From The Automated Law Firm

100+ ways to automate
a law firm

The full Automation Inventory from the book: 80 core tasks and their AI enhancements, mapped across 14 firm functions. None of this is legal advice – confirm the current rules in your jurisdiction with your own counsel.

 

Start here

Know your track before you build. It decides what you automate first.

Track A is pure automation: structured data in, structured data out, no AI making judgment calls in the middle. A form that creates a matter record. A signed engagement letter that kicks off an intake checklist. The main AI ethics rule lawyers worry about – ABA Formal Opinion 512 – does not attach here.

Track B is automation with an AI step inside it. The moment an AI system reads client information and produces output you rely on, all five duties attach: competence, confidentiality, supervision, fees, and candor. Track B is a step you choose on purpose – the danger is sliding onto it without noticing.

The inventory

80 tasks and their AI enhancements, 14 functions

Every firm runs some version of these. Each task runs on Track A as written; where an AI step raises the ceiling, the enhancement is noted – that step moves the task to Track B and brings the five duties with it. Take the full inventory with you in the PDF.

1. Client intake and onboarding

  • Intake form to matter record – A submitted intake form creates the matter record, the client contact, and the folder structure with no retyping.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads the free-text "describe your issue" field, drafts a short matter summary, and suggests the practice area. A person confirms it.
  • Signed engagement letter to matter fields – When the letter is signed through an e-signature tool, the signed field values populate the matter fields with no retyping.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads a scanned or PDF engagement letter and pulls the parties, scope, and fee terms into the matter fields. A person confirms it.
  • New-client welcome sequence – A signed engagement triggers the welcome email, the client portal invite, and the first set of forms.
  • Identity and document collection – A secure upload link gathers ID and know-your-client documents from the client and files them to the right record.
  • Engagement letter generation – The system merges client and matter fields into the firm’s engagement letter template and sends it out for signature.
  • Inbound inquiry routing – A web inquiry is sent to the right practice group. Track A if the form uses fixed category fields that map to a group. Track B if an AI step reads the free-text inquiry and decides the group.
  • Intake questionnaire load – A practice-specific questionnaire is sent, and the returned answers load into the matter as structured fields.

2. Matter management

  • Matter number and naming – A new matter draws the next number from a sequence and applies the firm’s naming convention across every system.
  • Folder and permission build – Opening a matter builds the standard folder tree and sets access for the assigned team only.
  • Status sync across systems – A status change on the matter updates the calendar, billing, and document systems so they stay in step.
  • Matter status roll-up – A dashboard pulls open tasks, upcoming deadlines, and recent filings for each matter into one view.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step writes a plain-language status narrative for the partner from that activity. A person confirms it.
  • Close-out checklist – When a matter is marked closed, the close-out checklist runs: final bill, retention date, and access changes.
  • Email-to-matter filing – Incoming email is filed to the right matter. Track A if the email carries a matter ID or tag that maps to the file. Track B if an AI step reads an untagged email and assigns the matter.

3. Conflicts screening

  • Conflicts name search – A new party name is run against the conflicts database and the system returns every match.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads the match list and separates likely real conflicts from name coincidences with a short explanation. A person confirms before any clearance.
  • Conflicts index update – Opening a matter adds the client, the adverse parties, and related entities to the conflicts index.
  • Lateral hire screen – A new hire’s prior client and matter list is checked against the firm’s active matters for overlaps.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads the candidate’s résumé or deal sheet and pulls out the party names to screen. A person confirms it.
  • Ethical wall setup – When a conflict is flagged, the system restricts file access and records who is walled off from the matter.

4. Calendaring, deadlines, and docketing

  • Deadline calculation – The system calculates filing and response deadlines from a trigger date using stored court rules.
  • Docket-to-calendar sync – A new docket entry pushes the date and a set of reminders to the responsible attorneys’ calendars.
  • Tiered deadline reminders – Reminders go out on a set schedule before each deadline and escalate if the task is not marked done.
  • Court order date extraction – A structured e-filing notice with coded dates creates the docket entries on its own.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads a narrative scheduling order and pulls out each deadline. A person confirms before docketing.
  • Court feed monitoring – A watch on the court’s electronic feed creates a docket entry whenever a new filing posts in a matter.

