With SimpleLegal's Budget Request feature, legal departments can request budget proposals from their vendor law firms to estimate the cost of upcoming work. This allows firms to collaborate on and approve a budget, which provides both parties with more predictable accounting of future activities.
This article covers the following topics:
- Vendors can access Budget Proposal Requests by clicking on the link from the email notification or by going to the Budgets list page in CounselGO.
- After submitting a proposal, it is reviewed by the client for approval or rejection. If rejected, you may receive an additional notification to adjust and resubmit the proposal.
- For approved budgets, you may be asked to refresh/update the budget from time to time.
Budget Request Notification & Submission
When a client creates a budget proposal request, they select one or more vendor contacts to receive an email notification that includes a link to view/submit the request in CounselGO.
1. Click Submit Proposal from the email notification to open CounselGO.
NOTE: If you are not logged into CounselGO, you will be prompted to enter your credentials. You can also access your list of requests by going to Budgets from the left-side navigation bar.
Clients have the option to assign additional CounselGO collaborators after a budget request is created. In this case, the users will receive the notification at the time of assignment.
2. View the Budget Request form in CounselGO. The due date is listed at the top of the form for reference.
3. Enter responses/details into all fields (see below); information entered will be auto-saved.
| Scope (required) | Define the extent and boundaries of the work that will be completed with the funds associated with the budget. |
| Risk | Note and detail areas where there is any specific risk involved in accomplishing the scope within this proposed budget or timeframe. |
| Assumptions | Note and detail the assumptions made to create this budget. |
| Budget Details |
The Budget Details section displays fields depending on its type (i.e,. Monthly, Quarterly, Phase, or Life of Matter). Use this section to break down the funds within the proposal based on the type of budget. For Phase budgets (as shown in the image below), CounselGO displays the phases identified per UTBMS codes. For more information, click here. |
| Total Budgeted |
For each field under the Budget Details, enter a proposed amount. In the image shown below, amounts are being entered for a Quarterly budget. |
| Total | CounselGO automatically generates the total of amounts per row under the Budget Details section. |
4. Review the information entered for the proposal to check for any edits or other details needed. If other users with access need to review or add information, they can access your saved version.
REMINDER: Once a proposal is submitted, it cannot be edited until the proposal is rejected or a refresh is requested. Double-check that you have entered the intended details before continuing.
5. Click Submit Proposal in the top-right corner of the form if all assigned collaborators have reviewed and entered the necessary information.
6. Click Yes when prompted to confirm.
7. Click OK.
This changes the status of the Budget Proposal Request from Your Action Required to Proposed. The client is notified the proposal is ready for their review. You will also be notified via email once the client accepts or rejects the proposal.
Finding Budget Requests in CounselGO
1. Log into CounselGO and click on the client name from the list.
2. Go to Budgets from the navigation bar on the left.
3. Look for budgets with the status of Your Action Required.
4. Click on the budget row to view the details.
5. Follow the instructions in the previous section to complete and submit the proposal.
Reviewing a Rejected Budget Proposal
If a budget proposal is rejected, you will receive an email notification with any notes/instructions to move forward.
To view or resubmit the proposal, click the link from the email or open the proposal from the Budgets page in CounselGO. For more information, click here.
Submitting a Budget Refresh
During the life of the budget or matter, the client may ask for a budget refresh. A budget refresh is a request to review and update the budget. By keeping the budget current, both the client and vendor stay up to date on anticipated costs and can plan more efficiently.
For instructions on how to submit a refresh, click here.
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