[Early Access] Importing Expenses via CSV in LeanLaw

The Expense Import tool lets you upload a CSV file of expense records into LeanLaw in bulk — useful for entering a large volume of soft costs at once, or for importing expense data from another system during a migration.

📋 Who can use this: This feature is available for firms that are on our Pro or Elite subscriptions tiers. If you would like to enable this feature or upgrade your plan, please reach out to support@myleanlaw.com or to your Customer Success Manager.

Expense Types Supported

Type	What It Creates
Standard LeanLaw Expense (default)	A soft cost tracked in LeanLaw for client billing. Does not create a payable obligation in QuickBooks Online.
QuickBooks Online Bill (Hard Cost)	An actual bill in QuickBooks Accounts Payable — a real vendor expense your firm must pay.

⚠️ QuickBooks Online Bill expenses require a valid vendor: When importing as QBO Bill type, the Vendor field is required and must exactly match a vendor name already in your QBO account. LeanLaw validates this before completing the import.

Accessing the Expense Import Tool

Click the Expenses tab in the main navigation.
Look for the Expense Import option on the left side.
The Expense Import page opens.

Preparing Your CSV File

Download the import template from the Expense Import page to ensure your file uses the correct column structure. Required fields vary by expense type:

Required Fields — All Expenses

Field	Notes
Client Name or Client ID	If using IDs, both client and matter IDs are required. If using names only, both client name and matter name are required.
Matter Name or Matter ID	See client field note above.
Date	Date of the expense. Format: MM/DD/YYYY.
Amount	Expense amount in dollars.
Description	Invoice description — this appears on the client's invoice.

Additional Required Fields — QuickBooks Online Bill Expenses

Field	Notes
Expense Type	Set to 'QuickBooks Online Bill' (or the exact value specified in the import template).
Vendor	Must exactly match an existing vendor name in your QuickBooks Online account.

Optional Fields

LEDES Expense Code: Required if the client has LEDES billing enabled and required expense codes configured. Errors here cause LEDES file generation to fail later.
Billable: Whether the expense should be billable (default: yes). Set to 'No' for non-billable expenses.

Running the Import

On the Expense Import page, click Choose File.
Select your prepared CSV file.
Click Prepare for Import. LeanLaw validates the file and shows a preview.
Review the preview — rows with issues are highlighted in red. Fix those rows in your CSV, re-upload, and re-validate.
Once all rows are valid, click Next → Import.
After import completes, go to Recent Imports to confirm all expenses were added successfully.

💡 Final step is critical: The import is not complete until you push it from the Recent Imports table. If you close the page before completing this step, your expenses may not be added to LeanLaw. Verify completion in the Recent Imports list after every import run.

Known Issues (Early Access)

⚠️ Review before using at scale: The following known issues exist in the current version of the Expense Import tool:

QuickBooks Online Bill matter assignment bug: QuickBooks Online Bill expenses imported for client-billed clients may not retain matter assignment — they appear in Unassigned Expenses. Workaround: use standard LeanLaw expense type for client-billed clients when using matter-billed workflows, or manually assign matters after import.
LEDES code validation: The tool allows import of expenses without required LEDES codes, or with invalid codes. This doesn't fail the import — but it will cause LEDES file generation to fail later in the billing workflow. Verify all LEDES codes before importing for LEDES-enabled clients.
No undo / rollback: Once an import is pushed to LeanLaw, it cannot be rolled back automatically. Review the preview carefully before completing the import. To remove incorrectly imported expenses, they must be deleted individually from the Expenses page.