Submitting Timekeeper Rates to Clients

Timekeepers are people from your firm who complete billable work for clients. Most SimpleLegal clients require that vendors submit timekeeper rates for review and approval before moving forward with invoices. To avoid delays in processing and payment, please confirm your client's billing and rate approval requirements before submitting any invoices in CounselGO.

CounselGO prompts users to associate hourly line items with a timekeeper when creating manual/non-LEDES invoices. If your client does not require timekeeper rates to be submitted for approval, click here for instructions on how to add internal timekeeper rates that remain in CounselGO. 

Minimum Required Fields

The field names listed below are required when adding a timekeeper:

Column Name	Field Type / Formatting Requirements
First Name	Timekeeper's first name in text format. If the timekeeper has already been added to CounselGO for the same or a different client, please make sure the first name matches the name entered during the original upload.
Last Name	Timekeeper's last name in text format. If the timekeeper has already been added to CounselGO for the same or a different client, please make sure the last name matches the name entered during the original upload.
ID	Unique ID in alpha, numeric, or alphanumeric format. If the timekeeper has already been added to CounselGO for the same or a different client, please make sure to use the same ID that was assigned during the original upload (case sensitive).
Effective Date	Timekeeper's effective or start date in MM/DD/YYYY format.
Rate	Hourly rate negotiated between client and vendor for the timekeeper. Numerical values only (i.e., 00.00).  If the timekeeper is billing the same client more than one rate, you must add a separate row for each rate; the first name, last name, and ID should match the data for the first rate submitted.
Currency	3-character code following ISO Code Currency Standards. Commonly used codes are listed below: USD = US Dollar CAD = Canadian Dollar EUR = Euro GBP = British Pound AUD = Australian Dollar JPY = Japanese Yen CNY = Chinese Yuan Renminbi  For a full list of ISO 4217 currency codes, click here.
Country	Standardized spelling of the timekeeper's country. Most commonly entered countries are listed below for reference: United States Canada Australia India Click here for the supported list of countries in SimpleLegal.

Recommended & Optional Fields

The fields below are not required but may be preferred by some clients. Make sure to confirm any additional timekeeper requirements with your client to avoid issues or delays.

Column Name	Field Type / Formatting Requirements
Classification (recommended)	Timekeeper role or level (e.g., Partner, Paralegal, Researcher, etc.). Confirm if client requires this field and the supported/accepted values. For example, the value could be a specific role/level (e.g., Partner) or a standardized abbreviation for the role/level (e.g, PT = Partner).
Rack Rate (recommended)	Confirm if client requires this field. Official billing rate for a timekeeper; numeric only (i.e., 00.00), no commas, and must be greater than or equal to the Rate value.
Email (optional)	Use valid format (e.g., [e-mail]).
Location (optional)	Text-based field for city/state or office; confirm if required.
Practice Group (optional)	Confirm if client requires this field and the supported/accepted values (e.g., Litigation, Corporate, Intellectual Property, etc.). May also be referred to as "Matter Group" or "Practice Area" for some clients/vendors.
Bar Year (optional)	Confirm if client requires this field. For paralegals, use years of experience instead of Bar Year.
Reason for Request (optional)	Maximum of 250 characters allowed.

Diversity Data Collection (Optional)

The fields below only appear when adding timekeepers if the client has diversity data collection enabled for vendors in SimpleLegal. Sharing this data is optional. If provided, however, responses are anonymized and not tied to individual timekeeper's in the client's data view. 

Column Name	Field Type / Formatting Requirements
Race/Ethnicity	African American/Black: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa (not Hispanic or Latinx).  American Indian/Alaskan Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment (not Hispanic or Latinx).  Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam (not Hispanic or Latinx).  Hispanic/Latinx: A person having origins in Spanish cultures regardless of race (e.g., Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American).  Multiracial: All persons who identify with more than one race (not Hispanic or Latinx).  Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands (not Hispanic or Latinx).  White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, Middle East, or North Africa (not Hispanic or Latinx).  Prefer not to say
Gender	Female Male Non-Binary Prefer not to say
Veteran Status	Yes No Prefer not to say
LGBTQ+ Status	Yes No Prefer not to say
Disability Status	Yes No Prefer not to say

These fields have lists of values based on current US Census diversity categories and are solely requested to understand minority representation and inclusion. If your firm prefers not to disclose this data, choose Prefer not to say or leave the fields blank. 

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NOTE: If this data should not be collected for your timekeepers, please contact your client directly and request that they disable diversity data collection for your firm in SimpleLegal. 

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Getting Started with Timekeeper Upload

There are three ways to submit timekeepers if a client requires rate approval: Excel template (recommended), CSV template, and web form. To get started:

1. Go to Timekeepers on the left-side navigation bar and make sure to review the blue banner at the top of the page (if applicable) for any notes or preferences posted by your client.

2. Click Submit Timekeepers.

NOTE: If you only see Law Firm Internal, this means your client does not have timekeeper rate approval enabled. Click here for instructions on adding rates for reference only on invoices.

3. Click Get Started under the preferred upload method.

4. Click below for detailed instructions on your selected upload method:

• Excel template (recommended)
• CSV template
• Web form (useful if adding only a few timekeepers)

Timekeeper Status

Once timekeeper data is submitted, click OK in the confirmation dialog to return to the list.

The Status column for newly uploaded timekeepers will be set to Pending until reviewed by the client.