Budget Requests allow vendor law firms to submit matter budgets for approval in Brightflag. This helps teams review proposed budgets before they are applied to a matter.
Once approved, the new budget replaces the existing budget for that matter.
Accessing Budget Requests
When a vendor submits a request:
The Internal Matter Lead (IML) receives an email notification
The request becomes available for review in Budget Requests
To access Budget Requests:
Open the Menu (☰)
Click Matter Management
Select Budget Requests
Reviewing Budget Requests
Budget requests can be reviewed in two ways:
Manually – review requests individually
In Bulk – review multiple requests at the same time
Reviewing a Budget Request Manually
Locate the matter using filters or search
Click the arrow under the Budget Info column to expand the request details
Review the proposed budget submitted by the vendor
Click Approve or Reject
If rejecting a request:
Enter a comment explaining the reason
The vendor will receive the rejection comment by email
Reviewing Budget Requests in Bulk
To review multiple requests at once:
Select requests using the checkboxes
Click Bulk Approve or Bulk Reject
If rejecting, enter a comment
Each vendor will receive an email notification for their request.
Vendor Reminders
Brightflag does not send automatic reminders to vendor law firms regarding pending budget requests.
If a vendor needs to submit a budget request, they must be notified outside of Brightflag.
How Vendor Budget Requests Affect Existing Budgets
Vendor budgets can be submitted for each month or fiscal quarter.
If a matter already has a budget, the result depends on the existing budget type.
Existing Budget Type | Result |
Life-of-Matter Budget | The entire budget is overwritten to match the vendor request |
Phased Budget | The entire budget is overwritten to match the vendor request |
Periodic Budget | The budget granularity remains the same |
Example:
If the current budget is Fiscal Year, but the vendor submits a monthly request, the format stays Fiscal Year, while the underlying values update.
Who Can Review Budget Requests
User Type | Permissions |
Admin Users | Can view and approve all budget requests |
Department Overview Users | Can view and approve budget requests for matters within their assigned departments |
Ordinary Users | Can view and approve budget requests for matters they have access to |
Internal Matter Leads | Can approve requests for matters they lead |
Matter Participants | Can approve requests for matters where they are listed as a participant |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do matter budgets appear in Brightflag?
Matter budgets can be viewed under:
Menu → Matter Management → Budget Requests
How do I notify vendors to submit budgets?
Brightflag does not send automatic reminders. Vendors must be notified externally.
What happens if a budget request is rejected?
The vendor receives an email notification with the rejection reason and can amend and resubmit the request.
How do I enable Budget Requests?
If you would like to enable Budget Requests, contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM).