There are a large number of iPhone apps that can be used to track the amount of time that you spend working on a project. I’ve heard that many attorneys find these apps useful for keeping track of billable hours, especially while out of the office.
I haven’t found the need to use one of these apps myself, but it makes sense to me that some lawyers find them useful, so I have tried to keep tabs on them. I posted a fairly comprehensive survey of the then available time tracking apps in January of this year, and I followed up with additional posts in February (1, 2) and April.
Since then, many of those apps have been updated and are even better. For example, I was impressed with the prior version of Time Master, and this month the app was updated to version 2.0, adding many features, including:
CSV attachments in email
- the app is now Time Zone aware for when you travel
- refined “setup” screen
- added rounding option to clients
- additional Note field added to Projects, Tasks and Expenses for those who want an extra code feature
- …and many more
Moreover, since I last took a close look at this category of apps, other good apps have come out. For example, Fossil, which was released earlier this month, has a really beautiful interface and is feature-packed. You can use it to track both time and expenses. If you are in the market for a time tracking app, you should check this one out as well. It costs $6, about the same as the other good time tracking apps, and the developer tells me that a free, lite version will be available soon (to be called “Fossil-Icebreaker”) which will let you kick the tires a bit before you buy. Here are two screens from the app:
I often hear from vendors of time tracking apps, but I would love to hear from attorneys who use these apps to learn which ones you like best. Send me an e-mail and I will share your experiences with others, or just post a comment for everyone to read.
Click here for Time Master + Billing ($9.99): 
Click here for Fossil ($5.99):
Do any of the current iPhone time tracking apps integrate with or at least easily feed data to billing/practice management software systems such as ProLaw? (by “integration” I mean providing access to updated existing matter info as well as allowing entry of new time into the back-end system.)
[Jeff responds: I know that some billing systems, such as Harvest, have iPhone apps (or web apps) that are made to be a front end to the billing system. I don’t believe that ProLaw provides such an app. I use Elite in my office and I would love to have an Elite iPhone app. Perhaps one day.]
some of these apps are really great. But what would make me buy either one of them is if they would integrate and synchronize automatically with an OSX version of the same app. To have a convenient time tracking app at work and one in my pocket on the road would be perfect.
still hoping to find this although it seems that Timelog comes a long way.
http://www.mediaatelier.com/
There are several reasons why time tracking software generally is not effective, check this article to find out.
http://www.timedoctor.com/blog/2010/11/16/5-reasons-why-most-time-tracking-software-is-flawed
[Jeff notes: I normally don’t approve comments like this one in which someone is just trying to sell their own product. Indeed, the TimeDoctor product to which there is a link here does not appear to even exist for the iPhone. Nevertheless, the linked blog post does address some issues that one might want to consider when using any time tracking software, whether for the iPhone or the computer, so I have decided to approve this comment.]