L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT CHOOSES DATACERT FOR ELECTRONIC INVOICING AND COST MANAGEMENT SERVICES

DataCert, Inc., a leading provider of legal e-billing services, announced today that it has finalized an agreement with the countrys second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), to provide a full range of services including electronic invoice processing and data analysis, benchmark development and matter management integration.

L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT CHOOSES DATACERT FOR ELECTRONIC INVOICING AND COST MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Countrys Second Largest School District Goes Online to Cut Costs
and Eliminate Paper Invoices

HOUSTON, February 8, 2002 -- DataCert, Inc., a leading provider of legal e-billing services, announced today that it has finalized an agreement with the countrys second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), to provide a full range of services including electronic invoice processing and data analysis, benchmark development and matter management integration. The solution is designed to help the district cut costs and manage outside counsel expenses.

LAUSD will use DataCerts ShareDoc/LEGAL(TM) and Advanced Invoice Management Systems (AIMS (TM)) web-based technologies to manage legal expenses from its 38 outside law firms. The district will use the system to analyze trends and develop benchmarks based on the information retrieved during the invoice analysis process. Once the information is captured and deposited in the practice management system, LAUSD will conduct cost analysis measurements to calculate internal and external legal expenses.

According to Hal Kwalwasser, General Counsel, LAUSD, the district spends an average of about $15 to $20 million a year on outside legal fees. We knew how much we were spending but we didnt have an accurate method to calculate where the funds were being spent. We needed an e-billing provider that understood our unique pains and could apply a solution to better manage our legal expenses and the performance of our internal staff and law firms. Our goal was simple -- implement a cost-effective solution to save the district money. This solution will allow us to carefully manage expenses from our outside law firms and improve our existing accounting tasks," said Kwalwasser. We choose DataCert because of their leadership position in the industry and the fact that their track record includes several Fortune 500 legal e-billing implementations."

DataCert will provide LAUSDs law firms with implementation services including registration and training on ShareDoc/LEGAL and AIMS, assistance with creating and delivering valid invoices, and ongoing technical support. The comprehensive solution will help LAUSD capture invoice data, calculate outside legal expenses and run reports on monthly expenditures.

We are delighted to be working with the countrys second largest school district, serving close to 800,000 elementary, middle and high school students from the southern California region," said DataCert President and CEO Eric M. Elfman. We are confident our web-based services will allow LAUSD to better manage its legal expenses and build profitable relationships between the district and its professional service providers."

About ShareDoc/LEGAL and AIMS
ShareDoc/LEGAL is designed specifically for the legal industry to move sensitive information between a corporate legal department and its outside law firms. ShareDoc/LEGAL translates electronic-billing information from law firm billing systems into a single format a corporate legal department can easily use. Through web-based integration of data, ShareDoc/LEGAL creates total, paperless invoice processing -- including invoice submission, approval and upload to data management and financial applications.
AIMS is a secure, web-based, fully automated invoice management and workflow tool that provides on-line review, adjustment, and approval of electronic invoices. AIMS creates an easy to use framework for receiving invoices from ShareDoc/LEGAL, routing the invoices along a customized approval-chain, and posting the invoices directly into any data management application.

About DataCert, Inc.
DataCert, Inc., provides products and services that reduce the cost of exchanging information between businesses, their suppliers and their partners, by moving traditionally paper-based processes to an automated electronic process. DataCert offers unique compatibility between trading partners core software and applications, independent of standards or data formats. Visit DataCert at www.datacert.com for more information.

About LAUSD
The Los Angeles Unified School District is the nations second largest district, with a K-12 enrollment of more than 722,000. Geographically, it encompasses 704 square miles, an area that includes the City of Los Angeles and all or parts of 28 other cities, as well as some unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
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