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From Overwhelmed to Organized: How Lupl Transforms Practice Group Meetings into Focused Sessions

Ab Saraswat

Ab Saraswat

In this article

    Weekly practice group meetings are a staple in law firms around the world. These meetings serve as a critical checkpoint, ensuring that teams are aligned, resources are effectively managed, and progress toward client goals is on track.

    However, the traditional format of these meetings—where everyone shares updates in a round-robin style—can be inefficient and time-consuming.

    At Lupl, we believe there’s a better way to manage these meetings, and it starts with leveraging technology to bring clarity and focus to your discussions. One of the most powerful tools for this purpose is Lupl’s Global Tasks View.

    The Challenge: Making Meetings More Efficient

    Many partners have shared a common frustration: practice group meetings often devolve into lengthy sessions where tasks are discussed without a clear structure. The head of the practice typically goes around the room (or screen), with each team member sharing what they’re working on. This approach can make it difficult to maintain focus, prioritize effectively, and identify bottlenecks quickly.

    By using Lupl’s Global Tasks View, your weekly meetings can shift from a general check-in to a focused, action-oriented session.

    The Solution: Lupl’s Global Tasks View

    We listened to the needs of our users and enhanced the Global Tasks View to make your weekly meetings more efficient and productive. Here’s how:

    1. Comprehensive Task Management
      • The Global Tasks View provides a centralized overview of all tasks across all matters you’re working on. This means you no longer need to sift through various lists or rely on verbal updates to understand what’s on the docket. Everything is visible in one place, giving you a clear picture of what your team is working on.
    2. Advanced Sorting and Grouping
      • We’ve incorporated powerful sorting and grouping features within the Global Tasks View. You can now sort and group tasks by:
        • Assignee: See who is responsible for each task, helping you manage workloads and accountability.
        • Due Date: Prioritize tasks that are approaching their deadlines to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
        • Priority: Focus on the most critical tasks that need immediate attention.
        • Custom Columns: Tailor your view to include any custom columns you’ve set up, ensuring the data you need is front and center.
    3. Advanced Filters for Focused Meetings
      • To make your meetings even more streamlined, we’ve added advanced filtering options. You can now filter tasks to see:
        • Overdue Tasks: Identify and address bottlenecks that may hinder progress.
        • Tasks Due Today or This Week: Keep the team focused on immediate priorities.
        • Tasks Assigned to or Created by You: Personalize your view to track your responsibilities or those of specific team members.
        • Tasks by Status and Other Properties: Customize your view to see tasks based on their status, client, associate, matter, and more.

    The Result: More Effective Meetings

    By using Lupl’s Global Tasks View, your weekly meetings can shift from a general check-in to a focused, action-oriented session.

    With all tasks visible and easy to organize, you can quickly identify what needs attention, who is responsible, and how to move forward. This not only saves time but also ensures that your team is aligned on what matters most.

    Why It Matters

    Efficient weekly meetings are crucial for maintaining momentum on client matters, especially on rapily evolving matters. Lupl’s Global Tasks View helps you cut through the noise, bringing clarity and purpose to your discussions. Whether you’re a partner looking to stay on top of multiple matters or an associate managing your workload, this feature is designed to make your life easier.

    We’re committed to continuing to listen to our users and improve Lupl to meet your needs. The Global Tasks View is just one example of how we’re helping law firms streamline their workflows and stay focused on delivering exceptional client service.

    Ready to Transform Your Meetings?

    Already a Lupl user? explore the Lupl’s Global Tasks Viewand see for yourself how this powerful feature can bring order and efficiency to your weekly meetings and beyond.

    Curious to learn more? Reach out to our team, or try Lupl’s Global Tasks View today and experience the difference it can make in your practice.

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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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