CASE STUDY – MATTER MANAGEMENT
How Emerson’s Legal Ops Team Streamlined Cost Savings with DiliTrust Matter Management
From little data access and missed cost-saving opportunities to $15M in projected savings..
AT A GLANCE
THE CONTEXT
The Emerson Legal Ops success story begins with the challenges they faced and the strategic approach they took to solve them. Assembling the right evaluation team was the first milestone. This enabled them to define key criteria and identify LegalTech solutions capable of supporting both current and future objectives. After narrowing down the providers who passed the initial evaluation phase, it came down to trust and expertise. DiliTrust delivered the strongest response and now had the opportunity to demonstrate tangible value. They achieved this through a fast, efficient implementation of a system built to maximize performance. Collaborating closely with Emerson’s legal professionals, DiliTrust experts met every timeline. They delivered strategic guidance to ensure the successful adoption of the most beneficial system for their needs.
Photo by Nopparuj Lamaikul on Unsplash
THE CHALLENGE
Limiting Tools and Little Access to Data
Emerson Legal Ops needed innovative legal technology that could support future initiatives and exceed current system limitations. It also needed to uncover significant cost-saving opportunities. The legal department set out to centralize and streamline all functions using advanced LegalTech within a single platform. Matter Management offered the most effective path to boost operational efficiency, reduce system complexity, and control overall legal costs. However, success depended equally on usability. The team required a platform that enabled easy adoption for global users and encouraged collaboration at scale. Overcoming low user adoption, stemming from limitations in their previous system, was critical. This was key to unlocking the full potential of process automation, waste elimination, and value-driven legal operations.
THE SOLUTION
A user friendly, collaborative and scalable Matter Management solution
Matter Management, implemented by DiliTrust, enabled Emerson to streamline core functions and improve efficiency across the board. At the same time, they needed a scalable system, one that could evolve over the next 5–10 years. With a configurable architecture designed to flex with business needs, DiliTrust delivered continuous improvements with little or no downtime. This agility allowed Emerson’s legal teams to maintain peak performance while staying in full control of their legal operations through a centralized invoice review process amongst other implementations. By aligning the strengths of both legal and business units, they achieved smarter cost control, improved productivity, and holistic visibility from a unified platform.
Through this partnership with DiliTrust, Emerson proved that dedicated legal technology experts, combined with the right matter management platform, can drive sustainable operational excellence and long-term savings.
DiliTrust has been there for us every step of the way. They understand that a Matter Management tool is not something that is implemented and left alone. It is a system that needs to be maintained and evolve with our business as needs change.
Patty Kuehn
Manager of Global Law Department Operations at Emerson
THE RESULTS
Improved data management, legal management and more legal savings
The Legal Operations team projects $15 million in total savings over the next three years by implementing new billing policies and driving operational efficiencies.
Matter Management’s support for Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs) delivered year-over-year predictability in both costs and savings.
Administration time was reduced by 40% for the legal department and 20% for the finance team. Centralization allowed to downsize from 19 part time collaborators to 2 full time.
All global legal teams now collaboratively manage legal spending using a single, integrated platform across the organization.
Learn more about what DiliTrust can do for you, whether it’s accelerating processes, efficiency gains, cost savings or all the above mentioned.