Timekeepers represent the individual legal professionals who bill work on matters in Brightflag — partners, associates, paralegals, and other billing professionals. Each timekeeper must have an approved billing rate before their time can appear on invoices. Brightflag uses these approved rates to validate invoices and ensure billing compliance, so managing timekeepers is a core part of your spend-management workflow.
How Timekeepers Work in Brightflag
The timekeeper workflow follows four steps, from rate submission through invoice validation.
Step | Description |
1. Vendor submits a rate | A law firm submits a timekeeper rate request — either a general rate or a matter-specific rate — for your review. |
2. Client reviews the rate | Admin users review the pending rate request on the Timekeeper Rates page. You can compare the requested rate against the last approved rate and see the percentage change. |
3. Rate is approved or rejected | You approve or reject the rate. Approved rates become available for invoice validation. Rejected rates are returned to the vendor. |
4. Invoices are checked | When an invoice is submitted, Brightflag verifies each line item's billing rate against the timekeeper's approved rate. Invoices with unapproved rates may be flagged or rejected, depending on your system settings. |
Types of Timekeeper Rates
Brightflag supports two types of rates. If both exist for a timekeeper, the matter-specific rate takes precedence.
Rate Type | Description |
General Rate | The standard billing rate for a timekeeper across all matters. This is the default rate used for invoice validation when no matter-specific rate exists. |
Matter Rate | A billing rate tied to a specific matter. When present, Brightflag uses this rate instead of the general rate for invoices on that matter. |
Where to Manage Timekeepers
To access the Timekeeper Rates page, click Timekeepers in the left navigation menu.
The page has three tabs that organize rate requests by their review status.
Tab | Purpose |
Pending | Rate requests submitted by vendors that are awaiting your review. This is the default view when you open the page. |
Approved | Rates you have approved. These rates are used by Brightflag to validate invoices. |
Rejected | Rates you have rejected. You can re-approve a rejected rate at any time from this tab. |
View Rate History
To see a timekeeper's full rate history, click their name in any tab. The Timekeeper Rate History page opens, showing every rate change for that timekeeper — including pending, approved, and rejected entries. You can use the Status dropdown to filter the history by review status.