Like a picture, a good graph is worth a thousand words (and a bad graph can take a thousand words to clarify). Whether you’re presenting contract volume trends, outside counsel spend, or cycle times, clear and effective visuals are crucial for driving informed decision-making.  

While Microsoft Excel is the most common tool for business analytics, its default settings leave a lot to be desired. Applying a few simple design principles can elevate your graphs to a professional level. Here are my top tips for making clean, impactful graphs in Excel. 

Eliminate Clutter 

Clutter is the enemy of effective communication. Every unnecessary element in a chart increases cognitive load and distracts from the key message.  

To streamline your graphs: 

• Remove chart borders – Borders add visual noise. Unless you have a specific reason to keep them, remove them from your graph.  

• Reduce or eliminate gridlines – If your chart is well-designed, gridlines shouldn’t be needed: the story should be clear at a glance. If gridlines must be used, make them light gray so they don’t compete with the data. 

• Avoid excessive tick marks – Simplify axes by using fewer labels and removing trailing zeros (e.g., use 1K instead of 1,000). 

• Delete unnecessary legends – If a single data series is displayed, a title and direct labeling often suffice. 

Be Intentional with Color 

Color is a powerful tool but should be used sparingly and strategically. If you ever find yourself using a default color scheme, stop, and consider these design suggestions: 

• Highlight key data points – Use a single accent color to draw attention to important trends or comparisons. 

• Use grayscale for secondary elements – De-emphasize less critical components by making them gray. 

• Be mindful of colorblind accessibility – Avoid red/green combinations and opt for colorblind-friendly palettes. 

• Maintain consistency – Use the same colors for similar categories across multiple graphs to reinforce understanding. 

Use Proper Alignment and Spacing 

If you have ever looked at a graph and couldn’t put your finger on why it looked off, it was likely an issue with element alignment. A well-aligned chart improves readability and professionalism.  

Consider the following carefully when designing your graph: 

• Left-align text – Center-aligned text can look unstructured and is harder to read. 

• Create clean lines – Use Excel’s alignment tools to ensure chart titles, labels, and data points are evenly spaced. 

• Leverage white space – Avoid stretching graphs unnecessarily; maintain margins to prevent visual overload. 

Directly Label Data for Clarity 

One of the simplest ways to improve a graph is to reduce the need for extra mental exertion to understand the data’s story. To do this: 

• Label data directly – Instead of a separate legend, place labels next to the corresponding data points. 

• Use callouts sparingly – When emphasizing key takeaways, add brief annotations directly within the chart. 

• Choose readable fonts – Stick to sans-serif fonts like Arial or Calibri, and ensure labels are neither too small nor too large. 

Focus on Your Message 

Graphs should tell a story, not just display numbers. As you write your data story, remember to:  

• Sequence data logically – Order categories in a meaningful way (e.g., chronological order for trends, largest to smallest for comparisons). 

• Use data sparingly – Too many data points can obscure the message; highlight what matters most. 

Before & After 

Let’s look at these principles in action.  Below is a default chart Excel created for the number of contracts negotiated by type across the four most-recent fiscal quarters: 

At first glance, this graph looks simple and pretty, but pay attention as you look at it: where do your eyes go? Do they bounce around? Can you easily identify trends or tell what the story is? 

Now look at the chart below, which applies many of the principles discussed in this post: 

This chart has removed clutter such as the outline and gridlines; instead of a legend, it labels its data directly; and it uses a single accent color to emphasize the most recent quarter’s numbers as the focal point of the graph.  

You may notice that this graph doesn’t apply every single design suggestion—and most graphs shouldn’t! Just know the tools in your arsenal so you can make informed, intentional decisions in your design choices.  

Now It’s Your Turn 

What story is your data telling? Is it clear, concise, and compelling? Or is it more messy, muddled, and unmanageable?  

A well-designed graph in Excel can transform raw data into compelling insights. By applying a few design principles, legal operations professionals can create visuals that drive better decision-making. Thoughtful data visualization is not just about aesthetics—it’s about respect for your audience and your data. 

Transforming legal department budgeting and invoicing doesn’t happen overnight, but every small step forward—like moving from spreadsheets to eBilling—can deliver significant impact. Read the journey of one company to build better budgeting processes, one bite at a time. 

When my then-General Counsel (GC) asked me to step into the role of our company’s first official Legal Operations professional, I had no roadmap or mentor to guide me. Navigating this uncharted territory involved a lot of late-night Googling, which eventually led me to discover CLOC and the Core 12. Back then, these principles looked a bit different, but one stood out: financial management is foundational to Legal Ops success. After all, how can you prove you’re streamlining and saving without measuring what businesses care about most—dollars? 

