Legal Task Automation Checklist for In-House Teams

In-house legal teams face growing demands to work faster and smarter. Automating routine legal tasks like document generation, request intake, and approval workflows can:

• Save Time: Reduce time spent on repetitive, manual work

• Improve Consistency: Standardize processes across the organization

• Minimize Errors: Eliminate human mistakes through automated checks

• Enhance Compliance: Automate compliance processes and reporting

• Increase Productivity: Handle higher workloads without adding staff

By automating, legal teams can focus on high-value, strategic work.

To get started, follow this checklist:

1. Identify Tasks for Automation: Analyze current processes, prioritize high-impact tasks, and involve key team members.

2. Choose Automation Software: Evaluate integration capabilities, prioritize user-friendliness, consider scalability, and assess vendor support.

3. Set Up Document Generation: Create templates, define guidelines, and enable self-service document generation.

4. Streamline Legal Matter Intake: Standardize intake forms, automate routing and assignment, and enable collaboration.

5. Automate Approval Workflows: Map approval processes, implement automated workflows, and enable real-time visibility.

6. Integrate with Current Systems: Identify integration points, leverage APIs and connectors, and implement single sign-on (SSO).

7. Train Team on Automation Tools: Develop training materials, conduct training sessions, and appoint automation champions.

8. Monitor and Optimize Workflows: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs), gather user feedback, and analyze data to refine processes.

9. Review and Refine Processes: Schedule regular reviews, involve cross-functional teams, and implement continuous improvement.

By proactively adopting legal task automation and staying up-to-date with technology, in-house legal teams can position themselves as strategic partners to the business.

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Checklist for Automating Legal Tasks

Identify Tasks for Automation

1. Analyze Current Processes

Review your legal team's workflows and processes. Find tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming, and prone to errors, such as:

• Contract management (drafting, reviewing, approving)

• Case tracking and matter management

• Document generation (NDAs, employment agreements, etc.)

• Legal request intake and triage

2. Prioritize High-Impact Tasks

Focus on automating tasks that will significantly improve your team's efficiency and productivity. Consider factors like:

• Time spent on the task

• How often the task occurs

• Potential for errors or compliance issues

• Bottlenecks or delays caused by the task

3. Involve Key Team Members

Work with legal team members, paralegals, and others to gather insights on which tasks should be automated. Their input can help identify pain points and areas for improvement.

Choose Automation Software

1. Evaluate Integration Capabilities

Select software that can seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and tools, such as document management, case management, and collaboration tools. This ensures a unified and efficient workflow.

2. Prioritize User-Friendliness

Look for solutions that are intuitive and easy to use, with minimal training required. User-friendly interfaces and low-code/no-code platforms can facilitate faster adoption and reduce resistance to change.

3. Consider Scalability

Choose software that can scale with your organization's growth. Cloud-based solutions are often more cost-effective and easier to scale than on-premises systems.

4. Evaluate Vendor Support

Assess the vendor's support and training offerings to ensure your team can effectively utilize the software and troubleshoot any issues.

Set Up Document Generation

1. Create Templates

Develop standardized templates for frequently used documents, such as NDAs, employment agreements, and contracts. These templates should include pre-approved language, clauses, and formatting.

2. Define Guidelines

Establish clear guidelines and rules for generating documents using the templates. This ensures consistency and compliance across the organization.

3. Enable Self-Service

Implement a self-service portal or workflow that allows non-legal staff to generate standard documents using the approved templates and guidelines. This reduces the workload on legal teams while maintaining quality and accuracy.

Streamline Legal Matter Intake

1. Standardize Intake Forms

Create standardized intake forms or questionnaires to collect comprehensive information about new legal matters or requests. This ensures that all relevant details are captured upfront, reducing back-and-forth communication.

2. Automate Routing and Assignment

Implement rules or workflows to automatically route incoming matters to the appropriate legal team members based on predefined criteria, such as matter type, priority, or practice area.

