Skill

legalcode-outside-counsel-guidelines

Draft, update, or audit outside counsel guidelines (OCGs) — the overarching billing and conduct policies governing law firm relationships for corporate legal departments. Covers billing rates, staffing requirements, block-billing prohibition, expense policies, budget management, LEDES/UTBMS e-billing compliance, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), diversity and inclusion reporting, performance scorecards, AI and technology provisions, and enforcement mechanisms. Supports two modes: (1) Draft or update an OCG from scratch for a legal department or organization, and (2) Audit existing outside counsel invoices or billing practices against an established OCG. Jurisdiction-agnostic with [JURISDICTION-SPECIFIC] markers for local billing ethics rules. Use when a legal ops team needs an OCG, when an existing OCG needs updating to reflect AFA trends or AI provisions, when a law firm needs to understand client billing expectations, or when invoices are under dispute. Also triggers on: billing guidelines, outside counsel policy, legal billing guidelines, law firm billing rules, LEDES invoice, UTBMS codes, legal spend management, matter budgets, convergence programs, AFA negotiation.