How to Automate Legal Workflows One Process at a Time

What Is Legal Workflow Automation?

Legal workflow automation is a broad concept, and it can mean different things depending on who you ask.

For some teams, it focuses on document creation. For others, it shows up in task routing, approvals, or deadline tracking. The common thread is using legal technology to handle work that follows a predictable pattern.

At a basic level, legal workflow automation uses automated workflows to handle work that follows the same pattern over and over.

Repetitive tasks like drafting standard documents, moving discovery requests through review, assigning internal follow-ups, or pulling matter details stop requiring the same manual steps each time.

For law firms and in-house teams, this changes how legal operations run day to day. Legal professionals still review the work and make judgment calls, but they spend less time on menial tasks like moving files, copying language, or tracking status updates.

Legal workflow automation is not tied to one tool or feature. It’s a practical way to organize legal work so the predictable parts move faster, while people stay focused on the decisions that actually need legal experience.

Legal Tasks That Are Best to Automate First

If you’re getting started with legal workflow automation, the smartest move is to focus on work that already follows a clear pattern. These are the tasks that show up often, take time, and rarely need to be reinvented:

Discovery Drafting and Response Preparation

Discovery drafting is often the first place legal teams feel the drag of manual processes. Requests come in, documents pile up, and hours disappear into copying language, tracking citations, and double-checking references. The work is familiar, but the effort adds up fast.

This is why discovery drafting tends to be the first win for document automation. The structure rarely changes. What changes are the facts, the productions, and the references tied to each request.

Automation handles those routine tasks so you are not rebuilding the same response from scratch every time.

Tools like Briefpoint are designed specifically for this stage of litigation. Briefpoint uses your productions and case materials to generate documents that are already mapped to discovery requests, complete with citations and formatting aligned to how discovery actually gets served.

Common discovery tasks that benefit from automation include:

• Drafting responses to interrogatories, requests for production, and requests for admission
• Pulling facts and references directly from productions
• Applying consistent language to objections and responses
• Reducing repetitive manual edits across documents

When discovery drafting moves faster, everything downstream feels lighter. To see how this works in practice, learn more about Briefpoint and how it supports automated discovery workflows.

Intake Forms and Matter Setup

Intake and matter setup often feel routine, but they shape how smoothly everything runs later.

Details come in through emails, calls, or shared docs, then someone has to gather it all, enter it again, and make sure nothing was missed. That back-and-forth adds friction before the real legal work even starts.

Legal automation turns intake into a clean starting point. A legal intake form collects the right information upfront and feeds it directly into your systems. Client intake data, matter details, and key dates land where they belong without extra handling.

In turn, legal departments get a clearer picture of the work ahead from the start, and fewer follow-ups slow things down.

Picture a new matter opening with all the basics already filled in, tasks assigned automatically, and the right people looped in right away. That same flow works for contract reviews, investigations, or ongoing advisory work. The process stays consistent, even as the work itself changes.

Standard Legal Document Drafting

Thanks to modern legal tech, you don’t need to reinvent routine documents. Most standard drafts rely on the same clauses, the same structure, and the same information, and automation can take care of those repetitive details.

Artificial intelligence can handle document handling without turning your work into a black box. You enter the details once, the system generates the draft, and you step in to review and adjust.

So, the focus shifts away from tedious tasks and back to legal judgment, which is where your time actually matters.

Documents that are commonly automated include:

• Engagement letters
• NDAs
• Fee agreements
• Settlement agreements
• Employment agreements
• Demand letters
• Basic contracts and amendments

Automating this kind of administrative work helps cut repetition, reduce rework, and enhance productivity without changing how you prefer to work.

Internal Reviews and Approvals

Automated review and approval workflows route documents through the right reviewers in a defined order, with each step tracked automatically. Once a document enters review, the system controls who sees it next and what needs to happen before it moves forward.

Legal tech keeps comments, approvals, and versions connected to the same document, so reviewers always work from the current draft.

Manual review still happens, but the surrounding coordination runs quietly in the background. Plus, review status stays visible without extra messages or check-ins.

A contract update, for example, can move from legal review to compliance sign-off and then to final approval without anyone managing the handoffs. The workflow holds the sequence together while reviewers focus on substance rather than logistics.

Deadline Tracking and Reminders

Automated deadline tracking keeps dates tied to the work itself and not scattered across calendars or notes. Tasks, filings, and reviews carry their own due dates, and those dates move as the workflow progresses.

For one, reminders can trigger based on the schedule you set, which helps keep things on track without constant manual check-ins.

This approach works well when multiple workflows run at the same time and timelines overlap. You can see what’s coming up, what’s approaching fast, and how tasks line up without piecing it together yourself.

With task management built into the workflow, deadlines stay visible and connected from start to finish. In turn, this reduces the chances of missed deadlines while keeping the day organized.

Status Updates and Task Assignments

Status updates and task assignments can update automatically as work moves through a workflow. Progress reflects what has already happened, without requiring separate tracking or manual updates.

This keeps legal processes easier to follow when work overlaps or changes direction. Information stays current as matters develop, which reduces the need for administrative tasks tied to monitoring and reporting.

In other words, workflow efficiency improves simply because the system reflects the work as it unfolds.

Types of Legal Workflow Automation Tools

There isn’t really a single product called a “legal workflow automation tool.” In practice, legal workflows get automated through a mix of tools that handle different parts of the work. Each one covers a piece of the process, and together they shape how work moves through a legal team.