3. Enable Collaboration and Transparency

Integrate your matter intake system with collaboration tools to ensure transparency and enable cross-functional teams to collaborate effectively on legal matters.

Automate Approval Workflows

1. Map Approval Processes

Document and map out the approval processes for various legal matters, such as contracts, settlements, and regulatory filings. Identify key stakeholders, decision points, and dependencies.

2. Implement Automated Workflows

Use automation software to create workflows that route documents for review and approval based on your predefined processes. This ensures that all necessary approvals are obtained and tracked.

3. Enable Real-Time Visibility

Provide real-time visibility into the status of approval workflows, allowing stakeholders to track progress and identify bottlenecks or delays.

Integrate with Current Systems

1. Identify Integration Points

Analyze your existing systems and tools to identify potential integration points with the new automation software. This may include document management systems, case management platforms, collaboration tools, and other business applications.

2. Leverage APIs and Connectors

Utilize APIs and pre-built connectors provided by the automation software vendor to integrate with your existing systems seamlessly. This ensures data consistency and eliminates the need for manual data entry or duplication.

3. Implement Single Sign-On (SSO)

Consider implementing SSO to provide a seamless user experience and enhance security by allowing users to access multiple systems with a single set of credentials.

Train Team on Automation Tools

1. Develop Training Materials

Create comprehensive training materials, including user guides, video tutorials, and hands-on exercises, to ensure your team can effectively use the new automation tools.

2. Conduct Training Sessions

Organize training sessions for legal team members, paralegals, and other stakeholders who will be using the automation tools. Provide opportunities for hands-on practice and Q&A sessions.

3. Appoint Automation Champions

Identify and appoint automation champions within your team who can serve as subject matter experts and provide ongoing support and guidance to their colleagues.

Monitor and Optimize Workflows

1. Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Define relevant KPIs to measure the effectiveness of your automated workflows, such as cycle times, error rates, and user satisfaction.

2. Gather User Feedback

Regularly solicit feedback from users of the automation tools to identify areas for improvement, pain points, or additional automation opportunities.

3. Analyze Data and Refine Processes

Leverage the reporting and analytics capabilities of your automation software to analyze data and identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your workflows. Use these insights to refine and optimize your processes continuously.

Review and Refine Processes

1. Schedule Regular Reviews

Establish a cadence for reviewing and refining your automated processes to ensure they remain aligned with evolving business needs, legal requirements, and industry best practices.

2. Involve Cross-Functional Teams

Involve representatives from cross-functional teams, such as business units, IT, and compliance, in the review process to gather diverse perspectives and insights.

3. Implement Continuous Improvement

Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging your team to identify opportunities for further automation or process optimization. Implement changes and improvements in an iterative manner.

Integrating Legal Systems

Streamline Request Management

A central request system makes it easy to track legal requests across the company. Connecting this system to your automation tools ensures smooth teamwork and visibility:

1. Map Request Workflows

Outline the typical path of legal requests, from initial submission to resolution. Note who is involved, approval steps, and document needs.

2. Automate Request Routing

Set up your automation tools to automatically send incoming requests to the right legal team members based on criteria like request type, priority, or practice area.

3. Enable Real-Time Tracking

Connect your request system to automation tools for real-time visibility into each request's status, ensuring transparency and accountability.

4. Facilitate Collaboration

Use collaboration features in your automation tools to allow cross-functional teams to work together seamlessly on legal requests, sharing documents, comments, and updates.

Ensure Compliance and Mitigate Risks

Automation tools must follow legal and ethical standards while reducing potential risks:

1. Implement Access Controls

Set up robust access controls and permissions to ensure only authorized personnel can access sensitive legal data and documents.

2. Maintain Audit Trails

Configure your automation tools to maintain comprehensive audit trails, tracking all actions, changes, and approvals for legal documents and processes.

3. Enforce Approval Workflows

Implement automated approval workflows that ensure legal documents and processes adhere to internal policies and external regulations.

