Add an Evergreen Retainer request to an invoice

An Evergreen Retainer is one of the most potent tools available in Smokeball. After you enable an Evergreen Retainer on a matter, you can streamline your client communications and payment collections by adding an Evergreen Retainer request to your invoices. Read on to learn more.

Enable an Evergreen Retainer request

You can enable an Evergreen Retainer request on a draft invoice:

1. Open a draft invoice on a matter with an activated trust retainer.
2. Select Edit Invoice Options.
3. Select Show Evergreen Retainer Request.
4. The retainer request will be visible on the panel on the right-hand side and on the PDF of the draft invoice.
   • This amount is dynamic and changes based on what has been paid from trust on the draft invoice. If trust money is applied to the draft invoice, then the retainer request amount will be updated on both the right-hand side panel and the PDF of the draft invoice.

You can also toggle an Evergreen Retainer request within an individual matter:

1. Select Edit Matter.
   
2. Select Trust Retainer.
3. Use the Show Evergreen Retainer Request on Invoice drop-down menu and select Enable, Disable, or Use setting from an invoice template.

Finally, you can choose to enable this feature under Invoice Settings in Smokeball Boost settings:

1. Select the gear icon and then select Firm Settings.
   
2. Select Invoice Settings and then select the PDF Invoices tab under Template Settings.
3. Scroll down to Display Options and toggle on the Show Evergreen Retainer Request checkbox.

Once you choose to enable the Evergreen Retainer request, it will be displayed on a draft invoice as Retainer Request.

The retainer request will also be visible on the PDF of the draft invoice.

Once the client has paid, they will receive a confirmation message with the firm name and phone number.

Did You Know

• For invoices that have retainer enabled, the pay now button will put all money into trust if there is a replenishment amount above 0. If no replenishment is needed, then the invoice payment will go into your operating account and apply directly to the invoice.
  • You will need to manually apply trust to the invoice if there is still a balance for time and expense entries. See Bulk Trust Payments for more information. 
• For Evergreen Retainer requests, Smokeball Boost will prioritize the draft invoice option over the Edit Matter option. The Edit Matter option, in turn, is prioritized over the Invoice Settings option.
• Invoices combined with a cover letter will feature the most up-to-date replenish amount for all invoiced matters that have Show Evergreen Retainer enabled. This amount will be displayed on the cover letter.
• The Evergreen Requests page on the Accounts tab will update the Last Request Date and Sent? columns if the invoice included a retainer request and if it was sent from Billing.
  • The Sent? column will also use an envelope icon to verify an invoice sent by email and the Communicate icon for invoices sent by Communicate.
• If a matter is associated with multiple trust accounts, then payments sent through the Pay Now button or QR code will be deposited to the default trust account.
  • The displayed amount to be paid will be the most up-to-date replenish amount for the matter.