Time tracking · For law firms
Every minute worked on the right case, without evening admin
Last updated: 28 October 2026 · Reading time: 7 minutes
For most lawyers, recording time is the least loved part of the day. Yet it is the basis of every invoice. Lawyers who rebuild their hours at the end of the day or week forget the short calls, the emails and the quick review of a draft. This article shows how time tracking works in Unomia: a timer you start from any screen, a timesheet assistant that keeps track of what you worked on, on your own computer, and Casey, our AI coworker, who shows every morning which hours have not been booked yet.
Key points
- The timer in Unomia's top bar starts the clock from any screen: from email, chat, the calendar or a case. You pick the case and the task, and the time becomes a timesheet entry.
- The timesheet assistant reads the activity on your own computer: which programs, documents and browser tabs you used. That data stays on your computer. Only the hours you confirm go into Unomia.
- Rules link recognisable activities to a case automatically, and short interruptions such as checking messages don't count.
- In the daily briefing, Casey gives each team member a summary of the hours worked but not yet booked over the past period, so nothing gets lost between the work and the invoice.
- BaseNet, Kleos and Urios also have a stopwatch. The difference is the timesheet assistant on your own computer, and Casey.
See the timer and the timesheet assistant in action
The video starts right at the relevant part, from 4:56 to 5:32: 36 seconds in total. Source: Odoo.com.
Good to know: time tracking (also called time recording, time entry or timesheets) means recording the time you spend on each case. With an hourly rate it is the basis of the invoice; with a fixed fee it shows whether a case is profitable.
Why does time recording cost lawyers so much time?
A lawyer switches cases dozens of times a day: a call from a client, an email from the other side, a quick question from a colleague. Each of those moments is billable, but too short to write down straight away. At the end of the day you rebuild your hours from the calendar, the sent mail and memory. That takes time and earns less: what you don't remember, you don't bill.
Software can fix this in three ways. It measures time while you work (a timer), it suggests hours afterwards based on what you did (suggestions), and someone makes sure nothing is left behind (follow-up). Unomia does all three.
How does the timer in Unomia work?
01
Start the timer from any screen
The timer sits in the top bar. You start it while reading an email, chatting or looking at a case, without first going to timesheets.
02
Pick the case and task
You link the time to the case and the task, for example "statement of defence". Start the timer on a case and that is already filled in.
03
Stop, describe, done
When you stop, the time becomes a timesheet entry with a description. The firm can set a minimum duration and rounding, for example in six-minute units.
04
From hours to invoice
Approved hours are ready on the case's invoice, at the right rate. Nobody retypes them.
What does the timesheet assistant do on your own computer?
A timer only helps if you remember to start it. That is why Unomia also has a timesheet assistant. A small, free open-source app on your computer (ActivityWatch, for Windows, macOS and Linux) records which programs, documents and browser tabs you used, and for how long. On the timesheet page in Unomia you see that activity as suggested timesheet entries. You confirm, adjust or skip them.
- Your data stays on your computer. The raw activity is not sent to a server. Unomia reads it in your browser, and only the hours you confirm are saved.
- Rules do the sorting. A rule links a recognisable activity to a case and task, for example a document or window with a case number in its name. Rules can be private, for a department or for the whole firm.
- Short interruptions don't count as work. Quickly checking messages or notifications is marked as a side activity, so the suggestion for the main case stays in place.
- No noise. Each rule has a threshold in minutes, so only activities that lasted long enough become a suggestion.
The lawyer decides: the timesheet assistant never books hours by itself. It suggests, and the lawyer confirms. The invoice stays a deliberate choice, and the client only sees hours the lawyer approved.
How does Casey help with hours that haven't been booked?
In the daily briefing, Casey gives each team member a summary of the hours they worked but haven't booked yet over the past period. Every morning a lawyer sees at a glance how much work is still waiting for a timesheet entry, and books it straight away instead of at the end of the month. Nothing slips through between the work and the invoice.
What changes with Unomia?
| Without Unomia | With Unomia |
|---|---|
| Hours are rebuilt from memory at the end of the day or week | The timer runs while you work, from any screen |
| Short calls and emails are forgotten | The timesheet assistant suggests them as entries |
| Each lawyer sorts out which work belongs to which case | Rules link activities to the right case |
| Nobody sees which hours are still open | Casey summarises them every morning, per team member |
| Hours are retyped into the invoice | Approved hours are ready on the invoice |
How does this differ from BaseNet, Kleos and Urios?
All three offer solid time tracking, and we want to compare them fairly. Below is what they publish themselves. Where something is not in their public information, we say so, rather than claiming it doesn't exist.
| Unomia | BaseNet | Kleos | Urios | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timer or stopwatch | Yes, from any screen | Yes | Yes | Yes, can stay always on top |
| Starts automatically on an action | Suggestions afterwards via the timesheet assistant | Yes, for emails and letters | Not found | Yes, for documents, email and VoIP calls |
| Suggestions based on all activity on your computer, with data that stays local | Yes, the timesheet assistant | Not found | Not found | Via an integration with TIQ Time, a separate product |
| Book hours in a mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web app as an extra module |
| AI that summarises hours worked but not booked, every day | Yes, Casey | Not found | Not found | Not found |
Based on the public product pages of BaseNet, Wolters Kluwer (Kleos) and Urios, checked on 28 October 2026. "Not found" means the feature is not in their published information. If you spot something that's wrong, let us know and we'll correct it.
In short: everyone has a stopwatch. Unomia adds two things we didn't find elsewhere: suggestions based on what you did on your own computer, without that data leaving it, and an AI coworker who shows every morning what still needs booking. The full comparison, including prices, is on our pricing page.
Where do lawyers save time with time tracking in Unomia?
- No rebuilding afterwards. The timer runs along, the timesheet assistant fills the gaps.
- No searching. Rules put recognisable activities on the right case.
- No forgotten minutes. Casey summarises your unbooked hours every morning.
- No retyping. Approved hours go straight to the invoice.
At FAAZ advocatenkantoor, the first firm on Unomia, lawyers now record 20% more billable hours per month. Or, in the words of Sabien Kneepkens: "We can do more in less time."
Frequently asked questions about time tracking
What is the difference between the timer and the timesheet assistant?
The timer measures time while you work: you start and stop it yourself. The timesheet assistant looks at what you did on your computer afterwards and suggests entries for you to confirm. Together they also catch the short moments you would otherwise forget.
Can my firm see what I do on my computer?
No. The activity stays on your own computer. Unomia only reads it in your browser to show suggestions, and only the hours you confirm are saved.
Can I record time in six-minute units?
Yes. The firm sets a minimum duration and rounding, for example six minutes.
Does the timesheet assistant work on Windows and Mac?
The timesheet assistant uses ActivityWatch, a free open-source app for Windows, macOS and Linux. You install it from the banner on the timesheet page.
Does Casey book hours by itself?
No. In the daily briefing, Casey summarises the hours you worked but haven't booked yet over the past period. The lawyer decides what is booked and billed.
Can I bring my hours over from BaseNet, Kleos or Urios?
Yes. When you switch, we migrate cases, hours and invoices. We agree the scope up front, see our services.
Make time recording part of the work, not of the evening
We set up time tracking for you: the timer, the timesheet assistant with rules for your cases, rounding that follows your firm's policy and the link to invoicing. In a free demo we show how Casey summarises your unbooked hours in the briefing.
Sources: BaseNet – Time registration, Wolters Kluwer – Kleos time management, Urios – Time recording, ActivityWatch.