Transitioning from Manual Invoice Approvals to Advanced EBilling

In an article by CLOC, DigiCert’s Kelsey Berteaux discussed her journey as the company’s first legal operations professional. Her general counsel asked her to take on the role, and she shepherded the budget management process from manual invoice approvals to advanced eBilling.

Initially, the company lacked formal budget management, relying on rough estimates and manual invoice approvals. The first step toward improvement was using Excel and OneDrive to track invoices and spending, providing greater visibility into financial data. 

Recognizing the limitations of manually applying billing guidelines to each invoice, the legal department implemented an eBilling system. This transition automated the enforcement of billing guidelines. It digitized approvals, introduced data tracking capabilities, and offered new insights into legal spending. 

Despite the improvements, the company faced a new challenge when Finance required the legal department to adopt a purchase order system. The purchase order implementation was complicated, as the legal budget was based on the work category, and the finance budget was categorized by vendor. By integrating purchase order references into Finance’s eBilling system, the legal team maintained efficiency while meeting Finance’s requirements.

As the system matured, the legal department needed to upgrade its eBilling capabilities. An outside consultant was brought in to train the team on its advanced features, such as automated accruals, matter-specific budget estimates, standardized rate cards, and integration with accounts payable systems. These enhancements streamlined processes and improved financial oversight. Looking ahead, the company intends to enforce budget adherence, build a preferred firm list to negotiate better rates, and develop firm scorecards to enhance vendor relationships.

Transitioning the legal department from manual invoice approvals to advanced eBilling didn’t happen overnight. By starting with basic tools and gradually adopting more sophisticated systems, the department improved decision-making and achieved substantial cost savings. Newcomers to legal ops should take inspiration from this step-by-step approach. Progress happens one change at a time.