The glossary below defines fields, labels, functionality, and other terms used in Unity. If you are looking for a specific field or term, press Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac OSX) on your keyboard and enter the name or keyword to find any matches.
A-D
Accruals
Estimates submitted by vendors for unbilled work covering a future period. Only applicable if accruals are enabled for a vendor and is used for planning, budgeting, and reporting purposes.
Accruals Submission
A label that can be assigned to an external vendor contact to receive an accruals request from the customer per the defined schedule.
Active Matter
Any open matter that has had at least one invoice billed to it in the previous 90 days.
Activity
Tab on invoice details page that logs activity for that invoice in Unity.
Activity Code
An alphanumeric code that categorizes the activity for a line item. The code is typically prefixed with the letter ‘A’ and follows the LEDES Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS).
Activity Date
Date for a line item on an invoice. Also see Worked Date.
Activity Log
Logbook under Settings > Activity Log that displays the last 90 days of activities across the system, such as records being created/modified or adjustments made to settings.
Address Book
Unified list of internal Unity users and external contacts added in Unity, such as contacts for a specific vendor. Contacts are added to the Address Book when they are created as Unity users or added via matters or vendor records.
Adjustment (System)
An adjustment made by Unity to a line item or a whole invoice as a result of an AI Powered Invoice Review Rule or Invoice Validation Rule. As opposed to flagging an invoice, the rule automatically makes the adjustment based on meeting a rule condition.
Adjustment (User)
An adjustment made by an internal user (see Reviewer) to one or more line items or a whole invoice due to a billing rule violation or other reason. In Unity, adjustments can only be made to invoices submitted in US dollars due to tax implications.
Advanced Permissions
A feature that enables customers to set explicit read and edit permissions for matters, invoices, and budgets, while still retaining standard user role permissions.
AFA
Stands for Alternative Fee Arrangement, which refers to any billing arrangement that falls outside of traditional hourly billing.
Age
The age of an invoice from receipt until approval. Calculated as: 1) Current Date, minus the Received Date (if not approved), or 2) Approved Date, minus the Received Date (if approved).
AI Powered Invoice Review
Feature that provides AI-powered invoice review by automatically flagging, adjusting, or rejecting invoices that violate specified billing rules and guidelines.
Allocated Amount
The spend amount allocated to a specific invoice or budget.
Allocation
A system of dividing spend among various attributes assigned to an invoice. Typically refers to accounting-type attributes, such as GL Codes or Cost Centers. In Unity, the default allocatable attributes appear as Cost Code or Legal Entity depending on custom label settings. List-type custom attributes can also be set as allocatable depending on customer needs.
Allocation Percentage
The percentage of a line item or invoice allocated to a predefined attribute, such as a Legal Entity or Cost Code.
Approvable
The Yes or No flag identifying whether an invoice meets all customer requirements to move into the review cycle for approval. Invoices can be rejected, even if they are not approvable.
Approved Amount
See Approved Total. Amount is located on the Unity PDF version of an approved invoice.
Approval Authority
The maximum invoice amount a reviewer can approve without requiring escalation to another user, such as a supervisor or other designated escalation point of contact for invoices.
Approved Date
Date an invoice was changed to ‘Approved’ status. Applies to invoices in Approved status or later statuses, such as Sent to AP or Posted to AP.
Approved Date 1
Date the first reviewer approved the invoice.
Approved Date 2
Date the second reviewer approved the invoice, if applicable.
Approved Total
Sum of fees and expenses to be paid; reflects any deductions made by the vendor before submitting the invoice and any adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system based on billing rules.
Approver (Invoices)
Also see Invoice Reviewer. A user listed as a reviewer/approver on an invoice. Assigned manually from an invoice, matter, or other record, or automatically through invoice review rules.
Approver (Matters)
Only applies if the Matter Review feature is enabled in Unity. If enabled, it requires admins to review and sign off on draft matters created by non-admins before they are published to avoid duplication.
