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Guide to Matter Management
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As legal teams grow and take on more complex work, many start by using general project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com to keep track of legal tasks.
While these tools are helpful for basic project tracking, they’re not built for the unique needs of legal operations like handling confidential requests, automating approvals, or tracking matter-specific metrics. That would be where a dedicated legal matter management system proves useful.
If you’re weighing the difference between a general project tool and a purpose-built legal matter management system, this blog breaks down the key features to look for and why they matter for an efficient, scalable legal function.
Legal Matter Management System vs. General Project Management Tools
What is a Dedicated Legal Matter Management System?
A dedicated legal matter management system is a platform designed specifically for in-house legal teams to track, manage, and report on legal work. Some examples of this are tools like Checkbox, Legal Tracker, or Matter365.
What is a General Project Management Tool?
A general project management tool, like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com, helps teams plan and organize tasks but lacks legal-specific features like intake, triage, compliance, and matter tracking.
What’s the Difference?
While general project management platforms help organize tasks, they lack the structure and features legal teams need to manage risk, track performance, and handle sensitive requests.
| Feature | Legal Matter Management System | General Project Management Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Intake & Triage | ✔ Structured forms, auto-routing | ✖ Manual entry, limited workflows |
| Matter-Specific Tracking | ✔ Tailored to legal work (i.e. by type, owner, risk) | ✖ Basic task/project tracking |
| Compliance & Audit Trails | ✔ Built-in for legal needs | ✖ Often missing or manual |
| Reporting on Legal Metrics | ✔ Custom dashboards for legal KPIs | ✖ Generic or non-existent |
| Workflow Automation | ✔ Legal process automation | ✖ Limited or needs workarounds |
💡Pro Tip: While general tools may work in the short term, they can quickly create bottlenecks, especially as legal teams scale or need to report on impact.
Must-Have Features in a Legal Matter Management System
Choosing a platform to manage legal work is about having tools built for legal-specific needs. Here are the core features that set a dedicated legal matter management software apart:
1. Structured Intake and Smart Triage
Legal teams need more than an open task list. A proper system lets you collect requests through customizable forms, automatically route them to the right person, and prioritize based on urgency, topic, or business function.
2. Legal-Centric Matter Tracking
Instead of managing “projects,” legal teams manage matters, and each comes with their own unique risks, owners, deadlines, and stakeholders. Legal matter management systems let you track and categorize these appropriately, making it easy to stay organized and report on work.
3. Workflow Automation Built for Legal
From NDAs to contract approvals, dedicated systems offer drag-and-drop tools to automate common processes without needing IT support. This cuts down on repetitive tasks and ensures consistency across the team.
4. Built-In Reporting and Dashboards
Legal teams need visibility into metrics like matter volume, resolution times, team capacity, and business demand. Legal matter management platforms offer reporting features and dashboards tailored to these KPIs. This is something general tools can’t deliver out of the box.
5. Document and Email Integration
A strong platform should automatically link emails, documents, and attachments to their related matters, eliminating the need to dig through inboxes or shared drives.
6. Security and Compliance
Legal work requires strict access controls, audit trails, and data compliance. A dedicated system includes built-in security features aligned with standards like GDPR and SOC 2, which general tools often lack.
Related Article: Read more in-depth about the benefits of a dedicated legal matter management system.
So, while general project management tools can help organize basic tasks, they fall short when it comes to the structure, visibility, and compliance legal teams need.
A dedicated legal matter management software gives you the tools to manage requests at scale, automate routine work, and clearly demonstrate legal’s value to the business.
Ready to see how a purpose-built platform like Checkbox can support your legal team? Book a demo today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do seamless integrations enhance legal team workflows compared to project tools?
Integrations with tools like Outlook, Slack, or Salesforce allow legal teams to capture requests and manage matters without switching platforms. Unlike general project tools, matter management systems like Checkbox are built to connect intake directly to matter workflows.
Why is embedded email and document management crucial in legal matter systems?
Legal teams rely heavily on documents and correspondence, so having emails and files automatically linked to the right matters reduces errors and saves time. This feature is often missing or requires manual workarounds in project tools.
What features make project management tools more flexible for different team needs?
Project management tools are built for broad use cases, offering features like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and general task tracking. This makes them adaptable across departments but lacking legal-specific structure and compliance features.
What are the benefits of using a legal matter management system over a project management tool?
Legal matter management systems offer purpose-built features like structured intake, compliance tracking, and legal reporting. They’re designed to handle legal workloads more efficiently and securely.
How do Gantt charts and Kanban boards differ in managing complex projects versus legal cases?
Gantt charts and Kanban boards work well for visualizing timelines and task flow in general projects, but they don’t capture the nuance of legal matters like risk levels, approvals, or confidentiality requirements. Legal cases often need structured workflows, not just task tracking.
In what ways do customizable workflows improve efficiency in both legal and project management systems?
Custom workflows let teams tailor processes to fit how they work, reducing manual steps and improving consistency. In legal, this means automating routine tasks like NDAs or escalations without relying on IT.