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Legal workflow automation is a process enabled by legal software such as Checkbox to automatically handle repetitive legal tasks like request intake and triage, document creation, or billing.
Automation helps legal teams work more efficiently and show clear value to the business by reducing manual work, improving visibility, and streamlining how legal handles requests and matters.
However, with many tools available, it’s important to choose a solution that’s built for legal teams (not just a generic workflow platform). So, let’s explore what makes the best automation for legal work, key features to look for, and how to choose the right platform for your team.
Why Legal Teams Need Automation Now
Legal teams are often held back by manual processes, scattered requests, and limited visibility into workload and performance. As the volume and complexity of legal work grows, relying on spreadsheets, emails, or shared inboxes simply isn’t sustainable.
This creates problems like:
- Legal work getting missed, lost, or delayed
- Repeating the same tasks over and over
- No clear view of who is doing what, or how busy the team is
- Difficulty showing the value legal brings to the business
Automation helps solve these problems by:
- Collecting all incoming requests in one place
- Automatically sorting and assigning work to the right people
- Letting teams create simple workflows for common tasks
- Making it easy to track progress and report on results
Using workflow automation software for legal means the team can stay organized, respond faster, and focus on more important work.
What Defines the Best Automation for Legal Work
Not all automation tools are built with legal teams in mind. Some platforms are designed for general business use and may not support the way legal actually works. That’s why it’s important to look for solutions tailored to legal workflows and needs.
👩⚖️ Built for Legal Teams
It should support legal-specific tasks like intake, matter tracking, contract generation, approvals, and reporting.
✅ Easy to Use
Lawyers and legal ops teams shouldn’t need coding skills or IT help to build or update workflows. They should be able to customize their workflow automation process on their own using intuitive tools that allow them to make immediate changes.
🗂️ Keeps Teams Organized
Legal automation should route all work into one platform so no work gets missed or overlooked. This will allow teams to work on and track matters all from one collaborative space.
🔧 Offers Flexibility
Every legal team works a little differently so your legal workflow automation tool should be easy to customize to fit your organizations unique processes.
👀 Improves Visibility
It should give GCs, legal leaders, and legal ops professionals a clear view of requests, workloads, and how the legal team is performing in real-time.
If the tool doesn’t solve legal-specific problems, it’s not the right fit. The best automation for legal doesn’t require massive change. It should simply offer support and boost efficiency across the legal department to help your team work smarter.
Top Use Cases for Legal Team Automation
Legal teams handle a wide range of work every day. Many of these tasks follow the same steps each time, which makes them ideal for automation. Automating routine work helps legal teams respond faster, stay organized, and focus more time on complex matters.
Here are some of the most common use cases for legal automation:
Legal Intake and Triage
Legal workflow automation software like Checkbox centralizes requests from across the business in one place, routes them to the right team member, and makes sure nothing is missed.
Self-Service for Common Requests
Legal can use workflow automation software to create tools like pre-approved NDA generators or guidance checklists so business users can get what they need for simple, routine requests without waiting for assistance from a legal professional.
Contract Review and Approvals
Standard contract processes, like reviewing NDAs or vendor agreements, can be automated with workflow automation to save time and reduce delays.
Matter Management
Instead of tracking legal matters in spreadsheets or shared inboxes, legal automation keeps everything organized in one real-time updating platform.
Reporting and Performance Tracking
Automated systems such as Checkbox can track how many requests are coming in, how long they take to complete, and where bottlenecks exist. This helps legal teams show their value through tangible results and concrete data.
Key Features to Look for in Legal Automation Tools
While some platforms offer long lists of functions, what matters most is how those features support the way legal teams work. Here are the key features to look for in the best automation for legal:
1. Centralized Intake
A single cloud-based intake platform to capture and manage all incoming legal requests, so nothing gets lost or delayed.
2. Customizable Workflows
The ability to create and tailor workflows that match your team’s exact processes whether that’s reviewing contracts, assigning matters, or handling approvals.
