Case file
Hale v. Northstar
- Matter no.
- HN-2026-0178
- Expert
- Dr. Michael Hale, P.E.
- Opened
- 14 Feb 2026
- Status
- Active
Recent work
4 entriesRecord review
- Actual
- 7.6h
- Billable
- 8.0h
- Applied rate
- $425/hr
- Ledger charge
- $3,400.00
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Retainr preserves actual time separately from billable time, keeps case documents and invoices with the work, and shows the Current Balance with low-balance warnings. Built for independent expert witnesses—not law firms.
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Illustrative case data
Retainer summary
As of 18 May- Original retainer
- $18,000.00
- Remaining balance
- $3,260.00
- Retainer remaining
- 18%
- Low-balance threshold
- 20%
Below threshold
Case documents
- Structural analysis.pdf
- Calculation notes.xlsx
- Exhibit 12 — photos.pdf
Replenishment due
Action neededTo restore the original retainer
$14,740.00
Threshold crossed
18 May 2026
Current balance
$3,260.00
Retainr
- 1
Open the case
Set the retaining firm, terms, retainer, threshold, and activity rates.
- 2
Work it
Log review, report, deposition, and trial time. Attach the documents that belong to the matter.
- 3
Watch the balance
Every billable entry draws down the ledger and keeps the remaining retainer visible.
- 4
Stay funded
A threshold warning tells you when replenishment is due—before more work goes unfunded.
A Current Balance you can reconcile.
Every Current Balance reconciles recorded funding with dated billable work. Each entry preserves its actual duration, billable duration, and applied rate evidence.
Illustrative case data · all amounts USD
Funding received
$18,000.00
Initial retainer
Billable work
$14,740.00
27.4 billable hours
Current balance
$3,260.00
18% remaining
Built around the way expert work bills.
The case is the organizing unit. Time, rates, records, funding, invoices, and documents all answer to it.
A live retainer ledger
Every charge and replenishment resolves to one reconcilable case balance.
Threshold warnings
See the low-balance state while there is still time to get the case funded.
Time that matches the work
Keep actual and billable duration separate, with activity-specific rates.
Documents with the case
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Prepare itemized invoices and export sent invoices in LEDES 1998B format.
Online invoice payment
Firms use a Stripe-hosted link to pay by card or ACH—without a Retainr account.
A retainer should protect your time—not create another balance you have to reconstruct by hand.
The Retainr team
Professional records without law-firm software.
Retainr is for the subject-matter expert—physician, engineer, economist, accountant, or forensic specialist—retained to consult and testify alongside the work that made them an authority. It keeps the record defensible without asking them to become a billing department.
- Actual and billable time remain separately attributable
- Duration and applied rate evidence stay with each entry
- Each practice's case records stay isolated from every other practice
- Every matter retains a reconcilable Retainer Ledger
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Who is Retainr for?
Retainr is built for independent subject-matter experts—engineers, physicians, economists, accountants, and forensic or technical specialists—retained as expert witnesses. If you bill litigation work against a retainer and testify at deposition or trial, Retainr keeps the record defensible.
How is this different from QuickBooks and a spreadsheet?
QuickBooks records accounting after the fact. Retainr keeps expert-witness terms, actual and billable time, activity rates, case documents, invoices, and the retainer drawdown on the same matter record. The balance explains itself from dated entries and payments.
Do attorneys or firms get Retainr accounts?
No. Retainr is built for the independent expert and their practice team. Hiring firms receive invoices and Stripe-hosted payment links, but they do not need product accounts.
What happens when a retainer reaches zero?
Retainr shows threshold warnings as the balance falls. An engagement can be configured to pause new time entries when the retainer is exhausted, preserving the existing ledger until a replenishment is recorded.
Can I charge different rates for review, deposition, and trial time?
Yes. An engagement can use one default rate or a rate map by activity. Each time entry preserves the rate applied so later changes do not rewrite the record.
Can I export my records if I leave?
Retainr provides engagement-level time and ledger exports, downloadable case documents, and LEDES 1998B export for sent invoices. Your record is not trapped inside a dashboard.
How is practice data secured and isolated?
Each practice's data is isolated from every other practice, and document access uses short-lived signed URLs. Retainr does not claim HIPAA compliance or a business associate agreement.
Keep the next retainer in view.
Preserve the work, reconcile the Current Balance, and see low-balance warnings early.