5. Document management and assembly

  • Template assembly – A standard document is built from a template and the matter’s merge fields, ready for review.
  • Auto-filing by rule – Saved documents are routed to the right matter folder by naming convention and document type.
  • Version control and lock – The system tracks versions and locks the final so a signed copy can’t be overwritten.
  • Bates numbering and stamping – A production set is Bates-numbered and stamped with the agreed confidentiality legend.
  • PDF conversion and metadata scrub – Documents are converted to PDF and stripped of hidden metadata before they leave the firm.
  • First-draft from a description – An AI step drafts a first version of a routine document from a plain-language description of what is needed. A person reviews before use.

6. Legal research

  • Saved research alerts – A saved search runs on schedule and delivers new cases and filings in the matter’s area.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step summarizes each new result and flags the ones worth a closer look. A person confirms relevance.
  • Authority table from a brief – An AI step reads a brief and pulls every cited case and statute into a table for checking. A person confirms the list.
  • Opinion summary – An AI step reads a long opinion and writes a short headnote a lawyer relies on. A person confirms before it guides the matter.
  • Citing-references pull – The system pulls every firm document that cites a given case from the document store.

7. Contract and document review

  • Contract intake and routing – An incoming contract is logged and routed to the right reviewer by type and value.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads the contract and flags clauses that fall outside the firm’s standard positions. A person confirms each flag.
  • Redline against playbook – An AI step compares a counterparty’s redline to the firm’s playbook and lists the gaps. A person confirms before responding.
  • Key-term extraction – An AI step reads a contract and pulls parties, term, renewal, governing law, and key dates into a summary. A person confirms.
  • Document production review – A document set is sorted by date and custodian and de-duplicated for review.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step makes a first-pass call on responsiveness and possible privilege for each document. A person reviews every call.

8. Billing, time, and collections

  • Draft invoice generation – Draft invoices are built from posted time and cost entries on the billing cycle.
  • Billing-guideline checks – Each draft is checked against the client’s rate table and billing rules, and violations are flagged before send.
  • Time capture – Activity from the calendar, email, and document systems is captured into draft time entries for each timekeeper.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step drafts a compliant time narrative from that activity. A person confirms before it posts.
  • Collections reminders – Reminders go out by invoice age and escalate to a call list when an account passes a set point.
  • Payment reconciliation – Incoming payments are matched to open invoices and the ledgers are updated.
  • Pre-bill narrative review – Pre-bills route to the billing attorney with guideline flags already marked.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reviews each time narrative for guideline fit and rewrites weak entries for approval. A person confirms.

9. Client communication and status updates

  • Scheduled status updates – A status email goes out on a set schedule pulling the matter’s latest milestones.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step writes the update in plain language from the matter activity. A person confirms before send.
  • Inbound acknowledgment – Client emails get an immediate, logged acknowledgment so nothing sits unseen.
  • Email triage – Inbound client email is sorted by topic and urgency. Track A if the routing uses sender and subject rules. Track B if an AI step reads the message and decides priority.
  • Thread summary – An AI step reads a long client email thread and gives the attorney a short summary. A person confirms it.
  • Appointment reminders – Reminders and intake links go out before each client meeting and update when the time changes.

10. Marketing, business development, and lead intake

  • Lead capture and assignment – Web form and event leads load into the CRM and are assigned to the right person by rule.
  • Nurture sequences – A new lead enters a scheduled email sequence based on the service of interest.
  • Lead qualification – New leads are sorted by source, service, and location into ranked lists.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads the inquiry text and scores fit and intent. A person confirms before outreach.
  • Contact de-dupe and enrichment – New contacts are matched against existing records and merged, with public firm data added.
  • Content scheduling – Approved posts and newsletters are scheduled and published across the firm’s channels.
  • First-draft marketing content – An AI step drafts a first version of a post or newsletter from a set of bullet points. A person edits before publish.
  • Experience and pitch database – Closed matters feed an experience database with client, practice area, and outcome fields.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step drafts a matter description or attorney bio from that record. A person confirms.
  • RFP question mapping – An AI step reads an RFP and matches each question to the firm’s prior answers. A person confirms before submission.

