Legal Spend Analyzer

Ask for a visual breakdown of your legal spend and get one built on the spot. Joy reads your outside-counsel invoices and matter data read-only, then shows the split by matter type, your top firms, and where spend is trending over budget — a dashboard-style view you can pull up whenever the question comes up.

For General Counsel Legal Operations Finance & FP&A Matter Owners
Sample prompt to Joy's Assistant

Show me a breakdown of [this quarter's legal spend] by [matter type], with our top outside-counsel firms and where we're trending over budget.

What it can look like

An illustrative example. Your output will reflect your own sources, data, and prompts.

Show me a breakdown of Q2 legal spend by matter type, with our top outside-counsel firms and where we're trending over budget.

I read your e-billing and matter systems just now and pulled Q2 into a single view: the split by matter type, your top firms, and where you're trending over budget. Here is where the $1.28M went — 11% over the $1.15M plan for the quarter.

Legal spend: Q2

Period: Q2 (Apr–Jun)
Source: E-billing and matter data, read read-only at ask time
Total spend: $1.28M across 5 matter types

Q2 outside-counsel spend came to $1.28M, up 12% from $1.14M last quarter and $130K over the $1.15M budget for the period. The biggest matter type by far is litigation & disputes at $512K, 40 cents of every dollar, and it is also what pushed the quarter over plan.

$1.28M
Total Q2 spend
▲ 12% vs last quarter
$512K
Litigation & disputes, 40% of spend
$130K over
vs $1.15M budget
▼ 11% over plan

Here is the full split by matter type. Corporate and employment work make up the next tier, and no matter type outside litigation tops a quarter of spend.

$1.28MQ2 spend
Litigation & disputes$512K
Corporate / M&A$320K
Employment & labor$205K
IP & trademarks$154K
Regulatory & compliance$89K

The pressure is in the trend, not just the total. Spend climbed every month and crossed the monthly budget line in May, then widened in June as discovery ramped on the largest dispute.

Monthly legal spend vs budget, Q2

Apr$380K
May$420K
Jun$480K

Spend is concentrated in a short list of firms. The top four firms account for $922K, 72% of the quarter, and Harlow & Finch alone is $384K (30% of all spend), the single largest relationship and the firm on that ramping litigation matter. Here is how those firms sit inside their matter types.

FirmMatter typeQ2 spendShare of total
Harlow & FinchLitigation & disputes$384K30%
Brightman CorporateCorporate / M&A$256K20%
Cendera IPIP & trademarks$154K12%
Ostrander LaborEmployment & labor$128K10%

Two things stand out. Litigation & disputes is both the largest matter type and the reason the quarter is 11% over plan, so that is where a budget review would pay off first. And with Harlow & Finch at 30% of spend on a single dispute that is still ramping, the one thing to act on is a fresh accrual and fee estimate on that matter before July runs further over. Ask for any matter type, firm, or month and I will read the invoices again and redraw this view around it.

Want me to break litigation & disputes down by firm, or show the same view against budget by month?

From a day of exports to a view you just ask for

Legal Spend Analyzer turns your outside-counsel invoices and matter data into an on-demand visual read. Ask for a period and Joy reads your e-billing and matter systems read-only, then draws the split by matter type, ranks your top firms, and calls out where spend is trending over budget — a dashboard-style view built in the conversation, not a report you keep alive.

  1. Connect your e-billing and matter systems

    Link your legal spend sources once. Joy reads them read-only and only when you ask: outside-counsel invoices, matter records, practice-group coding, and the firms behind them.

  2. Ask for the view

    Say the period and how you want it sliced — by matter type, firm, or practice group. Each time you ask, Joy reads the latest invoices, so the breakdown reflects the numbers as they stand today.

  3. Read the breakdown

    Get KPI tiles, a matter-type donut, a monthly trend against budget, and a top-firms table in one view, plus a short read on what is driving spend over plan.

  4. Use it where you work

    Ask follow-ups like “break litigation down by firm” or “show this against budget by month,” then copy the view into a budget review or a note to the finance team.

  5. Make it one click for your team

    Save this ask as a custom command on the assistant your team already uses, so anyone can run it in one step.

Make it yours

Matter-Type Donut

The whole period divided by matter type at a glance, with the total in the middle and every slice labeled.

Top Firms Table

The handful of outside-counsel firms that make up most of the bill, ranked with each one's share of total spend.

Budget Trend

Spend by month against budget, so you can see the point where the quarter started running over rather than finding out after it closed.

Fresh On Every Ask

Because Joy reads the invoices when you ask, the view always reflects the latest figures instead of a snapshot from last month.

By Firm

Rank spend by outside-counsel firm to find the few relationships that make up most of the total.

By Practice Group

Split the same spend by practice group or internal matter owner to see who is driving it.

Quarter-over-Quarter

Compare this period against the last to see which matter types and firms are the biggest movers.

Against Budget

Line each matter type up against its budget to see where you are running over or under.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a live dashboard or a report I have to build?

It is an on-demand visual read, not a report you assemble or a board running in the background. Each time you ask, Joy reads your e-billing and matter data and draws the breakdown — KPI tiles, a matter-type donut, a monthly budget trend, and a top-firms table — right in the conversation.

How current are the numbers?

They are as current as your e-billing data. Because Joy reads the invoices at the moment you ask rather than from a saved snapshot, the breakdown reflects what has posted in your matter systems today, including recently approved bills.

Can I break spend down by firm or practice group instead of matter type?

Yes. Ask for the same period sliced by firm, practice group, or matter owner and Joy re-reads the data and redraws the view around it. You can also compare two quarters or line matter types up against budget.

Does it flag where we're over budget?

It shows spend by month against your legal budget and calls out where the quarter is trending over, so you can see the point it crossed the line rather than finding out after close. Joy surfaces the variance; the budget decision stays with you.

Does Joy change anything in our billing or matter system?

No. Joy reads your e-billing and matter data read-only. It never writes back, approves an invoice, or changes a record. It only surfaces the breakdown so you can act on it in your own tools.

Related Recipes

Finance

Spend Analytics Dashboard

Visualize spend by category, department, or vendor on demand.
Legal

Contract Q&A

Ask questions about specific contract terms and get cited answers instantly.
Legal

Contract Risk Review

Review a contract instantly with Joy and get a risk analysis.

Ready to catch legal spend before it runs over budget?

Join the waitlist and be first to try this workflow when JoySuite launches.

Join the Waitlist Browse All Recipes