An editable law firm invoice with matter number, time entries, disbursements, plus a filled-in example. Download it for Word, Excel or Google Docs without an email gate.
Word, Excel, Google Docs and PDF. No email required.
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INVOICETemplate preview · Example
01
Bill to
Westbrook Holdings, with contact, address and PO reference.
02
Line item
Review of draft lease: Partner time, 12 March. 2.4 hours at $380.00.
03
Total due
$2,661.00, due in 14 days.
04
How to pay
Bank transfer details or a card payment link, and your late payment terms.
What to include on a law firm invoice
A law firm invoice is a request for payment for work you’ve delivered. It needs to be clear enough that the client’s accounts team can approve it without coming back to you.
Field
Why it matters
Invoice number and date
Unique, sequential numbers make payments easy to match and keep tax records tidy.
Your details and the client’s
Business names, addresses and, if registered, your tax or VAT number.
Line items
What you did, how much and at what rate, in terms the client recognises from the agreement.
Due date and how to pay
An actual date, bank details or a payment link, and any late payment terms.
Matter number and name
Lets the client match the bill to the right matter
Timekeeper and rate
Shows who did the work and at what rate
Disbursements
Separates third-party costs from fees
How lawyers and attorneys usually bill
Law firms usually bill hourly in six-minute increments, with fixed fees for defined matters and disbursements passed through at cost.
Describe each entry by task, not just “work on file”; clear narratives reduce disputes.
Show timekeeper, date, time in tenths of an hour and rate for every entry.
Rules for client money, trust accounts and retainers vary by jurisdiction: follow your regulator’s requirements.
Example: billing a commercial lease negotiation
Hollis & Grant send a monthly bill per matter. Each entry shows the date, timekeeper, a task narrative and time in tenths of an hour; the search fee appears as a disbursement at cost, and any money held on account is applied according to the firm’s client-money rules.
The template
Invoice details
Invoice number: [INV-0001]
Invoice date: [Date]
Due date: [Date — e.g. 14 days after the invoice date]
Matter number and name: [Matter number and name]
Timekeeper and rate: [Timekeeper and rate]
Disbursements: [Disbursements]
From
Business name: [Your business name]
Address: [Address]
Email: [Email]
Tax or VAT number: [If registered]
Bill to
Client: [Client company]
Contact: [Name, email]
Address: [Address]
Client reference or PO: [If provided]
Line items
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Review of draft lease
[Partner time, 12 March]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Call with client
[Associate time, 14 March]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Mark-up and negotiation
[Associate time, 15–19 March]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Land registry search fee
[Disbursement at cost]
[Qty]
[Rate]
[Amount]
Totals
Subtotal: [Amount]
Discount: [If any]
Tax: [Rate and amount, if you’re registered]
Total due: [Amount and currency]
Payment
Payment terms: [e.g. 14 days]
How to pay: [Bank details or payment link]
Late payment: [Your late payment terms, if any]
Notes
[Anything the client needs to know, such as what the invoice covers, a reference to the approved quote or timesheet, or when final files will be released.]
How to fill it in
Add your business details and the client’s, including any purchase order or reference they gave you.
Give the invoice the next number in your sequence and set the invoice and due dates.
List each item of work using the same names as your quote or agreement, such as “Review of draft lease”.
Show quantities, rates and amounts, then the subtotal, any discount, tax if you’re registered, and the total.
Fill in the matter number and name and timekeeper and rate and disbursements, then add how to pay and your payment terms.
Check it against the agreement, attach what backs it up (for lawyers and attorneys, usually lets the client match the bill to the right matter), and send it as a PDF or payment link.
Use it in Word, Excel, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
Excel and Google Sheets
Download the Excel (.xlsx) file. It has a blank sheet and a worked example.
Enter quantities, hours and rates: amounts, totals and tax calculate with built-in formulas.
To use Google Sheets, upload the file to Drive and choose Open with → Google Sheets; the formulas carry over.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Hollis & Grant LLP invoice for Westbrook Holdings
A filled-in example for a commercial lease negotiation. Both companies are fictional.
Invoice details
Invoice number: INV-0142
Invoice date: 3 June
Due date: 17 June
From: Hollis & Grant LLP
Bill to: Westbrook Holdings
Line items
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Review of draft lease
Partner time, 12 March
2.4 hours
$380.00
$912.00
Call with client
Associate time, 14 March
0.6 hours
$240.00
$144.00
Mark-up and negotiation
Associate time, 15–19 March
6.5 hours
$240.00
$1,560.00
Land registry search fee
Disbursement at cost
1 item
$45.00
$45.00
Totals
Subtotal: $2,661.00
Tax: Not charged in this example
Total due: $2,661.00
Payment terms: 14 days, by bank transfer or card link
Notes
Thank you for your business. Please quote the invoice number with your payment.
Send invoices from Angelwood
Angelwood’s invoicing creates invoices with line items, tax and discounts, can build an invoice from approved billable time, and lets clients view and pay through Stripe in their portal.
Name each line the way your quote or agreement did. If the client can match “Review of draft lease” to what they approved, the invoice gets paid without questions.
02
Bill the way lawyers and attorneys get paid.
Describe each entry by task, not just “work on file”; clear narratives reduce disputes. Law firms usually bill hourly in six-minute increments, with fixed fees for defined matters and disbursements passed through at cost.
03
Keep the evidence close.
Rules for client money, trust accounts and retainers vary by jurisdiction: follow your regulator’s requirements. Reference the approved quote, timesheet or report behind each invoice, so any query is answered in one message.
Typically the matter reference, the period, each time entry with date, timekeeper, description, time and rate, disbursements, any retainer or payment on account applied, and payment terms. Your regulator may require more.
Why do lawyers bill in six-minute increments?+
Recording time in tenths of an hour is a long-standing convention that keeps records consistent. Whatever unit you use, state it in your engagement letter.
What payment terms should I put on an invoice?+
Fourteen or thirty days are the most common. Write the actual due date on the invoice as well as the terms, and include every way the client can pay.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.
Does the Excel version calculate totals?+
Yes. Enter quantities, hours and rates and the amounts, subtotal, tax and total calculate automatically. It also works in Google Sheets: upload it to Drive and open it with Google Sheets.