Approach Your Workload Through a Legal Matter Lens

Today’s in-house legal teams need to approach their workload through a legal matter lens, as noted in a recent LawVu article. The article addresses the advantages of a legal lens approach and why legal matter management is critical to efficiently organizing, managing, and tracking matters. 

Contrary to a traditional narrow definition of “legal matter,” it encompasses any issue requiring the legal team’s involvement. This definition helps align the legal team’s efforts with organizational objectives and fosters a standardized approach to managing legal work. 

Legal matters, though varied, share key characteristics. In addition to litigation, they fall into internal queries, contracts, and regulatory and compliance work categories. Each matter has a clear objective, whether resolving a query or creating internal policies for the business. Matters typically involve documentation ranging from simple emails and letters to contracts to complex litigation. Collaboration is essential and may involve multiple stakeholders in various internal departments.

Legal matter management enables legal teams to deliver measurable value to the business. It supports strategic goals, risk mitigation, resource allocation, and robust reporting. By adopting a legal matter-based approach, organizations enhance visibility into workloads, improve efficiency through structured processes, and strengthen collaboration and accountability across departments.

Dedicated legal matter management systems provide centralized platforms tailored for in-house teams. The shift to centralized legal matter management empowers legal teams to prioritize strategic initiatives, optimize resources, and align legal services with broader business objectives. It simplifies complex tasks, reduces manual workload, and delivers impactful, data-driven outcomes. 

Approaching in-house workloads through a legal matter lens creates the structured foundation for the business to work with the legal department, transforming the legal function into a strategic partner within the organization.