Legal billing glossary
Legal billing — defined
Plain-language definitions of legal billing concepts that matter for firms evaluating how voice-first capture fits their practice.
Terms
All definitions
Contemporaneous time capture
The practice of recording time entries at or close to when the work is performed — not reconstructed from memory later. The foundation of accurate legal billing.
Legal time entry
A billable record of legal work performed for a client — including client/matter reference, a description of the work, the time value, and billing rate. The core unit of legal billing.
Billing narrative
The written description in a time entry — what work was done, for whom, and in what context. Narrative quality affects client satisfaction, billing acceptance, and write-down risk.
Write-down risk
The risk that a billed amount will be reduced or eliminated — proactively or in response to client objection — because an entry is vague, duplicative, or difficult to justify.
Billing leakage
Billable time performed but not captured, not entered, or not billed — and therefore never invoiced. The gap between work that occurred and work that was recovered as revenue.
Time entry defensibility
The quality of a billing entry that can withstand client scrutiny — at invoice review, in a billing audit, or in a fee dispute. Defensibility depends on specificity, accuracy, and narrative quality.
OCG compliance
Adherence to Outside Counsel Guidelines — billing requirements set by corporate clients that specify how time must be recorded, described, and invoiced. Non-compliance leads to write-downs or rejected invoices.
Matter mapping
The process of associating a time entry with the correct client matter — so the work is billed to the right file, at the right rate, in the correct billing period.
Get Started
See voice-first billing in practice
45-day free trial. No credit card. Capture your first entry in minutes.