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Creating and Managing Matters in LeanLaw

How to create, configure, and edit matters in LeanLaw — including billing type selection, rate setup, matter details, and matter status management.

Matters are the core unit of work in LeanLaw. Every time entry, expense, invoice, and payment is tied to a matter. This guide walks through creating a new matter, configuring its settings, and editing matters over time.

📋 Complete this before billing: Connect QuickBooks Online and create the client before creating a matter. Matters require an existing client, and invoices require a QuickBooks Online connection to sync correctly.

 

Creating a New Matter

  1. Click Matters in the top navigation bar.
  2. Click the green Create Matter button.
  3. Select the Client this matter belongs to from the dropdown. Type to search.
  4. Fill in all required fields (see reference table below).
  5. Select the Billing Type — this determines how the matter is billed. See Article 3 in this collection for detail on each type.
  6. Click Save. The matter is created and immediately available for time entry and billing.

 

Field

Description / Notes

Client

Required. Select from your existing client list. Type to search.

Matter Name

A descriptive name for the matter. Appears on invoices and throughout LeanLaw.

Matter Number

Optional. Auto-generated if auto-numbering is enabled in Firm Settings. Can be manually entered.

Billing Type

Required. Hourly, Fixed Fee, or Contingency. Can be changed later if needed.

Practice Area

Optional. Used for reporting and filtering. See Article 6 in this collection.

Responsible Attorney

Required. Used in revenue distribution and reporting.

Originating Attorney

Optional. The attorney who originated the client relationship. Used in revenue distribution reports.

 

Configuring Rates on a Matter

After creating a matter, configure billing rates to ensure time entries are billed correctly. Rates can be set at three levels:

Rate Level

How It Works

User Standard Rate

Set on each user's profile in Settings → Users. Overrides the firm default for that user on all matters.

Matter Rate Override

Set directly on the matter. Overrides both firm and user defaults for this specific matter.

 

⚠️ Rate hierarchy: Matter-level rates override everything. If a rate is set on the matter for a specific user, it will always be used over their user default or the firm default.

 

Editing a Matter

  1. Click Matters in the top navigation.
  2. Search or browse to find the matter.
  3. Click the matter name to open it.
  4. Click Edit on the Info tab to open the edit panel.
  5. Update the desired fields and click Save.