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Unity Change Management: Getting Started

What is “Change Management?”

Change management is the process of preparing your legal and surrounding teams for the addition of Unity into your company’s process. It is a critical step in ensuring the proper onboarding of the software and building long-term acceptance of the new system.

Why is Change Management Important?

Successful adoption of a new tool or process sets the stage for how your organization will co-exist with Unity. Change management prepares your team for the “why” and “what” of implementation: why are you bringing on Unity and what problems are you solving by the addition of Unity? If your team understands these two items, the implementation becomes a goal for the entire organization to work towards.

What is Unity?

This may be the first time your team members are hearing about Unity. Below is a product overview that provides insights into the tool and its uses to get your team up to speed.

How to Prepare Your Team

The following items will prepare your teams for onboarding Unity. Keep in mind, each team is unique and these items may need to be adjusted or customized for your needs and style. Your implementation manager will discuss each item below in detail prior to going live.

Communications

• Communication is Key! Provide expected delivery dates, system expectations, and training opportunities early and often. If necessary, Unity has communication templates available to assist with starting these conversations. View the Unity Implementation Communications Library and view the “Internal – Team Communications” templates. During implementation, your team will also have discussions about notifying your vendors of the transition and templates will be provided.
• Provide Assurance: Do you have team members who need extra assistance or are hesitant of a SaaS solution? Provide a list of resources for asking questions during implementation and opportunities to showcase the tool in action. Early exposure lessens the uncertainty of your team members.
• Plan for Change: Your Unity system will change. As your team grows and evolves, your SimpleLegal system will as well. Providing assurances to your team that Unity does not need to function as it does at go-live, nor should it, they can provide insight, feedback, and suggestions as they use the tool. More importantly, allow Unity to mature alongside your needs.

System Training

To unlock the full potential of Unity, join our regular training sessions and explore our library of training videos and feature success kits. These resources are designed to help you quickly grasp the platform’s capabilities, giving you a competitive advantage in managing your legal operations. Dive into our Learning Library to browse through our various training options today! Browse through our learning library.

Recommended Training: Administrator Training and Invoice Reviewer Training

Go-Live Overview

1. Collect vendor contacts
2. Create/upload vendor contacts in Unity and give them CounselGO Admin role (Recommended two weeks before go live so that vendors can submit timekeepers, review their open matters, and add additional CounselGO users) 
3. Turn on system invoicing and agreed upon day/time (to be determined with client during a weekly call)
4. Stabilization period – Review the first few invoices together, discuss invoice/line-item flags, and confirm AP receipt of approved invoices. 

Common Questions and Answers

• Can you provide insights into the vendor portal, CounselGO? CounselGO is a portal for submitting invoices to clients who are using Unity to manage their e-billing and legal matters. CounselGO also helps track matters referred by clients and the timekeepers who work billable hours on those matters. Using CounselGO allows vendor law firms to deliver invoices to clients in a manner that makes tracking, review, and processing efficient. It’s very likely that your vendors are already using CounselGO with other Unity clients so this should be a somewhat seamless process for them. If they have not used CounselGO in the past, the vendor communications will provide insights, training, and next steps to get them prepared.
• What to expect with user adoption and training? Communications and training options will be provided during implementation as part of the change management of Unity. Keep in mind, each team onboards differently so your team may mix and match onboarding options.
• How to keep projects on track? It is highly recommended to hold weekly Internal meetings with Legal, AP, Finance, IT etc. so that we can make the most productive use of our Unity weekly meetings.

Implementation Tips and Tricks

• Tell your team why you’ve decided to add Unity to your legal team! What problems are you trying to solve and what are you excited or eager to implement with this new system? Your excitement will help your team get on board.
• Provide updates and your progress. Your team will be more responsive to onboarding a new system if they understand the work that is happening to assist them in the future. Updates and progress reports, even milestones you have accomplished, will build excitement for the coming launch.
• Give your team ample time to learn about the tool and opportunities to ask questions (e.g. training, documentation) and provide feedback to your implementation team with scheduled Q&A sessions or an inbox to send suggestions.
• Take some time to review your existing data (e.g. matters, vendors, etc) to see what data is working and, more importantly, what is no longer working for your team. Does all data need to be brought over? Should anything be cleaned up or organized in a more meaningful way?

Post Go-Live Resources

Once your system is live, the following resources are available to your team:

• Unity Support ([email protected])
• Unity Resource Center (within the Unity application)
• SimpleUnityLegal WalkMe (within the Unity application)
• CounselGO Support ([email protected])
• Customer Success Team (introduced during implementation)

Communication is key during implementation! To best support your team and vendors during implementation, we offer a set of templated communications based on your implementation inclusions. These templates are available for you to utilize and edit as required by your team to encapsulate your voice and communication needs.

How to Use the Templates

1. Locate the necessary template(s) to send to your internal team(s) or vendors
2. Copy and paste the email template into your preferred email system
3. Populate any fields highlighted in yellow and add or adjust the emails with any necessary details (e.g. holiday greeting, meeting reminder)
4. Using your preferred email system, send the email to the recipients listed in the “To” field
   Note: If you are sending an email to a large number of recipients, we recommend sending the email to yourself and then Bcc’ing all recipients to hide their addresses

Internal – Team Communications

These communications are intended to be sent to your internal legal team(s) to communicate the upcoming Unity implementation and planned go-live date.

