Retainer Management

Overview

The Retainers page manages ongoing fee arrangements with clients who pay a fixed periodic amount in exchange for the firm's legal availability. A retainer differs from a case-specific invoice — it covers a period of time rather than a specific deliverable.

Retainers Table

The table shows all retainer agreements with these columns:

• Client — The retaining client.
• Amount — Fee per period.
• Period — Monthly or Quarterly.
• Status — Active, Paused, Cancelled, or Completed.
• Paid Through — The last period fully paid (e.g., "June 2025").
• Balance — Amount in credit (if client has pre-paid) or amount owed.

Creating a Retainer Agreement

1. Click New Retainer.
2. Select the Client.
3. Enter the Amount per period.
4. Select the Period: Monthly or Quarterly.
5. Set the Start Date of the agreement.
6. Enter the Terms — a brief description of what the retainer covers (e.g., "Monthly legal advisory for corporate matters").
7. Click Save. The retainer status is set to Active automatically.

Recording Retainer Payments

When the client pays their retainer fee:

1. Open the retainer record and click Record Payment.
2. Enter the amount paid and the payment date.
3. Select the payment method.
4. The Paid Through date advances by one period and the Balance is updated. If the client pays multiple periods in advance, the Paid Through date advances accordingly.

Tracking Usage vs Paid

If the retainer is designed to be consumed by billable hours or case expenses, you can link case work to the retainer. The system will show total usage against the retainer balance, flagging when the retainer is nearly exhausted.

Renewal Reminders

Seven days before the end of the current paid period, the system sends an in-app reminder to the accountant to follow up with the client for the next period's payment.