Invoice layouts in Law App — choosing the right bill

These are the standard invoice layouts available in the Law App report designer. Every layout is an A4 tax invoice rendered to PDF by the report engine. Page 1 carries the firm letterhead — logo, name, address and phone, the words Tax Invoice and the ABN — together with the addressee, the file reference, the invoice number and date, the RE matter line, a front-page summary of charges, a With Compliments signature, the payment-terms note and the remittance slip. Where a layout is itemised, the detailed itemisation (Professional Fees, Office Costs and Disbursements) follows on page 2 and ends with the invoice totals and the Notification of Rights.

How the layouts are named and numbered

Each layout has a short code made of a number and an optional letter — for example 1, 1a or 5c. The number (1 to 8) is the base layout: the overall structure and purpose of the bill. A letter after the number is a variant of that base layout.

a always means the same layout with a Notes block added.
b always means the disbursements-only version: only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
c (and any further letter) is an option specific to that family, described against each one below.

Letters run in sequence with no gaps, so a missing letter would mean a missing layout.

Quick reference — all layouts

Code	Layout name	What it is for
1	Itemised bill — fees, office and disbursements	Full itemised tax invoice with time values, prior-balance block and trust transfer. The everyday bill.
1a	Itemised bill — Notes — fees, office and disbursements	As Invoice 1, with a free-text Notes block added to the front page.
1b	Itemised bill — disbursements only	As Invoice 1 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
1c	Itemised bill — trust plus settlement	As Invoice 1 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due. Unlike family 8, which replaces trust with settlement, this shows both.
2	Summary — with prior balance	One-page summary bill (fees, office and disbursements as totals) with the prior-balance block; no itemisation.
2a	Summary — Notes — with prior balance	As Invoice 2, with a Notes block added to the front page.
2b	Disbursements only — with itemisation	Disbursements-only itemisation. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted. The one family-2 layout that keeps an itemisation.
2c	Summary — trust plus settlement	As Invoice 2 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due.
3	Itemised bill — no time values	Full itemisation without a time Value column, with the prior-balance block.
3a	Itemised bill — Notes — no time values	As Invoice 3, with a Notes block added to the front page.
3b	Itemised bill — disbursements only — no time values	As Invoice 3 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
3c	Itemised bill — no time values — no prior balance	As Invoice 3 but the prior-balance block is removed — the summary ends at Invoice Total Due.
3d	Itemised bill — no time values — trust plus settlement	As Invoice 3 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due.
4	Summary — no prior balance, no itemisation	One-page summary bill, no itemisation, no prior balance.
4a	Summary — Notes — no prior balance, no itemisation	As Invoice 4, with a Notes block added.
4b	Summary — disbursements only — no prior balance, no itemisation	As Invoice 4 but disbursements only. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
4c	Estimate — no prior balance, no itemisation	The same one-page layout re-titled Estimated Tax Invoice / Estimated Professional Fees / Estimated Total — for quoting, not a payable tax invoice.
5	Advices bill (to contact, invoice total only)	Itemised advices bill addressed to a contact; summary shows the invoice total only (no prior balance, no trust, no total outstanding).
5a	Advices bill — Notes (to contact, invoice total only)	As Invoice 5, with a Notes block added.
5b	Advices bill — disbursements only (to contact, invoice total only)	As Invoice 5 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
5c	Advices bill — no cost breakdown (to contact, invoice total only)	As Invoice 5 but the front page shows Notes instead of a cost breakdown; the itemisation still follows.
6	Discount bill (But Say) — detailed	Full discount itemisation with a Discounted Amount column and a But say to you total.
6a	Discount bill (But Say) — Notes	As Invoice 6, with a Notes block added.
6b	Discount bill (But Say) — disbursements only summary	Disbursements-only summary version of the discount bill. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees (with But say) total; office costs are omitted.
6c	Discount bill (But Say) — no summary	The front-page discount (But say) summary only — the detailed itemisation page is removed.
6d	Discount bill (But Say) — trust plus settlement	As Invoice 6 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due.
7	Itemised bill — no prior balance	Full itemised bill with the prior-balance block removed.
7a	Itemised bill — Notes — no prior balance	As Invoice 7, with a Notes block added.
7b	Itemised bill — disbursements only — no prior balance	As Invoice 7 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
8	Itemised bill — paid at settlement	Full itemised bill with a Less Paid at Settlement line in place of the trust transfer.
8a	Itemised bill — Notes — paid at settlement	As Invoice 8, with a Notes block added.
8b	Itemised bill — disbursements only — paid at settlement	As Invoice 8 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.

Family 1 — Standard itemised tax invoice (full breakdown)

The standard bill. Page 1 shows a summary of charges; page 2 shows the full itemisation — Professional Fees (with a time Value column), Office Costs and Disbursements — then the invoice totals. The front-page summary carries the prior-balance block (Previous Outstanding Balance, Less amount to be transferred from Trust, Total Due). Addressed to the file.

Invoice 1 — Itemised bill, fees, office and disbursements. Full itemised tax invoice with time values, prior-balance block and trust transfer. The everyday bill.
Invoice 1a — Itemised bill, Notes. As Invoice 1, with a free-text Notes block added to the front page.
Invoice 1b — Itemised bill, disbursements only. As Invoice 1 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
Invoice 1c — Itemised bill, trust plus settlement. As Invoice 1 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due.

