Understanding the Settlement Statement PDF

What is the Settlement Statement?

The Settlement Statement is a client-facing PDF document that shows exactly how the settlement proceeds are distributed — including deposits received, attorney fees, expenses, third-party liens, and the client’s net proceeds.

PDF Layout

The statement opens with a header (firm name and address) and a short intro paragraph addressed to the client, summarizing the gross recovery, the attorney fee, and total expenses advanced — then five sections, each its own heading (not nested inside one another):

1. Settlement Deposits Lists all deposits received into the client’s trust account for this matter. Shows date, received from, description, and amount, plus a Total Deposits line.

2. Attorney Fee Section header shows the fee percentage (e.g., “Attorney Fee (33.33% of Settlement)”). If co-counsel or a referring attorney is on the matter, their split appears as indented sub-lines under the Contingency Fee line, in this same section — not a separate section. See Co-Counsel and Referring Attorney Fees on a Settlement.

3. Expenses Advanced on Behalf of Client (omitted entirely if there are no expenses on the matter) All case costs (filing fees, medical records, expert witnesses, etc.), including expense interest if the firm charges interest on advanced expenses (see Step 2 of the Settlement Wizard). If co-counsel or a referring attorney has their own expenses on the matter, those appear as an indented sub-line here as well. If the expense arrangement is “Client pays as they go,” this section also shows a Less: Already Paid by Client line and an Unreimbursed Balance. (Sales tax, where applicable, is shown here once the invoice has been finalized — see the note below. LeanLaw supports a single tax line; multi-line tax scenarios are not currently supported.)

4. Third-Party Liens (omitted entirely if no liens exist) A section separate from Expenses — the PDF notes that liens are not case costs, since they’re obligations paid from trust to third parties rather than costs the firm advanced. Only liens with a Finalized or Paid status on the Liens tab are included.

5. Net Proceeds to Client Total deposits minus the attorney fee, expenses, and any liens. Followed by a closing paragraph restating the fee/expense/lien totals and a client acknowledgment statement, then signature lines for the client and the attorney.

Note: Sample PDFs may also show a Jurisdiction note in the footer — this is optional, firm-configured text, not fixed boilerplate. See How to Customize Your Settlement Statement.

Important Details

• The statement is a frozen snapshot — once generated, it does not change even if underlying data is modified later, except for sales tax (see note below)
• To regenerate with updated data yourself, you must Unlock & Reset and re-run the wizard — sales tax is the one case LeanLaw regenerates it for you automatically (see note below)
• The header shows your firm’s name, address, and contact info in the upper right, mirroring your invoice PDF layout — there is no separate client-info block; the client is addressed by name in the opening paragraph and identified in the Matter banner below the heading
• The filename is: settlement-statement.pdf

Note (sales tax states): If your firm charges sales tax on legal services (Hawai’i, New Mexico, South Dakota), the amount shown will be $0 or incorrect until the firm’s invoice is finalized on the Settlement Disbursements table. LeanLaw automatically regenerates the statement at that point — but any copy you already downloaded or sent stays stale. Wait to download the statement until after the invoice is finalized. LeanLaw supports a single sales tax line; multi-line tax scenarios are not currently supported.