4. Conduct Regular Audits

Perform periodic audits and reviews of your automation tools and processes to proactively identify and address any potential compliance or risk issues.

Plan for Future Growth

As your organization grows, your legal automation needs will evolve. Plan ahead by selecting solutions that can scale with your company's requirements:

Consideration	Description
Evaluate Scalability	Assess potential automation solutions' scalability, considering factors like user capacity, data storage, and performance capabilities.
Opt for Cloud-Based Solutions	Cloud-based automation tools often offer greater scalability and flexibility, allowing you to easily adjust resources as your legal team's needs change.
Prioritize Customization	Choose automation tools that offer customization options, enabling you to tailor workflows, templates, and integrations to accommodate your organization's unique and evolving legal requirements.
Foster Continuous Improvement	Establish a culture of continuous improvement within your legal team, regularly reviewing and refining your automation processes to ensure they remain efficient and effective as your organization grows.

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Real-World Examples

Coalfire's Streamlined Operations

Coalfire, a cybersecurity firm, faced challenges managing many legal requests from various departments. They used Gatekeeper's automation tools to streamline operations and improve efficiency.

1. Centralized Request Intake

Coalfire set up a central system for employees across the company to submit legal requests through a user-friendly portal. This eliminated email-based requests, reducing the risk of missed or delayed requests.

2. Automated Triage and Routing

Gatekeeper's tools automatically sorted incoming requests based on criteria like request type, priority, and practice area. Requests were then automatically sent to the appropriate legal team members, ensuring timely and efficient handling.

3. Streamlined Document Generation

For routine legal documents like NDAs and employment agreements, Coalfire used Gatekeeper's document automation. By integrating with their existing systems, the legal team could generate these documents with pre-approved templates, reducing manual effort and ensuring consistency.

4. Improved Visibility and Collaboration

The automation tools provided real-time visibility into the status of each legal request, enabling better collaboration between the legal team and other departments. Stakeholders could track the progress of their requests and receive automated updates, fostering transparency and accountability.

By implementing Gatekeeper's automation solutions, Coalfire's legal team significantly reduced time spent on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on more strategic and high-value work.

BlaBlaCar's Improved Collaboration

BlaBlaCar, a carpooling platform, faced challenges managing legal requests and contract workflows across multiple departments. They used Gatekeeper's automation tools to enhance collaboration and streamline contract management processes.

1. Centralized Contract Repository

BlaBlaCar consolidated all legal contracts into a centralized repository within Gatekeeper's platform. This provided a single source of truth for contract data, ensuring easy access and visibility for authorized personnel across the organization.

2. Automated Contract Workflows

Gatekeeper's tools enabled BlaBlaCar to define and automate contract workflows, including review and approval processes. This ensured that contracts followed the appropriate approval paths and adhered to internal policies and regulations.

3. Seamless Collaboration

The platform's collaboration features allowed cross-functional teams, including legal, procurement, and business stakeholders, to work together seamlessly on contract-related tasks. Teams could share documents, comments, and updates in real-time, facilitating efficient communication and decision-making.

4. Improved Contract Lifecycle Management

With Gatekeeper's tools, BlaBlaCar could effectively manage the entire contract lifecycle, from creation and negotiation to execution and renewal. Automated reminders and notifications ensured that critical contract milestones were not missed, reducing the risk of non-compliance or missed opportunities.

By leveraging Gatekeeper's automation solutions, BlaBlaCar's legal team enhanced collaboration, streamlined contract management processes, and improved overall operational efficiency, enabling them to better support the company's growth and strategic objectives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Tasks to Automate First?

Start with tasks that take up a lot of your team's time and follow a clear process. Good options include:

• Legal request intake and routing: Automating how you receive, sort, and send legal requests to the right people.

• Document creation: Using pre-approved templates to automatically generate common legal documents like NDAs and employment agreements.