Family 2 — Summary bill with prior balance (no itemisation)

A one-page summary bill: professional fees, office costs and disbursements are shown on the front page as totals only, with the full prior-balance block (Previous Outstanding Balance, Less amount to be transferred from Trust, Total Due). There is no itemisation page. Addressed to the file. The exception is 2b, the disbursements-only view, which keeps a disbursement itemisation.

Invoice 2 — Summary, with prior balance. One-page summary bill (fees, office and disbursements as totals) with the prior-balance block; no itemisation.
Invoice 2a — Summary, Notes. As Invoice 2, with a Notes block added to the front page.
Invoice 2b — Disbursements only, with itemisation. Disbursements-only itemisation. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
Invoice 2c — Summary, trust plus settlement. As Invoice 2 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due.

Family 3 — Itemised bill, no time values

Like family 1 but the Professional Fees itemisation shows no time or units Value column — descriptions and amounts only. Includes the prior-balance block. In this family the Notification of Rights is forced onto its own page.

Invoice 3 — Itemised bill, no time values. Full itemisation without a time Value column, with the prior-balance block.
Invoice 3a — Itemised bill, Notes, no time values. As Invoice 3, with a Notes block added to the front page.
Invoice 3b — Itemised bill, disbursements only, no time values. As Invoice 3 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
Invoice 3c — Itemised bill, no time values, no prior balance. As Invoice 3 but the prior-balance block is removed — the summary ends at Invoice Total Due.
Invoice 3d — Itemised bill, no time values, trust plus settlement. As Invoice 3 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due.

Family 4 — Summary only, no prior balance, no itemisation (single page)

A one-page bill: front-page summary only, with no itemisation page and no prior-balance block. The shortest layout in the catalogue.

Invoice 4 — Summary, no prior balance, no itemisation. One-page summary bill, no itemisation, no prior balance.
Invoice 4a — Summary, Notes. As Invoice 4, with a Notes block added.
Invoice 4b — Summary, disbursements only. As Invoice 4 but disbursements only. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
Invoice 4c — Estimate. The same one-page layout re-titled Estimated Tax Invoice / Estimated Professional Fees / Estimated Total — for quoting, not a payable tax invoice.

Family 5 — Advices bill (to a contact, invoice total only)

An advices bill is addressed to a contact (customer name and customer address) rather than to the file. Every advices variant shows the invoice total only — there is no previous outstanding balance, no trust transfer and no total-outstanding carried forward; the summary ends at Total Amount Due. Full itemisation still follows on page 2.

Invoice 5 — Advices bill (to contact, invoice total only). Itemised advices bill addressed to a contact; summary shows the invoice total only.
Invoice 5a — Advices bill, Notes. As Invoice 5, with a Notes block added.
Invoice 5b — Advices bill, disbursements only. As Invoice 5 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.
Invoice 5c — Advices bill, no cost breakdown. As Invoice 5 but the front page shows Notes instead of a cost breakdown; the itemisation still follows.

Family 6 — Discount bill (But say)

A full itemised bill that also shows a Discounted Amount and reduces the charge to a goodwill But say to you figure. Includes the prior-balance block.

Invoice 6 — Discount bill (But Say), detailed. Full discount itemisation with a Discounted Amount column and a But say to you total.
Invoice 6a — Discount bill (But Say), Notes. As Invoice 6, with a Notes block added.
Invoice 6b — Discount bill (But Say), disbursements only summary. Disbursements-only summary version of the discount bill. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees (with But say) total; office costs are omitted.
Invoice 6c — Discount bill (But Say), no summary. The front-page discount (But say) summary only — the detailed itemisation page is removed.
Invoice 6d — Discount bill (But Say), trust plus settlement. As Invoice 6 but with an extra Less Paid at Settlement line directly under the trust transfer — both deductions show before Total Due.

Family 7 — Itemised bill, no prior balance

The same full itemised bill as family 1 but with the prior-balance block removed: no Previous Outstanding, no trust transfer, no Total Due carried forward. The invoice stands alone. Addressed to the file.

Invoice 7 — Itemised bill, no prior balance. Full itemised bill with the prior-balance block removed.
Invoice 7a — Itemised bill, Notes, no prior balance. As Invoice 7, with a Notes block added.
Invoice 7b — Itemised bill, disbursements only, no prior balance. As Invoice 7 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.

Family 8 — Itemised bill, paid at settlement

The same full itemised bill as family 1, but the prior-balance block shows Less Paid at Settlement in place of the trust transfer — for matters settled at completion.

Invoice 8 — Itemised bill, paid at settlement. Full itemised bill with a Less Paid at Settlement line in place of the trust transfer.
Invoice 8a — Itemised bill, Notes, paid at settlement. As Invoice 8, with a Notes block added.
Invoice 8b — Itemised bill, disbursements only, paid at settlement. As Invoice 8 but only disbursements are itemised. The front-page summary still shows the professional fees total; office costs are omitted.

Choosing the right layout

Need a full breakdown with the time recorded against each fee? Use family 1 — or family 7 when there is no prior balance to carry, or family 8 when the matter is paid at settlement. Want a one-page summary with the prior balance carried forward and no itemisation? Use family 2 (or family 4 when there is no prior balance). Recording costs with no time units shown? Use family 3. Just need a one-page summary, or an estimate? Use family 4 (4c for an estimate). Acting on advices and billing a contact rather than the file? Use family 5. Offering a goodwill discount (but say)? Use family 6.

For any of the above, add a Notes block with the a variant, or strip the bill back to disbursements only with the b variant.