Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs) are the rules a corporate legal department sets for the law firms it hires. They describe how work should be staffed, how time should be recorded, and what will and won't be paid.
What a typical OCG covers
- Billing increments — usually 0.1 hour, with rules against minimum charges.
- Block billing — most guidelines require each task to be recorded separately.
- Staffing — limits on the number of timekeepers per meeting, call, or deposition.
- Rates — approved rate sheets and rules for when rate increases take effect.
- Non-billable work — administrative tasks, file opening, training, and conflict checks.
- Expenses — travel class, meals, copying, and research charges.
Why guidelines alone don't change behavior
A guideline only works if someone checks invoices against it. In most departments, reviewers look at totals and spot-check large entries. The line-level rules — increments, internal conferences, vague narratives — go unchecked because there isn't time.
Turning guidelines into rules
The most effective teams translate each guideline section into a specific, testable rule: "Flag any entry where more than two timekeepers bill for the same internal meeting." Once a rule is testable, it can be applied to every line on every invoice.
That is exactly what 42B does: upload your OCGs, and 42B turns them into rules and applies them to every invoice, citing the exact section each flagged line violates.