Unity Onboarding, New ELM System

Purpose: Notify your legal team members of upcoming Unity implementation of a new ELM system
When to Send: At the start of implementation, ideally at least 1 month prior to the go-live date

To: Client legal team members
From: Client implementation lead or project sponsor
Suggested Subject: [COMPANY] New Legal Operations Process

Email Body:

[COMPANY] is implementing a new legal operations software, Unity. This platform will assist [COMPANY] in streamline our legal billing/invoicing and matter management processes. [add any other reasoning, communications to internal team for
adding Unity].

Unity will give us more control of our processes and increased visibility into matters and spend. With this new platform:

1. Matters created in Unity can be assigned to Vendors for billing.
2. Vendors / law firms can submit invoices (digital LEDES and PDFs) through the Unity vendor portal, CounselGO.
3. [COMPANY]’s approval process and rules are applied to the invoice in Unity allowing [COMPANY] members to approve within the application.
4. Approved invoices will get processed directly to accounts payable.
5. Report on legal matter and spend data from the same application.

Unity is slated to go live in [month of designated go-live date]. Prior to go live we will be coordinating training for the new system as well as cutover dates/process for final invoice submission into the old system. If you’d like to begin training in advance, please sign up for Unity’s Customer Webinars to learn more. In addition to live training; recorded training sessions and a variety of help tools, including frequently asked questions documentation, and customer support will also be available.

Finally, vendors will be notified separately of the upcoming changes and expectations with the new invoicing process.

If you have any questions about the new process, please reach out to [client implementation lead or project sponsor].

Unity Onboarding, Migrating ELM Systems

Purpose: Notify your legal team members of upcoming Unity implementation of migrating from an existing ELM system to Unity
When to Send: At the start of implementation, ideally at least 1 month prior to the go-live date

To: Client legal team members
From: Client implementation lead or project sponsor
Suggested Subject: [COMPANY] New Legal Operations Process

Email Body:

[COMPANY] is implementing a new legal operations software, Unity. This platform will assist [COMPANY] in streamline our legal billing/invoicing and matter management processes. [add any other reasoning, communications to internal team for adding Unity].

We understand that change can be scary, but we are excited for this upgrade to our team! After deliberation, we have decided to make this move due to [insert purpose for the migration (e.g. streamlining services, vendor ease, additional spend insights, etc)]

Unity will give us more control of our processes and increased visibility into matters and spend. With this new platform:

1. Matters created in Unity can be assigned to Vendors for billing.
2. Vendors / law firms can submit invoices (digital LEDES and PDFs) through the Unity vendor portal, CounselGO.
3. [COMPANY]’s approval process and rules are applied to the invoice in Unity allowing [COMPANY] members to approve within the application.
4. Approved invoices will get processed directly to accounts payable.
5. Report on legal matter and spend data from the same application.

Unity is slated to go live in [month of designated go-live date]. Prior to go live we will be coordinating training for the new system as well as cutover dates/process for final invoice submission into the old system. If you’d like to begin training in advance, please sign up for Unity’s Customer Webinars to learn more. In addition to live training; recorded training sessions and a variety of help tools, including frequently asked questions documentation, and customer support will also be available.

Finally, vendors will be notified separately of the upcoming changes and expectations with the new invoicing process.

If you have any questions about the new process, please reach out to [client implementation lead or project sponsor].

Unity Training

Purpose: Instruct Legal Team members on signing up for Unity training
When to Send: At the start of implementation, ideally at least 1 month prior to the go-live date

To: Internal Legal team members who will be attending training
From: Internal Unity Implementation Lead
Suggested Subject: REQUIRED – Unity Training Sign-up

Email Body:

[COMPANY] is now using eBilling provider Unity to make it easier to manage and pay your legal bills. To ensure our team is ready for our Unity go-live of [GO-LIVE DATE], we are asking that everyone sign-up for and attend the following trainings:

Administrative Training: Admin Training will cover all things you need to know when working in Unity. We’ll show you how to use the Unity Dashboard, go over Administrative functions such as User Management and Invoice Review Rules, and walk you through Matter Management and Vendor Management.

• Required Attendees: [INSERT TEAM MEMBERS REQUIRED FOR TRAINING]
• Suggested Training Session: [INSERT SUGGESTED TRAINING TIME]
• Training Due Date: [INSERT DATE TRAINING TO BE COMPLETED BY]
• Where to Sign-up: Unity’s Customer Webinars

Invoice Review Training: Invoice Review Training we’ll take you through the life of a Unity invoice and show you important dashboards and reports you should utilize. In addition, we’ll walk you through approving, rejecting, and adjusting an invoice.

• Required Attendees: [INSERT TEAM MEMBERS REQUIRED FOR TRAINING]
• Suggested Training Session: [INSERT SUGGESTED TRAINING TIME]
• Training Due Date: [INSERT DATE TRAINING TO BE COMPLETED BY]
• Where to Sign-up: Unity’s Customer Webinars

How to Sign-up: Under “Register for Webinars” enter your name and select your preferred session. If you are not able to attend your session (or any sessions provided) please sign up to receive a recording of the session once completed.

External – Vendor Communications

These communications are intended to be sent to your primary vendor contacts to communicate the upcoming CounselGO go-live date.

