Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Using Expense Templates in LeanLaw

How to create, manage, and use expense templates in LeanLaw to speed up recurring soft cost entries — including saving from an existing expense and applying templates at entry time.

Expense templates let you save a pre-configured expense — description, amount, type, and other fields — so you can recreate it in seconds for recurring charges like mileage, photocopies, or monthly flat-rate costs. Templates are shared across your firm.

 

Creating an Expense Template

Templates are created directly from an existing expense's edit view. You cannot create a template from scratch — you must start by creating or editing an expense first.

 

Method 1: Save a New Expense as a Template

  1. Open the Add Expense form (Expenses tab → Create Expense, or + → New Expense).
  2. Fill in all the fields you want pre-populated in the template (description, amount, expense type, etc.).
  3. Before clicking Save, click the Settings Gear icon within the expense form.
  4. Select Save as Template.
  5. In the Save as Template dialog, enter a Label (the name that will appear in the template dropdown) and an Invoice Description (the text that will appear on client invoices).
  6. Click Save Changes. The template is now available firm-wide.

 

Method 2: Save an Existing Expense as a Template

  1. Find the expense in the Expenses tab.
  2. Click the three vertical dots (⋮) → Edit to open the Edit Expense window.
  3. Click the Settings Gear icon and select Save as Template.
  4. Enter a Label and Invoice Description, then click Save Changes.

 

Method 3: Create an Expense Template in Settings

  1. Navigate to Settings > Team Settings > Expense Templates
  2. Click on Create Expense Template
  3. Fill in the information for the Expense
  4. Click Save Expense

💡 Tip: Use clear, descriptive labels for your templates — e.g., 'Mileage — Standard Rate' or 'Photocopy per Page' — so timekeepers can quickly identify the right template from the dropdown.

 

Using an Expense Template

When creating a new expense, expense templates appear in a dropdown within the Add Expense form:

  1. Open the Add Expense form.
  2. Click the Expense Templates dropdown (or the template selector in the form).
  3. Select the template. The template's pre-configured fields populate automatically.
  4. Adjust any fields as needed (e.g., change the date, update the amount if it varies).
  5. Select the Client and Matter for this specific expense.
  6. Click Save.

📋 Note: Templates pre-fill the description, amount, and expense type — but Client and Matter are never stored in a template, since those vary per entry. You'll always need to select those fields manually.

 

Managing Expense Templates

Expense templates are managed in Settings → Expense Templates. From there you can:

  • View all firm-wide expense templates
  • Edit a template's label, invoice description, or pre-filled values
  • Delete templates that are no longer needed

⚠️ Firm-wide scope: Expense templates are shared by all users. Editing or deleting a template affects everyone at the firm immediately. Coordinate with your team before making changes to widely-used templates.