Press Contact: Debra Marino  |  Datacert, Inc.  |  (832) 369-6171  |  pr@datacert.com

Datacert Named Finalist for Legal Technology Implementation of the Year

Legal spend management implementation for Fortune Global 50 corporation places Datacert among final three in ILTA's annual contest

HOUSTON, Aug. 10, 2010 - Datacert, Inc., the leading global provider of software and services for the legal industry, has been selected as a finalist for the International Legal Technology Association's (ILTA) Technology Implementation of the Year award. Datacert's finalist status is attributed to the successful international implementation of AIMS (Advanced Invoice Management System), its legal spend management solution, for Novartis AG. The implementation covered Novartis' Group Legal and IP divisions and spanned 14 affiliates, primarily in the US and Europe.

"As the only legal spend and matter management vendor with the global capabilities required to successfully implement a project of this scale, Datacert is honored to receive this distinction from one of our industry's leading organizations," said Jim Tallman, president and chief executive officer, Datacert. "This recognition is a testament to our dedication to implementing legal spend management solutions that allow global organizations to effectively tighten enforcement of outside counsel guidelines and reduce legal spend through electronic invoicing, while adhering to country-specific regulatory requirements."

The international health care company works with more than 300 law firms, legal vendors, and IP agents, together submitting approximately 60,000 invoices annually. With these business partners located in more than 100 countries and each country having its own tax and billing regulations, it was critical for the legal spend management system to support the unique regulatory rules of each jurisdiction.

"Implementing eBilling to cover more than 90 percent of Novartis' global legal spend, pioneering eBilling in Europe, on boarding more than 230 vendors, integrating to multiple divisional SAP systems, and getting over 200 Novartis associates trained on eBilling is, I believe, quite an achievement and this was only possible with a highly motivated project team from Novartis and Datacert," said Maurus Schreyvogel, group legal project manager, Novartis AG.

For more information about the award, submission guidelines and the judging procedure, please visit the ILTA website.

About Datacert, Inc.

Datacert is the leading global provider of software and services for the legal industry. Offerings include its technology platform, Passport, and legal and IP spend and matter management software and services. Clients look to Datacert solutions to strategically manage their departments, reduce legal costs, and optimize operational efficiencies. Datacert has law firm, vendor, and agent connections in more than 150 countries and its customers include 71 Fortune^® 500 corporations, 53 Global Fortune^® 500 corporations, and 100% of the AmLaw 200. Visit www.datacert.com for more information and follow us on Twitter for real-time updates http://twitter.com/Datacert.
 

About Novartis

Novartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2009, the Group's continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 44.3 billion, while approximately USD 7.5 billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 100,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.