Initial CounselGO Onboarding Notice

Purpose: Notify your vendors of upcoming CounselGO roll out
When to Send: At the start of implementation, recommended 2-4 weeks prior to the “CounselGO Onboarding” email template

To: Law Firm Billing Contacts or Relationship Contacts
From: Company Relationship Contact
Suggested Subject: [COMPANY] Updated Invoicing Process

Email Body:

[COMPANY] is implementing a new legal operations software, Unity. This platform will help [COMPANY] streamline our legal billing/invoicing and matter management processes. We are targeting to roll out the system in [MONTH, YEAR] and will provide further communication as we get closer.

CounselGO Onboarding

Purpose: Notify your vendors of upcoming CounselGO roll out
When to Send: Recommended 4-6 weeks prior to the go-live date

To: Law Firm Billing Contacts or Relationship Contacts
From: Company Relationship Contact
Suggested Subject: [COMPANY] Updated Invoicing Process

Email Body:

[COMPANY] is now using eBilling provider Unity to make it easier to manage and pay your legal bills. Unity provides a vendor portal called CounselGO to submit invoices, check invoice status, and see a list of matters assigned to your firm.

How to Obtain CounselGO Access

1. (exclude this step if your team is not using the Google form) Please fill out the following form [GOOGLE FORM LINK provided by your Implementation Manager] to collect your billing administrator. Please do not send generic email addresses such as “ebilling@” Generic addresses are not allowed for security reasons.
2. [COMPANY] will add your firm as a vendor in CounselGO on [GO-LIVE DATE], you will not have CounselGO access until this date. If you are not the correct contact person to register for CounselGO, please forward this information to the appropriate person(s).
3. Once your account is set up:
   • New to CounselGO? Your billing admin will receive an email with a link to your account. They should log in and create a password as soon as possible. The link will expire in 5 days.
   • Already using CounselGO? [COMPANY] will appear on the CounselGO dashboard(s) of your billing specialist(s) on [GO-LIVE DATE].
4. CounselGO has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use. There is a “wizard” that walks the billing specialist(s) through the invoice submission process.
5. For more information on CounselGO, please read Getting Started with CounselGO.

Invoice Submission Process

• All invoices prior to [GO-LIVE DATE] should be submitted via the old process.
• All invoices starting on [GO-LIVE DATE] should be submitted via CounselGO.
• Invoice file submission:
  • LEDES Invoices: [COMPANY] would like your firm to submit invoices in LEDES format with the PDF version. You may submit multiple LEDES/PDF invoices at the same time. Simply drag and drop, or select the files from your computer, and click SUBMIT.
  • Non LEDES Invoices: If you are unable to produce LEDES files, you will need to enter the invoice information manually via the invoice entry screens. Be sure to list flat fee line items separately from those where the timekeeper is billing hourly. Be sure to drag and drop or select the PDF invoice prior to submission.

Thank you for your attention to this change in process. For technical questions, contact [email protected]. Please contact [COMPANY or COMPANY CONTACT] with any questions or your CounselGO Administrator to add additional CounselGO users within CounselGO (more information on updating CounselGO user roles can be found here).

CounselGO Onboarding Reminder

Purpose: Remind your vendors of upcoming CounselGO roll out
When to Send: Recommended 2 weeks prior to the go-live date

To: Law Firm Billing Contacts or Relationship Contacts
From: Company Relationship Contact
Suggested Subject: Reminder: [COMPANY] Updated Invoicing Process

Email Body:

As a reminder to the communication sent on [DATE OF INITIAL COMMUNICATION], [COMPANY] is now using eBilling provider Unity to make it easier to manage and pay your legal bills. Unity provides a vendor portal called CounselGO to submit invoices, check invoice status, and see a list of matters assigned to your firm.

How to Obtain CounselGO Access

1. (exclude this step if your team is not using the Google form) Please fill out the following form [GOOGLE FORM LINK provided by your Implementation Manager] to collect your billing administrator. Please do not send generic email addresses such as “ebilling@” Generic addresses are not allowed for security reasons.
2. [COMPANY] will add your firm as a vendor in CounselGO on [GO-LIVE DATE], you will not have CounselGO access until this date. If you are not the correct contact person to register for CounselGO, please forward this information to the appropriate person(s).
3. Once your account is set up:
   • New to CounselGO? Your billing admin will receive an email with a link to your account. They should log in and create a password as soon as possible. The link will expire in 5 days.
   • Already using CounselGO? [COMPANY] will appear on the CounselGO dashboard(s) of your billing specialist(s) on [GO-LIVE DATE].
4. CounselGO has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use. There is a “wizard” that walks the billing specialist(s) through the invoice submission process.
5. For more information on CounselGO, please read Getting Started with CounselGO.

Invoice Submission Process

• All invoices prior to [GO-LIVE DATE] should be submitted via the old process.
• All invoices starting on [GO-LIVE DATE] should be submitted via CounselGO.
• Invoice file submission:
  • LEDES Invoices: [COMPANY] would like your firm to submit invoices in LEDES format with the PDF version. You may submit multiple LEDES/PDF invoices at the same time. Simply drag and drop, or select the files from your computer, and click SUBMIT.
  • Non LEDES Invoices: If you are unable to produce LEDES files, you will need to enter the invoice information manually via the invoice entry screens. Be sure to list flat fee line items separately from those where the timekeeper is billing hourly. Be sure to drag and drop or select the PDF invoice prior to submission.

Thank you for your attention to this change in process. For technical questions, contact [email protected]. Please contact [COMPANY or COMPANY CONTACT] with any questions or your CounselGO Administrator to add additional CounselGO users within CounselGO (more information on updating CounselGO user roles can be found here).

Accruals Onboarding

Purpose: Notify your vendors of upcoming accrual roll out
When to Send: Recommended 2-4 weeks prior to the first accrual email request

To: Law Firm Billing Contacts or Accrual Contacts
From: Company Relationship Contact
Suggested Subject: [COMPANY] Updated Accrual Collection

Email Body:

[COMPANY] is now using eBilling provider Unity to make it easier to manage and pay your legal bills. Unity provides a vendor portal called CounselGO to submit invoices, check invoice status, and see a list of matters assigned to your firm. Additionally, [COMPANY] will use Unity to collect and track accruals.

What are accruals? Also known as Work in Process or Unbilled Estimates, include costs and expenses, such as legal fees, for services that have been provided but not yet invoiced as of a cut-off date. Securities and financial requirements mandate that companies keep and report accurate accounting records. Accruals are critical to these reporting obligations.

How to submit accruals? Each period, Unity will send you up to 3 email reminders:

1. Click the email link to “Submit Unbilled Amount” or “We Have No Unbilled Activity” if there are no unbilled estimates to submit
2. Enter the unbilled amounts for the applicable period
3. Confirm the last invoice submitted is correct and there are no missing billed invoices
4. Click “Submit Unbilled Amount”
5. The first email reminder to submit accruals for [MONTH, YEAR] will go out on [DATE]. You will have until [EXPIRATION DATE] to submit your accruals before the link expires.

Please contact [COMPANY or COMPANY CONTACT] with any questions or your CounselGO Administrator to update your Accruals contacts within CounselGO (more information on updating CounselGO user roles can be found here).

Timekeeper Onboarding

Purpose: Notify your vendors of upcoming Timekeeper roll out
When to Send: Recommended 2-4 weeks prior to the go-live date

To: Law Firm Billing Contacts or Relationship Contacts
From: Company Relationship Contact
Suggested Subject: [COMPANY] Updated Timekeeper Approval Process

Email Body:

[COMPANY] is now using eBilling provider Unity to make it easier to manage and pay your legal bills. Unity provides a vendor portal called CounselGO to submit invoices, check invoice status, and see a list of matters assigned to your firm. Additionally, [COMPANY] will be using Unity to validate approved timekeeper rates on incoming invoices, to support our business relationships and streamline invoice reviews.

Effective [DATE], [COMPANY] will begin tracking approved timekeeper rates through CounselGO. Please submit your firm’s timekeepers and their current rates, instructions for submitting rates can be found here.

Thank you for your attention to this change in process. For technical questions, contact [email protected].

Welcome to Unity’s API Toolkit! You’ll find important information and links about our API to help you and your team get the most out of Unity. 

Have questions or need help? Please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Unity Change Management: Getting Started

Purpose of the API Toolkit

At a high level, the Unity API allows the customer to request approved invoices from Unity and Unity API provides that data back. The customer then updates the invoice status to “Sent to AP” in Unity. Once the invoice is paid, the Customer updates invoice status to “Paid” and provides payment details (optional) in Unity.

On a technical level, the Unity API is organized around REST. Our API has predictable, resource-oriented URLs, and uses HTTP response codes to indicate API errors. We use built-in HTTP features, like HTTP authentication and HTTP verbs, which are understood by off-the-shelf HTTP clients. We support cross-origin resource sharing, allowing you to interact securely with our API from a client-side web application (though you should never expose your secret API key in any public website’s client-side code). JSON is returned by all API responses, including errors.

Our formal documentation at developer.simplelegal.com uses PATCH methods throughout, however, POST can be used instead of PATCH to accommodate systems that can’t utilize the PATCH method.

How to use the API Toolkit

Step 1 / Customer

Send your IT team or IT consultant the link to our API development page. This provides all the details of building an API to Unity.

Step 2 / Customer

Confirm which business process/workflow steps will be needed for your integration, for example for finance integration:

• Required: Retrieve Invoices to be paid
• Optional: Retrieve Unity PDF copy
• Optional: ACK/Payment confirmation
  • Record payment information
  • Update invoice status to Paid

Step 3 / Customer

Reach out to your Finance team to understand accounting and data requirements to post invoices into your finance system and pay an invoice.

Step 4 / Customer & Unity

Discuss attributes/data that needs to be in Unity for payment (see FAQ below: “What are the most common attributes and their definition?”)

Step 5 / Unity

Configure Unity with required attributes

Step 6 / Unity

Provide customer with Unity base URL and API Authorization token. Will be in the following format:

• API base URL: https://<>.simplelegal.com
  • e.g. http://app.simplelegal.com or http://abccompany.simplelegal.com
• API Authorization Token: <auth_token>

Step 7 / Customer

Test connection to Unity API

Step 8 / Customer

Build necessary integration calls and configuration based on integration needs

Step 9 / Customer & Unity

Test your connection by calling an endpoint and make sure you were able to retrieve data, and the relevant information is generated. For example, for finance integration, you should approve an invoice in Unity and make sure it can be retrieved, with the necessary information sent back to Unity.

