Check time entries against billing rules
Get the source data and prepare the review

Documentation-checked proposed route; source collection and human approval required

WHAT WAS CHECKED
Official documentation checked; all routes are proposed and have not been run in a product account. No client data, account access, installs or account writes used. Native column names are distinguished from editorial kit contracts. Missing source evidence blocks completeness claims.

BEFORE YOU START
- Access to the selected Clio Manage time entries and the applicable client-approved billing guidelines/version.
- Only a timekeeper can verify the work actually performed and approve a corrected narrative; billing judgments remain human.
- Firm-approved Excel; optional Copilot entitlement and tenant approval for the exact minimized data. Native Excel analysis can be done manually if Copilot is absent.
- Keep raw exports and identifying source pointers in a separate restricted location. The AI workbook contains only approved alias-based tables and visible policy/scope text, never raw client records on another tab.

DATA ACQUISITION LIMITS
- No native export of every kit field is established here. This is a bounded manual capture from actual time entries, suitable for a small reviewed sample.
- Rounded recorded duration is not raw elapsed time. A rewritten narrative cannot add work, change minutes/rates or cure missing evidence.

DECLARED INPUT CONTRACT
entries.csv: entry_id, matter_alias, actual_recorded_minutes, rate_if_needed, actual_work_description, activity_code, task_code
approved-guidelines.txt

STEP 1: Read actual selected time entries
Tool: Clio Manage
Open: Matters > selected matter > Activities (or main Activities with date/user filters)
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

Select a small defined invoice/period sample. Inspect each actual time entry’s description, duration, rate and any activity/task codes; use Edit only to view details and close without saving. Record the entry reference and actual fields locally.

Expected output: Observed entry records and a sample/period note; no generated entries or export claims.
Use it next: Retain restricted source references for every entry_id.
Check: Confirm the selected item is a time entry, not an expense or flat-fee quantity; note currency, rounding and missing fields.
Documentation limit: Official sources support named product features. Workflow-specific prompts, alias fields, mappings and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations, not native export promises.
Source documentation:
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9289741706779-Time-Entries
https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/9290390462875-Navigate-Clio-Manage

STEP 2: Map the observed records to the starter input
Tool: Excel and authorized staff
Open: Separate analysis workbook > Home > Format as Table
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

In entries.csv assign matter aliases and preserve actual_recorded_minutes, rate_if_needed, actual_work_description, activity_code and task_code exactly as supported. Minimize descriptions only with reviewer approval and preserve their meaning. Copy the applicable approved-guidelines.txt into a visible Guidelines worksheet with version and scope. If sensitive descriptions are not approved for Copilot, complete the same review locally without AI. Create named tables for Entries and Guidelines. Put the policy and review scope in visible worksheets or paste them into the next prompt.

Expected output: Entries and Guidelines tables; unknown codes/rates stay unknown.
Use it next: Check the mapping against each original source before using AI.
Check: Aliases and missing policy fields are staff-created; do not relabel a native export as the kit schema. Unknown stays blank/unknown, not false or zero.
Documentation limit: Official sources support named product features. Workflow-specific prompts, alias fields, mappings and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations, not native export promises.
Source documentation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/tutorial-import-data-into-excel-and-create-a-data-model

STEP 3: Review the bounded evidence with Copilot
Tool: Excel Copilot, optional
Open: Approved analysis workbook > Copilot icon at lower right > Chat only
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

Use Chat only and submit the prompt. Without Copilot: compare each entry to the supplied guideline clauses and write questions/edits in a separate review column.

PASTE THIS PROMPT
Review Entries against the supplied Guidelines only. Return entry_id, exact guideline reference, observed issue, missing evidence and a proposed faithful narrative edit only if supported by the existing description. Preserve actual_recorded_minutes, rate and codes. Do not invent tasks, split or combine time, pad duration, infer privileged strategy or decide whether a charge is legally recoverable. Where the description cannot support a compliant edit, ask the timekeeper a specific question. Cite rows and guideline text.

Expected output: Guideline-linked exception checklist and conservative draft edits.
Use it next: Copy the draft exception list to the reviewer; retain row references.
Check: Check every flagged row and the scope. A fluent answer is not evidence of completeness; no automatic workbook or source-system edits.
Documentation limit: Official sources support named product features. Workflow-specific prompts, alias fields, mappings and reviewer rules are editorial adaptations, not native export promises.
Source documentation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/copilot/get-started-with-copilot-in-excel
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/copilot/frequently-asked-questions-about-copilot-in-excel

STEP 4: Approve the review result
Tool: Responsible staff reviewer
Open: Reviewed local worksheet
Access needed: See prerequisites; actual subscription, tenant configuration and permissions are untested.

The timekeeper and billing reviewer inspect original entries, approve or reject every proposed edit and keep the approved guideline version with the audit. Apply any actual change separately through the firm’s billing process.

Expected output: Approved correction list, with original minutes and source records retained.
Use it next: Any external message, source change, payment or deletion requires its own authorized process.
Check: No automatic rewriting or bulk save; a plausible narrative is not proof the work occurred.
Documentation limit: Editorial human-review gate; linked Excel documentation supports the worksheet used, not legal or accounting conclusions.
Source documentation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/tutorial-import-data-into-excel-and-create-a-data-model

ACCOUNT AND SOURCE CHECKS STILL NEEDED
- Actual account access, plan and source-data completeness have not been tested.

USING THE FILES IN THIS KIT
Use the exact files or source text named in the steps above. Native exports keep their own headers. The kit tables are editorial review worksheets; they are not a claim that a product exports those fields. Some routes use reviewed text directly or require additional original files. Never rename an unreviewed raw export to make it appear mapped. Keep expected-result files separate from inputs.

The source account, actual data, prompts and end-to-end workflow were not tested. Any final communication, filing, permission change, payment or publication needs its own authorized human action. This guide performs none.
