Tag: SimpleLegal

Unified Legal Operations: All Onit Solutions in One Place

unified legal operations with Onit

Onit has brought SimpleLegal, ContractWorks, SecureDocs, Axdraft, Readysign, and BusyLamp together in one destination designed to simplify and strengthen legal operations.

Change brings clarity. That’s exactly what this moment represents for Onit and our customers. We’ve brought every solution in the Onit family together in one place at Onit.com. With SimpleLegal, ContractWorks, SecureDocs, AXDRAFT, ReadySign, and BusyLamp part of a single digital experience, this marks a new chapter for unified legal operations.

This change isn’t about taking anything away. It’s about making it easier to find what you need, explore what’s possible, and experience the strength of one connected brand built for the future of legal operations.

A simpler, stronger experience for customers

Nothing changes in how you work. You’ll continue to use the same solutions, access the same logins, and connect with the same trusted support teams. Each product remains available and fully supported, just as before. What’s new is the simplicity. Instead of multiple websites, you now have one destination where every Onit solution lives together. It’s easier to learn, compare, and explore how our tools connect to help legal teams manage spend, automate contracts, streamline workflows, and reduce risk — all within a unified legal operations experience.

legal operations unified under one brand - Onit

The power of one brand

Bringing every Onit solution together at Onit.com strengthens our shared foundation. It’s more than a design change. It’s a reflection of who we are: a single organization delivering trusted, AI-native solutions that help legal teams scale smarter.

  • SimpleLegal continues to lead in legal spend management and ebilling.
  • ContractWorks offers intuitive contract management for legal and business teams.
  • SecureDocs remains the go-to for secure data rooms and deal collaboration.
  • Axdraft simplifies document automation for faster, more accurate drafting.
  • Readysign provides secure, compliant esignature capabilities.
  • BusyLamp empowers legal departments with advanced matter management and time tracking.

Each solution keeps its strengths and identity while benefiting from the collective innovation, clarity, and support behind Onit.

Why we brought everything together

Onit’s growth across the legal technology space has always been driven by one goal: helping legal teams work more efficiently. Over time, that goal expanded into a portfolio of proven products designed to solve specific needs. Bringing them together was the natural next step, creating a more cohesive experience and a stronger ecosystem for every customer. One website. One brand. One Onit. This unified approach allows us to innovate faster, support customers more effectively, and show how our solutions fit together to move legal operations forward.

Legal operations built for today and ready for tomorrow

The unified Onit experience is built on an adaptable, AI-native foundation that grows with our customers. From spend management to document automation, every solution within the Onit family works together to help legal teams stay focused, strategic, and future-ready.

Moving forward together to create unified legal operations experience

What does this mean for you? Moving forward together

Unifying our brands marks more than a milestone. It represents our long-term commitment to customers, partners, and the future of legal technology. Whether you manage spend with SimpleLegal, collaborate in SecureDocs, or track matters with BusyLamp, your experience remains the same: trusted, consistent, and stronger with Onit.

Explore the full Onit experience at Onit.com.

Ready to see what we can do for you and your team? Speak to an expert today.

Legal Spend Just Got Its Groove Back 

Legal Spend Groove Back Blog Image

There was a time when managing legal spend was supposed to transform the way legal teams worked. But what they actually got were clunky interfaces, disconnected tools, and manual workflows disguised as “digital solutions.” 

That ends now. 

Onit’s 2025 summer release marks a new era for legal operations, one where legal spend is easier to control and optimize.  

Introducing Unity, the AI-native framework built from the ground up to bring legal’s most critical workflows — spend, vendors, and data — within a more unified and intuitive experience. And yes, it actually does the work. 

This is what legal looks like, on your terms. 

Legal Ops Revolution - Legal Spend Just Got It Groove Back

What Makes Unity Different? 

With Unity, legal teams get a more connected interface. It’s designed to bring together work across legal spend, vendors, and data over time. And it offers AI agents that automate tasks and understand legal context, along with configurable workflows that scale. 

Say Hello to Unity e-Billing 

The first spend management pillar launched on Unity is our new ELM e-Billing experience. This was designed to help you manage outside counsel spend with precision, speed, and total control. 

ELM e-Billing centralizes all your spend management in one place. So this brings vendor data, invoice review, and budget tracking together for a clear, real-time view of legal spend. AI-powered automation speeds approvals and enforces billing guidelines. While flexible reporting and budgeting tools help you track performance, forecast accurately, and make smarter spend decisions as your team grows.  

Meet Spend Agent: Your First AI Assistant for Legal Spend 

Manual rule coding? Over. Vague invoice rejections? Gone. 

Spend Agent is your new AI-native reviewer for legal spend invoices. It interprets billing guidelines in plain language, flags issues on incoming invoices, and generates crystal-clear justifications. It even helps vendors understand and fix issues faster. 

Spend Agent offers instant compliance without the complexity; audit-ready transparency; smarter decision-making with less manual effort. 

Legal spend - Spend Agent by Onit

CounselMatch: Find the Right Firm, Fast 

When outside counsel selection feels like guesswork, CounselMatch steps in. With access to more than 400,000 attorneys and 5,800+ firms, it lets you filter by performance, billing model, diversity, and practice area, then integrates your choice. 

Faster selection. Smarter partnerships. Better results. 

And That’s Just the Beginning 

In addition to Unity, this release brings major upgrades across the broader Onit ecosystem: 

SimpleLegal now keeps internal and external budgets in sync with matter-specific rate settings that put you in the driver’s seat. And the redesigned budget view makes it faster to filter, sort, and take action because budgeting should move as fast as the rest of the team.  

Legal Ops and Spend Management

ContractWorks now offers folder-level auto-tagging (Beta) for instant metadata capture, Retry AI Processing to refresh legacy contracts, and self-service tag activation for faster implementation and value. Contracts API adds e-signature support, enabling packets to be sent from external systems with fewer steps for quicker execution and a smoother path from draft to done.  

BusyLamp now allows users to track invoice revisions; automate WIP archiving; simplify dropdowns; tighten access controls to protect sensitive data. 

Built for Scale and Designed for Legal, by Legal 

Unity is more than a product. It’s a signal that legal tech software is finally evolving and that it’s evolving on legal’s terms. 

With Unity, legal departments gain more control over legal spend across your department; improved workflows across every part of the legal lifecycle; real-time visibility into vendors, matters, and contracts; automation that speaks legal’s language; a connected experience that replaces siloed systems. 

legal spend with onit elm ebilling spend agent and counselmath

Why Legacy ELM Fell Short 

For years, enterprise legal management software made promises it couldn’t keep. Legacy systems were built for a different era, before AI, before flexible workflows, and certainly before legal ops became the strategic driver it is today. They were hard to configure, harder to adopt, and forced legal teams to work around technology instead of with it. 

The result? Fragmented systems, manual workarounds, and limited visibility. Innovation stalled because the software didn’t move at the speed of legal

Unity changes that.  

Moving Legal Workflows Toward Connection and Scale  

Many legal ops teams struggle with time-consuming invoice reviews, vendor management spread across spreadsheets, and point solutions that do not connect. Unity is being built to address these challenges by bringing core legal workflows closer together in an AI-native environment that can scale over time.  

With Spend Agent reviewing invoices in real time as an add-on to Unity e-Billing and OnitX ELM, and contract data extracted in seconds via ContractWorks, legal teams are gaining back time and putting it toward higher-impact work. They’re spending less time fixing broken workflows and more time driving strategy. 

Who Unity e-Billing is Built For 

Unity e-Billing is designed for legal teams that want a lightweight, simple, and fast legal spend management solution. It’s built for in-house teams looking to enforce billing guidelines, accelerate approval workflows through automation, and gain clear insights into vendors and legal spend.  

Whether you’re a GC looking for visibility across departments, a legal ops lead managing complex budgets, or a contract manager streamlining workflows, Unity e-Billing was built with you in mind. 

Legal Ops on your terms. Spend management. Onit ELM ebilling. CounselMatch. SimpleLegal.

Why Onit Built Unity 

At Onit, we’ve always believed legal should lead, not follow. That’s why we built Unity from the ground up: to deliver a truly AI-native solution that’s powerful enough for enterprise scale but flexible enough to meet teams where they are. 

Unity combines intelligent automation, hands-on support, and a modular structure that adapts to each customer’s needs. It’s more than software. It’s a commitment to helping legal teams modernize on their terms with trusted intelligence, connected tools, and expert guidance at every step.  