11. Knowledge management and firm data

  • Document tagging and indexing – Filed documents are indexed and tagged by matter, type, and date from their metadata.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads each document and adds topic tags and a short summary. A person confirms.
  • Precedent and clause library – Final documents of set types are collected into a precedent library by practice area.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step pulls reusable clauses out of those documents and labels them. A person confirms.
  • Template and know-how search – A search index answers "where is the template for X" from the firm’s documents.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step answers a plain-language question across firm documents with a cited draft answer. A person confirms.
  • Matter lessons capture – A closed matter prompts a short structured record of what worked and what to reuse, saved to the knowledge base.

12. Internal operations (HR, payroll, expense, vendor, IT)

  • New-hire provisioning – A start date triggers account creation, email setup, and the equipment and access checklist.
  • Offboarding – A termination date deprovisions accounts and access and routes the file for handoff.
  • Payroll run – Payroll is built from approved timekeeping and time-off on the pay schedule.
  • Expense approvals – Expense reports route through the approval rules and post to the right account.
  • Receipt coding – Submitted receipts are matched to expense reports and logged.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads a receipt image and codes the expense to the right category. A person confirms.
  • Vendor invoice processing – A vendor invoice is matched to its purchase order and routed for approval.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads the invoice PDF and pulls the line items for matching. A person confirms.
  • IT ticket routing – An IT request is routed to the right queue. Track A if the ticket form uses fixed category fields. Track B if an AI step reads a free-text request and classifies it.
  • Time-off requests – Time-off requests route for approval and update the balance and the team calendar.

13. Court filing and litigation support

  • Filing package assembly – A filing is assembled with its required components and checked against the court’s formatting rules before submission.
  • Filed-stamp capture – The court’s filed-stamp confirmation is captured and filed to the matter on its own.
  • Exhibit management – Exhibits are numbered, organized, and an exhibit list is generated for the set.
  • Case chronology – Dated documents are arranged into a timeline by their metadata.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads the documents and builds a fact chronology with sources. A person confirms.
  • Deposition summary – An AI step reads a deposition transcript and summarizes the testimony by topic. A person confirms.
  • Privilege log – A privilege log is built from document metadata: author, recipients, date, and type.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step drafts the privilege description for each entry. A person confirms before production.

14. Trust accounting and compliance

  • Retainer posting – A retainer deposit is recorded to the correct client trust ledger with the matter reference.
  • Three-way reconciliation – The trust bank balance, the book balance, and the client ledgers are reconciled on schedule and breaks are flagged.
  • Trust balance alerts – An alert fires when a client trust balance crosses a set point or would go negative.
  • Trust draw safeguards – The system blocks an operating expense from drawing on trust funds and logs the attempt.
  • Compliance reporting – The reports required for bar trust rules are generated on schedule from the ledgers.
  • Settlement disbursement mapping – A disbursement sheet’s listed amounts post to the matter ledger as structured entries.
    Enhanced with AI: an AI step reads a narrative settlement statement and maps each disbursement to a ledger line. A person confirms before funds move.
  • License and CLE tracking – Attorney license renewals and continuing education credits are tracked and reminders go out before each deadline.

The edge-case test. A keyword search that retrieves documents is Track A. An email tool that drafts the whole reply for a lawyer to wave through is Track B. When in doubt, ask: does an AI read content and produce output we rely on? Yes means Track B – and Track B is a choice you make on purpose, not a line you drift across.

Take the inventory with you. The PDF is built to print.

The complete Automation Inventory, straight from the book – every task, every AI enhancement, with the Track A / Track B call marked for each.

The full playbook is in the book. Every function here has a chapter.

Twelve chapters on building an automated practice that holds up – out now on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.