3. AI-Powered Triage and Routing
AI-powered legal automation tools that can automatically categorize requests based on predefined criteria and assign them to the right lawyer, reducing manual sorting and response time.
4. Real-Time Tracking
Clear visibility into the current status of every request or matter, so legal teams and stakeholders can see progress at any time.
5. No-Code Interface
A platform that’s easy to update and manage without needing technical skills or IT support. No-code legal workflow building tools such as Checkbox allow you to build and modify workflows using drag-and-drop blocks that represent each stage of a process, making it simple to create and adjust automations as needs change.
6. Secure Access and Permissions
For legal teams handling sensitive information, security is non-negotiable. Look for role-based access controls and enterprise-grade security features that ensure only the right people can view or act on specific data.
7. Reporting and Dashboards
Built-in analytics and dashboard tools help legal teams measure workload, performance, and turnaround times, making it easier to report to leadership with confidence.
8. Integrations with Existing Tools
A strong legal automation platform should easily connect with the tools your team already uses like email, CLM software, document storage, or messaging apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. Seamless integrations keep data flowing smoothly and reduce the need to switch between systems.
How to Evaluate and Compare Legal Automation Platforms
Once you understand what to look for in a legal automation tool, the next step is choosing the right platform. With a few options on the market, it’s important to evaluate solutions based on your team’s actual needs.
1. Start with Your Team’s Pain Points
Identify where your current processes break down. Are requests hard to track? Are too many tasks manual or repetitive? A good platform should solve those specific problems.
2. Involve Key Stakeholders
Bring in both legal team members and legal ops professionals early in the process. Their input helps ensure the platform works for everyone and makes adoption smoother.
3. Build an Evaluation Checklist
Use a list to compare each platform based on what matters most to you, such as:
- Ease of use
- Customization options
- Legal-specific functionality
- Support and onboarding experience
- Time to implement and see value
4. Request a Demo or Trial
Seeing the tool in action is critical. Ask vendors to walk through your use cases, not just show generic features. If possible, test it with a small group on your team.
5. Check for Long-Term Fit
Consider whether the platform can grow with your team. Can it handle more users or more complex workflows as your business scales?
Getting Started with the Best Automation for Legal Teams
Implementing legal automation doesn’t have to be complex. Start with one high-impact area, like intake or contract approvals, and map out your current process to identify opportunities for improvement.
Communicate the benefits clearly to stakeholders and work closely with your vendor to ensure a smooth rollout. The best platforms offer hands-on support, making it easier to launch quickly and see value early. From there, you can expand automation across more areas of legal, building on what works.
With the right tool in place, your team can work more efficiently, reduce manual effort, and demonstrate greater impact across the business.
Ready to see how Checkbox can help? Book a demo today to explore how our platform can help automate repetitive tasks and improve overall efficiency across legal teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of legal tasks are most commonly automated today?
Commonly automated tasks include legal intake, NDA generation, contract reviews, matter management, and routine approvals. These repeatable processes are ideal for automation because they follow predictable steps.
How is legal automation different from general business process automation?
Legal automation is designed specifically for legal workflows, with features like matter tracking, intake triage, and secure access controls. General business tools often lack the structure and compliance standards legal teams require.
What are the biggest challenges legal teams face when adopting automation?
The main challenges include resistance to change, lack of time or resources for implementation, and choosing tools that don’t fit legal-specific needs. Involving legal ops early and starting with high-impact use cases can help ease the transition.
Can small or mid-sized legal departments benefit from automation too?
Yes, automation helps lean legal teams handle more work without adding headcount. It improves organization, speeds up response times, and makes it easier to demonstrate legal’s value.
What questions should we ask automation vendors during a demo or trial?
Ask how the platform handles legal intake, reporting, and matter tracking, how easy it is to update workflows without IT, and what support is available during onboarding. You should also confirm how well it integrates with your current tools.
How long does it typically take to implement legal automation successfully?
Most legal automation platforms can be implemented in a few weeks if you start with a focused use case. Timeframes vary based on complexity, team involvement, and vendor support.
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