If your legal practice is going through a growth stage, it’s imperative to get on top of time management before it gets on top of you. As a specialist law firm digital marketing agency, AEK Media understands how important your time is.
Optimising time management in legal practices means increasing your billable hours, and aligning on timekeeping policies, but it also means creating a culture of valuing your time.
When it comes to technology, it’s essential to choose the right legal practice management software. Whether the firm uses comprehensive technology like Leap legal practice management software, cloud-based tracking tools, or manual logs, the system must be reliable and easy to use.
A strong timekeeping policy doesn’t just protect profitability; it builds trust with clients and fosters accountability across the firm.
Comprehensive timekeeping policy
Timekeeping policies differ from firm to firm – do you charge for a three-minute phone conversation, for an email exchange that was only a handful of words? It’s essential that all partners are on the same page about what a comprehensive timekeeping policy looks like.
Starting from the top, clear guidelines are crucial. These guidelines ensure accurate billing, compliance, and operational efficiency. Lawyers and support staff must record their time consistently, capturing billable and non-billable hours with clarity.
A well-structured policy should outline time entry deadlines, detail the required level of specificity in descriptions, and establish rules for rounding or minimum time increments. This helps maintain transparency with clients, reduces disputes, and ensures the firm meets ethical and regulatory obligations.
Utilising timekeeping software
Choosing the right time tracking software for lawyers is essential.
The right timekeeping software can streamline time tracking, making it easier for staff to log hours accurately, efficiently and on the spot. Some timekeeping software integrates with billing systems, automatically generating detailed reports for both billable and non-billable activities, which is worth considering if this is a functionality you value. By tracking in real time, lawyers can capture every minute worked, leading to more accurate invoicing and better revenue management.
An unexpected advantage is that timekeeping software offers valuable insights into how time is spent across different tasks, helping to identify inefficiencies or areas for improvement. Many platforms also allow for mobile or remote tracking, offering flexibility for lawyers who work outside the office. Regular training on the software ensures the whole team is up to speed, maximising its effectiveness. In the end, adopting timekeeping software helps firms stay organised, increase profitability, and deliver more accurate and transparent billing to clients.
At AEK Media, we believe that if you’re serious about improving time management, you should start with the best legal practice management software in Australia. Our pick is Smokeball. As a practice management software with time recording capabilities, Smokeball brings seamless, smart assistance to busy law firms. Helping you do more in less time by assisting with tasks like information gathering, drafting correspondence and matter summaries, Smokeball AI is hard to beat as far as legal practice management software in Australia goes.
However, the best legal practice management software for you will depend on your needs. So let’s look at a legal practice management software comparison:
For more information, make sure to check out legal practice management software reviews Australia.
Professional development and time tracking education
Smokeball in particular is an intuitive program. But it’s still important to provide adequate training.
All teams should be proficient in the tools and processes you plan to use. This means understanding how to track their hours effectively, avoiding common mistakes, and integrating time tracking into their daily workflow.
Regular professional development sessions focused on time tracking best practices can help staff understand the importance of accurate timekeeping, the software they’re using, and the broader impact on client billing, profitability, and overall firm performance. You can expect to see wider compliance when everyone in your firm understands why they’re doing what they’re doing, and how it impacts the overall success of the business.
Maximising profitability through effective time management
Contrary to what you might think, several case studies have shown that ineffective timekeeping leads to underbilling, not overbilling. One firm found they were undercharging by over 300 hours per month – that’s a lot of unpaid hours, and a lot of lost revenue.
When lawyers and staff track their time accurately, it ensures that every billable hour is accounted for, reducing the risk of lost revenue. Efficient time management allows the firm to optimise resources, ensure work is completed within budgeted hours, and avoid over-servicing clients without proper compensation. By using legal time tracking software that aligns with the firm’s billing practices, you can get a clearer picture of how time is spent, which tasks are taking longer than expected, and where inefficiencies might lie.
When time is managed well, lawyers can prioritise tasks more effectively. This enhanced efficiency can lead to a more streamlined workflow, allowing the firm to take on more cases or increase the volume of work without stretching resources too thin. Ultimately, effective time management doesn’t just optimise individual performance but maximises the firm’s profitability and long-term success.
Losing time to marketing?
Law firms experiencing significant growth have a lot to think about. From earning reputable backlinks to regularly publishing high-quality content, marketing for law firms can eat up a lot of time that is better spent with clients. Did you know that most people search for legal services on Google? If your firm isn’t ranking within the first page of results, you’re losing business – and billable hours.
AEK Media can help.
We’ve won awards from some of the most prestigious marketing groups and platforms out there. Why? Because we care about your firm as if it’s our own.
At AEK Media, we are more than just marketers and web designers. With backgrounds in entrepreneurship, business growth, and digital transformation, we bring a strategic, multi-disciplinary approach that goes beyond conventional marketing. We understand the challenges law firms face, because we’ve been on the other side, navigating the same obstacles in business growth. That experience drives us to set a new standard for what an agency should deliver.
Our proven strategies don’t just generate traffic- they convert leads, increase case acquisitions, and create sustainable revenue growth. By leveraging cutting-edge automation, AI-driven marketing, and high-performance SEO, we help law firms streamline operations, enhance client acquisition, and scale with precision. Every campaign, website, and strategy we craft is built with the care and attention we wish we’d received when growing our own businesses.
If you’re ready to move beyond just managing your firm and start scaling it with strategic, results-driven growth, contact AEK Media today. Let’s build a firm that dominates your market.
EMail
