Billing on Leads

Account for one-time services and client consultation fees by billing on leads.  

You can bill a lead if you will not provide ongoing legal services to the client and do not wish to convert a lead into a matter. Any lead created in Smokeball can be assigned an internal reference number along with your matters, and this internal reference number will appear on bills issued to the lead.  

Assign an internal reference number to your leads

1. Select the gear icon to open Smokeball Settings.
2. Select the Internal Reference Number and make sure Assign to Leads and Use auto-reference are toggled on.

Bill your Lead

1. Select the Time and Expenses tab in the lead. 
2. Enter a description of the fee in the Subject field or select an Activity Code from the drop-down menu.  
3. Set the number of billable hours in the Duration field. Alternatively, if the service is not time-based, you can designate the fee as fixed.  
4. Click the Billable checkbox and then select the Add button.

Follow these steps to bill your lead for an expense: 

1. Select the Time and Expenses tab in the lead and then select the Expenses sub-tab.  
2. Enter a description of the fee in the Subject field or select an Activity Code from the drop-down menu.  
3. If necessary, adjust the quantity and price of the expense in the designated fields.  

Click the Billable checkbox and select the Add button.

Important Note: So long as an internal reference number is assigned, the process for creating an invoice from a lead is the same as an invoice from a matter. Learn more about creating invoices. 

Did You Know  

• If you later convert the lead into a matter, the internal reference number will stay the same. This will ensure continuity for any future billing items.