Ready to See Unity in Action? 

Whether you’re rethinking spend management, centralizing vendors, or ready to use an AI spend agent, Unity gives you the tools to move faster, smarter, and with more confidence than ever before. 

Ready to see it in action? We’ll show you. 

Book a demo to explore how Unity can workon your terms. 

38 top legal blogs to follow in 2022

Gone are the days of only being able to learn by slogging through lengthy law books. Legal blogs offer quick, educational content that’s perfect for a mid-morning coffee break or commute. Whether you’re looking for the latest updates on a court case or tips and tricks for building your in-house career, there’s most likely a legal blogger out there who’s written on the topic.

To save you the hassle of scouring the net to find your new favorite legal blog, we put together this list of the 38 top legal blogs that cover everything from legal tech to legal ethics. Happy reading!

Top corporate law blogs

A lot of legal content out there is meant solely for law firm lawyers, making it difficult for corporate counsel to find resources that speak directly to in-house issues and topics. These top-notch blogs do just that, offering practical advice and the latest corporate legal news.

1. ABOVE THE LAW

This well-known blog has a great blend of both education and humor, making for helpful and relatable reads across a variety of legal topics. It has an entire section dedicated to in-house counsel content, from leveraging billing guidelines to improving cross-department relationships.

2. TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW AS IN-HOUSE COUNSEL

Hilgers Graben PLLC CEO and senior counsel Sterling Miller has served as general counsel three times in his decades-long legal career, bringing a wealth of valuable in-house experience to the (online) table. Miller breaks down complex topics into 10 digestible, actionable points per post, and we love this simple structure and his narrative writing style.

3. ACC DOCKET

This comprehensive blog from the Association of Corporate Counsel examines a wide variety of relevant topics with a corporate legal lens, including ethics and compliance, management, technology, professional development, and diversity. There are also a ton of excellent interviews with top in-house talent, sharing their opinions on the latest in-house trends and their own professional and personal tales.

4. INHOUSEBLOG

This focuses on the latest industry findings and what they mean for in-house legal teams. Like a lot of the best legal blogs, they also run a mantle of additional legal resources that will help in-house professionals improve the legal services they perform for the company.

5. IN-HOUSE OPS

The Law Business Media blog’s mission is to “deliver the essential information needed to be a successful general counsel.” They work closely with global corporate law department leaders and outside counsel to provide insightful, expert content to readers. Count on them for articles about law department administration, procurement, career development, and in-house legal technology.

6. LAW360 CORPORATE

Law360’s corporate blog shares the latest legal news and analysis of issues affecting corporate counsel and the companies they work for. Frequent topics include regulation, enforcement, litigation, legislation, and governance. You can subscribe to their newsletter to get the most recent posts delivered right to your inbox.

Top legal operations blogs

Legal ops professionals play a huge part in the success of corporate legal departments — and their responsibilities continue to grow. Whether you’re a legal ops specialist or a director, you’ll find something valuable on these websites.

7. CLOC

The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) blog is great for catching up on best practices in legal operations. They consistently publish high-quality posts, and their site is a go-to for conference information and data-driven reports on the latest trends in the field.

8. SIMPLELEGAL

Besides our advanced legal software, we deliver continuous value to legal ops professionals with our free Learning Center. With regular blog posts, whitepapers, and other resources covering everything from legal technology tips to vendor relations and legal analytics, our blog helps legal ops readers succeed and scale. Be sure to subscribe and get the latest updates sent straight to your email.

Top legal technology blogs

Technology never stops evolving. Legal professionals who fail to stay up-to-date on the latest in legal tech will miss out on incredible tools and powerful solutions that support their work. The following blogs take care of the heavy-lifting by investigating, reviewing, and reporting on noteworthy innovations and trends.

9. LAWSITES

LawSites founder Robert Ambrogi is well known for his previous roles as editor-in-chief of both the National Law Journal and LexBlog. He shares his expert insights on legal technology and interviews legal tech leaders about new products and trends. We also recommend tuning into LawNext, Ambrogi’s accompanying podcast that features legal innovators and entrepreneurs.

10. LAW TECHNOLOGY TODAY

This blog is published by the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC) and provides guidance on how to leverage legal technology in a variety of legal practice settings. Come here for easy-to-understand legal tech tips, case studies, and a wide catalog of recommended resources such as books, videos, and podcasts.

11. ARTIFICIAL LAWYER

This blog does a great job of diving deep into the latest advances in legal technology, from machine learning and AI review to process and workflow automation. We also recommend checking out its Legal Tech Education Guide, which provides a huge list of courses to help you take your legal tech knowledge to the next level.

Top legal news blogs

Whether you want to do research for an upcoming case, dig into in-depth legal analysis, or discover upcoming legal industry events, legal news blogs can simplify your search. Check out these go-to sites for the latest on all things legal.

12. LAW.COM

Think of Law.com as your all-inclusive legal newspaper. Here, you’ll find trending legal stories and expert commentary across all legal areas. It also has a ton of useful tools, such as its verdict searchlegal dictionary, and CLE center.

13. LEGAL DESIRE

Legal Desire is a beautifully designed website with a full range of global content, including posts from over 350 law firms and in-house teams. We appreciate the diversity of the legal community members who are profiled, and it’s also a great place to find upcoming legal networking events and conferences to attend.

14. LEGAL READER

Legal Reader is a legal news blog with an uncompromising ethos. They focus on the protection of consumers from corporate malpractice, making them an excellent resource for legal news junkies and corporate law specialists alike.

15. LEGAL DIVERITY

This not-for-profit blog covers all facets of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal industry, with much of its content written by individuals from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. As founder and paralegal Iqra Ali notes, the site aims to be a “catalyst for positive change,” especially for supporting diverse law students.

16. LEGALLY WEIRD

This FindLaw blog offers witty takes on zanier legal topics, from “How to Have a Gender Reveal Party and Not Get Arrested” to opinions on celebrity trials and fictional legal problems in movies. You’ll learn and laugh a lot while reading here.

Top business law blogs

Business law is a broad category that encompasses both public and private law. Blogs in this space cover topics such as small business law, intellectual property, contract negotiations, and more. Take a look at these popular business law blogs, each of which occupies a different niche.

17. ILLINOIS BUSINESS LAW BLOG

The IBLJ is an “independent peer-reviewed student publication of the University of Illinois College of Law” specializing in the intersection of business and law. It publishes content in quarterly clusters, and because part of its stated aim is “to give authors a creative and analytical outlet for legal areas that interest them,” the writing is often extra compelling.

18. LAW 4 SMALL BUSINESS

Small business law is impressively well-accounted for in the blogosphere, and Law 4 Small Business is one of the best outlets of its kind. If you deal with small businesses, this blog is a must-read, offering from-the-field reports and legal advice on the latest small business cases.

19. THE IP LAW BLOG

This is an excellent platform for anyone specializing in IP law or looking to learn more about it. The IP Law Blog offers deeper insight into developments in patent, copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property-related areas.

Top criminal law blogs

Criminal law cases may dominate newspaper headlines, but finding insightful content about them written by and for legal professionals is more difficult. These blogs tackle these often dramatic and complex topics with expert insight.

20. THE CRIME REPORT

This non-partisan blog publishes over 50 articles each week, making them an invaluable resource for staying on top of the latest in criminal cases. They boast a comprehensive sweep of subject areas, from policing to drug law, hate crimes, wrongful convictions, and more.

21. CRIME & CONSEQUENCES BLOG

A complaint you often hear from criminal law specialists is that most high-quality online content tends to focus solely on the defense side. That’s what makes Crime & Consequences so valuable. It offers a balanced perspective from both sides of the legal equation and is arguably the best non-defense-oriented legal blog out there.

22. THE VOLOKH CONSPIRACY

Staffed almost exclusively by law school professors with libertarian, conservative, or centrist leanings, The Volokh Conspiracy offers a thought-provoking array of opinions on US criminal law. Come here if you’re looking to explore different perspectives on hot legal topics.

Top law firm blogs

While many law firm blogs focus solely on their own announcements and legal specialties, others offer an impressive collection of legal content. In these top law firm blogs, you can discover expert opinion pieces, legal research materials, and even trending news.

