LeanLaw gives law firms good visibility into who owes what. Overdue LeanLaw invoices still need someone to act on them, and that is where follow-up tends to slip. This guide covers where to find past-due invoices, how LeanLaw’s reminder emails work, how payments flow through to QuickBooks Online, and a simple schedule for personal follow-up.
How do you follow up on overdue LeanLaw invoices?
In LeanLaw, open Billing, then Manage Invoices, and set the State filter to Overdue. Send reminders from Track Sent Emails, using wording set under Settings, Invoice Email, Email Settings, Reminders. Call any client more than 10 days past due, and record every payment in LeanLaw so it syncs to QuickBooks Online.
How to find overdue LeanLaw invoices
LeanLaw shows overdue invoices in two places: the Manage Invoices list, filtered by state, and the Aged Receivables view. These steps follow LeanLaw’s payment status guide and its receivables reports guide.
- Manage Invoices. Go to Billing, then Manage Invoices. In the State filter, choose Overdue. Combine it with the Client or Matter filter to narrow the list.
- Aged Receivables. Go to Billing, then the Receivables tab. Balances are grouped into 1 to 30, 31 to 60, 61 to 90 and 90+ day buckets. Click a client to see each unpaid invoice.
- My Receivables. Each responsible attorney can see AR for their own matters under Reports.
LeanLaw’s buckets count from the invoice date, not the due date. Keep that in mind when you compare them with a due-date schedule.
How to set up LeanLaw invoice reminders
LeanLaw can send reminder emails that include the original payment links and attachments. Per LeanLaw’s email setup guide:
- Click the gear icon to open Settings, then go to Invoice Email, then Email Settings, then Reminders.
- Customize the reminder subject line and body, or keep the default. Save.
- To send reminders, go to Billing, then Manage Invoices, then Track Sent Emails. Select the invoices and click Send Reminder.
- Turn on the Account Summary in Email Settings if you want each reminder to show the client’s balance forward, payments and total due.
Payment buttons in LeanLaw emails require LeanLaw Payments through Confido Legal. Without it, include the firm’s usual payment instructions in the reminder body.
A follow-up schedule for LeanLaw firms
Use LeanLaw reminders for the first week past due, then a person. LeanLaw’s own guidance says clients in the 90+ bucket “need a direct conversation or payment plan, not just an email reminder.” Starting that conversation at day 10 keeps most balances from getting there.
| Timing | Action in LeanLaw | Personal step |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice sent | Email with payment link and account summary | None |
| Day 1 past due | Send Reminder from Track Sent Emails | None |
| About day 7 | Second reminder | None |
| Days 10 to 14 | Check the Overdue filter | Call the client and set a payment date |
| Days 14 to 90 | Record each payment or installment | Regular, logged contact |
| Day 90 | Review the 90+ bucket | Billing attorney decides next step |
Template: LeanLaw reminder email
Subject: Reminder: your [Month] invoice from [Firm name] Hi [Client first name], A quick reminder that your [Month] invoice for [amount] is now past due. The invoice and a summary of your account are attached. You can pay using the link in this email, in full or in part. If anything on the invoice looks unclear, or a payment plan would help, reply to this email and we’ll take care of it. Thank you, Billing, [Firm name]
How payments in LeanLaw show as collected
A payment counts once it is recorded in LeanLaw. LeanLaw then syncs it to QuickBooks Online and updates the invoice to Paid or Partially Paid.
- Payments made through LeanLaw Payments (Confido Legal) links are recorded automatically.
- Checks, cash and cards taken outside LeanLaw are recorded by hand: Billing, Manage Invoices, the menu next to the invoice, then Record Payment (LeanLaw guide).
- For a partial payment, enter the smaller amount. The remaining balance stays open.
An unrecorded check is the most common reason a paid client gets another reminder. Record payments the day they arrive.
How ARCounsel connects to LeanLaw
ARCounsel connects to LeanLaw read-only, using an API key the firm creates in LeanLaw. It can see invoices and balances. It cannot change anything in LeanLaw or QuickBooks, and it never touches the firm’s money.
- Set up by the firm. A LeanLaw admin creates a firm API key under Settings, then API Keys. ARCounsel stores it encrypted at rest and shows only its last four characters after saving.
- Read-only. ARCounsel reads final invoices and client contact details. Nothing is written back to LeanLaw.
- No access to money. Reminders point to the firm’s own payment link. Clients pay the firm directly.
- Secure. All calls run over encrypted HTTPS. Disconnecting deletes the stored key, and if LeanLaw rejects the key, access stops.
- What gets followed up. Final, past-due invoices with an open balance. Draft invoices are ignored, and locked clients or matters are never contacted.
- Collected. When a payment recorded in LeanLaw lowers an invoice balance, ARCounsel records it as collected. A zero balance stops follow-up. Balances are checked again with LeanLaw right before each reminder goes out.
Checklist for overdue LeanLaw invoices
- Reminder subject and body set in Email Settings.
- Account Summary turned on for invoice and reminder emails.
- Payment link or instructions in every reminder.
- Overdue filter reviewed weekly, grouped by client.
- Calls made for anything 10 or more days past due.
- Every check and installment recorded the day it arrives.
- 90+ day bucket reviewed monthly with the billing attorney.
ARCounsel is a done-for-you accounts receivable follow-up service for law firms that connects read-only to QuickBooks Online, LeanLaw and Clio. Because LeanLaw syncs to QuickBooks Online, our guide to overdue QuickBooks Online invoices covers the QuickBooks side. To check your aging buckets against published benchmarks, see law firm accounts receivable: what’s normal.
Frequently asked questions
Does LeanLaw send reminders for unpaid invoices?
Yes. LeanLaw can send reminder emails for outstanding invoices, with the subject and body set under Settings, Invoice Email, Email Settings, Reminders. Reminders include the original payment links and attachments.
Why does a LeanLaw invoice still show overdue after the client paid?
Usually the payment hasn’t been recorded. Online payments through LeanLaw Payments are recorded automatically, but checks and payments taken elsewhere must be entered with Record Payment in Manage Invoices.
What’s the best way for a LeanLaw firm to follow up on overdue invoices?
Send LeanLaw reminders in the first week past due, then call clients by day 14 and offer a payment plan the firm has approved. Review the Overdue filter weekly and the 90+ day bucket monthly.
A note on ethics rules. Rules on fee collection vary by state, including when a firm may charge interest on a late bill or refer an account to a collection agency. Check your state’s rules of professional conduct and ethics opinions, or ask your ethics counsel, before setting a collection policy. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Hand off the follow-up
ARCounsel’s AR specialists follow up on past-due invoices in your firm’s name, on templates you approve. Flat monthly fee, and clients pay you directly.
Book a consultClio, QuickBooks, LeanLaw and Confido Legal are trademarks of their respective owners. ARCounsel is not affiliated with, partnered with or endorsed by them.