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Automations That Give You Monday Mornings Back

Ab Saraswat

Ab Saraswat

In this article

    The Monday Problem 

    Open Outlook at 8 a.m. and you will see it: a wall of status emails, “gentle reminders,” and FYIs that piled up over the weekend. Someone has to turn those messages into follow-ups, escalate the risks, and chase overdue tasks, before any real legal work even begins. The hidden cost: lost billable time, higher error rates, and partner frustration. 

    Lupl’s Automations feature attacks that cost by turning routine project management into a set-and-forget workflow that runs in the background. It is available for all customers and can be switched on for any matter you manage. 

    What “Automation” Really Means 

    At its core, an automation is a Trigger ➜ Action pair: 

    • Trigger – the event that starts the workflow (a task is created, a due date hits, a status changes). 
    • Action – what happens next (send a notification, assign a task, update a field).  

    Think of it as the legal world’s answer to “If This Then That,” but built for matter-centric work. 

    Here are some scenarios and how you can translate them to triggers and actions.  

    Triggers Which Add Value 

    Common Scenario Lupl Trigger 
    Weekly docket review At a Scheduled Time – e.g., every Monday 08:00 
    Partner wants instant visibility when scope creeps Item is Updated 
    Escalate looming deadlines Item Matches Conditions (due < 7 days & status = Open) 
    New client email lands in shared inbox Matter Email Received 

    All of these triggers ship as standard options in Lupl . 

    High-Impact Actions 

    Action Why It Matters to Busy Teams 
    Create Item Auto-generate next steps so nothing falls through the cracks. 
    Update Item Reassign or reprioritize work in one sweep, no manual edits. 
    Send Email Push deadline digests or client updates without copying-pasting. 
    Find Key Dates Surface every court hearing in the next two weeks for instant planning. 
    Ask AI Draft summary emails based on outstanding tasks, ready for partner sign-off. 

    These actions, combined with variables and conditions, give you Lego-style building blocks to automate almost any legal workflow . 

    Putting it together – full automation flows 

    Monday Deadline Digest 

    Trigger 

    • At a scheduled time: Monday 08:00 

    Actions 

    1. Find all items due in the next 7 days 
    1. Send one summary email to the matter team 

    Outcome 
    Everyone starts the week with a single, consolidated deadline list, no inbox clutter. 

    Urgent Deadline Escalation 

    Trigger 

    • Item matches conditions: due < 3 days AND status = Open 

    Actions 

    1. Update the item’s priority to High 
    1. Email the responsible lawyer and the partner 

    Outcome 
    Imminent risks surface to leadership before clients notice. 

    Scope-Change Alert 

    Trigger 

    • Item is updated: Scope field changes 

    Actions 

    1. Create a follow-up task for scope review 
    1. Email the matter owner with details 

    Outcome 
    Scope creep is captured, assigned, and communicated instantly. 

    New Client Email → Task 

    Trigger 

    • Matter email received in Lupl channel 

    Actions 

    1. Create an “Initial Triage” task 
    1. Auto-assign the relationship partner 

    Outcome 
    Client inquiries never languish, every message becomes an actionable item. 

    Weekly Court-Date Prep 

    Trigger 

    • At a scheduled time: Friday 16:00 

    Actions 

    1. Find all court dates in the next 14 days 
    1. Ask AI to draft a preparation summary 
    1. Email the litigation team the AI-generated brief 

    Outcome 
    Lawyers walk into Monday with a ready-to-review briefing, not a scramble. 

    Getting Started 

    1. Use a Recipe – Pick from a library of prebuilt legal workflows (e.g., “Weekly Deadline Digest”) and toggle it on in seconds. 
    1. Start from Scratch – Design a bespoke automation: choose a trigger, add conditions, stack actions. 
    1. Bake into Templates – Add automations to your Matter Template so every new matter inherits the same best-practice workflow. 

    The interface is point-and-click: no code, no IT ticket required . 

    Best Practices for Large Firms 

    • Target the pain point first. Start with a single high-frequency, low-complexity task (e.g., weekly reminders) to build confidence. 
    • Keep humans in the loop. Use notifications rather than silent updates when partner visibility is critical. 
    • Leverage conditions. Narrow triggers so automations run only when risk or urgency justifies it. 
    • Measure & iterate. Track time saved and error reduction to refine recipes or expand to other practice groups. 

