A clean, ready-to-use invoice for legal services. List your professional fees and disbursements, set your VAT rate, deduct any retainer already paid, and the totals work themselves out.
| Date | Description of work | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/10 | Review of contract and advice | 2.0 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| 07/10 | Drafted and filed writ of summons | 3.5 | 50,000 | 175,000 |
| Disbursement: filing fees | 25,000 | |||
| VAT (7.5%) | 20,625 | |||
| BALANCE DUE | 320,625 |
- Professional fees table: date, description, hours, rate, amount
- Separate disbursements section for filing fees, service and travel
- VAT line with an editable rate (pre-set to 7.5%)
- Retainer / payments-received deduction and balance due
- Payment details and terms, ready to fill in
- A "How to use" sheet
- 1Download the file and open it in Excel or Google Sheets.
- 2Replace everything in [square brackets] with your firm’s and the client’s details.
- 3List each piece of work with its hours and rate; the amount fills in.
- 4Add disbursements separately, set the VAT rate for your country, and deduct any retainer received.
- 5Give it the next invoice number in your sequence, save as PDF and send.
Clients pay faster when they can see what they are paying for. A good legal invoice names the matter, lists the work done line by line with dates, and keeps professional fees apart from disbursements such as filing fees, service of processes and travel.
It should also carry a unique invoice number, the date, a clear due date, your payment details and the balance actually owed after any retainer or earlier payment. Vague single-line invoices ("professional services: ₦500,000") invite questions and delay payment.
Professional fees are what you charge for the work itself. Disbursements are costs you paid on the client’s behalf. Show them separately so the client can see which is which.
VAT rules differ by country and by how your firm is registered, so the template leaves the rate editable. It is pre-filled at 7.5%, Nigeria’s standard rate; change it, or set it to zero, to match your own position.
Invoice promptly, while the work is fresh in the client’s mind, and agree the billing rhythm in your engagement letter. Number invoices in sequence, keep a list of what is outstanding, and follow up as soon as an invoice passes its due date rather than at the end of the quarter.
Skip the spreadsheet
In The Counsel, time and disbursements logged against a matter turn into a numbered draft invoice in one click, and payments update its balance automatically.
Is this legal invoice template really free?
Yes. Download it, change it and use it for your firm as often as you like. No sign-up is needed.
Can I use it in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets; the formulas keep working.
How do I change the VAT rate?
Type your rate into the "VAT rate" cell under the totals. It is pre-set to 7.5%; set it to 0% if VAT does not apply to you.
Should disbursements attract VAT?
That depends on your country’s tax rules and how the cost was incurred. The template applies VAT to professional fees only; take advice if you are unsure about your position.