Ask Unity
AI-powered data exploration tool that allows legal operations teams to interact with their legal spend data by asking questions or using built-in options. This is not enabled by default; contact your Onit representative for assistance.
Average Rate (Average Realized Rate)
Calculated as the average of Billed Hourly Fees, divided by Billed Fee Hours. This could be the average for an invoice, matter, vendor, a specific timekeeper, or a customer-defined roll-up.
Billed Amount
Sum of fees and expenses (i.e., line item types IE, E, IF, and F) rolled up by invoice, matter, vendor, matter group, or legal entity in Unity. Includes deductions made by the vendor but excludes any final adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system in Unity.
Billed Date
The earliest and latest dates for line items on an invoice.
Billed Expenses
Sum of expenses (i.e., line item types IE and E) rolled up by invoice, matter, vendor, matter group, or legal entity in Unity. Includes deductions made by the vendor but excludes any final adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system in Unity.
Billed Fees
Sum of fees (i.e., line item types F and IF) rolled up by invoice, matter, vendor, matter group, or legal entity in Unity. Includes deductions made by the vendor but excludes any final adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system in Unity.
Billed Flat/Fixed Fees (AFAs)
Sum of fees (i.e., line item type IF) on an invoice. Includes deductions made by the vendor but excludes any final adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system in Unity. See AFA.
Billed Hourly Fees
Sum of hourly fee line items (i.e., line item type F) on an invoice. Includes deductions made by the vendor but excludes any final adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system in Unity.
Billed Quantity
Number of units tied to a line item. This could refer to the number of hours, a flat fee line item, or expense items.
Billed Rate
The rate at which a line-item quantity was billed, such as an hourly rate.
Billed Tax
Total tax billed rolled by invoice, matter, vendor, matter group, or legal entity. Includes all consumption taxes regardless of type and is typically not the Withholding tax amount.
Budget
Used to forecast and track legal spend. Budgets can be either internal (for reference only in Unity) or external (for vendor input; see Budget Requests). There are four budget types: Monthly, Quarterly, Phase, and Life of Matter.
Budget Refresh
Request sent to a vendor to submit any updates to a previously approved and active external budget. See Budget Requests.
Budget Requests
A feature that allows customers to submit requests for budget proposals for specific matters from vendors for review and approval. Also referred to as external budgets in Unity.
Bulk Actions
A feature that allows admins to create and update various types of records in bulk (i.e., matters, vendors, cost codes, legal entities, and matter groups).
Bulk Share Files
An option that allows customers to share files in bulk with one or more vendors at one time from the Vendors list. Useful for sharing standard documentation with vendors, such as billing guidelines.
Calendar Sync
Allows users to integrate a third-party calendar application (e.g., Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, or Apple Calendar) to track matter-level tasks and events outside Unity. Whether this option is available depends on system settings.
Calendar Workbench
Consolidated view of all tasks and events across matters in Unity; can be accessed by going to Calendar from the navigation menu on the left side. Allows users to filter, access, and manage tasks and events as well as create new tasks and events.
Category (Document)
Single word or short phrase that quickly identifies the purpose of a document uploaded to a matter (e.g., Disclosure). Also see DMS.
Change Template
Option to change the matter template associated with an open matter.
Client Matter ID
System-generated ID assigned when a matter is created in Unity. This can be used to identify matters for vendor invoicing or reporting. Also referred to as Matter ID in Unity.
Closed Date
Date a matter was moved into closed status. If the matter is reopened and later closed, the original Closed Date is retained unless it is manually changed during reopening.
Closed Matters
Count of matters in closed status or count of matters closed within a specified timeframe, as determined by the Closed Date.
Confidential Matters
A feature that allows legal departments to keep more sensitive matters restricted to only specific users. This means only users explicitly added to the matter can access the record and its invoices. Data for confidential matters is also excluded from reports and other areas of Unity.