    Imagine Your Next Monday 

    Instead of triaging inbox chaos, you open Lupl to see a curated list of: 

    • Tasks automatically created from the weekend’s emails 
    • Upcoming deadlines flagged by urgency 
    • Partner-ready summary drafted by AI 
    • Stakeholders already notified, and receipts acknowledged  

    That is the compound effect of removing dozens of micro-decisions from every matter, every week. 

    Call to Action 

    Ready to trade Monday morning catch-up for higher-value work? Book a personalized demo and see how Lupl automations put routine admin on autopilot, so your team can get back to practicing law. 

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      # Lupl Workstream Design Principles: A Practical Guide to Legal Project Management for Lawyers Legal project management works when your setup is simple, ownership is clear, and statuses are unambiguous. This guide shows how to turn existing processes and checklists into a lean, reliable Workstream. Lupl is the legal project management platform for law firms, making it easy and intuitive to apply these principles. It also supports moving your work from Excel, Word tables, or if you are transitioning from Microsoft Planner, Smartsheet, or Monday. You will learn what belongs in a Workstream, a Task, or a Step, and which columns to use. If you want practical project management for lawyers, start here. **Excerpt:** Legal project management works when ownership, dates, and statuses are clear. This guide shows lawyers how to turn checklists into Lupl Workstreams with the right columns, Tasks, and Steps. Use it to standardize project management for lawyers, reduce follow ups, and move matters to done. --- ## How to organize your work with Workstreams, Tasks, and Steps Workstreams, Tasks, and Steps are three different types of objects in Lupl. They form a simple hierarchy. Workstreams contain Tasks. Tasks may contain optional Steps. This hierarchy aligns with standard project management. In project management, you break work into projects, deliverables, and subtasks. Lupl adapts this for lawyers by using Workstreams, Tasks, and Steps. This makes it easier to map legal processes to a structure that teams can track and manage. * **Workstream.** Use when you have many similar or related items to track over time. Think of the Workstream as the table. * Examples: closing checklist, court deadlines, pretrial preparation, regulatory obligations, due diligence, local counsel management. * **Task.** A high level unit of legal work. A key deliverable with an owner and a due date. Tasks are the rows. * Examples: File motion. Prepare Shareholder Agreement. Submit Q3 report. * **Step.** An optional short checklist inside a single Task. Steps roll up to the parent Task. * Examples: Draft. QC. Partner review. E file. Serve. ### Quick test * If it can be overdue by itself, make it a Task. * If it only helps complete a Task, make it a Step. * If you need different columns or owners, create a separate Workstream. --- ## Do you need to track everything in Lupl Not every detail needs to be tracked in a project management system. The principle is to capture what drives accountability and progress. In Lupl, that means focusing on deliverables, not every micro action. * Use the level of detail you would bring to a weekly team meeting agenda. * Position Tasks as key deliverables. Treat Steps as optional micro tasks to show progress. * Example: You need client instructions. Do not add a Task for "Email client to request a call." Just make the call. If the client approves a key deliverable on the call, mark that item Approved in Lupl so the team has visibility. --- ## Start with the Core 5 columns Columns are the backbone of a Workstream. They define what information is tracked for each Task. In project management terms, these are your core metadata fields. They keep everyone aligned without overcomplicating the table. Keep the table narrow. You can add later. These five work across most legal project management use cases. 1. **Title.** Start with a verb. Example: File answer to complaint. 2. **Status.** Five to seven clear choices. Example: Not started, In progress, For review, For approval, Done. 3. **Assignee.** One named owner per row. If you add multiple assignees for collaboration, still name a primary owner. 4. **Due date.** One date per row. 5. **Type or Category.** Show different kinds of work in one table. Example: Filing, Discovery, Signature, Approval. **Priority.