The problem? Our legal team had little to no formal budget management. “Budgeting” consisted of our GC meeting with Finance once a year to guesstimate spend across vague categories like “Employment Matters” or “Cease & Desist Letters.” Invoice approvals required physically printed pages, and a wet-ink signature scrawled next to the word “Approved.” 

If you just winced or muttered, “Yikes,” you’re not alone. 

The Humble Beginnings: Excel and OneDrive 

As a Legal Ops newbie, I worked with what I had: Excel and OneDrive. Every invoice that crossed my desk was logged in Excel with the important details catalogued, then scanned copies were uploaded to OneDrive for reference. It wasn’t fancy, but it was our first step towards positive change. Suddenly, when questions arose about invoices, I could quickly locate digital copies. My Excel sheet also grew to include calculations that allowed me to visualize spending by quarter and firm—the beginnings of financial reporting.  

And with that, our financial management journey began. 

The Next Step: Implementing eBilling 

While Excel and a filing system were improvements, they couldn’t solve critical challenges. For example, manually applying billing guidelines to each invoice was time-consuming and inconsistent. We also had no way to track rate changes or benchmark firm performance. 

Enter: eBilling. 

After a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, we selected a tool and rolled it out with only basic functionality. We knew we were barely scratching the surface, but even the simplest features represented a significant leap forward: 

• Billing guidelines were applied automatically, flagging noncompliance for human review. 

• Approvals became digital—no more printing invoices. 

• We tracked timekeeper rates and firm statistics, uncovering data insights we’d never had before. 

It was a whole new world, and one that was about to be rocked.  

Adding Purchase Orders to the Process 

Just as we were getting comfortable, Finance threw us a curveball: Purchase Orders (POs). 

Previously, the Legal department was exempt from Procurement’s standard PO process. Legal work, with its unpredictable cadence and billing done a month in arrears, didn’t fit neatly into their framework. But the exemption ended, and it was up to Legal Ops to make it work. 

The biggest challenge? Our legal team budget was split out by work category, while Finance budgets by spend with each vendor. For instance, a single firm might handle both ongoing matters and project-specific work, making it hard for Finance to categorize spend. Sometimes we don’t even know who the vendor will be. For employment issues, we might set aside a budget because we anticipate questions will arise each year, but we don’t know which vendor we’ll use until the questions are asked. 

A strong, collaborative relationship with Finance—built over years of trust and teamwork—was invaluable in navigating this process. Both teams were committed to finding solutions that worked for everyone. Now, at the start of each fiscal year, Legal provides Finance with an Excel list of the vendors and dollar amounts we expect to spend, based on the previous year’s spend. Finance then creates matching POs. When they return the PO numbers, we load them into our eBilling system as references for each matter, ensuring a seamless connection between POs and invoices during submission. Every month, we get a report of open POs and how much we’ve spent on each so we can request new ones throughout the year as needed. This cooperative approach has been key to keeping both teams aligned and efficient. 

eBilling 2.0: Unlocking Advanced Features 

Fast forward a few years: Our PO system was running smoothly, but our eBilling setup was overdue for an upgrade. While our tool had powerful reporting capabilities, we weren’t taking full advantage of them. 

We brought in a consultant to train our team and overhaul the system. Over several months, we: 

• Automated quarterly accruals, meeting a key Finance request. 

• Required budget estimates for every matter before invoice submission, setting the stage for future accountability. 

• Streamlined rate changes by requiring standardized rate cards. 

• Enabled firms to check invoice statuses through a reverse feed from our Accounts Payable (AP) system. 

• Integrated PO information into matters, simplifying Finance’s processing workflow. 

What’s Next? 

Today, our eBilling tool is clean, organized, and more effective than ever. This year, we plan to enforce budget adherence—requiring pre-approval for overruns or writing them off entirely. 

We’re also exploring: 

• Building a preferred firms list to negotiate bulk discounts. 

• Developing firm scorecards to evaluate and strengthen relationships. 

The journey hasn’t been without challenges, but the results are undeniable. We’ve deepened trust with Finance, improved decision-making through better reporting, and, most importantly, saved the business money. 

Advice for Legal Ops Newcomers 

If you’re just starting out—printing invoices and tracking expenses in a spreadsheet—don’t despair. You don’t have to fix everything at once. Every small improvement builds momentum. Remember: You can eat the elephant one bite at a time.