Contacts
Internal users and external vendor contacts who are associated with matter and vendor records. External vendor contacts can be created to grant CounselGO access and, for informational purposes, to capture, track, and easily find specific data points (e.g., contact labels). Also see Address Book.
Cost Code
Codes that represent the organizations to which legal costs may be allocated or charged for accounting purposes. May appear as a different term, such as Charge Number, depending on custom label settings in customer environments. Cost Codes are unique to customers and set up under Administration Cost Codes.
CounselGO
Unity portal used by vendors to submit invoices to customers and track general information about matters.
CounselGO Access
Role assigned to an external vendor contact to grant non-admin access to CounselGO.
CounselGO Admin
Role that can be assigned to an external vendor contact to grant admin access to CounselGO. At least one CounselGO admin must be added per vendor record if invoicing via CounselGO is required.
CounselGO Invoice Submission
Setting that can be managed from individual vendor records to allow firms to submit invoices from CounselGO. This setting must be enabled to give new vendors access to CounselGO.
CounselMatch
Embedded access to Leopard Solutions' PROWESS platform, a database of attorneys and firms to make it easier for customers to find, assess, and engage qualified vendors. This is not enabled by default and is only available to administrators.
Court Rules
Events that are generated in Unity using an integration with third-party application CalendarRules. The integration is used to populate relevant jurisdiction court data and timelines by allowing users to select specific triggers events.
Credit
Amount either paid back from the vendor to the customer or deducted from a future invoice as a result of a previous overpayment.
Credit Memo
Negative invoice as a result of a previous overpayment.
Currency (Code)
3-character ISO currency code associated with an amount (e.g., USD, CAD, EUR, etc.).
Currency Year (CY)
Current calendar year of the item under review.
Custom Attribute
Custom fields added by customers to Unity to capture, track, and report on additional information for matters and other types of records. Custom attributes in matter templates define optional and required information that users must capture.
Custom Labels
The menu under Settings > Custom Labels lets customers customize labels for the following standard terms to match their organization's terminology: Cost Code, Legal Entity, and Matter Group. These terms are used in Unity for various purposes, such as allocating costs and further categorizing matters for tracking/reporting.
Date in Current Status
The date that an invoice moved into its current status.
Days Since Received
Number of days since an invoice was received in Unity based on the current date or the date a report is generated.
Default Permissions
If Advanced Permissions are enabled, admins can restrict/enable activities across matters in Unity (e.g., create, grant, edit, and view). Default permissions can be set for ALL users, specific user groups (e.g., Entity Users), custom User Teams (if applicable), and individual users. The default edit/view permissions can be further managed at the matter level.
Discount
Reduction to the total billed amount on an invoice. Typically applied as a negative amount to fee line items or as its own line item by the vendor before submitting the invoice.
Discount %
Applies to reductions made by a vendor on an invoice. Calculated as the discount amount divided by the total billed amount.
Display Group
Labels used to further categorize custom attributes added by customers. All custom attributes are added to a default group (i.e., Custom), but customers can create additional display groups to organize them by matter type or other criteria.
Diversity Data Collection
An option that allows customers to request diversity data from vendors that submit new timekeeper rates in CounselGO (e.g., ethnicity, gender, disability status, etc.). This can be enabled/disabled for individual vendors as needed. If collected, data is anonymized for all timekeepers and used only for diversity metrics reporting.
Document Management System (DMS)
A feature that allows legal departments to store, organize, and manage matter files. This includes setting up folder/sub-folder structures, creating custom categories and labels for filtering and searching, previewing documents directly within Unity, and allowing version control.
Document Settings
An option under the Settings menu that allows admins to manage document categories, labels, and other preferences for the Unity DMS, if enabled.
E-H
Escalation Management
An option under the Settings menu that lets customers set the maximum invoice approval authority for users and designate other users as escalation points for invoices that exceed that limit, such as a supervisor or admin.