Getting Started

The Unity API is organized around REST. Our API has predictable, resource-oriented URLs, and uses HTTP response codes to indicate API errors. We use built-in HTTP features, like HTTP authentication and HTTP verbs, which are understood by off-the-shelf HTTP clients. We support cross-origin resource sharing, allowing you to interact securely with our API from a client-side web application (though you should never expose your secret API key in any public website’s client-side code). JSON is returned by all API responses, including errors. We’ve documented PATCH methods throughout, however, POST can be used instead of PATCH to accommodate systems that can’t utilize the PATCH method.

Prerequisites

• Determine API user details (first name, last name, email)
  • Typically, the API user has a generic name (e.g. first name: Oracle Integration, last name: Finance Integration, email: [email protected])
• Provide API user details to Unity
• Unity to generate API key
• Unity to provide Unity API toolkit & API developer
• Schedule and conduct API requirements and mapping (Client and Unity)
• Schedule and conduct API development (Client)
• Testing (Client and Unity)

Authentication

API authentication is a combination of technology and process that proves or verifies the identities of users who want access to an API. Specifically, API authentication involves the use of a software protocol to verify that users are who they claim to be when a client makes an API call.

Sandbox vs Production

Our sandbox APIs emulate the live environment and give you the opportunity to send test API calls and to receive a simulated response. Sandbox APIs are perfect for working with the client before the production API is available, allowing front-end progress to continue, even though there’s no real data or database backing it yet. The production APIs work with our live systems and data. Your application will run in this environment after you go live.

The Multi-tenant Sandbox data is refreshed monthly on the third Friday of the month. Your team can create or update data in the sandbox, and any alterations made will be reset and replaced with the data from the production environment during the monthly refresh.

API Basics

Understanding RESTful APIs

The basic function of a RESTful API is the same as browsing the internet. The client contacts the server by using the API when it requires a resource. API developers explain how the client should use the REST API in the server application API documentation. These are the general steps for any REST API call:

• The client sends a request to the server. The client follows the API documentation to format the request in a way that the server understands.
• The server authenticates the client and confirms that the client has the right to make that request.
• The server receives the request and processes it internally.
• The server returns a response to the client. The response contains information that tells the client whether the request was successful. The response also includes any information that the client requested.

The REST API request and response details vary slightly depending on how the API developers design the API.

HTTP Methods (GET, POST, PATCH)

The HTTP verbs comprise a major portion of our “uniform interface” constraint and provide us the action counterpart to the noun-based resource. The primary or most-commonly-used HTTP verbs (or methods, as they are properly called) are POST, GET, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. These correspond to create, read, update, and delete (or CRUD) operations, respectively. There are a number of other verbs, too, but are utilized less frequently. Of those less-frequent methods, OPTIONS and HEAD are used more often than others.

Below is a table of recommended return values of the primary HTTP methods in combination with the resource URIs

API Endpoints

In summary, an API endpoint is a specific location within an API that accepts requests and sends back responses. It’s a way for different systems and applications to communicate with each other, by sending and receiving information and instructions via the endpoint.

Response Formats (JSON, XML)

JSON supports numbers, objects, strings, and Boolean arrays. XML supports all JSON data types and additional types like Boolean, dates, images, and namespaces. JSON has smaller file sizes and faster data transmission. XML tag structure is more complex to write and read and results in bulky files.

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a standard text-based format for representing structured data based on JavaScript object syntax. It is commonly used for transmitting data in web applications (e.g., sending some data from the server to the client, so it can be displayed on a web page, or vice versa)

An XML response message is sent by the SDS XML provisioning client in response to an XML request. Each response message consists of a 4-byte binary length value, followed by the XML response in ASCII characters. The length value contains the number of bytes in the XML response, excluding the 4-bytes for the length.

API Calls

An API call allows one application to request data or services from another application. Our API developer page is a comprehensive API document, containing all available API calls, their respective arguments, filters, and examples.

Request Parameters

API request parameters are options that can be passed with the endpoint to influence the response. Refer to request parameters located in the API developer page.

Response Structure

When you send a REST request, the appliance responds with a structured response in JSON format. The exact structure of the response depends on the resource and URI of the request, but all responses are similar. The response includes all available resources from any point within the API.

Common Workflows

API workflows are server-side workflows that you can schedule/trigger in your application and/or expose to be triggered from an external application or system through an API request.

Below are the most commonly requested calls for typical integration scenarios:

Finance Integration (Unity <> AP System)

Step 1: Retrieve all approved invoices

The first step is to fetch all approved invoices. This can be achieved with the invoices end point, filtering on Approved status. Refer to “What are the valid invoice statuses in Unity?” in the Q&A section for other supported statues.

View API Documenter for GET List All Invoices details.

Optional – Retrieve Unity PDF copy

If necessary to your integration, pull the PDF copy of the invoice (either summary or the full pdf). Retrieving the PDF is done on a per invoice basis, so a valid Invoice ID is required. Please note the PDF is base64 encoded so would require a decoder to view.

View API Documenter for GET Retrieve an Invoice Detail PDF and GET Retrieve an Invoice Summary PDF details.

Optional – Retrieve additional details

If necessary to your integration, pull additional details from the matter, vendor, or accounting fields:

• GET Retrieve a matter
• GET Retrieve a vendor
• GET Retrieve an entity
• GET Retrieve a cost code
• GET Retrieve a custom attribute

Step 2: Update invoice status

After retrieving the invoices, best practice is to record the invoice id, and update all invoices that are to be processed to Sent to AP status. This way, application users, and vendors will see that invoices have been submitted for payment. Optionally, you can use Posted to AP – the flow is dependent on your organizational needs.

