How legal workflow automation turns thousands of tasks into one

One of the most difficult parts about changing one’s behaviour is simply breaking the habit that first time. It's why there's a movement called “couch to 5K”—getting off the couch is the first and toughest step for many.

For lawyers facing a mountain of work, taking the time to set yourself up for a more efficient process can be daunting. It may feel like a distraction rather than creating a process for the efficient, on-going work for clients.

For those who wish they were free from the enormous volume of paperwork, there is another way, and it starts with preparation.

Consider one real-world example: If your firm had 12,000 documents to review, and each one had 75 questions to answer, the task will take weeks to complete. Even with a sizable team working in concert, the sheer volume of work is daunting. One of those, “Where do I even start?" kind of tasks others might shrink from.

Rather than just digging into the work, perhaps working through the necessary outcome and improving the process first will be more effective? By automating even a part of a task that large, you stand to shave hours off the time involved in completing the project.

What is legal workflow automation?

Legal document automation is a process that uses technology to streamline the creation of legal documents. By utilising automated software, legal professionals can quickly and accurately generate documents that are tailored to the specific needs of their clients.

This process eliminates the need for manually drafting and formatting documents, saving time and reducing the potential for errors. Automated legal documents can be customised to include the specific language and requirements of the particular situation and can be uploaded to be stored in the cloud or shared with colleagues or clients.

Legal workflow automation hosts many benefits, including greater efficiency, reduced error and improved value for your clients.

Focus on processes, not just tasks

That is precisely what the team at Foot Anstey did. As they explained in this Thomson Reuters webinar, when faced with the opportunity to pitch a client, the firm looked at not only the size of the work, but the manner in which it had been performed in the past.

Instead of using manual processes and discrete spreadsheets, Foot Anstey leveraged automation and databases to create a workflow that streamlined the effort and standardised the information. The time and thought spent in preparation wound up delivering results four times faster than their previous method, and crucially, winning the firm new business.

What legal services can be automated?

Not everything can be automated, of course. But there are some common elements of legal workflows that lend themselves to automation quite naturally. Some examples include:

1. Contract drafting  
2. Contract review  
3. Document filing  
4. Legal research  
5. Legal compliance  
6. Due diligence  
7. IP protection  
8. Document retrieval  
9. Document creation

Document creation, for example, requires a large amount of repetitive work. Diving right into the work may seem like the best way to get ahead but taking the time to defining the fields in a document, and setting up corresponding variables, it's easy for a computer to automatically create custom, accurate documents on a scale no human can match.

For one, ten, or even a hundred documents, the return on investment on setting up an automation probably isn't there. However, scaled across multiple clients or within bigger deals, the numbers can easily reach into the thousands. That's where automation shines.

Automation also benefits law firms in legal workflows. Consider just how much of your time is spent passing documents back and forth or notifying the relevant parties of their next steps. That is work that need not fall upon you. Spend time up front to define the triggers and actions relevant to your legal project and your subsequent work will move smoothly through the process.

Suppose you had a client who needed to review each document once a specific action was taken. In a manual world, that simple requirement could spawn dozens of emails. Even if your firm relies on virtual data rooms or dedicated file sharing sites, there is still the act of notifying the client and confirming their receipt and response to each task.

All of these tasks can be automated. Notifications can be triggered by a new document being added to a watched folder. Signoffs can prompt paralegals to take action. Moreover, the client dashboard can be automatically updated with real-time data around the status of each project—which can improve client communications and increase speedy responsiveness.

Think about what’s possible

It’s time to look at the forest for the trees. Take a clear look at your overall processes and see where document automation can fit to improve your workflows.

The benefits will not only be felt by clients, but also by you. When smart lawyers are stuck doing repetitive, low-value work such as manual document creation, it can decrease their job satisfaction and lead to a problem with your firm’s ability to attract and retain top talent. And in an uncertain economic market, your firm can’t afford to lose its competitive edge due to out-of-date workflows.