Why Outside Counsel Bill Review Programs Break — and What Better Looks Like

Many legal departments assume the hardest part of outside counsel bill review is catching problematic entries. But flagging issues is only one piece of the process. The bigger challenge is building a program that can consistently support sound decisions, resolve issues efficiently, and create meaningful accountability around outside counsel spend. For in-house legal teams, the question is not just whether questionable charges are being detected. It is whether the overall review process is structured to deliver better outcomes.

Join us on Monday, May 18 at 12:00 PM ET as Steve Bell, Vice President of Sales at LegalBillReview.com, Joe Borstein, Industry Advisor, Julia Principe Lane, Esq., Director of Outside Counsel Spend Analysis at LegalBillReview.com, and Brian Arbetter, Esq., General Counsel & VP of Compliance / Law Firm Relations at LegalBillReview.com, explore why outside counsel bill review programs often fall short and what stronger, more effective programs do differently. This CLE session will walk through a practical framework built around three critical stages of bill review: detect, decide, and resolve. Attendees will examine where programs most often leak value, how to assess whether a current approach is fit for purpose, and what legal leaders should consider when evaluating internal, outsourced, software-driven, or hybrid models. The session will also introduce a decision framework that helps legal teams better align their bill review approach with their billing environment, internal resources, and operational goals.

Key Takeaways:

• How to evaluate outside counsel bill review across the three key stages of detect, decide, and resolve
• Where bill review programs most often break down and lose value, even in well-resourced legal departments
• How to assess whether your current bill review process matches your billing complexity and internal capacity
• The core operating questions mature bill review programs must answer around ownership, resolution, AI, and reviewer responsibility
• How this framework can help legal teams evaluate AI-enabled legal services more broadly, not just bill review

Who Should Attend:

This webinar is designed for in-house legal professionals who oversee outside counsel relationships, legal spend, or bill review processes. It will be especially relevant for general counsel, chief legal officers, legal operations leaders, associate general counsel, senior counsel, and other members of corporate legal departments responsible for managing outside counsel costs, improving billing oversight, or evaluating the role of technology and AI in spend management.