Draft Time Entries

Draft time entries are reviewable time entries that can be incomplete when they are created. Draft time entries are created by integrations, API-based processes, or automation features. They are used as a review step before a normal time entry is created.

Draft time entries are available by default since release 26.02.

Before you start

Users do not create draft time entries manually in the regular timesheet form. You review and process drafts that were created for you.

The concept of who "owns" a draft time entry is slightly different to that of normal time entries: a draft time entry is owned by the user who is assigned as the reviewer, not the timekeeper. The reviewer is responsible for reviewing and approving the draft time entry, which leads to a new normal time entry. See "Permissions" below for more information.

View your draft time entries to review

Go to Timesheet → Time entry. If drafts are available, you can see:

Your draft time entries to review: these are draft time entries where you are both the reviewer and the timekeeper.
Other users’ draft time entries to review: these are draft time entries where you are the reviewer but not the timekeeper.

In these sections, each draft time entry can show actions to approve, edit, or delete.

Timesheet Time entry page showing the Your draft time entries to review section with draft rows and available action icons. — Your draft time entries overview on the Timesheet - Time entry page, showing entries where you are set as the timekeeper and the reviewer.

Timesheet Time entry page showing Other users’ draft time entries to review grouped by user and date with available action icons. — Overview of other users’ draft time entries on the Timesheet - Time entry page, grouped by user and date. These are entries where you are set as the reviewer, but another user as the timekeeper.

Approve a draft time entry

Open Time entry.
Find the draft time entry you want to process.
Click the green checkmark icon (Approve draft time entry).
Legalsense validates the draft data and permissions.
If validation succeeds, Legalsense creates a normal time entry from the draft.

After approval, the draft is marked as approved and is no longer visible, editable, or deletable as a draft. A normal time entry is created for the user who owned the draft time entry.

The validation during approval checks whether the information in the draft time entry can be used to create a valid normal time entry. If not, due to incompatible data or missing permissions, you will see a message on the page that indicates what needs to be addressed.

You can find the created normal time entry in the regular time entry overviews, such as recent entries and Time search, depending on your permissions and filters.

Timesheet page showing a validation error that draft approval failed because required data is missing. — Validation error shown when approving a draft time entry where required data is missing.

Edit or delete a draft time entry

You can always edit and delete draft time entries where you are assigned as the reviewer.

Edit

In the draft time entry, click Edit draft time entry.
Update the available fields in the dialog.
Click Save.

Draft edit validation is intentionally flexible: fields can remain empty in a draft. Strict validation is applied when approving the draft. Warning: this supports the role of draft time entries as a placeholder of information, but it requires the reviewer to be cautious when editing and approving draft time entries.

Modal window titled “Edit draft time entry” showing fields for hours (1:30), matter, activity (Meeting 003), date (19-02-2026), timekeeper (Hassan Allach), description, internal comment with draft note, and a Save button. — Edit draft time entry dialog on the Timesheet page, where hours, matter, activity, date, description, and internal comment can be reviewed and updated before saving.

Delete

In the draft time entry, click Delete draft time entry.
Confirm the deletion in the confirmation dialog.

Deleting a draft time entry is final.

Permissions

Only the user who is assigned as the reviewer on a draft time entry can edit, delete, or approve a draft time entry. This is based on the concept that a draft time entry is "owned" by the reviewer until it has been approved.

The reviewer is assigned upon creation of the draft time entry; to prevent misuse, the reviewer can only be changed by users with elevated permissions or Legalsense Support. In addition, if the timekeeper on a draft time entry is not the reviewer, the reviewer needs elevated permissions to approve that draft time entry (these are the entries in the Other users' draft time entries to review table).

In most cases, you will be asked to review draft time entries where you are the timekeeper, and you can edit, delete, and approve those. If desired, user groups can be configured to enable them to manage and approve other users' drafts. You can request your administrator or Legalsense Support to set this up.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

If approval or editing fails, Legalsense shows a message on the page. Typically, approval fails because one or more fields are missing or contain invalid data for creating a normal time entry. The error message indicates what must be corrected.

In some cases, a draft may already have been approved or deleted by another user or process. In that case, you will see a warning and can no longer view or modify that draft.

Can I undo approval and move a normal time entry back to draft?

No. After approval, the draft workflow is complete. You can still edit or delete the created normal time entry, but only when normal time-entry permissions and billing-status rules allow it.

How long are approved draft time entries retained?

Approved drafts are retained for a limited period and then removed automatically by background cleanup. Contact your administrator or Legalsense support if you need details for your environment.