** Add only if you actively triage by priority each week. If added, keep it simple: High, Medium, Low. --- ## Add up to three Helper columns Lupl includes a set of pre made columns you can use out of the box. These allow you to customize Workstreams around different phases or stages of a matter. They also let you map how you already track transactional work, litigation, or other processes. Helper columns are optional fields that add context. In task management, these are similar to tags or attributes you use to sort and filter work. The key is to only add what you will update and use. Pick only what you will use. Stop when you reach three. * Party or Counterparty * Jurisdiction or Court * Phase * Approver * Approval, status or yes or no * Signature status * Risk, RAG * Amount or Number * External ID or Client ID * Document or Link * Docket number * Client entity **Guidance** * For Task Workstreams, prefer Approver, Approval, Risk. The rest are more common in Custom Workstreams. * Aim for eight columns or fewer in your main table. Put detail in the Task description, attachments, or Steps. --- ## Simple rules that keep your table clean Consistency is critical in project management. A cluttered or inconsistent table slows teams down. These rules ensure your Workstream remains usable and clear. * Only add a column people will update during the matter. If it never changes, set a default at the Workstream level or set a default value in the column. * Only add a column you will sort or filter on. If you will not use it to find or group work, leave it out. * If a value changes inside one Task, use Steps. Steps show progress without widening the table. * Keep columns short and structured. Use Description for brief context or instructions. Use Task comments for discussion and decisions. Link to work product in your DMS as the source of truth. * One accountable owner per Task and one due date. You can add collaborators, but always name a primary owner who moves the Task. If different people or dates apply to different parts, split into separate Tasks or capture the handoff as Steps. * Add automations after you lock the design. Finalize columns and status definitions first. Then add simple reminders and escalations that read those fields. --- ## Status hygiene that everyone understands Status is the single most important column in project management. It tells the team where the work stands. Too many options cause confusion. Too few cause misalignment. In Lupl, keep it simple and consistent. * Five to seven statuses are enough. * Use one review gate, For review or For approval. Use both only if your process needs two gates. * One terminal status, Done. This is the end state of the Task. Use Archived only if you report on it or need it for retention workflows. --- ## When to split into multiple Workstreams In project management, it is best practice to separate workstreams when workflows, owners, or audiences diverge. Lupl makes this easy by letting you create multiple Workstreams for one matter. Create a new Workstream if any of the following are true. * You need a different set of columns for a chunk of work. * Ownership or cadence is different, for example daily docketing vs monthly reporting. * The audience or confidentiality needs are different. **Signal** * If half your rows leave several columns blank, you are mixing processes. Split the table. --- ## Decision tree, three quick questions Use this quick framework to decide where an item belongs. This is the same principle used in task management software, adapted for legal workflows. 1. Is this a list of similar items over time, or a discrete phase of the matter * Yes. Create a Workstream. 2. Can it be overdue by itself, and does it need an owner * Yes. Create a Task. 3. Is it a step to finish a Task and not tracked on its own * Yes. Create a Step. --- ## Common mistakes to avoid Many project management failures come from overdesigning or misusing the structure. Avoid these mistakes to keep your Workstreams lean and effective. * Wide tables with many optional columns. Keep it to eight or fewer. * Two columns for the same idea, for example Status and Phase that overlap. Merge or define clearly. * More than one approval gate when one would do. It slows work and confuses owners. * Mixing unrelated processes in one table, for example signatures and invoice approvals. --- ## Build your first Workstream Building a Workstream is like setting up a project board. Keep it light, pilot it, then refine. Lupl is designed to let you do this quickly without heavy admin work. 1. Write the Workstream purpose in one sentence. 2. Add the Core 5 columns. 3. Add at most three Helpers you will use. 4. Define clear Status meanings in plain words. 5. Set defaults for any value that repeats on most rows, for example Jurisdiction. 6. Add two light automations, a due soon reminder and an overdue nudge. 7. Pilot for one week and adjust. --- ## Where this fits in legal project management Use these principles to standardize project management for lawyers across matters. Keep structures consistent. Reuse column sets and status definitions. Your team will find work faster, reduce follow ups, and close loops on time. --- ### On page SEO helpers * Suggested title tag. Lupl Workstream Design Principles, Practical Legal Project Management for Lawyers * Suggested meta description. Learn how to design lean Lupl Workstreams for legal project management. Get clear rules for Tasks, Steps, statuses, and columns to run matters with confidence. * Suggested URL slug. legal-project-management-for-lawyers-workstream-design

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