Entering your time can be one of the more time-consuming tasks on your To-Do List.  As we get ready to end the year, I wanted to pass along a time entry tip that I provide in the Billable Hour Boot Camp course.

Drafting your time entries to show the real value of the work that you did for the client is easier if you ask and answer at least a few of the following questions in every time entry:  Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.

Example 1:  Assist at trial.

WHO?  Who were the witnesses on the stand?  Who did you talk with?

WHY?  Why are you there at the courtroom? Managing the exhibits?

WHERE?  Where is the trial?

HOW?  How did you assist? What exactly did you do while you were there?

WHAT?  What documents did you review? 

Revised example:  Attend trial at U.S. District Court to assist with managing exhibits and witnesses, including telephone call with witness, A. Smith, to confirm his attendance and assist with directions to the courtroom; extract financial information from tax returns for use in demonstrative exhibits to be used during cross-examination of witnesses; update Exhibit List with status of exhibits being entered into evidence.

Example 2:    Draft discovery responses.

WHO?    Who served the requests? Who did you talk with to get the information for the responses?

WHY?    Why are you doing this? What is the value to the client?

HOW?    How else did you get the information to draft the responses? Did you review file documents?

WHAT?   What is the name of the requests that you are responding to?

Revised example:  Review and extract relevant information from client's tax returns to compile responses to Plaintiff's 1st Set of Interrogatories; telephone call to A. Jones in IT Department to discuss computer information  needed for discovery responses; prepare draft answers to Plaintiff's 1st Set of Interrogatories.

This method can be used on every time entry that you are drafting.  Some entries may only require two of the questions to be answered, while others may require more.  This method is not about coming up with a way to add more words simply to make the entry look longer, it is about drafting a time entry that shows the real value of the work that you did.

Happy Holidays,

Ann M. Pearson

Director of Training

THE PARALEGAL BOOT CAMP

apearson@ncps-edu.com