23. KIRKLAND AND ELLIS

As one of the most internationally renowned law firms, Kirkland & Ellis operates a robust blog with a great search interface. Their content is easily digestible, and you can find top-quality stuff on everything from cybercrime to tax reform.

24. LATHAM & WATKINS

This robust website is divided into a whole matrix of subject- and sector-specific legal blogs. From Middle East developments to environmental law to fintech topics, L&W has an article for everything, making them an excellent one-stop shop for legal resources.

25. MYSHINGLE

This blog is an excellent resource for small law firms and solo practitioners, offering targeted advice and tips you won’t typically see on larger law firm sites. We especially love the heartwarming “Parents Who Practice” column, featuring inspiring stories from working parents in the field.

Top online legal magazines

Legal magazines feature a wide cast of writers and offer the kind of editorial variety you might associate with a traditional magazine as opposed to the narrower focus of blogs. You’ll also find a wider range of content types in them, from short-form articles to in-depth features.

26. ABA JOURNAL

The flagship magazine of the American Bar Association, the well-known ABA Journal offers a comprehensive overview of current events in the American legal landscape. When you’re done catching up on the latest news, be sure to check out the “Members Who Inspire” column for a feel-good boost.

27. VANGUARD LAW MAGAZINE

This resource shares fascinating profiles and philosophies of corporate counsel across the globe. Vanguard does a great job sharing diverse stories that frequently highlight individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in legal, including women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

28. LAWYER MONTHLY

This robust online legal magazine features plenty of legal news and sector insights. Their online content is categorized by practice area and region and is updated constantly throughout the day, helping you stay on top of the latest changes.

29. ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE

If you’re a private practice attorney, this is the legal publication for you. Here, you’ll find legal marketing and practice management advice, attorney Q&As, legal news, and local event listings.

Top legal ethics blogs

Professional conduct rules are constantly evolving, and a simple violation could cost you your hard-earned career. These blogs share tips and real-life reports of legal ethics violations, helping you avoid the same mistakes.

30. THE ETHICAL INVESTIGATOR

Phillip Segal, managing member of Charles Griffin Intelligence, shares expert insights on legal ethics on this blog. With decades of experience handling corporate investigations for Fortune 100 companies and AmLaw 100 firms, Segal’s posts are grounded in practical, real-world experience and research.

31. LAW PROFESSOR’S BLOG

While this blog does cover topics other than legal ethics, it’s still worth checking out for its “Judicial Ethics and the Courts” category. These bite-sized posts offer quick reports on the latest court and judicial dealings connected to legal ethics, particularly in workplace settings.

32. ETHICKING

This blog from Halling & Cayo shareholder Stacie Rosenzweig offers witty and informative takes on hot-topic ethics issues, from whether attorneys should have separate personal and professional devices to avoiding sharing confidential legal details with your spouse. Very fun reads on not-so-fun problems.

Top litigation blogs

These litigation blogs will help you stay on your A-game in court with the latest legal action news and expert advice.

33. LITIGATION DAILY

From personal injury cases to higher-profile class actions, this American Lawyer Media blog offers expert opinions on some of the biggest legal actions and court battles in the United States. We highly recommend checking out their “Litigator of the Week” column for practice tips and tricks from some of the nation’s top litigators.

34. PLAINTIFF TRIAL LAWYER TIPS

With a plaintiff law practice spanning nearly 60 years, retired attorney Paul Luvera is the go-to guy for tips on how to better present cases to juries. He’s consistently published expert advice on his blog since 2007, with a wealth of knowledge shared across his searchable monthly archives.

35. LITIGATION NOTES

This blog by Herbert Smith Freehills’ litigation team covers the latest developments in litigation law, cases, practices, and class actions. Subscribe to the blog to get the newest posts sent straight to your inbox.

Bonus: Notable mentions

While these 3 legal blogs don’t fall under any of the previous categories, we still had to include them on our list of the greats. 

36. LEGAL THEORY BLOG

If you like legal philosophy, you’ll love this thought-provoking blog from University of Virginia law professor Lawrence Solum. Solum breaks down complex legal theory aspects such as virtue ethics, legal positivism, legal realism, and neoformalism, giving you new lenses to appreciate and understand the world of law.

37. LEGAL HISTORY BLOG

Georgetown Law professor Dan Ernst and Penn Law professor Karen Tani run this interesting blog covering the history of law, from the history of legal education to the history of the legal system. Check out their “Weekend Roundups” for a comprehensive list of the latest legal history news and webinars.

38. VERDICT

We love the variety of perspectives featured on this opinion-driven legal blog from Justia. Expert legal columnists share their thoughts across practice areas, making it a great resource to examine the latest legal issues in your areas of focus.

Liven up your learning with the SimpleLegal Learning Center

Once you’re done binging on legal blog content, switch things up with our lists of the top legal podcasts and top law books. And speaking of legal blog content, be sure to check out and subscribe to the SimpleLegal Learning Center for the latest in legal ops, legal tech, and corporate legal.

The 29 best legal podcasts to listen to in 2023

By 2023, 164 million people in the U.S. will listen to podcasts every month, according to Activate Consulting. That’s a staggering 412.5% increase since 2013.

Not only are podcasts a popular form of entertainment, they’re also an incredibly popular way to learn. Users learn anywhere at any time, and podcast episodes are much shorter than traditional mediums like textbooks. This is great for people with busy schedules who want to learn about complex topics — a perfect match for those in the legal industry.

From current court cases to diversity in law, there’s a topic for everyone. But it can be tough finding the “right” show amid the hundreds of thousands out there.

Skip the hassle of searching Spotify or Apple Podcasts and easily find a new educational favorite on our list of 29 of the best legal podcasts. These top legal podcasts combine great research, expert input, and engaging storytelling to help you expand your industry knowledge while making the most of your time. Happy listening!

Best legal podcasts for technology and innovation

At SimpleLegal, it goes without saying that we’re obsessed with all things legal tech. These podcasts are our go-to’s for discussions on the latest tools and advancements and how cutting-edge legal software will continue to transform the industry.

1. TECHNICALLY LEGAL

If you’re like us and love nerding out over legal technology, Technically Legal is the podcast for you. Each episode features a prominent leader in the legal industry chatting with host Chad Main, attorney and founder of alternative legal services provider Percipient, about their relationship with legal tech and best practices for implementation. Our very own co-founder and advisor, Nathan Wenzel, was even featured on one episode.

2. LAWNEXT

This podcast from lawyer and journalist Bob Ambrogi centers on the latest industry changes, many of which are driven by or include legal technology. Ambrogi’s interviewing skills shine as he holds conversations with innovative legal software CEOs, GCs, and other prominent industry figures.

3. LEGAL TOOLKIT

This Legal Talk Network podcast offers great advice for those looking to get into the management side of law. Host Jared Correia is the CEO of Red Cave Consulting, which offers law firm business management consulting and technology services. Each month, Correia introduces listeners to top lawyers and legal professionals who discuss the tools, services, and programs they use to improve their practices. You can catch SimpleLegal’s co-founder Nathan Wenzel on an episode about legal process management for in-house counsel.

4. LEGAL TECH MATTERS

The title of this podcast says it all. What’s unique about this tech-centric show is that there are 5 hosts, each with their own different legal background and approach to interviewing. This variety of personalities makes for extra-compelling episodes that cover everything from using software in dispute resolutions to pro bono programs.

Best legal news and current legal events podcasts

In the ever-changing world of law, keeping up with landmark rulings and legal debates is crucial. Tune into these podcasts to hear the latest news from courtrooms, legal newspapers, and law classrooms across the country.

5. LAW360’S PRO SAY

Think of Pro Say as the CliffsNotes of legal news. Every week, this Law 360 podcast shares a recap of what happened in the legal world in the past seven days. The two hosts — legal journalists Amber McKinney and Alex Lawson — chat about big stories as well as a few that didn’t make the headlines. With the help of their expert guests, they break down legalese and present stories in a clear and accessible format.

6. LAWYER 2 LAWYER

This award-winning Legal Talk Network podcast has been going strong since 2005, making it one of the longest-running online podcasts. It remains a trusted resource for current events in the legal industry and discussions of recent rulings. Each episode is hosted by criminal defense lawyer J. Craig Williams and features many industry experts as guests. Get ready for insightful debates about hot topics from courts across the United States.