View API Documenter for PATCH Update an Invoice details.

Optional – Record acknowledgement of successful invoice posting

After successful posting of invoices, best practice is to record the invoice id, and update all invoices that are to be processed to Posted to AP status. This way users will see that invoices have been successfully posted without error. 

View API Documenter for PATCH Update an Invoice details.

Optional – Record Payment Details

Once payments are made to Vendors, two separate calls will be made for each invoice:

1. Record payment information for an invoice.

Create a Payment record on the individual Invoice endpoint. The required fields are payment_method (which can be defined by your organization; example: check, wire, ach, etc.), amount, currency, and payment date in YYYY-MM- DD format.

View API Documenter for POST Create Payment for an Invoice details.

2. Update Invoice Status

After paying / submitting payment for invoices, you should update the invoice status to Paid. This way, application users, and vendors will see that invoices have been marked Paid.

View API Documenter for PATCH Update an Invoice details.

Matter Integration (Unity <> Matter Management System)

Step 1: List All Matters

The first step is to fetch a list of all matters. The matters are returned sorted by matter name alphabetically. Available modifiers can be added onto the end of a search string joined by a double dash and are generally shorthands for more advanced searches that can be done:

• lt -> less than
• lte -> less than equal to
• gt -> greater than
• gt -> greater than equal to
• icontains -> contains, case insensitive

View API Documenter for GET List All Matters details.

Step 2: Create New Matters

First, compare the list of new matters against the existing list of matters from Step 1 to ensure no duplicate matters are created. For additional confirmation, you may pull the Client Matter ID associated with the matter for your records.

Second, create any new matters in Unity. Three fields are required for creating a new matter:

• name
• matter_lead_email
• matter_lead_is_approver

The following optional fields are also recommended when creating a new matter:

• description
• status
• matter_group
• open_date (if differing from the creation date)

View API Documenter for POST Create a Matter details.

Other Common Data Requests

Retrieve All Legal Entities

The entities are returned sorted by entity name alphabetically.

View API Documenter for GET List All Entities details.

Create New Legal Entities

One field is required for creating a new legal entity:

• name

The following optional fields are also recommended when creating a new legal entity:

• description
• accounting_code

View API Documenter for  POST Create an Entity details.

Retrieve All Cost Codes

The cost codes are returned sorted by entity name alphabetically.

View API Documenter for GET List All Cost Codes details.

Create New Cost Codes

One field is required for creating a new cost code:

• name

The following optional fields are also recommended when creating a new cost code:

• description
• accounting_code

View API Documenter for POST Create a Cost Code details.

List All Custom Attributes

The attributes are returned sorted by attribute name alphabetically. Attributes can only be filtered based on the ‘name’ field.

View API Documenter for GET List All Attributes details.

List All Custom Attribute List Values

Returns the list values for a specific custom attribute. The custom attribute id (e.g. attr_1234567890) is required to pull. The options are returned sorted by name alphabetically.

View API Documenter for GET Retrieve an Option for <list> Attribute details.

Create New Custom Attribute List Values

Creates a new list value for a custom attribute. The custom attribute id (e.g. attr_1234567890) is required to create.

The following fields are required for creating a new custom attribute list value:

• name
• description
• accounting_code

View API Documenter for POST Create an Option for <list> Attribute details.

Update Existing Custom Attribute List Values

Updates an existing list value for a custom attribute. The custom attribute id (e.g. attr_1234567890) and the list value id (e.g. attr_opt_1234567890) is required to update.

The following optional fields are available to be updated:

• name
• description
• accounting_code

View API Documenter for PATCH Update an Option for <list> Attribute details.

Retrieve Users

The users are returned sorted by created_date, with the most recently created user first.

View API Documenter for GET Retrieve All Users details.

Retrieve Audit Logs

The logs are returned sorted by created_date, with the most recently created log first.

Supported categories are:

• added, edited, deleted, uploaded, downloaded, viewed, sent, escalated, exporte, updated, renamed, adjusted, approved, unapproved, rejected, unrejected, ‘requested changes on’, ‘resolved changes on’, paid, assigned, received, merged, split, activated, deactivated

Available modifiers can be added onto the end of a search string joined by a double dash and are generally shorthands for more advanced searches that can be done:

• lt -> less than
• lte -> less than equal to
• gt -> greater than
• gt -> greater than equal to
• icontains -> contains, case insensitive
• range -> two dates, everything between the dates matches (inclusive for the first, exclusive for second)

View API Documenter for GET Retrieve all logs details.

Retrieve Accruals for a Period

For a given period, retrieve all submitted accruals. The “period” argument is required to pull and must be in the YYYY-MM-DD format.

If a range of dates period can be specified with the range operator. For example, if only the accruals in the first three months are desired, the filter ?period__range=2018-01-31,2018-03-31 would display all relevant accruals. (Note that range is inclusive on both the beginning and the ending date)

View API Documenter for GET Retrieve Accruals for a Period details.

Common API Errors

Missing API key/token or Require new API key/token

1. Contact your implementation manager or our Unity support team ([email protected]) to identify if you have an API user already configured and which environment the key is needed for (production or sandbox).
2. Unity will either confirm a key exists or create a new key to send the key via personal email to a designated drop location.

What is the id/hash for this object?

