Senior Associate / Associate

Typical role assignment: staff, associate (or senior_associate), plus matter_worker or matter_supervisor

Associates do the bulk of the legal work: drafting, research, court appearances, meetings, and — crucially — logging the time and expenses that become invoices. A senior associate usually has matter_supervisor (can create and update), a junior associate often has matter_worker (read and limited write).

Your daily rhythm

1. Start the day on your matters

  • Dashboard for a quick overview.
  • Tasks — see everything assigned to you across all matters, filtered by due date and status.
  • Calendar — today's hearings, meetings, filings.

2. Log time as you work

This is the single most important habit. Time that isn't logged isn't billed.

Two ways to log time:

  • Timer — click Start timer, pick the matter, start working. Stop when done; the entry is created automatically.
  • Manual entry — go to a matter → Time entries → New. Enter hours, description, date, billable/non-billable.

See Time tracking.

3. Update the matter as work happens

On each matter you're working on:

  • Add Activities — short log entries ("Drafted motion to dismiss", "Met with client")
  • Upload Documents and version them
  • Create Briefs for court submissions
  • Add Important dates when a hearing is set
  • Mark Tasks as complete

4. Log expenses

If you paid a filing fee, courier, or travel expense on behalf of the client, log it under the matter's Expenses tab. Choose an expense category, enter the amount, and flag it as reimbursable if the client should be charged.

5. Draft invoices (senior associates)

As a senior associate you may draft invoices for your matters:

  1. Billing → New
  2. Pick the client and matter
  3. Pull in time entries and expenses from the matter
  4. Review totals
  5. Submit for review — a partner approves before it goes out

See Billing lifecycle.

CRM work

Associates often maintain relationships with existing clients and track prospects they're developing:

  • Add new prospects in CRM → Prospects
  • Log actions (calls, meetings, follow-ups)
  • Convert qualified leads into clients

Your key modules