Fixing Invoice Email Issues in LeanLaw: Missing Sender and Delivery Problems

This article covers the most common invoice email issues in LeanLaw — from 'I can't send emails because no sender is configured' to 'My client says they didn't receive the invoice.' Work through the relevant scenario below.

Issue: Can't Send Invoice Emails — No Sender Address Configured

If you attempt to email an invoice and receive an error about a missing sender address, LeanLaw's email service has not been set up for your firm. This is required before any invoice emails can be sent through LeanLaw.

To set up the sender address:

Click the gear icon ⚙️ to open Settings.
Navigate to Email Settings.
Under Sender Info, enter your firm name and sender email address.
Complete any email verification steps if prompted (you may receive a verification email to the sender address).
Click Save Settings.

📋 Note: The sender email must be a real, monitored email address. Clients may reply to it. Once configured, all future invoice emails will be sent from this address.

Issue: Emails Are Sending from QuickBooks, Not LeanLaw

If invoice emails show a grey QBO 'emailed' badge instead of LeanLaw's email tracking badges, your firm is still using QuickBooks Online's legacy email method. This typically happens because LeanLaw's email service was never set up.

To switch to LeanLaw's email service:

Set up the sender address as described above.
Going forward, always use the Email button within LeanLaw's Manage Invoices page to send invoices — don't send from within QuickBooks Online directly.
LeanLaw will use its email service for all invoices emailed through the LeanLaw interface.

💡 Tip: Once LeanLaw's email service is active, you gain delivery tracking, account summaries, payment links, and full email customization. The QBO email method is a legacy fallback — there's no benefit to using it if LeanLaw's email service is available.

Issue: Client Says They Didn't Receive the Invoice

If a client reports not receiving an invoice, check the email delivery state in Track Sent Emails:

Go to Billing → Manage Invoices → Track Sent Emails.
Find the invoice email and check its delivery status.

Status You See	What It Means and What to Do
Delivered	The email was accepted by their mail server. Ask the client to check their spam/junk folder, or try sending to an alternate address.
Opened	The client opened it — they may have forgotten or it may have been routed incorrectly. Resend a reminder.
Bounced	The email was rejected — likely an invalid email address. Verify the client's email address in their record and resend.
Deferred	Delivery was delayed. LeanLaw retries for 72 hours. If still deferred after 72 hours, it will become a Bounce. Check client email validity.
Blocked / Dropped	The email was not sent due to spam flags or a prior unsubscribe. The client may need to add your sender address to their safe list, or you may need to use an alternate delivery method.
Spam Report	The client marked a previous email as spam. Their ISP will likely block future emails. Contact the client directly and consider alternative delivery.

Issue: Emails Are Bouncing — Invalid Address

Bounced emails indicate the email address on file for the client is incorrect or no longer valid. To fix:

Go to the client record in the Clients tab.
Update the contact email address to the correct one.
Re-send the invoice from Manage Invoices.

Issue: Sender Email Verification Not Completing

If you entered a sender email address but are having trouble completing domain verification (SPF/DKIM records), contact LeanLaw Support at support@myleanlaw.com. Email authentication setup can require IT involvement if your firm manages its own email domain.

Issue: No Tracking Available for Old Emails

Emails sent before LeanLaw's email service was set up, or emails sent through QuickBooks' email system, will not have tracking data in LeanLaw. Only emails sent through LeanLaw's email service after setup is complete will show delivery states in Track Sent Emails.