The Solo & Small Law Firms Fix Kit
Built for solo attorneys and small law firms.
Your fee isn't rate times hours — it's rate times the hours that survive two internal filters most solo and small firms never name: what you actually record (capture) and what you actually collect after write-downs and aging receivables (realization). This kit finds where the money leaks in your own work and gives you the steps and the words to close each one.
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The 8 leaks it covers
6 you can close it · 1 the other side owes it · 1 a pro decides
- Disbursements paid for clients but never logged to the matter, so never re-billedWhere to look first: Pull your firm card and operating account statements for the last few months.Keep it from coming back: Log every client cost to its matter the same day you pay it, with the receipt.You can close it
- ABA Formal Opinion 93-379: line between capturing earned time and inflating itWhere to look first: This is the wall, not a leak. Every fix in this lane captures only what you actually did and actually paid.Keep it from coming back: Record time the same day from real records. Never reconstruct to a target number.You can close it
- No written scope and fee basis (Model Rule 1.5(b)), so scope disputes end in write-downsWhere to look first: Pull your last three new clients. Did each get a written engagement letter with scope and fee basis before work started?Keep it from coming back: No work starts on a new matter without a signed engagement letter. No out-of-scope work starts without a written yes.You can close it
- No shared billing standard for solo and small firms — each invents its ownWhere to look first: Nobody is going to hand you a standard, so write your own one-page one. Time: entered the same day, from your work, not memory.Keep it from coming back: Review the one-page standard each quarter and after any new hire.You can close it
- Time not recorded as it is worked, so short increments are never billedWhere to look first: Time that was never recorded is gone — do not rebuild it to a guess. This kit is the next entry. Enter time as you finish each task, or at least before you leave for the day.Keep it from coming back: Same-day time entry, checked against your calendar and call log before you leave.You can close it
- Reflexive write-down at invoicing erodes realization even when time was capturedWhere to look first: Before you cut any line on a bill, write the reason on the matter. If you can't write one, don't cut it.Keep it from coming back: No write-down without a written reason. Fix vague descriptions when you enter time, not at invoicing.You can close it
- Realization cascade: hours worked shrink at billing and again at collectionWhere to look first: For last month, write down three numbers: hours you worked, hours you billed, and dollars collected on those bills.Keep it from coming back: Check your three numbers on the same day each month. Send reminders on a set day after each due date.The other side owes it
- Self-employment tax on the firm's net (structural, not a billing leak)Where to look first: Not a leak and nothing to recover. Your collected fees are not all take-home. Set aside a share of what the firm nets each month in a separate tax account.Keep it from coming back: Move the set-aside monthly, from operating funds only.A pro decides
Free: one full leak from this kit
No sign-up, no email. Here is leak 1 of 8 exactly as it appears in the kit, so you can see what you get before you buy.
Disbursements paid for clients but never logged to the matter, so never re-billed
You can close it- Pull your firm card and operating account statements for the last few months.
- Mark every payment made for a client: filing fees, court costs, experts, records, couriers.
- Match each to a matter and check whether it was billed.
- For open matters, add the missed costs to the next invoice with the receipt. For closed ones, check your engagement letter for how costs are billed before sending anything.
- From now on, log each cost to the matter the day you pay it. Your state's trust-account rules decide how client funds can be used; follow them.
Your part: Confirm each one, decide what to bill under your engagement letter, and send the invoice.
INVOICE NOTE FOR MISSED COSTS (OPEN MATTER): "Dear [CLIENT NAME], This invoice includes the following costs paid on your matter, [MATTER NAME], that were not on earlier invoices: - [DATE] — [DESCRIPTION, e.g., filing fee, [COURT]] — [AMOUNT] - [DATE] — [DESCRIPTION] — [AMOUNT] Receipts are attached. These are billed at the amount paid, as set out in our engagement letter dated [DATE]. Please let me know if you have any questions. [YOUR NAME] [FIRM]"
Log every client cost to its matter the same day you pay it, with the receipt.
What this kit can't decide for you: Whether a past cost can still be billed depends on your engagement letter and state rules; trust-account handling is governed by your state bar.
That's 1 of 8. The other 7 come the same way in the kit: steps, words to send, a habit to keep each one closed.
Opens secure checkout. Instant download after payment. 30 days to ask for a refund — refund policy · terms
What people in this work look up
When solo attorneys and small law firms go looking for answers, they search things like “legal billing software”, “legal billing”, “law firm billing” and “solo law practice”. Those searches turn up forms, averages and other people's numbers. This kit starts from your own records instead: the 8 places money leaks in this work, where to look first and the words to send to close each one.
What you get for each leak
- Numbered steps to close each leak
- Your part, spelled out
- Words you can use: letters and scripts, ready to send (fill in the brackets)
- A habit that keeps each leak from coming back
- An honest line on what the kit can't decide for you
A page from the kit
Questions people ask
Why is my realization rate low?
Hours shrink at billing and again at collection. The kit shows where.
Should disbursements be re-billed?
Yes. Costs paid for clients but never logged to the matter are a leak the kit covers.
Do I need a written fee agreement?
Model Rule 1.5(b) requires communicating scope and fee basis. The kit shows why it matters.
What it can't decide for you
This kit works from your own records. It doesn't give legal, tax, licensing or financial advice, and it never tells you what to charge. Where a CPA, attorney, insurer or state board makes the call, the kit says so and gets your records ready for them.
12-page PDF · instant download after payment · Code VYR-KIT-COUNSEL-01
Opens secure checkout. Instant download after payment. 30 days to ask for a refund — refund policy · terms
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