Understanding Your Invoice & Trust Account

Please Review Every Invoice—Even If Your Balance Due Is $0.00
Your invoice provides information about legal fees and expenses charged to your matter, payments applied to those charges, funds remaining in your trust account, and whether additional funds are currently due. These amounts mean different things.

The Five Amounts You Should Review

The amounts on your invoice are related, but they’re not interchangeable. Below, you’ll find a listing of invoice fields and what they mean.

The Invoice Amount shows the legal fees and expenses charged on the current invoice.

Review the descriptions of work performed, the time billed, and the amount charged.

The Amount Applied shows funds applied toward the charges reflected on the invoice.

When funds held in your trust account are used to pay earned legal fees or expenses, those funds reduce the amount remaining in your trust account.

The Current Trust Retainer Balance is the amount currently remaining in your trust account after the transactions reflected on your statement. Your trust balance may decrease as legal fees are earned and expenses are incurred.

If your trust balance has reached the replenishment level applicable to your matter, your invoice may show an amount required to replenish the trust account. This amount is the Trust Retainer Replenishment Due.

A replenishment is different from the legal fees charged on the current invoice.

The Balance Due shows the amount currently due according to the invoice.

Depending on the status of your account, the Balance Due may be $0.00 or may reflect an amount required to replenish your trust account.

Two Common Billing Situations

Situation 1: Work Was Performed, But My Balance Due is $0.00

EXAMPLE ONLY
Invoice Amount: $500.00

Other Outstanding Balances: $0.00
All Invoices Amount: $500.00

Current Trust Retainer Balance: $4,500.00

Amount Applied: $500.00
______________________________
Balance Due: $0.00

What happened?

  • The Firm performed $500.00 of legal work.
  • Funds held in your trust account were used to pay those fees.
  • Your trust balance decreased by $500.00.

Because the current charges were paid from funds held in trust and no additional payment is currently shown as due, your invoice displays a Balance Due of $0.00.

Situation 2: My Invoice Shows a Trust Retainer Replenishment Due

EXAMPLE ONLY
Invoice Amount: $500.00

Other Outstanding Balances: $0.00
All Invoices Amount: $500.00

Minimum Trust Retainer Balance: $5,000.00
Current Trust Retainer Balance: $1,500.00
Trust Retainer Replenishment Due: $3,500.00

All Invoices plus Trust Retainer Replenishment Due: $4000.00

Amount Applied: $500.00
______________________________
Balance Due: $3,500.00

What happened?

  • The Firm performed $500.00 of legal work.
  • Funds held in your trust account were applied toward those fees.
  • After the transactions reflected on the statement, $1,500.00 remained in trust.
  • The invoice shows a Minimum Trust Retainer Balance of $5,000.00.
  • The amount needed to restore the trust balance to $5,000.00 is $3,500.00.
  • The invoice therefore shows a Trust Retainer Replenishment Due and Balance Due of $3,500.00.

How Money Moves Through Your Account

When you retain The Firm For Men, you deposit an Advance Legal Fee, which is held in the Firm’s trust account. As we work on your case, we bill against this amount.

Every two weeks, you receive an itemized invoice showing the work performed and all account activity. Here, you’ll see funds transfers and your trust balance.

If no trust replenishment is required, you will see $0.00 balance due. Please continue monitoring your account so you can ensure it’s kept current.

If your invoice shows a balance due, please review the replenishment amount, any separate replenishment notice, and the Firm’s payment instructions.

If you have questions about your invoice, please call our office so we may assist or email billing@thefirmformen.com.

See how money moves through your account

Frequently Asked Questions

Funds held in trust have been used to pay the legal fees and expenses shown on your invoice.

Your Balance Due may therefore be $0.00 even though legal work was performed, fees were charged, and your trust balance decreased.

No. A $0.00 Balance Due means that your invoice does not currently show an additional amount you are required to pay.

Your case may continue, additional legal fees and expenses may be incurred, your trust balance may continue to decrease, and you may later be required to deposit additional funds.

Not necessarily. The Invoice Amount reflects legal fees and expenses shown on the current invoice. The Balance Due reflects the amount your invoice currently shows you are required to pay after applicable payments, trust activity, outstanding balances, and any trust replenishment reflected on the invoice.

Your invoice may show a Trust Retainer Replenishment Due.

This means the amount currently due may reflect funds required to replenish your trust account rather than only the legal fees and expenses charged during the current billing period.

The 30% level is the routine replenishment trigger described in your Representation Agreement. As an example, if your retainer is $5000.00, the threshold is typically a retainer balance of $1500.00.

However, the Representation Agreement also allows the Firm to require additional funds based on the pace and direction of your case.

For example, if your case is scheduled for trial or is expected to require substantial discovery, depositions, expert witnesses, significant hearing preparation, or other substantial legal work or expenses, the Firm may reasonably anticipate that the funds currently available in trust will not be sufficient for the upcoming stage of the representation.

In that situation, you may be asked to deposit additional funds before your trust balance reaches the routine 30% replenishment level.

No. When earned legal fees and expenses are paid from funds held in trust, your trust balance decreases. A replenishment adds funds back to your trust account for ongoing legal services and expenses according to the terms of your Representation Agreement.

At the conclusion of your case, after payment of all outstanding bills, costs, fees, and other expenses, any remaining funds held in trust will be returned to you according to the terms of your Representation Agreement.

Billing statements are typically provided on the 15th and 30th and detail legal fees paid from advance legal fees and other expenses incurred during the representation.

Please contact the Firm promptly. For questions about a specific invoice charge, identify the charge you are questioning and explain your concern in writing so the Firm can review and respond efficiently.

For questions about an additional funding request related to upcoming case needs, contact your assigned attorney or the Firm so the anticipated work and reason for the request can be explained.

Still Have Questions About Your Invoice?

If you have questions about a specific charge, the amount shown as due, or your trust account activity, please contact:

Billing Department
billing@thefirmformen.com

When contacting the billing department, please include:

  • Your name and invoice number.
  • The specific charge, amount, or invoice field you are asking about.
  • A brief explanation of your question or concern.
  • The best way to contact you regarding your question.

Please do not send sensitive financial information, Social Security numbers, or credit card information by email. The Firm’s Communication Policy directs clients to use the secure client portal for sensitive information.