Here are the main categories you’ll see most often:

• Legal practice management software: Handles matter tracking, task management, deadlines, and high-level organization for day-to-day legal work.
• Document generation tools: Support document automation by turning structured inputs into drafts, which reduces manual legal drafting and repetitive edits.
• Case management systems: Keep matter information, timelines, communications, and filings connected in one place throughout a case.
• Document management platforms: Store, organize, and version legal documents so files stay searchable and current as work evolves.
• Document review tools: Assist with reviewing large volumes of documents, flagging patterns, and managing review workflows.
• Legal research tools: Help legal professionals find relevant authority and reference materials more efficiently during active matters.
• Legal workflow automation software: Connects tasks, documents, and reviews into structured workflows that move work forward automatically.

How to Automate Legal Workflows

Now that you’ve seen which legal tasks tend to automate well, the next move is turning one of those tasks into a workflow your team can actually use.

Keep it simple at first, then build from there as the process starts to feel familiar:

Step 1: Pick One Workflow With Clear Steps

Pick something you already know well. If you can explain the steps without thinking too hard, that’s a good place to start. Early legal process automation works best when the process feels familiar.

Discovery response drafting is a solid example. Requests arrive, productions get reviewed, responses take shape, citations get added, and the draft goes through review before it’s served. 

The details change, but the flow stays the same.

Step 2: Write Down the Exact Inputs You Need

Before automating anything, get specific about the information the workflow depends on. Walk through the entire process and note what needs to be available at each stage. This keeps the setup practical and avoids gaps later.

Typical inputs include:

• Client or matter details
• Key dates and deadlines
• Document or request types
• Source files or productions
• Review or routing preferences

Remember: Clear inputs matter even more when workflows support broader strategic initiatives.

Step 3: Standardize Templates and Rules

Automation relies on consistency. Templates and rules define how documents look, how decisions get made, and how work moves from one step to the next.

This often includes:

• Document templates and formatting
• Standard response language
• Review and approval sequences
• File naming and organization rules

Step 4: Choose the Tools That Fit Your Process

Now it comes down to picking tools that actually make sense for how you work. You’re not looking for the most impressive feature list. You’re looking for something that fits into your day without getting in the way.

The right tools take care of time-consuming tasks that quietly eat up countless hours, while everything else stays familiar. If a tool feels like it’s fighting your process, it probably will. When it fits naturally, you notice it less, and that’s usually a good sign for long-term use and optimal performance.

Step 5: Build the Workflow and Test It on Real Matters

Once the pieces are in place, it’s time to build the workflow and see how it holds up in real work.

Start with existing workflows rather than hypothetical ones. Real matters reveal gaps and edge cases much faster than test data ever will.

As you test, keep the focus on how the workflow supports the people using it. Team members should understand what the workflow does, what it does not do, and where they step in.

Keep in mind that proper training matters here, even if the workflow feels simple on paper.

Testing usually includes:

• Running the workflow on a small number of live matters
• Watching where manual steps still show up
• Adjusting rules, templates, or inputs as needed
• Gathering feedback from each team member involved

The goal is not perfection. A workable setup can significantly reduce repetitive work, enhance efficiency, and leave more room for strategic work as the workflow settles into daily use.

Step 6: Add Review Checks and Approval Points

Automation still needs human eyes at the right moments. Review checks and approval points give you natural pause spots before work moves forward, especially when client information or sensitive details are involved.

A discovery response, for example, might be drafted automatically, but wait for attorney review before it’s finalized.

A contract can move through its workflow but stop for approval before it goes out the door. Those moments matter, and building them in helps with error reduction without breaking the flow.

Most teams rely on existing systems for these checks, which keeps the process familiar. Reviews happen in the same way each time, ensuring consistency while leaving room for judgment when it counts.

Step 7: Connect Systems and Reduce Double Entry

You shouldn’t have to enter the same information three different times just to keep work moving. When systems are connected, details flow naturally from one step to the next, and seamless integration starts to feel like common sense.

Information from intake can carry through to matter records, documents, and follow-on tasks without being retyped. That helps drive efficiency and reduces human error when things change. 

It also makes it easier to ensure compliance, since the same data stays consistent everywhere it’s used.

Step 8: Roll It Out, Track Results, and Refine

Once the workflow is working, it’s time to roll it out more broadly and see how it performs in day-to-day use. Start with one practice area or team before expanding further, especially if the workflow touches multiple roles.

As it runs, pay attention to how it’s actually used:

• Where people pause or work around the workflow
• Which steps save time and which still feel manual
• How the workflow fits into existing routines
• Feedback from team members using it daily

For law firms and corporate legal departments, this stage helps surface real impact. Over time, small adjustments can improve fit, reduce friction, and bring down operational costs without reworking the entire process.

Why Discovery Drafting Is the Smartest Place to Start

Legal workflow automation works best when it starts with work that already follows a clear pattern.

Discovery drafting fits that description better than almost anything else. The steps are predictable, the volume is high, and the time cost is hard to ignore. So, automating that part of the workflow creates immediate relief without changing how you practice law.

Discovery responses don’t need reinvention. They need speed, consistency, and accuracy. When drafting, citations, and formatting stop consuming hours, the rest of the workflow opens up naturally.

From there, it becomes easier to automate intake, reviews, deadlines, and handoffs using the same approach.

Briefpoint was built with this exact starting point in mind. It focuses on discovery drafting first, giving legal teams a practical way to begin automation without overhauling everything at once.

Book a demo today.