7. BLOOMBERG LAW

Emmy Award-winning journalist June Grasso hosts this podcast, which analyzes legal issues and major cases in the news. While the show doesn’t release episodes on a set schedule, you can usually count on a handful of releases each month. The short episodes examine different areas of law through interviews with legal scholars and practicing attorneys.

Best legal thought leadership podcasts

These shows feature thought-provoking conversations on ethics, politics, and the future of law. The discussions bring multiple perspectives to light, giving you the opportunity to reflect on issues from new points of view.

8. EVOLVE THE LAW

Above the Law manages one of the most popular legal blogs, so it’s no surprise that their podcast, Evolve the Law, is top-notch as well. Attorney Ian Connett, founder of Quantum Jurist, interviews a prominent legal figure in each episode to discuss industry trends and the future of law.

9. LAWYERS GONE ETHICAL

While this podcast ended in 2020, we still remain fans of its extensive library of episodes dedicated to deep dives on the evolution of legal ethics. State Bar defense attorney Megan Zavieh and her guests tackled key questions and points surrounding the tricky ethics of attorneys and legal professionals using social media, protecting data, legal marketing, and more.

10. THINKING LIKE A LAWYER

Above the Law’s Kathryn Rubino and Joe Patrice combine their experiences as journalists and litigators on this great podcast that takes a unique approach to legal discussions. Together, the hosts talk through an everyday experience and reexamine it through the eyes of a lawyer. If you’ve ever wanted to dig into the legal side of an impeachment proceeding or the accuracy of how attorneys are portrayed on TV, this show’s for you.

Best legal diversity, equity, and inclusion podcasts

Many industries are focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace, including legal, which has historically struggled in these areas. These podcasts will help you understand the barriers to DE&I and how we can work together to eliminate them.

11. LGBT BAR NY

You can’t beat this podcast when it comes to legal perspectives on LGBTQIA+ issues. LGBT Bar of NY executive director Eric Lesh and New York Law School professor Art Leonard co-host monthly episodes. The duo tackles relevant topics like the legality of bakeries refusing to bake for gay weddings, adoption agencies discriminating against same-sex couples, and more.

12. TODAY’S WORKPLACE

Hosted by attorney Barbara Johnson and human resources executive and DE&I strategist Belinda Reed Shannon, this award-winning podcast covers diversity topics as well as other issues connected to employment law. From systemic discrimination cases to creating effective DE&I programs, the duo and their thought leader guests have honest, compelling conversations that keep us coming back for more.

13. HEELS OF JUSTICE

Sarita Venkat, head of IP Transactions Worldwide at Apple, and Katherine Minarik, Vice President of Legal and Deputy General Counsel at Coinbase, co-hosted this women-focused legal podcast. While the show ended in 2021, we still re-listen to the interviews with trailblazing women attorneys who made waves in politics, courtrooms, and boardrooms.

14. THE JABOT

An offshoot of legal blog Above the Law, this podcast focuses on stories of women, people of color, LGBTQIA, and other marginalized groups in the legal industry. Named for the collar Ruth Bader Ginsberg wore on the bench, the show wants to serve as “a reminder that, even when we aren’t winning, we’re still a powerful force to be reckoned with.”

15. DIVERSITY EVER AFTER

Baker Donelson’s DE&I podcast does an excellent job of examining diversity from all different angles, from discussions on how a lack of DE&I impacts mental health to the history of code-switching. And most of the episodes are under 30 minutes, making it a binge-worthy favorite.

16. DIMENSIONS OF DIVERSITY

Hosted by Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Chief Diversity Officer, Lloyd Freeman, this podcast is an especially great listen for aspiring legal leaders. Many of Freeman’s prominent guests include C-suite executives and senior attorneys who share their practical advice and insights on all things DE&I in the legal industry. All their episodes captivate our attention, but we especially recommend the conversation on what white male allies can do to boost DE&I.

Best law school and professional development podcasts

Whether you’re fresh out of law school or an experienced attorney looking to build your career, the expert hosts and guests on these podcasts can help you meet your goals.

17. ABA LAW STUDENT PODCAST

This podcast from the American Bar Association Law Student Division is a must-listen for all current law students and recent grads. This show covers everything from current court cases to practical advice on using your degree. There’s also a solid roster of inspiring interviewees who share their unique professional journeys in law, whether at a firm, in-house, or elsewhere.

18. LAWYERIST

On the Lawyerist podcast, hosts Stephanie Everett and Jennifer Whigham invite a successful lawyer to talk about the future of practicing law. Weekly podcast episodes cover a range of topics, such as law school, entrepreneurship, marketing, and business models — including models suitable for small firms and solo attorneys — in the legal industry.

19. UN-BILLABLE HOUR

Experienced attorney and law firm management professional Christopher T. Anderson spends one (un-billable) hour each month giving advice about managing a law firm. He covers topics such as finding your niche in the legal industry, leveraging AI, and hiring top talent. This one’s a great listen for aspiring managing partners and CLOs.

20. ASKED AND ANSWERED

This American Bar Association Journal podcast discusses topics relevant to lawyers both in and out of the office. Host Stephanie Francis Ward interviews top-of-the-industry guests to learn about their careers as well as professional and personal obstacles they’ve overcome.

21. NEW SOLO

If you’re interested in going solo or improving your solo practice, be sure to subscribe to this show. Legal consultant Adriana Linares hosts conversations about legal entrepreneurship. Each month, Linares invites a guest to talk about networking, helpful legal technology, and law practice management.

22. LADIES WHO LAW SCHOOL

Recent law school grads Haylie Davis and Samantha Lemke describe their podcast as perfect for “everyone who ever thought ‘hmmm, maybe law school seems fun.’” This duo shares their own law school experiences with humor and heart, helping other current and prospective students navigate their journey. We love their down-to-earth personalities and their colorful line of merchandise.

23. LAW SCHOOL TOOLBOX

This legal podcast takes an entertaining approach to conversations about law school, legal careers, and life. Each week, Alison Monahan and Lee Burgess — both law school and bar exam experts — share practical advice to help students navigate academic matters, careers, and more.

24. LAWYER STORIES

A spinoff of the Instagram account with the same name, this upbeat and motivational podcast features different legal guests sharing their professional and personal journeys. Tune in to hear about all different forms of what success in law looks like.

Best legal pop culture analysis podcasts

These creative and compelling shows examine noteworthy legal cases and topics in both real-world and fictional settings. Ready, set, binge.

25. COURT JUNKIE

As the name implies, this podcast is geared toward anyone who loves digging into the criminal law aspects of true crime. Founder and host Jillian Jalali highlights injustices and issues within the U.S. judicial system by reviewing court documents, attending trials, and interviewing key people involved in cases.

26. THE LEGAL GEEKS

Self-proclaimed geeks and licensed e-discovery attorneys Jessica Mederson and Joshua Gilliland host this innovative podcast examining superhero and sci-fi favorites through a legal lens. Grab your popcorn and listen to fun and thought-provoking episodes like “Legal Analysis of Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” and “Did Ultraman Commit a War Crime?”

27. LEGAL WARS

This riveting show dives deep into some of the most famous U.S. court cases. Author, actor, entrepreneur, and Harvard Law School graduate Hill Harper hosts this well-researched and entertaining law podcast. In each episode, Harper works through court transcripts and interviews in real-time, making you feel as if you’re listening from the jury box.

Bonus: Notable mentions

These high-quality shows may not fall into one of our previous categories, but we just couldn’t leave them off our list of the best podcasts.

28. AMICUS

Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick hosts this legal podcast that centers on the 9 Supreme Court justices. Lithwick highlights the extreme influence these 9 individuals have over how U.S. laws are written, interpreted, and enforced. Episodes often feature politicians, professors, and legal professionals, who provide expert insight into Supreme Court issues.

29. HANDEL ON THE LAW

Witty and humorous attorney Bill Handel has hosted this radio show-turned-podcast since 1985. It’s stayed popular because of Handel’s bold, funny, and helpful advice to callers on the weekly show. It’s a great way to learn another lawyer’s perspective on legal questions — and to have a good laugh.

Expand your education with the SimpleLegal Learning Center

After you get your fill of legal podcasts, be sure to check out our lists of the top legal blogs and top law books. And if you’re looking to learn more on a specific topic, visit our free Learning Center for educational blog posts, whitepapers, and videos on all things corporate legal. Subscribe and get the latest updates delivered right to your inbox!

