Only 3.7% of Belgian lawyers bill more than 90% of their working time, a striking figure from recent Wolters Kluwer research. The issue isn’t effort, but the fact that a significant portion of work never makes it onto an invoice.
**In this article, we explore where that value disappears, why traditional time registration falls short, and how AI and automation help firms better capture and monetise their work.**
**The productivity gap is real. But so is the solution.**

Where value gets lost (and how to recover it)

Recent insights shared by LexGO, based on research from Wolters Kluwer, revealed that only 3.7% of Belgian lawyers bill more than 90% of their working time. That figure is not just striking, it’s telling. Because this is not about lawyers working less. It’s about value slipping through the cracks.

A large part of the working day disappears into administrative friction. Drafting emails, reviewing documents, attending meetings, switching between tools, following up internally… all essential activities, yet often only partially registered or not registered at all. Add to that the complexity of billing preparation, and it becomes clear why so much work never makes it onto an invoice.

This is where the conversation around AI and automation becomes relevant. Not as a futuristic concept, but as a very practical solution to a very real problem.
Take time registration, for example. Instead of relying on manual input at the end of a long day, tools like TIQ Time capture activity automatically across emails, documents and calendars. They suggest time entries in real time, often even before the lawyer has consciously thought about logging them. The result is not only a more complete timesheet, but also a much more accurate reflection of the actual work performed.

But capturing time is only the beginning. In many firms, time entries remain in draft, are submitted late, or require multiple rounds of correction before they can be invoiced. With the right setup, this becomes a controlled and largely automated process. Time entries can be automatically submitted to prebilling at the end of a week or month, while smart reminders ensure that nothing is forgotten along the way. Even billing itself can be streamlined, with batch prebilling processes that automatically prepare invoices for matters above a certain threshold, reducing delays and manual intervention.

At the same time, firms gain something they often lack: visibility. Instead of working in the dark, they can clearly see how time is spent across individuals and teams. They can distinguish between billable and non-billable work, between chargeable and non-chargeable activities, and identify inefficiencies before they turn into lost revenue. What was once guesswork becomes a data-driven conversation.

**From automation to insight: the real impact of AI**

While much of the discussion around AI in legal focuses on document generation or research, its impact on billing is just as significant. AI can clean up and standardise time entry narratives, translate them into client-compliant language, and even map them automatically to the correct billing codes. What used to take time and attention becomes almost effortless.
But the real shift goes one step further. For the first time, firms can measure the impact of AI on their work. It is now possible to track which activities were supported by AI tools and compare them to manually performed work. This creates a completely new layer of insight, not just into time spent, but into how that time is produced. Which tasks become more efficient? Where does AI create the most value? And how does that translate into profitability?
AI, in that sense, is no longer just about saving time.
It becomes a strategic lever for performance.

What emerges is a broader transformation. Administrative work becomes more structured, processes become predictable, and lawyers can refocus on high-value activities. Firms move away from reactive billing towards a model that is controlled, transparent and scalable.

The productivity gap we see today is therefore not simply a problem to solve. It is an opportunity to rethink how legal work is organised, captured and monetised.
At NORRIQ, we help law firms translate these capabilities into practical, working solutions. From automatic time capture to integrated billing workflows and real-time insights, our focus is simple: making your billing process more accurate, faster and easier to manage.

Ready to see what this looks like in your firm?