6 Automation Tips for Small Legal Teams

Small legal teams often find themselves buried under a mountain of work and juggling more tasks than they can handle. So how do they keep up without sacrificing quality or burning out?

The answer is simple: automation.

Let’s dive into how automation can truly transform the way small legal teams operate, making their work more efficient and allowing them to focus on what really matters.

Why Small Legal Teams Need Automation

If you’re part of a small legal team, you know the struggle:

• Limited resources

• Juggling diverse responsibilities

• The pressure to maintain high-quality work while being as efficient as possible

This is where automation comes in. It can help tackle these challenges by:

• Simplifying routine tasks

• Minimizing errors

• Freeing up your time for more strategic, high-value work

Key Areas Where Automation Can Make a Difference

1. Contract Management

The Challenge: Reviewing contracts manually is tedious and prone to errors.

The Solution: Tools like Ironclad or Concord can automate the entire contract lifecycle.

Benefits:

• Faster approvals

• Consistent language across contracts

• Automatic reminders for renewals

2. Document Creation

The Challenge: Drafting routine documents like NDAs eats up valuable time.

The Solution: Document automation tools like DocuSign CLM or Contract Express make it easy.

Benefits:

• Generate documents quickly using templates

• Keep everything consistent

• Let lawyers focus on more complex tasks

3. eSignatures

The Challenge: Waiting for physical signatures slows everything down.

The Solution: Platforms like DocuSign or Adobe Sign let you sign documents electronically, speeding things up.

Benefits:

• Get signatures fast

• Easily track document progress

• Boost security

4. Task and Workflow Management

The Challenge: Keeping track of tasks and deadlines in a busy legal team can get chaotic.

The Solution: Tools like Asana, ClickUp, or even Trello can help streamline task management.

Benefits:

• Automatic task assignments and reminders

• Better control over deadlines

• Improved team collaboration

5. Data Analytics and Reporting

The Challenge: Manually compiling data for reports is not only time-consuming, but also invites errors.

The Solution: Tools like Power BI or Tableau can automate reporting and give you real-time insights.

Benefits:

• See key legal metrics at a glance

• Generate reports automatically

• Make decisions based on data, not guesswork

6. Vendor and Billing Management

The Challenge: Managing outside counsel and legal budgets can get complicated.

The Solution: Legal spend management tools like SimpleLegal or Brightflag can make this process smoother.

Benefits:

• Streamlined invoice management

• Better budgeting and forecasting

• Keep tabs on vendor performance

How to Start Automating Your Legal Team

You don’t need to jump into full automation mode overnight. Here’s a simple, phased approach:

1. Assess Your Workflows: Identify the tasks that eat up the most time and are repetitive.

2. Start Small: Pick one area that’ll make an immediate impact, like eSignatures.

3. Measure Your Success: Keep track of how much time you’re saving and how your team’s efficiency improves.

4. Scale Up Gradually: Once you see the results, start automating more areas of your workflow.

5. Keep Improving: Regularly review what’s working and make tweaks to optimize your automation processes.

Combining Lean Legal Operations with Automation

When you mix lean principles (which focus on cutting waste and adding value) with automation, you create a winning combo for small legal teams. It helps you:

• Remove inefficiencies from your workflow

• Focus on work that actually adds value

• Stay agile and responsive in an ever-changing environment

This approach allows even small teams to operate like much bigger ones, supporting business growth while managing legal risks more effectively.

Conclusion

Automation isn’t just a luxury reserved for large legal departments. For small legal teams, it’s becoming a must-have. By adopting automation tools strategically, your team can:

• Dramatically improve efficiency

• Deliver higher-quality work

• Focus on more important, strategic tasks

Therefore, automation is the key to making sure that small legal teams not only survive but thrive. With the right tools, even the smallest legal teams can deliver exceptional results and prove that size doesn’t limit success.