For decades, the “billable hour” has been the bane of existence for lawyers, accountants, and consultants. It’s a manual, error-prone process that forces high-value knowledge workers to act like data entry clerks every Friday afternoon. Laurel just killed that workflow. By launching on the Microsoft Marketplace, Laurel isn’t just another app; it’s now a native layer of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem that captures work as it happens.
| Attribute | Details |
| :— | :— |
| Difficulty | Intermediate (Requires Admin permissions) |
| Time Required | 15–30 minutes for initial configuration |
| Tools Needed | Microsoft Azure Account, M365 Admin Access, Laurel Platform |
The Why: The Death of the “Reconstructive” Timesheet
The professional services industry loses billions every year in “leaked” time—those five-minute emails or quick document reviews that never make it onto an invoice because the partner forgot to write them down.
Laurel’s move into the Microsoft Marketplace solves two massive problems simultaneously. First, it eliminates the “procurement headache.” Because Laurel is now MACC (Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment) eligible, firms can buy the software using their pre-existing Microsoft budget. It’s essentially “free” spending for firms that have already committed to a certain level of Azure usage.
Second, it provides a bridge to the ROI of AI. Everyone is buying Microsoft Copilot, but few can prove it’s actually making money. Laurel tracks Copilot usage and connects it directly to profitability data. You aren’t just using AI; you’re finally seeing how much billable time that AI is saving or generating. This automation represents a significant shift, as the end of the billable hour is becoming a reality through native AI legal agents that handle complex revisions.
Step-by-Step: Integrating Laurel into Your Microsoft Workflow
If you are running a firm on the Microsoft stack, here is how you move from manual tracking to automated intelligence.
- Access the Marketplace: Log into your Microsoft Commercial Marketplace or Azure portal and search for “Laurel.”
- Leverage MACC Credits: During checkout, ensure you select the option to apply the purchase toward your Azure Consumption Commitment. This simplifies billing by keeping everything on one Microsoft invoice.
- Sync M365 Environments: Grant Laurel the necessary permissions to observe—not read—activity across Outlook, Teams, and Word. The platform uses metadata to identify which client matter you are working on.
- Configure Privacy Tiers: Set up your “Bring Your Own Key” (BYOK) encryption. For Big Four firms or high-stakes legal practices, this ensures that Laurel never actually “sees” the sensitive content of your documents, only the time spent on them.
- Connect Copilot Analytics: Enable the Copilot tracking module. This allows the dashboard to show you exactly how many hours your team saved by using AI-generated drafts versus manual drafting.
💡 Pro-Tip: Don’t just roll this out to everyone at once. Start with your “highest leakage” department—usually associates or junior consultants who juggle 10+ matters a day. Use the “Review-Ready” entries feature to cut their Friday time-entry sessions from two hours down to ten minutes. For firms looking to reclaim even more time, advyzon all-in ai offers similar relief by automating CRM tasks and administrative burdens for financial advisors.
The Buyer’s Perspective: More Than a Stopwatch
In the crowded field of time-tracking software, Laurel’s main competitors—like Tiq or Intapp—often feel like legacy database tools with a fresh coat of paint. Laurel is positioning itself as a “Work Intelligence” platform.
The real value proposition here isn’t just counting minutes; it’s the security and compliance layer. By achieving ISO 42001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications, Laurel has cleared the high bar that usually keeps innovative AI startups out of the legal industry. This is a critical step in legal ai verification, as firms must protect themselves from systemic risks and hallucinations. The fact that it stores data in-region means European firms don’t have to lose sleep over GDPR or data sovereignty laws.
However, the “locked-in” nature of this partnership is clear. Laurel is betting big on the Microsoft ecosystem. If your firm runs primarily on Google Workspace or Slack, you won’t get the same seamless “invisible” tracking that Microsoft users now enjoy.
FAQ
Q: Does Laurel record my actual meetings or read my private emails?
A: No. Laurel captures “signals”—like the subject line of a document or the duration of a calendar event—to categorize work. With BYOK encryption, the firm retains control over the data keys.
Q: How does this help with Microsoft Copilot?
A: Laurel quantifies the “downstream impact.” It shows you if a lawyer using Copilot completes a summary in 20 minutes that usually takes 60, and then tracks if that efficiency leads to more matters handled or just less overtime.
Q: Can I use my existing Microsoft budget to pay for this?
A: Yes. Through the MACC eligibility, the cost of Laurel counts toward your existing Microsoft cloud spend commitments, effectively consolidating your tech stack costs.
Ethical Note/Limitation: While Laurel automates the capture of time, it cannot replace the human judgment required to decide if a specific task is truly billable or how to value that time for a client. For those in the legal field, in-house legal ai coordination engines are now being used to manage these backlogs and ensure that human oversight remains central to the workflow.