Cost recovery framework
Convert operational overhead into file-specific litigation support services.
Delta’s service model is designed around documented litigation support activities tied to individual files. We provide the service-level documentation and work product that may assist firms in evaluating the treatment of litigation support expenses under applicable law and engagement agreements.
The distinction
Overhead is general. Services are specific.
When a salaried case manager works across dozens of files, that cost is general firm overhead — it isn’t attributable to any single case.
Delta is structured differently. Each service is engaged on a specific file, performed against defined deliverables, documented with identifiable work product, and invoiced per file. That structure gives firms a documented basis to evaluate — with their own counsel — whether a given service may be treated as a case-specific expense under applicable law, ethics rules, and their engagement agreements.
We don’t make that determination for you, and no outcome is guaranteed. What we provide is the structure and the paper trail that make the evaluation possible.
In-house staffing
- One salary spread across the entire caseload
- No file-level record of work performed
- Cost absorbed as general overhead
- Nothing to evaluate at settlement
The Delta structure
- Defined services engaged per file
- Documented deliverables and work product
- Per-file, per-service invoicing
- A documented basis for expense evaluation
What Delta provides
A complete documentation framework. Not a promise.
State-by-state legal analysis
Research summaries on how litigation support expenses are addressed across jurisdictions.
Ethics guidance summaries
Relevant ethics opinions and authorities for your firm and counsel to review.
Sample engagement language
Example retainer provisions addressing litigation support services, for review by your counsel.
Sample settlement statement language
Example line-item formats for presenting file-specific services at disbursement.
Service documentation standards
Defined deliverables and documented work product on every file, for every service.
Per-file invoice templates
Invoices itemized by file and by service — never lump-sum staffing bills.
Cost recovery guidelines
A structured process for evaluating and documenting services on a file-by-file basis.
Built to withstand scrutiny — file by file.
Sample language, state-by-state analysis, and ethics summaries are shared with engaged firms for review by the firm’s own counsel — we don’t publish them publicly.
Straight answers
The questions partners actually ask.
Can we bill these services to our clients as case expenses?
That’s a determination only your firm can make, together with your counsel, based on your jurisdiction’s rules and your engagement agreements. What Delta provides is the structure that makes the evaluation possible: defined services tied to specific files, documented work product, and per-file invoices. Without that structure, there’s nothing to evaluate.
Does Delta guarantee that these expenses are recoverable?
No, and you should be skeptical of any vendor who does. Expense treatment varies by state, by ethics authority, and by the language in each client engagement. Delta’s role is to deliver the services and the paper trail. The determination belongs to your firm.
How is this different from billing clients for staff time?
A salaried case manager’s time is general overhead spread across your whole caseload, with no file-level record of work performed. Delta services are engaged on individual files with defined deliverables and itemized invoices from a third-party provider. That distinction is the foundation of the entire framework, and it’s why the structure exists.
Read this part carefully
Delta Litigation Support provides litigation support services to law firms. We do not provide legal, ethics, or accounting advice. Whether any litigation support expense may be treated as a case-specific expense depends on applicable law, ethics rules, and each firm’s engagement agreements, and should be evaluated by the firm and its counsel.
Treatment of litigation support expenses varies by jurisdiction and by the terms of each client engagement. Your firm — together with its own counsel — makes every determination. Delta’s role is to deliver defined services and the documentation that supports your analysis.
Discuss the Framework With UsThe 15-minute question
What would it cost to eliminate half your pre‑litigation payroll?
Schedule a 15-minute operational assessment. We’ll walk through your caseload, your staffing, and your current engagement agreements, and show you what the Delta model and documentation framework would look like for your firm.