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Adjusting Billing Rates on Individual Time Entries in LeanLaw

How to override the billing rate on individual time entries in LeanLaw — and how entry-level rates interact with matter, user, and firm rate settings.

By default, LeanLaw applies the billing rate from your matter settings, user settings, or firm defaults when a time entry is created. Adjust Rate on a time entry lets you override this rate for a specific entry — useful for courtesy discounts, blended rate arrangements, or one-off billing situations.

 

Rate Hierarchy in LeanLaw

Before adjusting a rate on an entry, it helps to understand how LeanLaw determines which rate to use by default:

Rate Level

Priority

Matter Rate Override

Highest priority. If a rate is set for this specific user on this specific matter, it always wins.

User Standard Rate

Second priority. The rate set on the user's profile in Settings → Users.

Entry-Level Rate Override

One-off override on a single entry using Adjust Rate mode. Does not change matter or user settings.

 

Using Adjust Rate

To override the rate on a single time entry:

  1. Open the time entry form (Create Entry on the Time Entries page, or click an existing entry to edit).
  2. Select Adjust Rate after inputting the Client and Matter.
  3. The Rate field becomes visible and editable. The current rate is pre-filled from the applicable rate hierarchy.
  4. Enter the new rate for this entry by manually entering or select from the dropdown of rate options.
  5. Complete the remaining fields and click Save.

📋 Note: Changing the rate directly on the time entry affects only this single entry. It does not update the user's Standard Rate, the matter rate override, or any other entry. Future entries will still use the default rate from the rate hierarchy. Users must also have the Role Permission Edit Rates enabled.

 

When to Use Entry-Level Rate Adjustments

Entry-level rate adjustments are appropriate for:

  • Courtesy rates: Reducing the rate for a specific task as a goodwill gesture without changing the matter's overall rate.
  • Blended rates: Manually entering a blended hourly rate agreed upon with the client for a specific piece of work.
  • Corrections: Fixing a rate that was wrong on an entry before it goes to invoice.
  • Pro bono entries: Setting the rate to $0.00 for pro bono time while keeping the hours on record.

⚠️ Write-downs vs. rate adjustments: If you need to reduce the billed amount on an entry that has already been invoiced, use the Write-Down feature (available during invoice editing for LeanLaw Pro users) rather than editing the entry rate. Write-downs preserve the original hours worked while adjusting the billed amount.