INDUSTRY

Law firm

TEAM SIZE

25 people

LOCATION

Dubai

USE CASE
  • Time tracking
  • Billable hours
  • Profitability
INTEGRATIONS

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CUSTOMER STORY

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How this global law firm utilizes Timeneye to monitor their billable hours and generate precise invoices

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About KLME

KLME LLP was established as a regulated law firm in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in July 2020. As one of the UAE's fastest-growing firms and a true innovator, KLME's flexible structure aims to revolutionize the delivery of legal services across the Middle East. 

KLME operates differently from traditional law firms. Lawyers who are invited to join the firm maintain a large degree of independence and responsibility for attracting and advising their clients, though some work is referred among the firm’s lawyers. Instead, the firm offers a platform that addresses back office requirements, such as professional compliance, client onboarding, accounting, marketing, insurance, IT software, and support. This approach encourages lawyers to be deeply invested in their clients' outcomes and motivates them to deliver exceptional value. 

We had the pleasure of speaking with one of KLME's most experienced lawyers and partners, Michael Hancock, who specializes in technology and investments in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and beyond. He and his team advise tech companies from formation and fundraising through contract negotiations. Michael is fractional General Counsel of two international SaaS companies and serves as the regional counsel of a third tech company. 

The importance of tracking time

Michael takes great pride in his international dream team, which includes members located in the UAE, the UK and Qatar, together with a close association with a firm in Saudi Arabia. Managing all these responsibilities is a constant juggling act, but Michael wouldn't have it any other way. His team of lawyers and paralegals is composed of individuals from diverse nationalities and backgrounds, each bringing their own unique "flavor" to the group, as Michael often says.  

KLME provided a time tracking system for all lawyers, but Michael described it as “too hard to get into, too hard to manipulate, and too hard to generate reports.” He sees accurate time keeping as crucial to the firm’s business model which is still largely based on time charges. “Billing clients must be fair to both the client and the lawyers, but without daily and accurate time keeping, no one can have confidence that we are getting this balance of fairness right.” To better suit his team, which works remotely across the globe, he decided to seek out a different tool. 

“I researched probably six or seven different tools, downloaded and tested about half of them. When I saw a YouTube video of another law firm reviewing Timeneye and mentioning its integration with Microsoft Planner, which we use for client management, I was immediately attracted by its potential of fitting into our Microsoft tech stack and workflow,” Michael recalls. “When I tested it with my team, we immediately liked its look and feel.” 

Michael had a clear vision of what he wanted in an ideal time tracking tool, and he explains his selection process: “There were three essential criteria for me: first, integration with the Microsoft ecosystem and especially Microsoft Planner, second, user-friendliness,  and third, easy export to Excel. Timeneye checked all the boxes.”  

After introducing Timeneye to the team, everyone quickly adopted the new tool. "If you look at our screens now, you'll always see four windows open: SharePoint, Word, Timeneye, and an AI tool,” he said. 

"Billing clients must be fair to both the client and the lawyers, but without daily and accurate time keeping, no one can have confidence that we are getting this balance of fairness right"

Turning time records into invoices

For any law firm, keeping track of billable hours is important. However, for KLME, it is mission critical. Michael explained, “At KLME lawyer compensation depends on invoicing and client payments, and much of our invoicing is based on billable hours. Unless lawyers accurately record their time, they will struggle to build and maintain a sustainable income. But, lawyers can be so undisciplined! Given the opportunity, we will put off tracking our hours, then forget what we have worked on! That’s why I chose Timeneye; it’s very easy to use, the interface is intuitive, and my team actually uses it.”  

Michael then described their invoicing process : “Like most law firms, as lawyers work, they log their time with a description of the work performed, which we capture in Timeneye’s notes section of the time entry. At the end of the month, my personal assistant reviews the time records client by client to make sure each charge is recorded under the right client and matter, then a monthly client report is downloaded into Excel where I apply write-offs for inefficiencies. The final report must give an accurate, understandable description of the value we have delivered to our client in the month. It’s attached to the monthly invoice. And even when we work on fixed fees, the Timeneye records serve as a basis for allocating the client payment between the firm, the lawyers and the paralegals.  

Along with streamlining their invoicing process and improving accuracy, Michael reported another benefit of using Timeneye. "The dashboard interface is visually appealing and literally paints a picture of which clients a lawyer is working for. There is some sort of Pavlovian, infectious linkage between the coulourful dashboard and motivating us to work and record time. The first step of the process is gamified.” 

"That’s why I chose Timeneye; it’s very easy to use, the interface is intuitive, and my team actually uses it"

With Timeneye's user-friendly interface and detailed entries log, Michael and his team stay accountable, profitable and on schedule. Seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Planner, Timeneye transforms onboarding and daily operations into a smooth extension of KLME’s workflow, allowing them to focus on delivering outstanding client service. 

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