Legal billing guidelines: what to include & how to enforce them

Legal billing guidelines are a binding agreement between a legal department and a law firm, ensuring payment in exchange for legal work. The guidelines establish rules for legal invoicing formats, staffing, deadlines, and other important aspects of the working relationship.

Think of your legal billing guidelines (also known as outside counsel guidelines) as the underlying foundation for creating a positive and meaningful partnership between legal departments and law firms. Guidelines are one of the most effective ways to control your legal spend and build stronger working relationships.

Here’s how to create your own legal billing guidelines to set up a successful, thriving relationship with your outside vendors.

Why it’s crucial to set clear expectations for law firm billing

The foundation of any great relationship with your outside counsel is clear expectations. If law firms aren’t aware of your goals or what you expect of them, they will likely miss the mark when they begin billing. Clear, actionable, easy-to-understand billing guidelines are the key to getting your outside law firms up and running at maximum efficiency.

When creating billing guidelines to better onboard outside counsel, in-house legal departments can be intimidated by the detail needed in these documents. Contrary to popular belief, billing guidelines don’t need to be long, complex, and riddled with legal terms. Often, you can start with your main billing requirements, adding and improving detail as your needs change, your team grows, and your expectations become more specific.

What to include in legal billing guidelines

You want to convey to your law firms why billing guidelines are important. Guidelines aren’t meant to set unachievable standards for your law firms; instead, they create a baseline for expectations, so you can ensure that everyone is on the same page.

In working with our clients and legal departments of all sizes, we’ve found five key elements common in legal billing guidelines:

1. Introduction
2. Staffing
3. Legal invoicing and law firm billing procedures
4. Timing
5. Signature page

Introduction

The billing guidelines introduction states the purpose of the document and the expectations of the relationship. Use this section to define what a great working relationship is for both parties. Keep in mind that your legal billing guidelines are not a set of demands; they are a guide for building strong partnerships between legal ops and vendors.

Your introduction to your law firm billing guidelines should include the following:

  • The date when the billing guidelines will go into effect
  • A declaration of your legal department’s right to modify or reject invoices that do not comply with the guidelines
  • A reminder for law firms to accept the terms by signing the signature page included with the guidelines


Keep your introduction brief — three or four short paragraphs — so you don’t overwhelm your vendors right at the beginning.

Staffing

The staffing section dictates dictates who has the right to hire vendors, addresses appropriate levels for staffing certain projects, and outlines the approval process for staffing changes.

Set the expectation that you will only pay for work that is appropriate for the timekeeper’s role and expertise. In other words, clearly state that you won’t pay partner-level rates for work that could be completed by an associate or paralegal. If your department does not pay for work completed by interns or first-year associates, include those rules as well.

It’s also important to address inevitable changes in staff. If an attorney working on your matter leaves the law firm or moves to another account, how do you want the situation to be handled? Consider requiring vendors to notify your team within a certain number of days of a timekeeper’s departure. You may also want to invoke your right to approve or reject the replacement timekeeper.

Legal invoicing & law firm billing procedures

Your billing procedures explain how outside counsel must submit invoices and define your preferred legal invoicing format.

First, establish how you would like to receive invoices. If you use an e-Billing platform such as SimpleLegal, include instructions (or a link to an external resource) for how to submit invoices through the system.

Next, describe how invoices should be formatted and what they should include. For example, you could write that all invoices must include:

  • Matter name and ID
  • Description of work completed
  • Timekeeper name, title, and rate


If you have a preferred format, such as LEDES files, state your preferences and acceptable substitutions.

Timing

This section outlines how often vendors should submit invoices and how they will be paid.

If you want to stay on top of your budget and accruals management, you need to control your invoicing timeline. Use this section to establish the following:

  • Frequency of invoice submissions (e.g., vendors must submit invoices weekly, monthly, etc.)
  • Timeline for invoice payment (e.g. we will pay invoices within 30 days of receipt)
  • Penalties for late invoices (e.g., invoices submitted 1-30 days after the due date will be discounted by X%)
  • Invoices that will not be paid (e.g., invoices submitted more than 90 days after the work has been completed will not be paid)
  • Method of payment (check or electronic payment)

Signature page

The signature page is your insurance that your outside law firms have read the billing guidelines.

It’s difficult to enforce guidelines if your vendors can claim they never received or read them. A simple signature page that states, “Our firm acknowledges receipt and accepts the terms of these legal billing guidelines” can prevent a lot of disputes and headaches down the line.

How to enforce legal billing guidelines with e-Billing solutions

When leveraging a legal spend and a matter management solution, it’s essential to specify how you want outside counsel to submit invoices and explain how you’ll enforce billing guidelines. Law firms are accustomed to using various legal billing systems, so don’t be afraid to get specific with your requirements.

If you use a system like SimpleLegal, you’d describe the process for submitting invoices via CounselGO. Outline the process for getting started with a new legal billing system, establish the timeline for submitting invoices, and provide any key contacts for billing related inquiries.

You may want to go beyond general law firm billing procedures — like explaining how vendors should bill specific expenses and fees. For example, if you limit the number of hours that can be billed to certain UTBMS task codes, make sure to include those details in your billing guidelines.

You should also include a section on prohibited fees so you can be clear about what you aren’t willing to pay for. Below is an example of a section addressing prohibited charges:

[Company] does not accept invoices with block billing. We ask that all invoices include line item detail for work performed. Furthermore, we do not accept invoices that bill for:

  • First-class travel
  • Administrative work
  • Time spent preparing invoices
  • Expenses associated with printing, scanning, photocopying, or postage

Lastly, don’t forget to explain how these rules will be enforced through your e-Billing system. If you’re using SimpleLegal, you can automatically reduce or reject invoices that do not adhere to your legal billing guidelines — but you don’t want that to come as a surprise to your vendors. Be up front about the reduction/rejection process so you can avoid disputes in the future.

Align with finance & accounting

Legal teams must align closely with their finance and accounting teams. Use legal billing guidelines to define processes that will help reduce billing errors and streamline collaboration between legal and finance.

For instance, if you’re collecting monthly unbilled estimates from your law firms, it’s important to explain how outside counsel should submit those estimates. If you’re using SimpleLegal, we’ll email and collect these from your law firms automatically.

Use legal billing guidelines to outline the processes for the following:

  • Accruals: How should they be calculated, and when should they be submitted?
  • Budgeting: Do you want your law firms to submit budgets and forecasts? If so, how often and in what format?

Work with finance and accounting to determine processes that will make their jobs easier. When the legal department and finance/accounting departments are on the same page, it’s easier to gain better visibility in current and future legal spend.

The ultimate goal of legal billing guidelines

The goal isn’t to overwhelm your law firms with terms that paralyze their ability to do good work. The key here is to set clear expectations. Legal billing guidelines don’t need to be complex. View your guidelines as a living document that you are constantly building and reiterating as your legal team grows and changes.

If you’re looking for a more detailed breakdown of billing guidelines and what detail you should be including, download our white paper Legal Billing Guideline Best Practices. This comprehensive guide covers the key segments of billing guidelines and provides strategies for effectively communicating and enforcing them.

2021 Guide to UTBMS Codes and ABA Codes

The Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) details a series of code sets that law firms use to classify services on electronic invoices that they send to clients, such as legal operations and corporate legal departments.

UTBMS codes make detailed spend reporting possible by ensuring that each task and expense is categorized. That way, when you notice in Q1 that spending is out of control, you’re able to identify and solve the problem before Q4. Of course, in order for reporting to be accurate, you must first fully understand UTBMS codes and how to use them.

What are UTBMS codes?

UTBMS codes are a set of codes originally developed by the American Bar Association (ABA), the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Now, UTMBS standards are maintained by the Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard (LEDES) Oversight Committee, also known as LOC.

The creators designed UTBMS Codes to standardize the categorization of legal services and expenses so that legal work and the associated costs could be easily identified and analyzed. You can learn more about the LEDES file format and LOC here (https://www.simplelegal.com/blog/ledes-file-format-defined).

UTBMS codes are used in many legal systems around the world, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For this article, we will focus on UTBMS standards for e-Billing set by the ABA and LOC.

American Bar Association UTBMS codes

When used consistently and properly, ABA UTBMS task codes allow you to monitor legal spending and associated activities.

