Settlement Calculator — Known Limitations and FAQ
Current limitations of the Settlement Calculator, Lien Management, and Overview Dashboard features.
Settlement Calculator Limitations
| Limitation | Details | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| No expense-interest report | Expense interest is calculated and added to the settlement statement, but there’s no standalone report breaking it down outside the wizard. | Reference the interest breakdown shown in Step 2 of the wizard, or calculate a separate breakdown manually if needed for firm records. |
| Sales tax appears only after finalizing | For firms that charge sales tax on legal services, the correct tax amount doesn’t show on the settlement statement until the invoice is finalized. | Finalize the invoice, then regenerate the settlement statement to reflect the correct tax amount. |
| No mid-wizard staleness detection | If someone modifies expenses, trust deposits, or lien data while you are mid-wizard, the wizard will not warn you. Each step uses a snapshot of data at the time it was confirmed. | Complete the wizard in a single session when possible. If data changed, Unlock & Reset and re-run. |
| No email from the settlement page | You cannot email the settlement statement to the client directly from LeanLaw. | Download the PDF and email it using your normal email workflow. |
| No billing or disbursement action from the settlement screen | Generating the statement does not create the QBO invoice, pay the attorney fee, or disburse the client’s net proceeds. | Bill from the Billing tab (filter “Show only contingency matters” → draft → finalize → pay from trust), then disburse to the client manually in QBO. See How to Process a Settlement Using the Settlement Wizard. |
| Statement is frozen | The generated PDF is a point-in-time snapshot. It will not update if you later change expenses, liens, or other data. | Unlock & Reset and regenerate if corrections are needed. |
Lien Management Limitations
| Limitation | Details | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| No undo/overdraw validation on lien payments | LeanLaw doesn’t check whether a check being undone has already reconciled/cleared in QBO, or whether a lien payment would overdraw the trust account. | Verify check status and trust balance directly in QBO before undoing a payment or paying a lien close to the trust balance. |
| No cross-matter lien dashboard | You can only view liens on a per-matter basis. There is no firm-wide view of all liens across active matters. | Use Metabase/reporting for aggregate lien visibility (coming soon). |
| Manual data entry only | Liens must be entered manually. There is no automated intake from external documents, emails, or case management systems. | Enter liens as you receive notices throughout the case. |
| No government lien compliance automation | Medicare/Medicaid liens do not have automated deadline tracking or MSPA reporting. | Track government lien deadlines manually and consult compliance counsel. |
| No lien deadline alerts | No automated alerts for state-specific hospital lien filing deadlines. | Set calendar reminders outside LeanLaw for critical lien deadlines. |
| Lien types are fixed | You cannot add custom lien types. Available types: Medical Provider, Insurance Subrogation, Government (Medicare/Medicaid), Letter of Protection, Other. | Use “Other” for lien types that don’t fit the predefined categories. |
Contingency Analytics Dashboard Limitations
| Limitation | Details | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Read-only | The dashboard is view-only. You cannot edit data, create invoices, or take actions from the dashboard. | Navigate to the relevant matter/invoice/fee to take action. |
| Forecast tab not yet available | The Forecast tab (projected settlements, projected revenue by quarter) is coming soon. It requires expected settlement dates to be populated on open matters. | Plan to populate expected settlement dates on your open matters now so the Forecast tab is ready when it launches. |
| Data may have slight latency | Dashboard data is sourced from reporting views and may not reflect changes made in the last few minutes. | Refresh the page if you’ve just made changes. Allow a few minutes for data to propagate. |
| No custom alerting | You cannot set threshold alerts (e.g., “notify me when fee recovery drops below 25%”). | Check the dashboard regularly (recommend weekly). |
| Practice area and marketing source must be populated manually | Charts grouped by practice area or marketing source only include cases where those fields are filled in. Unpopulated cases appear as “Unclassified” or “Unknown Source”. | Populate these fields on all contingency matters for complete analytics. Your CSM can assist with bulk data import. |
| Only shows contingency matters | The dashboard is filtered to BillingType = Contingency only. Hourly and flat fee matters do not appear. | Use existing LeanLaw reports for hourly/flat fee analytics. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use the Settlement Calculator without Trust Accounting enabled?
A: No. The Settlement tab requires trust accounting to be enabled at the firm level and connected for the specific matter. If trust accounting is not set up, you’ll see a prompt directing you to enable it in firm settings.
Q: What happens if I enter a 0% fee (pro bono case)?
A: This is allowed. The wizard will proceed normally with a $0 attorney fee. An informational message will confirm this is a pro bono case.
Q: Can multiple users work on the same settlement wizard?
A: Yes. Wizard progress is saved server-side. A second user can pick up where the first left off. However, only one user should be active in the wizard at a time — there is no real-time collaboration or conflict detection.
Q: Why is Step 5 (Map Payments) grayed out?
A: Step 5 only applies when the expense arrangement is “Client pays as they go.” If your matter uses “Firm advances” or “Firm absorbs,” Step 5 is automatically skipped but remains visible in the stepper for consistency.
Q: Can I edit the Settlement Statement after it’s generated?
A: No. The statement is a frozen PDF. To make corrections, use Unlock & Reset to return to Step 1, correct the underlying data, and regenerate.
Q: What permissions do I need to see the Settlement tab?
A: You need both (1) create/edit access on clients and matters, AND (2) billing tab access (ability to submit invoices to QBO). If either is missing, the Settlement tab is hidden entirely.
Q: Will the settlement invoice auto-sync to QuickBooks?
A: Yes. The “Bill for Settlement” action creates an invoice that syncs to QBO through LeanLaw’s existing two-way integration.
Q: Is the Contingency Analytics dashboard available on all LeanLaw plans?
A: The Summary, Revenue Analytics, and Velocity tabs are visible to all plans as a preview of the advanced insights suite. Full access (without the preview banner) is part of the Elite plan. Contact your account manager for details.
Q: Why does the Forecast tab say “Coming Soon”?
A: The Forecast tab is planned for a future release. In the meantime, you can start populating expected settlement dates and expected recovery amounts on your open matters so the tab will have data when it launches.
Q: Will the settlement invoice auto-sync to QuickBooks?
A: Not automatically from the settlement screen. After generating the statement, go to the Billing tab, filter to “Show only contingency matters,” draft the invoice, and finalize it. Once finalized, it syncs to QBO through LeanLaw’s existing two-way integration — the same as any other invoice.
Q: Can I push lien payments to QuickBooks directly from LeanLaw?
A: Yes — from the Liens tab, once a lien is Finalized, you can push its payment as a trust check directly to QBO. Note that LeanLaw doesn’t yet validate whether a check being undone has already cleared in QBO, or whether the payment would overdraw the trust account, so double-check both in QBO first.