Billing guides for court-appointed attorneys

How CPCS and CJA billing actually works, from someone who has filed this time. Sourced to the Assigned Counsel Manual, CPCS, and the CJA-20, in plain English.

What goes where

What is a NAC Your Notice of Assignment of Counsel. C-NAC vs D-NAC, and why bills sit pending. eBill activity codes: MA trial The 13 Massachusetts trial categories with real examples, including why DA calls are Investigation. eBill activity codes: MA appeals The 13 categories for Massachusetts appeals, from record review to the FAR petition. CJA eVoucher categories The federal CJA-20 categories, in-court and out-of-court, for eVoucher billing.

Getting paid right

Rounding to the nearest tenth Round the day's total to the nearest tenth, not each task up. With worked examples. The hour caps and the waiver 10 a day, 12 on trial, 1,650 a year. How the caps and the waiver work. Billing deadlines Bill a closed case within a month, year-end by July 31. Miss them and you lose money. Mileage and travel 62 cents a mile, travel time capped, and the 30-mile rule on short court trips.

Protect your time and your license

What a CPCS audit wants Contemporaneous records with start and stop times. Your eBill entries don't count. Why contemporaneous billing matters Recording time as you work protects your pay and your license. Here's why. Are you under-billing? Lawyers bill under 3 of 8 hours a day. The time you lose, and how to stop.

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