Outcome one · timekeepers
Within less than thirty days, timekeepers who previously entered almost no billable time were approaching their monthly minimum billing requirements.
(Per Liz's case study record, 2026.)
Case Study 03 · Family Law
Billing recovered in under thirty days.
The second engagement that taught the owner what "doing billing" actually means, and rebuilt the department after staff churn knocked it down again.
(Source: Liz Miller's case study record, 2026, anonymized real prior client.)
The Firm
A growing family law firm with strong legal work and steady case flow, but inconsistent billing, lost time, and suffering collections. The first engagement fixed it. The second engagement is what taught the owner what it actually takes to keep it fixed.
First Engagement · The Challenge
Four problems. One missing system.
- Billing process was inconsistent across timekeepers.
- Time was being lost.
- Collections were suffering because staff weren't entering time contemporaneously.
- Staff didn't understand how to properly bill client work.
An interlude
"Several months later, the owner called back. The billing systems had fallen apart again. Key staff had left. Billing was sharply behind. Time entries were incomplete or missing altogether."
The Realization
"The issue was not simply doing billing, but understanding the management, structure, accountability, and training required to run a profitable law firm billing department."
Second Engagement · What We Did
Seven moves. All operational.
- One-on-one billing training with each timekeeper.
- Daily review of time entries.
- Training on contemporaneous billing procedures.
- Calculation and tracking of individual monthly billable hour requirements.
- Rewriting and improving billing descriptions.
- Coaching staff on capturing all billable activity.
- Accountability reporting and productivity monitoring.
The Outcome
Four outcomes in under two months.
(Source: Liz Miller's case study record, 2026.)
Outcome two · the department
In under two months, the firm experienced a complete operational turnaround in its billing department.
(Per Liz's case study record, 2026.)
Outcome three · lost time
Lost time was sharply reduced.
(Per Liz's case study record, 2026.)
Outcome four · visibility
The owner regained visibility into the financial health of the practice.
(Per Liz's case study record, 2026.)
The Lesson
"Successful law firm billing is not just data entry, it is a management system requiring structure, oversight, training, accountability, and consistency.
In Liz's Words
"This is the case that taught me, and the owner, that billing is not a project you finish. Billing is a department you operate. The first engagement was clean. The system worked. Then the key person left and the whole thing came apart because the system lived in her head, not on paper. The second engagement was the one where we built the management posture: daily review, accountability reporting, written billing-description guides, individual monthly minimums tracked. The recovery in thirty days was not because we trained harder. It was because we finally codified what the firm needed to do every single month, forever."
Services that did this work
Three engagements. One billing department, rebuilt to last.
Retainer
Fractional CFO
Financial visibility, KPI development, billing oversight.
Learn more → EngagementCash Flow & Collections
Timekeeping discipline, contemporaneous billing protocols, collections recovery.
Learn more → EngagementPractice Management Optimization
SOPs, workflow design, accountability reporting that survives staff turnover.
Learn more →
Begin
Is your billing system living in someone's head?
Schedule a thirty-minute call. We'll talk about your billing function, and whether a rebuild like this is the right fit.
When you call, you get me.