The Solution:

BigHand Matter Pricing

BigHand Matter Pricing brings pricing, budgeting and live tracking into one platform. For Penningtons Manches Cooper, it supports a more transparent pricing process and gives lawyers a clearer view of the assumptions behind fee proposals.

Andrew Jago, Associate Director and Costs Manager, said the costs team has historically used the platform “as a budget and tracking software”, particularly for court-approved budgets and cost budget tracking. The firm is now extending that capability into a wider pricing function.

The Results: Budgeting for Stronger Recovery

Penningtons Manches Cooper’s reporting data reveals matters managed through BigHand Matter Pricing achieve 12% better recovery than matters outside the platform. That result has helped strengthen the business case for wider adoption, particularly among teams weighing the time required to create and maintain matter budgets.

Penningtons Manches Cooper is also tracking usage measures such as budgets created, log-ins, repeat usage and qualitative feedback on whether the platform helps lawyers scope work more confidently. BigHand Matter Pricing is also improving visibility during live matters, helping teams monitor estimates, identify scope or budget risk earlier and support clearer client conversations

Risk management is another area that BigHand Matter Pricing supports. Jenna noted that lawyers must keep clients informed about likely costs, and the solution helps provide assurance that this “regulatory requirement is being fulfilled.” As adoption grows, Penningtons Manches Cooper expects to build a stronger bank of comparable matters and estimates for future pricing decisions.

What Comes Next: AI-Enabled Pricing

Penningtons Manches Cooper is moving ahead with a wider rollout of BigHand Matter Pricing, backed by senior leadership recognition that pricing will play an increasingly important role in client service and profitability. The firm’s focus is practical: embed stronger budgeting behaviours, build a richer bank of comparable matters and give lawyers clearer evidence before key pricing conversations. Jenna Coad’s view captures the urgency: “The time is now. Pricing is only going to become a more challenging conversation as AI develops, and this is just the beginning of that wave pushing through.”

As AI-powered pricing capabilities continue to evolve, consistent budgeting practices and high-quality data will become even more valuable. By strengthening its approach now, Penningtons Manches Cooper is creating a foundation for more sophisticated forecasting, pricing analysis and decision-making in the future. This direction aligns with BigHand's planned integration of Ayora's AI-powered pricing capabilities into Matter Pricing, helping firms build on existing matter intelligence and pricing data to support more informed commercial decisions.

The next step, however, will still depend as much on people as on technology. Andrew Jago’s advice is to keep going: “Do not give up. Keep chipping away and work well with the pricing product you choose. It is a collaborative thing, and you will get there.” At Penningtons Manches Cooper, that mindset is helping pricing discipline become a defining strength in how the firm manages value, risk and client confidence.