CounselLink Answer Center for Clients

Managing Firms and Vendors

  • Updated

This article covers the following:

Finding a Law Firm

You can locate law firms in LexisNexis® CounselLink® using one of the following methods:

  • The Quick Search field in the header

  • The Law Firms tab

  • The preconfigured link in the Profiles panel on the homepage

You can also select Search Tips below the Search button on the Law Firm Search page to view detailed search criteria.

Performing a Quick Search for Law Firms

  1. Use the Quick Search field in the top navigation bar.

  2. Select Law Firms as the category.
  3. Enter any firm attribute (such as name or location).
  4. Click the magnifying glass icon.

Accessing Law Firms from the Profiles Panel on the Homepage

The Profiles Panel contains quick links to common searches related to profiles. Click Law Firm Search to access the Law Firm Search page.

Accessing Law Firms from the Law Firms Tab

Click the Law Firms tab at the top of the page to access the Law Firm Search page. 

Adding or Removing Firms or Vendors in CounselLink

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Once you have coordinated with your accounts payable group to establish a new vendor, contact the Attorney Implementation team at LexisNexis CounselLink to complete the setup.

  1. Send an email to the Attorney Implementation team at attorneyimplementation@lexisnexis.com. Include the following information in your message:
    • Your client name in the subject line (ex. Add-on / Remove/ Change Request for XYZ Corporation)
    • Law Firm / Vendor name
    • Law Firm / Vendor location
    • Law Firm / Vendor contact email and phone number
    • Fee Structure to offer rates to (if adding new vendor or to a new fee structure)
  2. The Attorney Implementation team will contact the vendor or law firm with next steps, including submitting a fee offer. Once the fee offer is approved, the vendor or law firm becomes available for matter assignment.
  3. Add the Vendor ID to the Law Firm Office Profile. The Vendor ID is a unique ID used by your accounts payable groups to generate payments to a law firm.

Removing a Law Firm from a Matter

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You can remove a law firm from a matter if your organization no longer requires its services. You may choose whether the firm must acknowledge the removal.

You must have the Matter Assign and the View Fee Offer role in order to remove law firms from a matter.

  1. Access the Remove Law Firm(s) window by one of the following methods:

    • Click x Remove in the Law Firms tab of the Matter Overview page once you've selected one or more law firms.

    • Click Remove Law Firm once you've selected a matter on the Matter Search page. This option allows you to remove a law firm from multiple matters.

      The Remove Law Firm(s) window displays.

  2. Optional: If you've selected the matter(s) from the Matters Search page, select a law firm from the Remove drop-down.

  3. Select a reason for the removal in the Reason drop-down.

    If you select Other, a Details text box displays. Enter details for the removal reason in the text box.

  4. Optional: Place a check mark by one of the following:

    These two options are mutually exclusive; if you check one, you cannot check the other.

    • Require Law Firm/Vendor to acknowledge removal
    • Bypass Law Firm Email Notifications 
  5. Click Remove. 

Canceling Removal of a Law Firm from a Matter

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You can cancel a law firm’s removal if the removal request is still in a pending status.

You must have the Matter Assign role to reverse an a law firm's removal on a matter.

Cancel a removal from the Matter Search Page

  1. On the Matters Search page, place a check mark next to the matter(s) to which you want to re-add the law firm.
  2. Click More Actions.
  3. Select Cancel Removal of Law Firm.

Cancel a removal from the Matter Overview Page

  1. Click the Law Firms tab on the Matter Overview page.
  2. Place a check mark next to the law firm office.

  3. Click Cancel Removal.

A Cancel Law Firm confirmation window displays.

  1. Click Yes.
  • If successful, then a success confirmation message displays.
  • If unsuccessful, an alert displays. Click Show Details to review.

Editing a Law Firm Office Profile

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The Additional Information section of the Law Firm Office Profile allows you to edit organization-specific custom data fields. These fields may be optional or required.

  1. Find the Law Firm Office's Profile Overview page.

  2. Click the pencil icon in the Additional Information section.

  3. Enter or update the required information.
  4. Click Save Additional Information.

Reviewing a Law Firm

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Users may submit internal reviews for law firms working with their organization. Reviews can include feedback on billing promptness, invoice accuracy, and responsiveness. 

Reviews are only visible to users at your organization.

  1. Find the firm's Profile Overview page.
  2. Click the Reviews tab.

  3. Click the stars by the Sort By drop-down.

  4. Click Review this Law Firm. The Review window displays.

  5. Enter an Overall rating of 1-5 by clicking a star.
  6. Optional: Enter a headline to describe the overall message.
  7. Optional: Enter a detailed review about the firm.
  8. Click Submit Review.

Creating a Diversity Survey for Your Law Firms

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You may request or require that law firms complete a Diversity Survey. Once completed and shared, the survey provides information about the firm’s composition, including race, gender, and veteran status.

The survey collects diversity data from the previous calendar year. For example, completing a survey today will display data for the prior year.

To request diversity information, create new Billing Guidelines that include the Diversity Survey requirement. It is not recommended to update an existing guideline, as doing so requires all firms to re-accept it. Instead, create a new guideline that acts as an addendum.

Requirements:

  • Billing Guidelines must be enabled in your organization’s configuration.

  • Users must have the Corporate Admin or Invoice Admin role to manage billing guidelines.

We recommend specifying which types of firms are required to complete the survey.

Viewing Diversity Survey Results

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Once a law firm submits and shares a Diversity Survey, you can access the results.

  1. Click the Law Firms tab in the top toolbar. The Law Firms search page displays.

  2. Click the name of the firm in the Law Firm name column. The Law Firm Profile page displays for the selected firm.

  3. Click on the Diversity Survey Date link under Law Firm Status.

    A read-only version of the CounselLink Diversity Survey displays.

    If a law firm has not shared its response, the status displays as Undisclosed. Firms may also choose not to share individual timekeeper data.

  4. Click Back to Law Firm Profile.

Finding Law Firm Scores

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You can locate law firm scores from the Law Firm Search page.

Depending on your organization's configuration, you may not have access to law firm scorecard information.

Accessing Law Firm Score Details from the Search Page

  1. Click the Law Firms tab in the top toolbar. The Law Firm Search page displays.
  2. Optional: If the column for the score is not displayed in the search results:

    1. Place a check mark next to Score in the Columns drop down.

    2. Click Save. 
  3. Optional: To filter the results based on the overall score:
    1. Click Configure Filters.

    2. Select Score.

    3. Click Save. The Score filter appears at the bottom of your list. Use the slider to adjust the search results by overall score.

  4. Click on a score in the Score column. The Law Firm Score displays.

  5. Optional: Click Review this Law Firm Office to review the law firm.