All ABA UTBMS codes are broken into categories and phases. Categories are identified by the beginning letter (e.g., L for ABA litigation codes) while phases are specified by the number (100s for phase 1, 200s for phase 2, etc.). While some UTBMS codes are fairly self-explanatory, others require a deeper explanation. We’ll walk you through all of the ABA UTBMS codes, and provide more insight when necessary.

Activity

Activity codes identify the type of activity associated with a cost.

  • A101 Plan and prepare for
  • A102 Research
  • A103 Draft/revise
  • A104 Review/analyze
  • A105 Communicate (in firm)
  • A106 Communicate (with client)
  • A107 Communicate (other outside counsel)
  • A108 Communicate (other external)
  • A109 Appear for/attend
  • A110 Manage data/files
  • A111 Other

Although not all clients require the use of UTBMS activity codes, this code set is useful for segmenting specific types of work. For instance, the four separate communication codes ensure more accurate spend tracking for both the counsel and the client. In situations where you may need to consult with an expert as well as outside counsel, codes A108 and A107, respectively, would allow you to categorize time spent on each type of communication.

Bankruptcy

Derived from the code set published by the U.S. Department of Justice, bankruptcy UTBMS codes are intended only for bankruptcy matters. All adversarial tasks are covered by the litigation code set. The 21 bankruptcy ABA task codes are broken up into four phases.

B100 Administration

UTBMS codes in the B100 phase include administrative work during preparation, such as research, fee applications, and communication with creditors.

  • B110 Case Administration: Preparation of coordination and compliance matters, financial affairs statements, and general creditor inquiries
  • B120 Asset Analysis and Recovery: Identification and review of potential assets including causes of action and non-litigation recoveries
  • B130 Asset Disposition: Sales, abandonment and transaction work related to asset disposition
  • B140 Relief from Stay/Adequate Protection Proceedings: Matters relating to termination or continuation of automatic stay under 362 and motions for adequate protection
  • B150 Meetings of and Communications with Creditors: Preparing for and attending the conference of creditors, the 341(a) meeting and other creditors’ committee meetings
  • B160 Fee/Employment Applications: Preparations of employment and fee applications for self or others; motions to establish interim procedures
  • B170 Fee/Employment Objections: Review of and objections to the employment and fee applications of others
  • B180 Avoidance Action Analysis: Review of potential avoiding actions under Sections 544-549 of the Code to determine whether adversary proceedings are warranted
  • B185 Assumption/Rejection of Leases and Contracts: Analysis of leases and executory contracts and preparation of motions specifically to assume or reject
  • B190 Other Contested Matters (excluding assumption/rejection motions): Analysis and preparation of all other motions, opposition to motions and reply memoranda in support of motions
  • B195 Non-Working Travel: Non-working travel where the court reimburses at less than full hourly rates

B200 Operations

B200 codes cover business matters, such as document review, employee benefits, cash collaterals, real estate, and tax issues.

  • B210 Business Operations: Issues related to debtor-in-possession operating in chapter 11 such as employee, vendor, tenant issues and other similar problems
  • B220 Employee Benefits/Pensions: Review issues such as severance, retention, 401K coverage and continuance of pension plan
  • B230 Financing/Cash Collections: Matters under 361, 363 and 364 including cash collateral and secured claims; loan document analysis
  • B240 Tax Issues: Analyses and advice regarding tax-related issues, including the preservation of net operating loss carry forwards
  • B250 Real Estate: Review and analysis of real estate-related matters, including purchase agreements and lease provisions (e.g., common area maintenance clauses)
  • B260 Board of Directors Matters: Preparation of materials for and attendance at Board of Directors meetings; analysis and advice regarding corporate governance issues and review and preparation of corporate documents (e.g., Articles, Bylaws, employment agreements, compensation plans, etc.)

B300 Claims and Plan

The B300 codes are used for all work related to claim inquiries and preparing disclosure statements and business plans.

  • B310 Claims and Administration Objections: Specific claim inquiries; bar date motions; analyses, objections and allowances of claims
  • B320 Plan and Disclosure Statement (including Business Plan): Formulation, presentation and confirmation; compliance with the plan confirmation order, related orders and rules; disbursement and case closing activities, except those related to the allowance and objections to allowance of claims

B400 Bankruptcy-Related Advice

All advice, analyses, and consultations related to bankruptcy matters fall under the B400 code set.

  • B410 General Bankruptcy Advice/Options: Analysis, advice and/or opinions regarding potential bankruptcy related issues, where no bankruptcy case has been filed
  • B420 Restructurings: Analysis, consultation and drafting in connection with the restructuring of agreements, including financing agreements, where no bankruptcy case has been filed

Counseling

Counseling is one of the broader categories of UTBMS codes. This code set is designed to cover time used by attorneys preparing to provide legal advice. Generally, the counseling ABA task codes do not attribute time to a specific matter. Instead, they serve as a catchall billing code for time spent on research throughout a monthly billing period.

  • C100 Fact Gathering: All initial inquiries, meetings, and data/information collection related to the assignment
  • C200 Researching Law: Time spent researching relevant case law or general investigation as well as consultations with experts
  • C300 Analysis and Advice: Analysis of work performed under C100 and C200 along with providing opinions and advice to client
  • C400 Third Party Communication: Discussions with third parties such as regulators or parties to contracts with the client

Expense

Expense UTBMS codes help with budget tracking by categorizing types of spending.

  • E101 Copying
  • E102 Outside printing
  • E103 Word processing
  • E104 Facsimile
  • E105 Telephone
  • E106 Online research
  • E107 Delivery services/messengers
  • E108 Postage
  • E109 Local travel
  • E110 Out-of-town travel
  • E111 Meals
  • E112 Court fees
  • E113 Subpoena fees
  • E114 Witness fees
  • E115 Deposition transcripts
  • E116 Trial transcripts
  • E117 Trial exhibits
  • E118 Litigation support vendors
  • E119 Experts
  • E120 Private investigators
  • E121 Arbitrators/mediators
  • E122 Local counsel
  • E123 Other professionals
  • E124 Other

Expense UTBMS codes are generally combined with a related activity code. For example, an invoice might include activity code A102 paired with expense code E101. A102 categorizes the time spent researching, while E101 specifies money spent on printing copies of that research.

This code set not only facilitates educated budget planning but also simplifies the process of submitting attorney expenses.

Litigation

ABA litigation codes are broken into five phases and encapsulate the entire litigation process.

L100 Case Assessment, Development, and Administration

  • L110 Fact Investigation/Development
  • L120 Analysis/Strategy
  • L130 Experts/Consultants
  • L140 Document/File Management
  • L150 Budgeting
  • L160 Settlement/Non-Binding ADR
  • L190 Other Case Assessment, Development and Administration

During the initial stages, L100 codes could be combined with activity UTBMS codes. For example, A106 (Communicate with client) might be paired with L110 or L120 because client communication would help formulate the litigation strategy.

L200 Pre-Trial Pleadings and Motions

  • L210 Pleading
  • L220 Preliminary Injunctions/Provisional Remedies
  • L230 Court Mandated Conferences
  • L240 Dispositive Motions
  • L250 Other Written Motions and Submissions
  • L260 Class Action Certification and Notice

Expense codes often accompany L200 codes, such as E112 (Court fees) associated with filing for class certification (L260) or filing a pleading (L210).

L300 Discovery

  • L310 Written Discovery
  • L320 Document Production
  • L330 Depositions
  • L340 Expert Discovery
  • L350 Discovery Motions
  • L390 Other Discovery

L400 Trial Preparation and Trial

  • L410 Fact Witnesses
  • L420 Expert Witnesses
  • L430 Written Motions and Submissions
  • L440 Other Trial Preparation and Support
  • L450 Trial and Hearing Attendance
  • L460 Post-Trial Motions and Submissions
  • L470 Enforcement

This phase also calls for the use of expense fees, such as E114 (Witness fees) when interviewing an expert witness (L420).

L500 Appeal

  • L510 Appellate Motions and Submissions
  • L520 Appellate Briefs
  • L530 Oral Argument

L600 e-Discovery
In 2011, LOC and ABA ratified the litigation codes to include a sixth phase for an e-Discovery code set. Each parent task code has sub-task codes for more granular tracking. To keep this brief, we’ll list only the parent tasks.

  • L600 Identification
  • L610 Preservation
  • L620 Collection
  • L630 Processing
  • L650 Review
  • L660 Analysis
  • L670 Production
  • L680 Presentation
  • L690 Project management

Project

For non-litigation matters, project codes are used for administrative filings, transactions, and stand-alone projects. The project code set includes eight phases.