• Approval workflows: Automating the review and approval process for legal documents and contracts.

• Reminders and notifications: Setting up automatic reminders for important deadlines, contract renewals, and other key dates.

Focus on repetitive, high-volume tasks first. This lets you see the benefits of automation quickly while building your team's skills.

How Automation Affects Compliance

Automation can significantly improve compliance efforts by introducing consistency and reducing human error:

• Standardized processes: Turning compliance processes into automated workflows ensures they're followed the same way across the organization, reducing variability and potential violations.

• Automated checks: Automation tools can check documents, contracts, and processes against compliance rules and regulations.

• Audit trails and reporting: Automated systems provide detailed records and reports, giving better visibility into compliance activities for audits.

• Timely notifications: Automatic reminders alert stakeholders of upcoming compliance deadlines, renewals, or required actions, minimizing missed obligations.

Effective automation streamlines compliance processes, enhances transparency and accountability, and makes it easier to demonstrate adherence to regulations.

ROI of Legal Task Automation

Measuring the return on investment (ROI) for legal task automation can be challenging, as the benefits extend beyond direct cost savings. Key areas to consider include:

Area	Description
Time savings	Automating repetitive tasks reduces time spent by legal professionals on administrative work, allowing them to focus on higher-value activities.
Reduced external legal expenses	Streamlining internal processes and increasing efficiency may reduce reliance on external legal services, resulting in cost savings.
Improved productivity	Automation can enhance productivity by eliminating manual errors, reducing rework, and enabling faster turnaround times for legal requests and documents.
Compliance and risk mitigation	Automated compliance processes can help organizations avoid costly penalties and legal issues associated with non-compliance.

To quantify the ROI, organizations can track metrics such as time saved on specific tasks, reduction in external legal expenses, and avoidance of compliance-related fines or penalties.

Can Small Teams Benefit?

Yes, legal task automation can greatly benefit small in-house legal teams by helping them achieve efficiency gains and streamline operations despite limited resources:

• Scalability: Automation allows small teams to handle increasing workloads without adding headcount, enabling them to scale operations more effectively.

• Consistency and quality: Using pre-approved templates and automating processes ensures consistent quality and adherence to best practices, even with limited personnel.

• Focus on strategic work: Automating routine tasks frees up time for small legal teams to focus on more strategic and high-value activities, such as legal advisory and risk management.

• Cost-effectiveness: Many legal automation solutions are cloud-based and offer flexible pricing models, making them accessible and cost-effective for small teams with limited budgets.

The key is identifying the right automation opportunities that align with the team's specific needs and priorities, and implementing solutions that can be easily adopted and integrated into existing workflows.

Conclusion

Recap: Why Automate Legal Tasks

Automating legal tasks helps in-house teams:

• Save time: Reduce time spent on repetitive, manual work.

• Improve consistency: Standardize processes across the organization.

• Minimize errors: Eliminate human mistakes through automated checks.

• Enhance compliance: Automate compliance processes and reporting.

• Increase productivity: Handle higher workloads without adding staff.

By automating, legal teams can focus on high-value, strategic work.

The Future of Legal Automation

As technology advances, legal automation will become more essential for in-house teams to stay competitive. To prepare for the future:

1. Continuously evaluate processes

Look for new opportunities to automate and drive efficiencies.

2. Invest in training

Upskill team members to use automation tools effectively.

3. Collaborate with stakeholders

Work closely with business units to understand their evolving needs and tailor automation solutions.

4. Monitor industry trends

Stay informed about the latest legal technology advancements and best practices.

By proactively adopting legal task automation and staying up-to-date with technology, in-house legal teams can position themselves as strategic partners to the business.

Benefit	Description
Time Savings	Reduce time spent on repetitive, manual tasks
Consistency	Standardize processes across the organization
Error Reduction	Eliminate human mistakes through automated checks
Compliance	Automate compliance processes and reporting
Productivity	Handle higher workloads without adding staff

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