Event Management
A feature that helps legal departments create and track important matter-level events, such as meetings, conferences, court dates, and other court-related deadlines. Settings, such as calendar integration and custom event types, can be managed under Settings > Events.
Event Types
Labels used to further organize matter-level events into categories for filtering, searching, and reporting. Customers can use/edit the built-in options provided by Unity and/or create their custom Event Types under Settings > Events.
Expense
Expense line items on an invoice labeled as types IE or E.
Expense Adjustment
Adjustment made to a line item labeled as type IE.
Expense Adjustment
Adjustment made to a line item labeled as type IE.
Expense Code
An alphanumeric code that signifies the type of expense for a line item. Typically prefixed with the letter ‘E’ based on LEDES UTBMS.
External Calendar Sync
An option under the Administration menu that allows customers to enable or disable calendar integration for tasks and events at the system level.
Fee
Fee line items on an invoice labeled as type F or IF. Refers to a charge for services, such as an hourly fee or fixed fee.
Fee Adjustment
Adjustment made to a line item labeled as type IF. This could include discounts and reductions to the billed fee, based on specific billing guidelines.
Files
A section in the matter, vendor, and invoice records where users can upload or manage attachments.
Final Adjustment
The number of adjustments made to a line item or a whole invoice by a user or automatically by the system based on billing rules.
Final Amount
Sum of fees and expenses to be paid for invoice line items. Includes any deductions made by the vendor before submitting the invoice and any adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system. Also referred to as Final Spend.
Final Quantity
Total number of units to be paid for an invoice line item or a whole invoice after any deductions made by the vendor before submitting the invoice and any adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system. Refers to the number of hours, a flat fee line item, or expense items.
Final Rate
Final rate at which the line item quantity is paid, such as the hourly rate. Includes any deductions made by the vendor before submitting the invoice and any adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system.
Final Spend
Sum of fees and expenses to be paid for invoice line items. Includes any deductions made by the vendor before submitting the invoice and any adjustments made manually by a reviewer or automatically by the system. Also referred to as Final Amount.
Financials
Dashboard available from the left-side navigation bar that provides a summary of legal spend for all (or filtered) matters and vendors, including KPIs and Top 10 lists.
Follower
A Unity user who has been granted view-only access to invoices associated with a specific matter, legal entity, or vendor. Followers are not required to approve invoices and typically just need to remain informed of billing activity. Also referred to as Subscriber.
Following
Tile on the Unity dashboard that displays any matters for which the user is the assigned Matter Leads and/or vendors for which the user is the assigned Vendor Manager.
Forecast
Column that pulls from accrual estimates submitted by vendors for future periods. If there is no forecasted amount, Unity uses the future budget allocation to calculate the forecast.
General Attributes
Standard fields used to capture, track, and report on data in records across Unity, such as matters and vendors. Examples of general attributes include Matter Name, Legal Entity, Matter Group, and Description.
General File Sharing
Functionality that allows customers to share files with vendors and receive files from vendors that are not associated with specific matters. This can include service agreements, billing guidelines, and other standard documentation specific to working with the firm.
Gross Billed Amount
Billed Amount prior to any adjustments.
Hours
Task or work billed in hours on an invoice. Typically tracked using 1/10 of hour increment (e.g., 1.0, 0.1, 1.5, 0.5, 0.3, etc.). Also see Billed Quantity and Final Quantity.
I-L
Inactive Matter
Open matter with no invoices billed to it in the previous 90 days.
Insights
Tab on an invoice record in Unity that breaks down the invoice's total against associated budgets, matters, and activity/task/expense codes (if applicable).
Invoice
A bill sent by a vendor for payment of services provided for a specific period on a particular matter. Includes fees and expenses separated into individual line items based on billing guidelines for review/approval. If enabled, vendors can submit invoices via CounselGO so they are received in Unity.