  • P100 Project Administration: All initial administration work such as developing, negotiating, and revising the plan and budget for the matter at hand
  • P200 Fact Gathering/Due Diligence

Codes within the P200 phase are used for time spent on fact investigation, document retrieval, and preparation of reports with clients. They also cover coordination with third parties related to these activities.

Each P200 UTBMS code designates time spent on fact investigation/due diligence from a specific perspective, such as tax or environmental.

  • P210 Corporate Review
  • P220 Tax
  • P230 Environmental
  • P240 Real and Personal Property
  • P250 Employee/Labor
  • P260 Intellectual Property
  • P270 Regulatory Reviews
  • P280 Other

P300-P800 make up the additional codes within this phase.

  • P300 Structure/Strategy/Analysis: Time spent on analysis done for the purposes of developing the strategy for a project or transaction. This includes all steps taken to create a written outline or description of the strategy
  • P400 Initial Document Preparation/Filing: Tasks performed to prepare documents and opinions before being sent to third parties. This includes filing documents, related communications with the client, and review of client-generated transaction documentation
  • P500 Negotiation/Revision/Responses: Time spent negotiating and revising P400 transaction documentation, including all related document review, meetings and client communications
  • P600 Completion/Closing: All tasks related to transaction pre-closing and closing, project completion or filing acceptance, such as attendance at closing
  • P700 Post-Completion/Post Closing: All post-completion or post-closing tasks such as amendments to final documentation and resolution of post-closing issues. Also includes all implementation tasks (e.g., funds held in escrow) and preparation of closing binders (i.e., primarily clerical actions)
  • P800 Maintenance and Renewal: All tasks related to subsequent maintenance and renewal requirements under the terms of the transaction or project such as monitoring of lease agreements, routine waivers and coordination of UCC requirements

Workers’ Compensation

The workers’ compensation code set was not originally included but was defined by a 2010 ratification. Many tasks include a “Commentary & Practice Tips” subset that shares the same code as the parent task. For example, WC 110 could refer to Fact Investigation/Development or the Commentary & Practice Tips related to that task.

This UTBMS code set includes a total of five phases and 27 ABA task codes. For the sake of brevity, we will provide a high-level description of each phase. It’s important to note that the Workers’ Compensation code set does not include phase-level parent tasks (WC 100, WC 200, WC 300, etc.)

WC 100 phase: All actions related to researching the case matter, strategizing, consulting with experts, and settlements.

  • WC 110 Fact Investigation/Development
  • WC 110 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 120 Analysis/Strategy
  • WC120 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 130 Experts/Consultants
  • WC130 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 150 Budgeting
  • WC 150 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 160 Settlement/Resolution
  • WC 160 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 180 Alternative Fee Arrangements

WC 200 phase: Time spent preparing and filing pleadings, conferences with judge, negotiating alternative fee arrangements.

  • WC 210 Pleadings
  • WC 210 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 230 Conferences with Judge
  • WC 230 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 280 Alternative Fee Arrangements

WC 300 phase: Time spent on all discovery motions, document production/acquisition, and depositions.

  • WC 310 Written Discovery
  • WC 310 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 320 Document Production/Acquisition
  • WC320 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 330 Depositions
  • WC 330 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 334 Deposition Report
  • WC 340 Expert Discovery
  • WC 340 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 350 Discovery Motions
  • WC 350 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 360 Discovery On-Site Inspections/Visits
  • WC 360 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 380 Alternative Fee Arrangements

WC 400 phase: Time spent on preparing for and communicating with witnesses, drafting written motions, and preparing for and attending hearings.

  • WC 410 Fact Witnesses
  • WC 410 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 420 Expert Witnesses
  • WC 420 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 430 Written Motions/Submissions
  • WC 430 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 440 Hearing Preparation and Support
  • WC 450 Hearing
  • WC 450 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 460 Post-Hearing Conferences/Motions/Submissions
  • WC 460 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 480 Alternative Fee Arrangements

WC 500 phase: Time spent on all appellate proceedings.

  • WC 510 Appellate Proceedings/Motions Practice
  • WC 510 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 520 Appellate Briefs
  • WC 520 Commentary & Practice Tips
  • WC 530 Oral Argument

Easily track legal spend by UTBMS code with SimpleLegal

With SimpleLegal, you can easily process invoices using UTBMS codes to help customers better categorize outside counsel activity and track spend at a more granular level. Custom task, activity, and expense codes can also be used if your department leverages them.

When invoices are categorized, you can run standard or ad-hoc reports for matter-level comparisons of legal spend by task code as well as other insights, such as views into spend by tasks for your practice areas or specific vendors. SimpleLegal also provides a Spend Dashboard that quickly identifies your top task codes in use and provides information about average rates and how much was billed to each task code.

UTBMS codes also allow you to enforce billing guidelines and control spending. You can set limits and create warnings associated with specific codes in SimpleLegal’s platform so t expenses can be automatically approved, rejected, or adjusted.

Start using UTBMS codes to streamline spend management

Modern and intuitive, SimpleLegal provides all of the financial tools legal teams need to easily categorize spending, run detailed reports, enforce billing guidelines, and analyze budgets. Schedule a demo to see how you and your team can leverage SimpleLegal to gain total visibility into your legal spend.

Onit Acquires SecureDocs, Extending Contract Management to New and Rapidly Growing Corporate Legal Departments

SecureDocs - ContractWorks - ReadySignA little over two years ago, Onit launched its contract lifecycle management (CLM) solution, helping Fortune 500 companies streamline the complex processes of buy-side, sell-side and corporate contract administration. The solution quickly gained popularity with enterprises who found that they could shorten sales cycles, speed up revenue generation, improve risk mitigation and strengthen collaboration across departments.

Since the launch, Onit has continued on the path of innovation by introducing new CLM products, including:

  • ReviewAI, technology that uses AI to review and redline contracts in two minutes or less, resulting in a productivity increase of up to 52%.
  • Smart Checklists, which creates checklists made up of concrete, task-based actions that are generated from your company playbook.
  • ExtractAI, software that obtains usable data from executed, legacy and third-party paper contracts and turns it into actionable information.
  • Automate NDA, which removes manual work from high-volume and often low-value NDAs, resulting in faster agreement execution and a significant reduction in end-to-end processing time.

The Next Phase of CLM Expansion

Now, we’re excited to announce that we have expanded our CLM market reach with the acquisition of SecureDocs. SecureDocs augments Onit’s portfolio with a contract management solution ideally suited for companies that have new or rapidly scaling corporate legal departments.

SecureDocs, based in Santa Barbara, California, is a software company specializing in contract management software that can be set up in minutes (ContractWorks), a data room that streamlines the entire deal process (SecureDocs), and secure, legally binding electronic signatures (ReadySign). Its solutions have helped customers effectively manage more than 13 million contracts and documents across 96 countries.

Many midsize companies rely on spreadsheets, phone calls and emails to manage legal obligations. While these tools are readily available, they limit transparency and efficiency when it comes to contract management. ContractWorks from SecureDocs dramatically increases contract visibility, minimizes risk and ensures customers don’t miss renewal dates. Since it can be set up in minutes, it provides an effective and easy-to-deploy solution with a fast time-to-value.

SecureDocs and SimpleLegal

SecureDocs will integrate with SimpleLegal, Onit’s legal operations management software subsidiary.The companies share a similar approach to building simple, intuitive software. Together, they will provide solutions to streamline operations and offer greater efficiency for scaling legal departments.

As with all of Onit’s acquisitions, we are investing in SecureDocs, its employees and its products. We are excited to welcome the entire SecureDocs team to Onit and will continue to develop all of the company’s products.

Onit’s Growth and Expanded Market Reach

SecureDocs joins Onit at a time of exponential growth. In addition to SecureDocs, Onit has acquired four other companies in the past 15 months, including:

  • BusyLamp, a premier provider of legal spend and matter management software for European corporate legal departments.
  • Bodhala, a legal spend analytics, benchmarking, and market intelligence company.
  • AXDRAFT, a document automation provider.
  • McCarthyFinch, a legal AI innovator.

These acquisitions follow Onit’s first acquisition, SimpleLegal, which closed in May 2019.

To learn more about our acquisitions and products, customers are invited to reach out to their account managers or customer success managers.

