tools for migration. Firms migrating from spreadsheets or other timekeeping systems can import matters, clients, time entries, and invoice history as part of onboarding or via CSV import utilities and migration services.

How secure is LeanLaw for client data and billing records?

LeanLaw uses standard cloud security practices for SaaS platforms. Data is transmitted over encrypted channels, access is role-controlled, and the platform provides audit logs and permissions to help firms meet client confidentiality and regulatory requirements; review LeanLaw’s security documentation for specifics about encryption and compliance.

Does LeanLaw provide reporting on firm profitability?

Yes, LeanLaw provides matter and timekeeper profitability reporting. Reports include realization, collection, WIP, and write-off metrics to help firms evaluate matter-level margins and partner performance, and these reports can be exported for further financial analysis.

LeanLaw careers

LeanLaw hires roles in product development, customer success, legal accounting consulting, and sales. Career opportunities typically emphasize accounting, legal industry experience, and SaaS product knowledge. For current openings and culture information, view LeanLaw's careers information.

LeanLaw affiliate

LeanLaw offers partner and referral opportunities for accounting firms, QuickBooks ProAdvisors, and law practice consultants. Affiliates typically receive referral credits or partnership benefits when they introduce new customers who sign up for paid subscriptions. For details on affiliate programs and partner tiers, review LeanLaw’s partner and referral information.

Where to find LeanLaw reviews

Independent reviews and user feedback for LeanLaw can be found on legal technology review sites and accounting marketplaces. For detailed customer reviews and ratings, check LeanLaw listings on review platforms and read customer case studies on LeanLaw's customer stories and testimonials. Additional user reviews are available on legal software directories and accounting communities.