Invoice Actions
Menu on an invoice that lists additional options for assigned reviewers and admins, such as Pause Approval (i.e., place invoice on hold).
Invoice Date
Date an invoice was generated in the vendor’s billing software or manually entered in CounselGO. Typically, a few days or weeks after the billing period closes.
Invoice Description
Summary or brief description of the work being billed on an invoice.
Invoice Month
Month of the Invoice Date.
Invoice Notes
Section under the Settings tab of a matter to add notes that will appear on all invoices and associated emails/PDFs connected to the matter.
Invoice Number
Unique number assigned to an invoice by the vendor.
Invoice Received Month
Month of the invoice’s Received Date.
Invoice Review
Refers to the invoice approval workflow in Unity. This includes automatic review by the system (if rules are enabled) and/or manual review by assigned internal users (see Invoice Reviewer).
Invoice Reviewer
Internal user assigned to review and approve, adjust, and/or reject an invoice. Assigned manually from an invoice or matter or automatically through invoice review rules. Also see Approver (Invoices).
Invoice Status
Current state of an invoice (e.g., Received, On Hold, Processing, Paid, etc.).
Invoice Subject
Subject entered by the vendor to outline the general context of work or expenses on an invoice.
Invoice Total
Sum of the billed amount of all line items on an invoice, including fees, expenses, and any deductions made by the vendor.
KPI
Stands for Key Performance Indicator; used for reporting purposes in Unity.
Labels (Document)
Tags that can be assigned to documents uploaded to matters in Unity (e.g., Time Sensitive or Classified) for filtering and searching. Labels are custom tags that are created and managed by admins in customer environments. Only applies if the DMS feature is enabled. See Document Management System.
Labels (Vendor)
Labels that can be assigned to internal or external contacts from a vendor record (e.g., Billing, Contracts, etc.). These labels are for informational purposes only and do not drive any additional permissions in Unity or CounselGO.
Last Status Change Date
Date that an invoice’s status was last updated.
Last Year
Filter criteria covering the previous calendar year.
Law Firm Matter ID
Identifier added to an invoice by the vendor in CounselGO or vendor’s billing software for mapping to a matter record.
Legal Entity
Individual, company, or organization that has legal rights and obligations (e.g., can take on debt). Used to capture, track, and map information for various types of records in Unity, including invoices, matters, and reporting. Term may appear differently for some customers depending on custom label settings (e.g., Company, Cost Center, etc.).
Legal Requests
Feature that gives companies a standard way for other teams to request help and support from the legal department. Users can submit forms that are reviewed/approved by admins and converted into legal matters for action.
Life of Matter Spend
Total spend associated with a matter over all time.
Line Date
Date the task/activity/expense line item was recorded, worked (fee), or incurred (expense). Also called Line Item Date.
Line Description
Text description entered by a vendor to provide context or additional information for a billed line item on an invoice.
Line Item
Items recorded on an invoice for billable work, such as the date, quantity, rate, line item type (i.e., fees vs. expenses), description, and amount.
Line Type
Labels used to categorize line items based on type of spend (i.e., fee vs. expense) per LEDES billing standards. Abbreviations for line item types are as follows: F, IF, E, and IE.
M-P
Mark Paid
Option to manually mark an approved invoice as paid in Unity.
Matter
Legal matter that has been recorded or generated in Unity, such as a subject of consideration, disagreement, or litigation.
Matter Closed Date
The most recent date that a matter was closed in Unity.
Matter Country
Country in which a matter is located, if provided.
Matter Description
Summary of the legal work that a matter encompasses, if provided.
Matter File Sharing
Functionality that allows customers to share files with. Vendors and receive files from vendors that are specific to a matter.
Matter Group
Also referred to as Practice Area, Practice Group, or a similar term, depending on custom label settings in customer environments. This is a grouping of matters, typically organized by area of law or concentration, for tracking, reporting, and billing purposes.