What is legal operations?

In 2021, more than half of legal departments (54%) spent more internally than they spent on outside costs. Where did that budget go? Toward funding their legal operations.

Legal operations (also called “legal ops”) is the combination of all the business activities, processes, and people that empower an in-house legal team to serve a company’s legal needs using a strategic business approach.

Unlike the legal administration team in law firms, which focuses on admin tasks like answering calls, drafting documents, and conducting legal research, legal operations teams support in-house counsels with skills like planning, financial managementvendor managementmatter management, technology management, and legal data analytics.

How legal ops has changed over the years

Before 1990, in-house legal departments were more focused on risk management than on maximizing resources. The goal was simple: Reduce outside counsel costs.

The ’90s through the mid-2000s saw the development of an official, more complex legal operations department that facilitated heavier use of outside counsel even though keeping costs low was still a goal.

The major transformation began in the mid-2000s and carried on to 2019.

Legal ops began to focus on not just reducing costs but also on the granular breakdown of those costs and the ROI they delivered. By embracing technology and automation, legal ops teams could break down spend by matter type and evaluate outside firms by their past performance.

Because of the strategic insights legal ops delivered, legal departments could now see the value in having a legal ops team. Whereas only larger legal departments could afford a formal legal operations team before 2000, a formal legal operations team has become more common now, even at smaller companies.

In our own customer base, we’ve seen formal legal operations manager job titles in legal departments with as few as five people. But some teams are even smaller. A 2022 Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) report found that 60% of legal departments have at least one legal operations professional on the team. (For comparison, in 2018, only 47% of departments had at least one legal ops professional employed.) On average, legal ops departments contain around four employees.

The 12 key functions of a legal ops team in 2022 and beyond

According to the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium’s (CLOC) “core 12” competencies list, these are the 12 key legal operations functions:

1. Business intelligence

Legal ops collects and analyzes business intelligence data based on important metrics to glean actionable insights for more strategic decision-making.

2. Financial management

Legal ops also plans legal spend, creates budgets, implements and monitors e-Billing for legal services, manages accruals, and forecasts expenses, among other things.

3. Firm and vendor management

Legal ops professionals choose the right firms by performing due diligence, uncovering opportunities, negotiating better rates, handling contract management, and, overall, onboarding new vendors quickly.

4. Information governance

With the goal of reducing corporate risk, legal ops is tasked with creating clear information governance policies, communicating those policies to employees, and managing data security and compliance.

5. Knowledge management

Legal ops also engages in knowledge management by facilitating knowledge hubs, creating templates, and preventing knowledge loss, e.g., from staff departure or role changes.

6. Organization optimization and health

Legal ops creates a hiring vision for cultural fit, encourages team members’ work/life balance, and maintains a good pipeline of talents — all in the interest of optimizing the health and productivity of their department.

7. Practice operations

Legal ops manages the practice by allocating tasks to the right skill level for better speed and efficiency.

8. Program and project management

The legal ops team comes up with ways to manage projects, workflows, and programs quickly (without compromising on quality).

9. Service delivery models

Legal ops defines and structures service provider relationships, breaks down larger projects into assignable tasks, and reduces reliance on more expensive law firms.

10. Strategic planning

Legal ops creates team goals that align with the priorities of internal and external stakeholders.

11. Legal Technology

Legal ops vets and leverages legal software to automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks and to increase accuracy in data collection.

12. Training and development

Legal ops also creates training resources for new hires and facilitates career development for employees.

Ideally, a good legal ops department will be able to carry out most of these functions to improve logistics and processes and, overall, allow your law team to focus on being better lawyers for your organization.

How do you build a legal operations team?

Building the right legal ops team for your department involves understanding what you need, hiring the right person for each role, and equipping them to do their job.

Determine what your department is ready for

There are three levels of legal operations:

  • Admin
  • Optimize
  • Strategizer

They all have different responsibilities. The admin-level focuses on basic management activities, such as vendor management, payments, compliance, and reporting. The optimizer-level focuses on improving those processes, and the strategizer focuses on maximizing results. Understanding your legal department’s maturity level will help you pinpoint what position you need to be hiring for.

Choose what role to hire for based on your needs

It can be overwhelming to try to build a complete team from scratch, and the time investment can be a drain on your internal resources. If you are just starting out (at the admin level), you need a manager more than you need an analyst.

Empower your team with the right tech

Legal operations is not nearly as effective without technology, and it seems like key decision-makers have begun to take notice. According to Gartner, the shake-up felt during the beginning of the pandemic led many business leaders to reevaluate their legal department’s tech use, with an eye toward increasing departmental capabilities to make strategic, data-driven decisions.

Tech allows you to automate manual legal work, streamline document management, and simplify data collection and reporting, to name a few benefits. Your team will need dedicated legal ops software that features e-Billing, reporting and analytics, spend, matter, and vendor management to run efficiently.

Typical legal ops jobs

There are three main legal operations jobs within corporate legal departments: the legal operations manager, the legal operations specialist, and the legal operations analyst. There’s a fourth position — the director of legal operations — who would be the overall head of the legal ops department, but it’s common for the department to be led by the legal operations manager.

These positions work together to manage, improve, and analyze activities in the legal ops department.

Here’s a brief rundown of what each role does.

Legal operations manager

Also called the legal operations director, the legal operations manager manages and supports the team around tasks like vendor management, budgeting, and staffing. Where there’s no director of legal operations (the head of legal operations), the legal operations manager also reports directly to the general counsel and oversees tasks like resource allocation, change management, and decision-making.

Legal ops managers may spend their day-to-day directly overseeing other members of the legal team. For the rest of the organization, they are the go-to source for project status updates, budget questions, and productivity reports.

Legal operations specialist

If the legal ops manager oversees the department, the specialist is the expert who executes on departmental projects and goals. The legal ops specialist works with the legal operations manager to create and improve processes for an efficient and effective legal team, facilitate change, and control costs. Specialists tackle the hands-on work of legal ops and report on their work to their manager.

Specialists may handle a variety of tasks, including updating each individual matter. Or they might handle the outreach to stakeholders in other departments who are needed to complete each step of the process.

Legal operations analyst

If a legal ops team uses a tech suite to track and understand analytics, the legal ops analyst would be the expert on those tools.

The legal ops analyst regularly examines the legal team’s operations to identify room for change and helps implement those changes. The analyst may study changes in the team’s budget to identify areas where they could better allocate resources and save costs. They may also handle other departmental reporting on core key performance indicators (KPIs), like average time spent per matter.

Qualities of good legal ops leaders

Legal ops leaders also have an increasingly important role to play as strategic advisors within the C-suite of the organization. According to the ACC, 98% of chief legal officers (CLOs) are consulted on important business decisions that affect the entire organization — not just legal. 36% say they spend more than one-third of their time advising business leaders on strategic initiatives, and 77% say they “almost always” attend board meetings.

Good legal operations leaders tend to fit one of four distinct personas:

  • The uber-analyst who brings quantitative rigor to the legal department
  • The MBA who brings additional operational and financial discipline to the legal department and their vendors
  • The lawyer who has chosen a more business-focused career path
  • The highly analytical JD/MBA who is valued for their legal and business expertise

And while a JD or an MBA is a great addition, the people you require for these roles don’t need to have those degrees. What they need to have is:

  • A strong understanding of the core business
  • The ability to translate the needs of business departments into legal requirements
  • The ability to manage outside law firm performance
  • A commitment to using the internal legal department to grow the company

It’s clear that, from the top down, business leaders have begun to see the strategic value in giving legal ops a seat at the decision-making table.

If building your legal operations team is something you want to focus on, we have four legal ops job description templates you can look at to get you started.

It’s time to embrace legal operations for a value-driven legal department

Legal departments have a company-wide responsibility to protect and grow the business while also managing internal and outside counsel budgets. They face increasing pressure to do more with less. That’s where the legal operations role comes in: these professionals drive efficiency and create value not just for their team of in-house lawyers but for the entire organization.

But a legal operations team is only as effective as the technology available to them. In fact, CLOC lists technology as one of the core competencies for effective legal operations professionals.

Want to empower your legal ops team with software that makes it easier to get results? SimpleLegal helps modern legal teams better manage their spend, matters, vendors, and so much more for efficient legal operations. Schedule a demo of SimpleLegal to learn more about how dedicated legal operations technology can help your team function.