No obligation — but a clear advantage: Why associates should still track their time
Time tracking for lawyers: Between legal rulings and law firm practice
The discussion around time tracking for lawyers is increasingly reaching law firms and their associates. A recent ruling by the Administrative Court provides clarity — and simultaneously creates an interesting gray area in practice.
The court confirms:
Employees, particularly associates and senior associates, are not considered executive employees under the Working Hours Act.
At the same time, it is equally clear:
👉 There is no legal obligation for them to track their working hours.
This creates a legally clean but strategically important situation:
Associates are not required to track their time — but they should.
Legal classification: No obligation, no special rule
The Administrative Court rejects two common arguments in the legal profession:
No classification as executive employees (§18 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 ArbZG)
Associates typically do not have independent personnel or budget responsibility.No analogy to auditors (§45 S. 2 WPO)
The legislature deliberately created a special rule there — no comparable exception exists for employed lawyers.
Despite this, there is no obligation to track working time to the minute.
In many firms, trust-based working hours remain, combined with performance and result goals.
Time tracking in law firms: It already happens — just differently
Regardless of legal obligations, associates already document their time today.
However, it is not called “time tracking” but rather mandate-related performance documentation:
- Billable hours
- Non-billable activities (organization, training, business development)
- Internal efforts and team work
This time documentation is not a formality — it is the foundation for:
- Accurate client billing
- Transparency for partners
- Workload and profitability analysis
- Firm controlling
The key question is therefore not whether time is tracked, but how efficiently and systematically.
Strategic advantage: Linking time and performance intelligently
Here lies the real leverage for law firms and associates:
When time is already documented, time transparency can be combined with performance records — without extra administrative effort.
This is exactly where TimeSpin® comes in:
- Activities are recorded immediately during task transitions
- Clear separation of billable and non-billable hours
- No traditional stopwatches or disruptive software timers
- Focus remains on legal work — not on control
Result:
Transparency without a sense of surveillance and a reliable data foundation for billing, controlling, and personal development of associates.
Time tracking beyond isolated tools: Interfaces for law firm software
A key aspect of modern time tracking in law firms is technical integration.
TimeSpin is not an isolated tool.
Through APIs, recorded times can be directly integrated into existing firm systems — for example, for:
- Fee billing
- Performance records
- Reports at the mandate, team, or associate level
Time tracking becomes part of the firm workflow — not an additional obligation.
Conclusion: No legal obligation — but a clear competitive advantage
The Administrative Court ruling brings clarity:
- No statutory obligation to track working hours for associates
- No special status as executive employees
At the same time, the reality in law firms shows:
- Anyone billing services already documents time, consciously or unconsciously
Firms and associates who structure, make transparent, and integrate this process technically gain double:
- Better billing
- Better control of workload, profitability, and development
In short:
No legal obligation to track time — but a clear advantage for anyone who uses it intelligently.
The future of time management is tactile, transparent, and efficient.
TimeSpin® ends the time-tracking chaos and enables firms to manage time efficiently, maximize focus, and build a culture of trust.
Ready for the desk revolution?
Test TimeSpin® for free today and start a new era of clarity in your team!
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