Today, matter management and electronic billing systems for corporate law departments generally fall into one of five categories, which are described below. Serengeti, with its native Web-based platform, ease of use, simple pricing, quick setup, and automatic upgrades, is a superior solution for most law departments and their firms.

In fact, we have moved many law departments off of other systems that you may be using or considering (view a list of the systems).

Web-Enabled Matter Management Systems

• Web interface built on non-Web platform
• Charges law firms (that you could end up paying)
• Difficult setup and configuration for company and firms
• Security issues involving firm access to law department systems
• Complex system with lengthy training and support
• Non-standard bill coding and software for e-billing
• Per-user or percentage of invoice pricing

Legal Electronic Billing Services

• Charge law firms (that you could end up paying)
• Per-user or percentage of invoice pricing
• Do not provide matter information such as status and
  results, dates and events, documents or notes to file
• Reports limited to spending information
• Delayed feedback to firms when there is a problem with
  their bills
• Cannot process foreign currency legal bills or VAT
• Require LEDES or other special billing software which
  prevents implementation with all of your law firms

Law Firm Extranets

• Limited functionality defined and maintained by law firms
• Company users must log into a different system for each firm
• Numerous, inefficient systems for collecting information and producing reports

Law Firm Software adapted to Companies

• System that was designed for tracking internal matters at firms
• No connection to outside counsel
• Requires software installation on each workstation
• Complex functionality some of which does not apply to law departments
• No reports to track developing areas of liability, legal spending by business units, and other key areas specific to law departments

Serengeti

• Built specifically as an Internet-based system
• Matter management, e-billing, and reporting in a single system
• Connects law department with 100% of its law firms
• Implements world’s largest law departments in three months
• International currency conversion, VAT, and currency preference
• Fixed fee that doesn't change with amount of bills, seats, etc.
• No charges to law firms, which get charged back to companies
• 100% successful implementations