Ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? You’re not alone. Here’s how legal operations and structuring can help.
Many in-house legal teams are stretched to breaking point and the to do list keeps getting longer.
Expectations continue to rise, but budget and headcount rarely keep pace.
However, help is at hand. The emergence of legal operations roles has given many teams a much-needed boost.
When someone is dedicated to streamlining processes, leveraging technology, and driving efficiencies, the legal function is better positioned to meet business needs—while freeing up lawyers to focus on the work they find most meaningful.
But even for teams without a formal legal ops function, there are still powerful ways to make small, strategic changes that deliver transformative results. From improving internal client relationships to embracing data and automation, here are some practical, cost-effective ways to enhance performance across your legal team.
Start by deepening your understanding of the business. Take time to meet with internal stakeholders to learn about their priorities, challenges, and pain points. Document what matters most to them from their interactions with the legal team – and just as importantly, what’s “nice to have” but not essential.
One-on-one meetings with department leaders can uncover valuable insights and build trust in a low-pressure setting.
These conversations lay the groundwork for more aligned, impactful legal support.
Develop a one-page strategic plan for your legal team, shaped in collaboration with your key internal clients. This should clearly outline:
● The legal team’s priorities
● What the legal team will and (even more importantly) won’t focus on
● How success will be measured
Once drafted, seek buy-in from the executive team to ensure the strategy is aligned with broader business goals and backed by leadership.
With a strategic plan in place, it’s time to reshape how the business engages with legal.
Standardise how work is requested. Whether through a central inbox, CRM platform, or matter management system, make it easy for the business to request help in a consistent, structured way. Create checklists for each request type to ensure legal gets the context and information needed upfront.
Communicate the new process clearly—and support it with training. Without structure, legal often gets pulled into low-value work. By setting boundaries and expectations, you can reclaim time for more strategic contributions.
If the legal team is stepping back from certain tasks, help internal clients adopt a risk-based approach to deciding when legal input is truly needed. You can reduce legal’s involvement in lower-risk areas by developing self-service tools, training materials, and clear guidance for the business.
Drop-in clinics can also be an effective way of managing engagement with the legal team and a great opportunity to identify area. By setting regular times for quick consultations, you reduce one-off interruptions—and if certain questions keep coming up, document and distribute the answers for wider use.
Effective resourcing is about putting the right work in the right hands. Designate a senior team member to triage incoming matters based on complexity, risk, and value.
Consider flexible resourcing solutions—such as secondees or contract lawyers—for busy periods or specialist matters. This isn’t just about filling gaps; it’s about aligning resources to strategic priorities.
Data is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for high-performing legal teams.
Start small. Use a basic spreadsheet to track key metrics aligned with your team’s goals—volume of matters, turnaround times, contract value, risk levels, and so on.
Microsoft tools and other widely available platforms can often be customised to capture and visualise the insights you need without requiring expensive new software.
Over time, this data will help you demonstrate value, identify bottlenecks, and guide future improvements.
Contracting is a frequent pain point for in-house teams. Too many templates, inconsistent processes, and excessive legal involvement in low-risk agreements can drain resources.
Start by mapping your key transaction types and assessing how much time is spent on each. Are formal contracts always necessary? Could simpler documents or frameworks suffice?
Consolidate and simplify your templates. Aim to develop standard agreements that are user-friendly, balanced, and require minimal legal input. Empower business users to self-serve within defined risk thresholds, with legal stepping in only when truly needed.
Prioritise automation for tasks that are both repetitive and resource intensive. NDAs are a perfect starting point.
These documents are generally low risk, with limited variation, making them ideal candidates for automation.
Pair automation with self-service tools so business users can generate first drafts quickly and independently, freeing legal to focus on higher-value work.
Legal operations is all about progress, not perfection. Don’t wait for the perfect time or the perfect plan. Begin with a short, focused strategy. Choose a few key initiatives and get moving. A year from now, regroup as a team, review what worked, and refine your approach.
Action builds momentum, therefore for stretched in-house teams, even small wins can create meaningful change.
Building an efficient legal team starts with the right people. Whether you need a dedicated legal operations specialist, experienced contract lawyers, or strategic legal leadership, SLB connects you with top Australian legal talent. Discuss your requirements.
