How to Utilise Effective Reporting Tools in Legal Teams

Legal teams are sitting on a goldmine of data — but without the right tools, that data becomes noise rather than insight.

Whether you're part of a lean in-house function or a growing law firm, reporting and analytics are critical for:

• Demonstrating legal’s value to the business

• Making data-driven decisions on workload, risk, and resourcing

• Tracking KPIs aligned with strategic goals

• Identifying process bottlenecks before they become fires

Yet many teams still rely on static spreadsheets or manually compiled reports that are outdated the moment they’re shared.

So how do you level up your reporting capabilities?

Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Know What to Measure

Define metrics that align with your legal team's goals and maturity.Before choosing a tool, be clear on the why behind your reporting. A few high-impact metrics to consider:

• Workload distribution: Who’s doing what, and where are the bottlenecks?

• Matter lifecycle: How long matters take from intake to closure

• Contract turnaround times: Where deals are slowing down

• Outside counsel spend: Trends, leakage, and cost control

• Risk exposure: Frequency and type of escalations

Tip: Align your reporting goals with your legal operations maturity. (If you’re not sure where you stand, our Legal Ops Maturity Assessment can help.)

Step 2: Choose the Right Tools (Fit for Legal)

Select reporting tools based on your team’s needs, size, and tech stack.

Here are a few tool types to consider, depending on your reporting needs and budget:

1. CLM & Matter Management Platforms

These often have built-in dashboards for contract volumes, cycle times, and workload tracking.

• Examples: Ironclad, LinkSquares, SimpleLegal

• Best for: Contract-heavy teams, those already digitising legal intake

2. Business Intelligence (BI) Tools

Pull data from multiple sources (CLM, billing, document systems) into one unified dashboard.

• Examples: Power BI, Tableau, Looker

• Best for: More mature teams or those working with cross-functional data

3. Legal-Specific Reporting Tools

Tailored to legal workflows with minimal setup.

• Examples: BusyLamp(part of Onit now), Brightflag, Apperio

• Best for: Spend management, legal vendor performance

4. Custom Dashboards via No-Code Tools

For lean teams that need flexibility and speed.

• Examples: Airtable, Notion + Zapier, Google Data Studio

• Best for: Teams without a large tech stack but need visibility

Step 3: Ensure Adoption & Actionability

Make reports user-friendly, automated, and aligned with stakeholder needs.

A report is only as useful as its impact. Here's how to make sure insights drive action:

• Visual clarity: Use charts, not tables. Show trends, not just data points.

• Audience-specific views: Tailor dashboards for legal leadership, business stakeholders, or finance teams.

• Regular review cadence: Monthly or quarterly reporting sessions help keep metrics alive.

• Automation over manual entry: Wherever possible, link tools to source systems to reduce errors and increase trust.

Bonus: Reporting as a Strategic Lever

Use data to position legal as a business enabler — not just a function.

When done right, reporting isn’t just operational — it’s strategic.

It helps legal shift from being seen as a cost centre to a value enabler.

It surfaces where technology or process change is needed.

And it gives legal a seat at the data table.

If you're looking to build or refine your reporting function — especially in a way that scales with your legal ops maturity — we’ve helped teams globally do just that at Advanta Legal Tech.

Final Thought

You don’t need to chase the most expensive dashboarding tool.

You need the right mix of visibility, simplicity, and insight to drive smarter legal decisions.

Start small. Measure what matters. Automate where you can.

And treat reporting not as an obligation — but as your secret weapon.