Matter Lead
Lead attorney or other individual of a legal department assigned as the point of contact for a matter in Unity. A Matter Lead is an internal Unity user. Assigning a Matter Lead is required for all matters in Unity as of August 2023.
Matter Name
Name given to a matter in Unity.
Matter Opened Date
The date that a matter was opened or published in Unity.
Matter Region
Geographic region in which a matter is located, if provided.
Matter Review
An optional workflow in Unity that allows non-admin users to create draft matters for review and publishing by admins. Also referred to as Draft Matters.
Matter Settings
An option under the Administration menu that allows admins to disable or enable Matter Lead email notifications for new matter assignments.
Matter Status
Whether a matter is in Draft, Open, or Closed status.
Matter Templates
Collection of pre-defined fields that establish required and optional attributes for new/similar matters. The use of matter templates allows customers to capture and track data consistently and reduces the time spent on maintaining matters. All matters must be associated with a matter template. By default, all customers must have at least one matter template in Unity.
Matter Updates
Functionality that allows customers to share matter-specific comments/updates with vendors and receive responses/updates from vendors via CounselGO.
Matters Closed
Number of matters moved from Open status to Closed status for a specified time period.
Matters List
Consolidated list of matters in Unity that can be used to filter, search, and access relevant records. How many matters are displayed depends on the logged-in user’s permissions and which matters they can access.
Matters Opened
Number of matters moved to Open status for a specified time period (either from Draft status or re-opened from Closed status).
Matters Worked
Number of worked matters for a specified time period. This refers to open matters with at least one billed line-item date.
Merge
Option in a matter record to merge a duplicate matter into a destination matter. This is recommended only if invoices have already been submitted for the overlapping matters and the duplicate cannot be deleted.
Most Frequently Viewed
Tile on the Unity dashboard that displays the records most frequently viewed by the logged-in user within the last week or last 30 days.
My Action Items
Section on the Unity dashboard that provides quick access to records or other items that require action, such as pending invoices, legal requests, or budget proposals.
Native Adjustment
Adjustment Amount in vendor’s originating currency (which may be different than the customer’s default system currency).
Native Billed Amount
Billed Amount in vendor’s originating currency (which may be different than the customer’s default system currency).
Native Billed Net
Billed Amount, including all adjustments and deductions, in vendor’s originating currency (which may be different than the customer’s default system currency.
Native Billed Rate
Hourly Rate in vendor’s originating currency (which may be different than the customer’s default system currency).
Native Billed Tax
Billed Tax in vendor’s originating currency (which may be different than the customer’s default system currency).
Native Currency
Originating currency used by a vendor to submit invoices as opposed to the default system currency used by a customer in Unity.
Needs to Approve
Remaining Reviewers on an invoice who must review/approve an invoice for payment.
Opened Matters
Number of matters opened within a specified date range.
Overview
Tab in matter, vendor, budget, and invoice records that displays attributes and other general information about the record.
Paid
Status of an invoice that has been marked as paid manually by an admin, reviewer, or automatically via a finance system integration (if applicable).
Pause Approval
Admin option to place a pending invoice in “On Hold” status.
Pause Payment
Admin option to place an approved invoice in “Approved Hold” status.
Pending Matters
Number of matters in Open status as of a specific moment in time, such as a specific date or date range.
Pending Status
Refers to invoices in any of the following statuses: Received, On Hold, and Processing.
Period
Earliest possible date and last possible date for line items on an invoice (specified by a vendor on the invoice) provided by the vendor on an invoice to indicate the start and end of the billing period. This is a LEDES e-billing standard; whether this is required or validated depends on custom billing guidelines.
Proposed Adjusted Total
The total of an invoice after adjustments have been made to individual line items or the whole invoice due to billing guideline violations or incorrect rates. Adjustments can be made automatically by the system or manually by the reviewer. The percentage difference from the Billed Total is displayed under this field for reference.
