🔒Note: The write-down feature is available for LeanLaw Pro users only. To upgrade your subscription, visit your firm's subscription page in Settings.
What Are Write-Downs?
A write-down is a reduction in the billed hours of a time entry that doesn’t alter the hours worked. This allows your firm to maintain accurate internal records while adjusting invoices when necessary.
Firms typically use write-downs in situations like:
Reducing a time entry that reflects more hours than a task reasonably required (e.g., 6 hours logged for a task that should’ve taken 2).
Accommodating a client who’s unable to pay the full amount by adjusting the invoice instead of pursuing collections.
By keeping billed and worked hours separate, you can:
Ensure your timekeepers are compensated fairly.
Maintain transparency in your productivity and billing reports.
Identify trends in write-downs by client or user and take steps to reduce them.
The write-down feature gives you greater flexibility and control over billing, helping you balance client relationships with accurate financial reporting.
In This Guide:
How to enable write-downs
Write-downs must be enabled in your firm's settings.
1. Open Settings
Click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the top-right corner of LeanLaw.
2. Click on Firm Info and check the Write-Down box
Navigate to Firm Info under the Firm Setup section.
Scroll to the bottom and check the box labeled Enable Write-down for Time Entries, then click Save Changes.
✅ Write-downs are now active for your firm.
How to use write-downs
Once enabled, write-downs can be added during invoice creation with billable hours.
1. Create a draft invoice
Hours can only be written down during invoice creation. To do that, go to the Ready to Bill tab in Billing. Use the step-by-step invoice builder or click the ⚡ green lightning bolt next to a client/matter.
2. Open the draft invoice
In the Drafts tab, select the invoice you just created.
3. Click the time entry
Under Services, click on the relevant time entry to open the Edit Line Item Entry window.
4. Enter a write-down value
Find the WRITE-DOWN field and enter the number of hours to subtract.
You can also adjust the Amount field, and LeanLaw will calculate the write-down automatically.
The write-down value must be less than the number of Hours Worked.
If you try to enter a negative value or a value greater than the hours worked, your entry won't save.
5. Click Save
To save your write-down, click the green Save button. Once your write-down is saved, even if you undo the invoice in which the time entry exists, LeanLaw will remember the write-down value for whenever you decide to bill the entry, and for the purposes of your productivity reports.
🧠 Note: LeanLaw tracks your write-downs even if you undo the invoice. If you wish to remove a write-down, it can only be done within an invoice by deleting the value you entered into the write-down field in step 4. Additionally, write-downs can be reversed by removing the value from the write-down field, which restores the original billable hours and amounts.
Writing down to zero
⚠️ Warning: Clicking Clear will zero out entries permanently. This action cannot be undone. Be careful when using the Clear function.
If you need to reduce all billable time on an invoice to $0, you can do so using the Clear button in the step-by-step invoice builder on the Ready to Bill page.
How it works:
Open the invoice in the step-by-step builder.
Click the Clear button above the invoice items.
A window will appear with three options:
Mark all entries as billed
Write down all entries
Mark all entries as unbillable
To write down all entries to zero, select the Write down option. This will reduce the billed hours for every time entry in the invoice to zero while retaining the hours worked for internal tracking.
📊 All zeroed-out hours will appear as write-downs in your productivity reports.
How to Reverse Write-Downs
If you need to undo a write-down applied to an invoice, you can follow these steps to restore the original billable values:
Steps to Reverse a Write-Down
Open the draft invoice containing the write-down.
Access the time entry affected by the write-down.
Find the write-down field and delete its value.
Save the invoice to restore original billable hours.
Handling Issues in Draft Editor
Should you encounter issues while trying to reverse a write-down in the Draft Editor, use the following workaround:
Open the affected time entry.
Adjust the write-down incrementally:
Slightly increase its value first.
Decrease it to 0 to restore balance.
Click Apply to finalize changes.
Note:
Even after reversing, the write-down record continues to appear in Productivity reports unless the value has been completely removed.
Write-downs in Reports
Write-downs are tracked in two key productivity reports: Productivity by Client & Matter and Productivity by Timekeeper. These reports provide insights into the number of hours written down, their corresponding dollar value, and the percentage of potential revenue impacted, either by client/matter or by individual user. The sections below explain where to find and how to interpret this information. Note: If a write-down has been reversed, its record will still appear in these reports unless the value is completely removed, providing a historical reference for adjustments.
Productivity by Client & Matter
To access:
Go to Reports > Productivity > By Client and Matter
Select a reporting period.
This report shows:
Total hours written down by client or matter
The dollar value of those write-downs
The percentage of revenue impacted
Productivity by User
To access:
Go to Reports > Productivity > By User
Select a reporting period.
This report shows:
How many hours were written down per timekeeper
The dollar value of those adjustments
The percentage of their potential revenue (based on hours worked) that was written down