1. The id or hash for an object will be dependent on what call(s) your team is making. First, determine the call(s) and end points within the API Documenter.
2. To obtain the id/hash for an object (e.g. a matter), retrieve all matters and locate the “id” key associated with that object. The hash follows a consistent format, where the first 3-4 characters represent the type of object (e.g., “mat” for matter), followed by an underscore (_) and the numerical ID. For instance, a matter hash could be represented as “mat_1234567890.”

API Call is Returning an Error

1. Contact our Support Team ([email protected]) or your Implementation Manager (if you are still in Implementation). Provide the full call and response you are attempting.
2. Our team will confirm if the object being called exists, and whether or not the API user has permission to see it.
3. If GET, Unity can test the call to determine if we get the same error.
4. If POST, Unity may test the call parameters in a demo environment.

API Call Returns No Results

1. Log into Unity and verify that there is at least one object for the call (e.g. matters, vendors, etc) and verify the parameters of the call are applicable to the data within Unity.
2. If the objects exist, this implies the API user has access to the database via API but does not have sufficient privileges to retrieve the data
3. Customers can reach out to the implementation manager or Unity Support ([email protected]) team to verify which email address is associated with their API token.
4. Unity will validate the user has a role which is sufficient in accessing the objects in question. API users should have a user role = “Administrative Role”.

Error Handling

In any integration process, encountering errors is a common scenario. Effective error handling is crucial to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the integration between Unity API and your corporate ERP system. Here are some best practices for monitoring and maintaining your system and errors that may arise:

Real Time Monitoring: Set up real-time monitoring and alerts for your API integration. This will enable immediate detection of errors as they occur.
Utilize logging systems to record detailed error information, which can be invaluable for troubleshooting.

Designated Response Team: Identify a designated response team within your organization. This team should include members who are well-versed in both the Unity API and your ERP system.

Notification Procedures: Establish a clear procedure for notifying the designated response team when an error is detected. This can be automated through your monitoring systems or manually initiated by the team monitoring the integration.

Root Cause Analysis: Once the immediate issue is resolved, conduct a thorough root cause analysis to understand why the error occurred. This step is crucial to prevent similar issues in the future. Document the findings and update your integration processes and error-handling protocols accordingly.

Continuous Improvement: Treat every error as a learning opportunity to improve your integration setup. Regularly review your error-handling procedures and update them as needed. Encourage open communication and feedback within the team regarding the handling of integration errors. This collaborative approach can lead to more resilient and reliable integration.

General Unity API Features and Q&A

What features can the Unity API support for each team or process?

What features are not supported by the Unity API?

• Access to timekeepers data
• Access to budgets data
• Cannot access contacts or vendor contacts / CounselGO users
• Cannot set permissions/teams via API
• Cannot set invoice intake rules or approver escalation rules via API

What are the most common invoice attributes and their definitions?

While this varies per customer, below are some common attributes used to retrieve invoice details and pay an invoice:

 Can PDF attachments come through the API

Yes. You can retrieve invoice attachments through Retrieve an Invoice. You can also pull the Unity generated PDF through either Retrieve an Invoice Detail PDF or Retrieve an Invoice Summary PDF.

View API Documenter for GET Retrieve an Invoice Detail PDF and GET Retrieve an Invoice Summary PDF details.

How do we know which invoices to pull from Unity to our finance system?

In a standard finance API integration, you will want to pull any invoiced in an “Approved” status. These are invoices that have been approved in Unity by all approvers and are ready for payment. As part of the API integration, you will want to update the status of the imported invoices to “Sent to AP” using PATCH. If the patch function isn’t available, you can also update the status using POST.

Is there anything else we can do with the API besides retrieve and update invoice information?

Yes. Through the API, you can access most components of Unity including matters, vendors, cost codes and legal entities. You can streamline your vendor intake process by pushing new vendors from your financial system into Unity. You can integrate with your patent software to push new patent & trademark matters into Unity. You can even use the API to update cost codes and legal entities.

Can you provide examples of how other partners have handled their integrations or technical references if we need additional help?            

Our Implementation team can offer guidance if you have specific questions on how to get started, but unfortunately, we do not share client data or integration specifics.

What are the valid invoice statuses in Unity?

• Received
• Rejected
• Approved
• Paid
• Sent to AP
• Posted to AP
• On Hold

How can I see an export of all the sample JSon? 

You can download Postman and pull the full JSON export.

 For the ‘Update an Invoice’ API the documentation states either a PATCH or POST could be used. Is this also true for the ‘Create Payment for an Invoice’ or must a POST be used?

Payment information can only be posted right now, it cannot be patched. We treat it as a log so you can only add to it.

How long would it take our team to integrate with the Unity API and how will Unity help? 

This depends largely on the degree of integration in terms of what is required by the finance team, and the resources available on your development team to build it out. Unity can provide guidance in terms of understanding the documentation and in terms of what has been successful in the past. 

What is the difference between the Reference Number and Batch Number in the ‘Create a Payment for Invoice’ API? 

The reference number is unique per payment, whereas a batch number is used to group payments.

What is the difference between invoice_number and id and which should we use? 

The id is a unique number that Unity assigns to each invoice and should serve as its unique identifier. Invoice_number is the number associated on the invoice itself, but this is not always.

Can you accommodate custom object IDs in the API? 
Currently we cannot support customization in the object IDs. However, depending on business needs, we may have recommendations for different ways to proceed to achieve the same result. We also support custom attributes with our platform, which may aid in capturing the information you require. Reach out to your implementation manager for guidance. 