Purchase Order (PO)
A commercial document issued by a Unity user to a vendor that specifies the types, quantities, and agreed-upon prices for services. This feature must be enabled to create and/or assign POs.
Purchase Order (PO) Number
Number identifying the PO. Issued to a vendor. This feature must be enabled to create and/or assign POs.
R-U
Rack Rate
Indicates the standard hourly rate for an individual timekeeper and is usually greater than or equal to the timekeeper’s approved rate. Optional for vendors and typically provided to represent a discounted rate. Only applies if Timekeeper Rate Validation is enabled.
Received (Status)
Status of an invoice that is submitted by a vendor and received by a customer in Unity.
Received (Date)
Date an invoice was received in Unity (e.g., date a vendor submitted the invoice from CounselGO).
Recompute Reviewers
Option for admins on an invoice to refresh the reviewers to reflect any changes made to reviewers on the associated matter or changes made to associated review rules.
Rejected
Invoice with errors or other validation issues that must be revised and resubmitted by a vendor for review and approval.
Rejected Amount
Amount of an invoice that was rejected and sent back to the vendor for correction and resubmission.
Reopen
Option under Actions menu for a closed matter to change the status back to “Opened.”
Require Invoice PDF
Setting that can be managed from individual vendor records to require firms to submit a PDF copy of invoices to move forward with submission.
Resubmission History
Log created in invoices if a CounselGO user resubmits a previously rejected invoice by linking it to a new invoice.
Resume Approval
Option for admins on an invoice to change the status from On Hold back to Received for review/approval.
Revert to Received
Option for admins on an invoice to change the status from Approved back to Received.
Roles
Tab in a vendor record where internal and external contacts can be added for an individual vendor. This section is also used to grant relevant Vendor Portal access and assign additional roles, such as Matter File Sharing or General File Sharing.
Rule Management
Option under Settings menu to manage Invoice Validation Rules and Invoice Review Rules.
Sent to AP
Invoice status indicating that an invoice is pending confirmation for payment from the accounting team.
Services Rendered Date, for
Range of dates displayed on Unity's PDF copy of an invoice. Includes the period start date and period end date.
Settings
Option on the left-side navigation bar that opens the administration menu to manage settings and other configurations (e.g., custom attributes, accrual settings, etc.).
Settings (Vendor Record)
Tab in vendor record that allows users to enable/disable features and other settings, such as accruals, invoice submission, and timekeeper rate validation, as well as set default values for system fields (e.g., Cost Codes, etc.) and other custom attributes.
Settings (Matter Record)
Tab in matter record that allows users to manage allocations, advanced permissions (if applicable), and notification options.
Spend
Invoice amount to be paid after discounts and adjustments have been made by the system or manually by an invoice reviewer. This is the amount sent to AP for payment. See Final Amount.
Spend Agent
Provides AI-powered validation by reviewing invoices submitted by vendors against natural language billing guidelines uploaded by Unity customers. This generates AI summaries to enable reviewers to make informed decisions on next steps. This is not enabled by default; contact your Onit representative for help.
Status Date (Invoice)
Date the invoice status was most recently changed (e.g., from Received to On Hold).
Status Date (Matter)
Date the matter status was most recently changed (e.g., from Open to Closed).
Submitted Currency
Currency used on an invoice submitted by a vendor. Also see Native Currency.
System Currency
The default currency is set at the system level by the customer in Unity.
Task Code
An alphanumeric code that signifies the type of task or project performed by a timekeeper or vendor for a specific line item per the LEDES Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS).
Tasks
A feature in Unity that allows users to create, assign, and/or follow actionable items for specific matters. Tasks can be viewed and managed at the matter level or from the consolidated Tasks Workbench. Applies if the Task Management feature is enabled.
Tasks Workbench
Consolidated view of associated tasks across matters in Unity; can be accessed from the navigation menu on the left side. Allows users to filter, access, and manage tasks as well as create new tasks.
