"Many law firms try to get invoices out to clients as soon as possible since they believe that the sooner a client gets an invoice, the sooner the client will remit payment. Indeed, many law firms have deadlines for attorneys to submit time entries so that administrators can prepare bills and send them to clients as soon as possible. However, there are a few situations in which it might not make sense to invoice a client immediately, and lawyers might be better served waiting to send a bill to a client."
"If a client has a small balance with a lawyer, it might not make sense to send a bill immediately. Indeed, if a client gets a small bill from a lawyer, they might think that the lawyer is impersonal since the small balance can just be rolled over into a bigger balance before an invoice is sent to a client. Of course, if the lawyer is done working for a client, it might make sense to just send a final invoice even if the balance is low. However, if an invoice is in the low three-figure range, and I am dealing with a consistent client of my law firm, I might wait to send an invoice to a client."
"The administrative process of dealing with invoices can be difficult to clients, especially old-school ones who still use paper accounting methods and paper checks. Lawyering is all about relationship-building, and clients might be peeved if lawyers send them a small invoice rather than waiting until a bigger balance accumulates."
"Lawyers usually send invoices out on the first day of the month. However, sometimes the first day of the month or the first business day of the month lands on a day that clients might not be working. January 2, 2026, the first business day of 2026, fell on a Friday. As a result, many people took that day off so that they could enjoy a four-day weekend. Accordingly, even though lawyers might have wanted to get a jump on billing, they were probably best-served waiting until January 5, 2026, to send invoices."
Many law firms aim to send invoices quickly to encourage faster payment, often using deadlines for attorneys to submit time entries. Immediate billing may not be appropriate in certain situations. When a client’s balance is very small, an invoice can appear impersonal, and the client may prefer rolling the amount into a larger future balance. Clients using paper-based accounting and checks may find invoice administration burdensome, and they may become frustrated if they receive small bills instead of waiting for a larger total. Timing also matters when the first billing day falls on a non-working holiday or weekend, since clients may be unavailable to process invoices until the next business day.
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