How do you recommend we update matters or vendors most efficiently?

For example, if your matter has 15 attributes and all attributes on a single matter need to be updated, that would be 15 calls. One method of reducing the number of calls is to check if the attribute values have changed. So instead of updating every single attribute value regardless if there was a change or not, you’ll want to validate if a change was made to the attribute value. Specifically, here is a step by step process recommendation:

1. Obtain the id of the vendor/and or matter you wish to update
2. Navigate to the attribute URL associated with that vendor/matter
3. Check what attribute values are associated, ideally with the `page_size` value set equal to the `count` value
4. Before deciding to update, compare the new value against the one seen on the page If different, then PUT, otherwise don’t PUT

Please note we do not recommend ‘page_size’ values over 100 as it may cause a timeout. 

How are foreign (non-USD) invoice adjustments handled in the API?

Unity currently does not allow adjustments on foreign invoices because it has tax implications for vendors in most countries. Since foreign vendors are required to submit tax data to their respective governments, any adjustments made to invoices would result in a mismatch in reporting numbers vs actual numbers for your vendors. Instead we require that foreign invoices requiring adjustment be rejected with comments so that vendors can re-submit with the required corrections.

How do you get the final invoice amount? 
There are three options to get the final amount depending on the currency used to bill.

Is there a limit on any of the APIs for how many results are fetched?

By default the maximum number of items on a paginated list page is 25. This can be configured by post fixing a URL with ?page_size=100 if a page size of 100 is desired but it may timeout depending on the endpoint you hit and how much data comes through.

Can a customer create a matter and assign matter attributes in a single API call, or is it necessary to create the matter first and then update the attributes separately?

The API does not support creating and assigning matter attributes in a single call. To accomplish this, you will need to make multiple API calls. First, create the matter, and then make separate API calls for each attribute update.

Additional Resources

Unity Support is here to assist with your team’s product questions. Contact our Support team ([email protected]) when you have technical questions, would like assistance with functionality, or answering ‘how,’ ‘what,’ or ‘where,’ within your products.  

Accruals are estimates for unbilled work that can be collected from vendors to anticipate fees and expenses for the reporting period. Please review this page to learn more about how to set up and start collecting and reporting on accruals. 

Key considerations before accruals setup:

1. Would you like the vendors to provide accruals estimates separately for each matter? If not, they will be asked for a lump accrual sum.

• Pros: More detailed accrual reporting
• Cons: Vendors may be doing work for matters not yet in Unity
• Recommendation: By Matter

2. When a Vendor is submitting their Accruals, would you like to include a “previous month” bucket as part of the period? 

• Pros: Ability to collect prior accruals
• Cons: This total amount cannot be moved into existing matters. The lump sum for the previous month will remain outside of the existing period in an “other” bucket.
• Recommendation: Do not include previous months 

3. When submitting accruals, would you like your Vendors to include accrual totals for forward months? If so, how many forward months? 

• Pros: Good option if you process accruals on a quarterly basis.
• Cons: Estimates will be less accurate when you accrue months in advance.
• Recommendation: Do not allow forward months unless this was requested by your Finance or AP teams.

4. Would you like any budgets associated with a Vendor to be shown in the accruals screen when a vendor submit accruals?

• Pros: Increased visibility of approved budgets
• Cons: May encourage vendors to hut budget when otherwise not necessary
• Recommendation: Do not show associated budgets

5. Would you like to include an “Other” option on your accrual forms?

• Pros: Allows vendors to submit amounts for not yet available matters
• Cons: This total amount cannot be moved into existing matters. The lump sum for the “Other” will remain outside of the existing period.
• Recommendation: Do not allow ‘Other’ accrual submissions.

6. Would your team like the ability to manually trigger the Accrual notification emails? 

• Pros: Can request accruals outside of the normal schedule 
• Cons: None
• Recommendation: Allow manual accrual requests.

Accrual reports

Accruals (single period)

Showcases metrics and detailed information about accruals for single (current) period requests and submissions from vendors.

Accruals vs. actuals (single period)

Showcases metrics and detailed information about accruals for single (current) period submissions from vendors compared to actual spend.

Accruals (split period)

Showcases metrics and detailed information about accruals for split (prior and current) period requests and submissions from vendors.

Accruals vs. actuals (split period)

Showcases metrics and detailed information about accruals for split (prior and current) period submissions from vendors compared to actual spend.

Accruals FAQs

Are Submitted but unapproved invoices included in reporting?

Submitted but unapproved invoices are not included in reporting. 

We see accruals truly as unbilled estimates. Since the received invoices have been billed, we do not include them. If your accruals process includes received but not fully approved invoices, you will need to combine two reports together to get your totals. 

Can we only send a single request?

No, but if the vendor responds to the first request, we will not send out any further reminders. If they do not provide their estimates, we will send up to two reminders.

When does the accrual period end?

This is two parts. The first part is when the accruals form expires, which is controlled in the custom settings. This, however, can be extended out manually for a single vendor, or for all vendors. The period truly ends once the requests are sent out for the following period/month. 

What currency are accruals submitted in?

The vendor has the ability to select any currency when submitting, but the currency they choose is for all matters – they can not detail currency by matter. We recommend that vendors submit in the same currency as their invoices are submitted.