Build a draft invoice from the time records and the engagement terms
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the time entries and the engagement letter the lawyer supplies, list each entry, the time recorded, and the rate or fee basis the letter states. Do not invent time or write the invoice that will be sent.
- What the lawyer must review
- Model Rule 1.5(a) forbids an unreasonable fee. Rule 1.5(b) requires the scope and the basis or rate of the fee and expenses to be communicated to the client, preferably in writing, before or within a reasonable time after the representation starts, and any change in that basis or rate to be communicated as well. Formal Opinion 512: a lawyer who bills by the hour must bill actual time, including time spent prompting a tool and reviewing its output, and must not bill hours the tool saved. The lawyer matches every line to the records and the current engagement terms before anything is sent.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Consider narrowly defined preparation support after confirming the tool’s capability and permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Verify the applicable jurisdiction and the version of each relevant law, rule or instrument in force at the material time.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement letter with a generative AI clause (United States) | Letter | AI use Yellow | Engagement letter stating the scope and the basis of the fee, and separating ordinary generative-AI use from any input of information relating to the representation, which needs a completed tool schedule rather than a boilerplate consent. |
| Timekeeper check before billing generative AI work (United States) | Checklist | AI use Yellow | A check a timekeeper completes before AI-assisted time or a per-use AI charge is put on a bill, so the bill reflects time actually spent and expenses the engagement allows. |
Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one. All precedents.