---
name: billing-narrative-writer
description: Turn raw time entries and work notes into clear, client-ready invoice narratives that get approved and paid. Use this skill whenever a firm needs to write up billing descriptions, clean up timekeeper entries for an invoice, describe work performed for a client bill, or says 'write the invoice narrative', 'clean up these time entries', or 'the client keeps disputing our bills'. Trigger whenever billable work needs to be described on an invoice in a way the client will accept.
---

# Billing Narrative Writer

## What this does and why it matters
Clients do not write down or dispute invoices because the work was not worth it. They dispute because the narrative is cryptic, repetitive, or reads like padding. This skill turns raw timekeeper entries into clear, specific narratives that show the value delivered, so bills get approved without friction. For firms that bill by the hour, the wording of the invoice is the difference between getting paid in full and eating a write-down every month.

## Inputs to gather
1. The raw time entries or work notes (timekeeper, date, hours, rough description).
2. The client and matter, and how sophisticated the reader is.
3. Any billing guidelines the client enforces (block-billing rules, task codes, no-charge policies).
4. The firm's tone: formal and precise, or plainer and warmer.

## Method
Rewrite each entry to state what was done and why it mattered to the client's objective, not just the mechanical action. Replace vague verbs (worked on, handled, reviewed) with specific ones that show substance (drafted, revised, analyzed, negotiated). Break block-billed lumps into discrete tasks when the client requires it, and keep each entry proportionate to the time billed. Cut anything that reads as internal overhead the client should not pay for, or flag it for no-charge. Keep dates, hours, and totals exactly as given; the skill improves wording, it never invents or inflates work.

## Output format
ALWAYS use:

# Invoice Narrative: [Client] | [Matter] | [Period]
## Cleaned entries (date | timekeeper | hours | narrative)
## No-charge or flagged entries (and why)
## Total hours and value (unchanged from source)
## Notes for the biller (anything needing a human decision)

## Anti-patterns to avoid
- Vague verbs that hide the substance of the work.
- Entries disproportionate to the hours billed.
- Inventing detail or inflating time that is not in the source.
- Leaving internal admin the client will refuse to pay for.

## Guardrails
This rewrites descriptions of work the user provides; it does not create billable time. Never add hours, tasks, or detail that are not in the source entries. The narrative must remain an honest description of work actually performed.

## Example
A block entry reading "6.5 hrs - worked on contract" becomes three dated lines totaling the same 6.5 hours: drafted the indemnification and limitation-of-liability clauses, revised the payment schedule per the client's terms, and prepared a redline summary for the client's review, with one 0.4-hour internal file-organization entry flagged as no-charge.