Tax
Compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed by a governmental organization. If line items are taxable, their amounts can be viewed/tracked in Unity for invoicing and reporting.
Tax Authority
An entity that governs the consumption tax for particular entities and firms. This is typically a country (e.g., Ireland is a tax authority that governs consumption tax for Irish entities and firms). If the VAT functionality is enabled in Unity, customers can add/manage Tax Authorities from the Administration menu.
Tax Code
Code associated with a Tax Authority added to Unity for invoicing purposes.
Timekeeper
An employee from a vendor firm who bills for work or services completed in support of a legal matter. Timekeepers are added by the vendor in CounselGO, with hourly or fixed-rate billing.
Timekeeper Classification
Role, title, or level indicating the type or complexity of work performed by a timekeeper, if specified. Also referred to as Timekeeper Level.
Timekeeper Rate Validation
A feature that can be enabled to require vendors to submit timekeeper rates for approval in order to submit invoices. This setting can also be turned on and off for individual firms from the Settings tab of vendor records.
Total Payment Amount
Total amount of payments posted against an invoice.
Unpaid Invoice
An invoice in any status other than “Paid” (including “Partially Paid” or “Overpaid,” if applicable).
User Management
An option under the Settings menu to manage existing Unity users and add new Unity users.
User Profile
Profile that captures/stores general information about Unity users (e.g., name, contact information, etc.) and other settings that can be managed by admins, such as Enhanced Reporting Access, Invoice Approval Authority, and User Teams (if applicable).
User Roles
Set of permissions assigned to users that drive access and privileges for matters, invoices, budgets, and other areas of Unity. Users can be assigned one of the following roles: Admin, Power User, Filtered, Finance, Email Only, Email Only Filtered, and Legal Requests Only.
User Teams
Groups of users that can be created in Unity for the purposes of assigning matter-level permissions and invoice reviewers/subscribers. This simplifies tasks at the invoice and matter levels that are handled by a small team.
V-Z
Value Added Tax (VAT)
Functionality in Unity that allows customers to set up tax authorities and rules that govern which tax codes/rates are applied to line items in vendor invoices. Once set up, they can be associated with legal entities and/or vendor records in Unity.
Vendor
Law firm, business, or individual who performs services in support of a legal matter and bills the customer for associated work. In Unity, vendors can be added and managed for billing and reporting purposes, including granting access to CounselGO, enabling invoicing, and accepting timekeeper rates for approval.
Vendor Adjustment
Amount (in customer’s default system currency) adjusted, deducted, or discounted for a line item by a vendor before submitting an invoice.
Vendor Group
Functionality that allows customers to categorize vendors based on location, matter group, or other criteria. This can be useful for reporting and general organization in Unity.
Vendor Lead
External point of contact from a vendor firm who is assigned to handle budget requests for a specific matter.
Vendor Manager
Internal Unity user assigned as the main point of contact for a vendor and/or who manages the overall vendor relationship. This user has access to invoices submitted by the vendor to specific matters.
Vendor Status
Current status of a vendor record (i.e., Active/Open or Inactive/Closed/Disabled).
Vendor Surveys
Feature that allows customers to collect feedback from Unity users on their experience working with specific vendors at the matter level. This can be used to make decisions on vendor selection, identify areas of improvement, or renegotiate agreements.
Vendor Tax ID
TIN of a vendor law firm, if specified in a vendor record.
Version (Document)
If files with the same name have been uploaded to a matter, a version number is assigned for tracking purposes.
Worked Date
Date of the line item on an invoice. Also referred to as Service Date, Activity Date, Line Date, or Line Item Activity Date.
Worked Matters
Any matter with a line date for either the life of the matter or for the specified time period. “Worked” relates to a billing line item within an invoice from a vendor. See Worked Date.
YoY
Stands for “Year over year,” which is a comparison of data for one year vs. another year, generally consecutive.