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Setting Up Rate Groups and Rates in LeanLaw

How to set up and manage billing rates in LeanLaw — including standard user rates, matter-level rate overrides, rate groups for different client tiers, and how rates flow through to invoices.

LeanLaw uses a layered rate system — rates are set at the user level as defaults, and can then be overridden at the matter level for specific clients or arrangements. This gives firms flexibility to have different rates for different clients while maintaining clean defaults for everyday billing.

 

Layer 1: Standard User Rate (Firm Default)

Every user in LeanLaw has a Standard Rate — their default hourly billing rate. This rate applies to all time entries unless overridden at the matter level.

To set or update a user's standard rate:

  1. Go to Settings → Users.
  2. Click the user's name.
  3. Enter their rate in the Standard Rate field.

📋 Note: If no Standard Rate is set, LeanLaw defaults to $0. Always set rates for every timekeeper before they begin entering time — a $0 rate on invoiced time entries cannot be corrected retroactively on submitted invoices.

 

Layer 2: Matter-Level Rate Override

For clients on different rate agreements, you can set custom rates per user per matter. These override the user's Standard Rate for time entries on that specific matter.

To create and set a matter-level rate for a user:

  1. Go to Settings → Users.
  2. Click the user's name.
  3. Select Add New Rate.
  4. Enter the name for the rate and the rate.
  5. Select Save Changes at the bottom
  6. Open the matter from the Matters tab.
  7. Go to the Billing and Rates tab.
  8. Find the user in the rates section.
  9. Select the new rate from the Rates dropdown.

Additionally, LeanLaw offers a way to set a custom rate at any time on the Matter's Billing and Rates tab. 

To set a custom rate for a user:

  1. Open the matter from the Matters tab.
  2. Go to the Billing and Rates tab.
  3. Find the user in the rates section.
  4. Enter their custom rate for this matter.

⚠️ Note: If you set a Custom Rate manually, any changes to Standard Rates or newly added rates will NOT update the rate. You will need to manually go into the Matter's Billing and Rates tab to make those changes.

 

Rate Groups (Multiple Rate Tiers)

A Rate Group is a predefined set of billing rates that can be applied across multiple users and matters, enabling centralized and scalable rate management — especially useful for firms with many timekeepers or complex pricing structures. This feature is currently in Early Access. Reach out to support@myleanlaw.com or your Customer Success Manager to see if Rate Groups are right for you.

Use Cases

A firm might create Rate Groups such as:

  • "Standard 2024 Rates"
  • "Corporate Discount"
  • "Litigation Premium"

These groups can then be assigned to matters based on the client type or practice area.

How It Works

  1. Rate Groups are managed centrally in Settings → Firm Setup → Rate Groups.
  2. Once a Rate Group is assigned to a matter, all rates in that group override individual user rates for that matter.
  3. Any updates made to a Rate Group automatically apply across all associated matters — allowing firm-wide rate changes to be made in one place.

 

How Rates Appear on Invoices

When a time entry is included on an invoice, LeanLaw uses the rate stored on the entry at the time it was created:

  • If a matter-level rate was set, that rate was applied when the entry was saved.
  • If no matter-level rate was set, the user's Standard Rate was applied.
  • The rate on the invoice line item reflects the rate at entry creation — changing rates after the fact does not automatically update existing entries.