Give the role a reliable starting point.
Share a model matter file, document categories, retention instructions, and access permissions.
Matter file organization
Matter file organization
Create a usable document structure around the firm’s matter identifiers and review habits.
Book a free consultationScope, access, and coverage are agreed with your team.
The day-to-day work
A clear queue. A useful handoff.
Define the recurring work and the evidence your team needs to review it. These building blocks become a role-specific operating plan.
- Apply naming and folder conventions
- Index incoming documents
- Link correspondence to the matter
- Flag missing or duplicated items
What comes back to your team
Work you can see and review.
Matter document index
A working record with source references, current status, and the person responsible for the next step.
Missing-file register
A focused view of missing inputs, unanswered questions, and items that need your decision.
Organized review folder
A dated handoff that distinguishes completed work from pending review and unresolved exceptions.
Put the role into practice
From the first brief to the final check.
A practical handoff
Several versions of an agreement arrive in separate emails. The assistant preserves each version and identifies the latest supplied draft for attorney confirmation.
Illustrative workflow, not a client case study.Check the work before closing the loop.
Review matter matching, version labels, access controls, and whether an index points to the intended document.
Your systems, your permissions
Fit the role to your environment.
Tool familiarity is considered when defining the role. Your team approves every platform, access level, and source of truth.
iManage where authorizedNetDocuments where authorizedClioSharePoint
Platform names describe possible working environments, not endorsements or a promise of certification.
Inside the responsibility
What matter file organization looks like in practice.
Create a usable document structure around the firm’s matter identifiers and review habits. The scope below connects each recurring responsibility to its source information and a checkable working record. Your team confirms the exact steps, templates, and approval limits before work starts.
Apply naming and folder conventions
Begin with the latest request and its approved source record. Check that the necessary information is present, identify the owner, and clarify conflicting details before making an update.
Working output: Matter document index. Include the source reference, current status, and next owner when an item remains open.
Index incoming documents
Use the agreed template or checklist to carry out this task. Record what was checked and the date of the action so another team member can understand the current position.
Working output: Missing-file register. Include the source reference, current status, and next owner when an item remains open.
Link correspondence to the matter
Keep this work connected to the wider queue. Note dependencies and unanswered questions, and use the agreed escalation route when the next step requires a decision.
Working output: Organized review folder. Include the source reference, current status, and next owner when an item remains open.
Flag missing or duplicated items
Complete the task only when its agreed checks have passed. If an input is missing or an approval is pending, keep that status visible rather than treating the item as finished.
Working output: Matter document index. Include the source reference, current status, and next owner when an item remains open.
A handoff you can act on
Keep ready work separate from unresolved work.
Several versions of an agreement arrive in separate emails. The assistant preserves each version and identifies the latest supplied draft for attorney confirmation.
Ready for review
The agreed task is complete and the supporting information is available in your approved system. Attach or link the relevant record and identify any final reviewer before closing the item.
Review against: Review matter matching, version labels, access controls, and whether an index points to the intended document.
Waiting on an input
Name the missing information, where it was requested, and who is expected to supply it. Keep a follow-up date visible. An unanswered request should not disappear into a completed-work total.
Starting requirements: Share a model matter file, document categories, retention instructions, and access permissions.
Needs your decision
Summarize the exception and the information already checked. Ask a specific question and route it to the authorized person. Keep the original source intact while the decision is pending.
Approval boundary: Attorneys decide legal significance, privilege, retention exceptions, and which version controls.
Set the role up well
Agree what good work means before the first handoff.
Access and examples
Provide individual, approved access to the systems used for this responsibility. Share a completed example, an incomplete example, the relevant template, and a named reviewer. Sensitive working records belong in those systems, not in a public inquiry form.
Possible working environments include iManage where authorized, NetDocuments where authorized, Clio, SharePoint. Tool access and familiarity are confirmed as part of the role brief.
Review and workload measures
Agree which measures are useful for this queue: completed items, items awaiting an input, age of unresolved work, and corrections requested by the reviewer. Review these together with actual examples; volume alone does not establish that work is accurate.
Set response expectations from your operating needs. Coverage, turnaround targets, and the amount of work assigned are agreed separately rather than assumed from the service name.
Before you start
A few useful questions.
What should we prepare for matter file organization?
Share a model matter file, document categories, retention instructions, and access permissions.
How will we know what is complete?
Review matter matching, version labels, access controls, and whether an index points to the intended document.
Which decisions remain with us?
Attorneys decide legal significance, privilege, retention exceptions, and which version controls.
Can the role work in our existing tools?
We scope the role around your approved systems, including environments such as iManage where authorized, NetDocuments where authorized, Clio. Access, training, and the final tool requirements are confirmed before the role begins.
Related support
Connect the work around this role.
Matter intake organization
Matter intake organization
Prepare administrative intake records for the firm’s conflict and acceptance procedures.
Explore the service ↗
Chronology preparation
Chronology preparation
Arrange source-supported events into a reviewable chronology for the supervising attorney.
Explore the service ↗
Client communication coordination
Client communication coordination
Keep administrative questions and attorney-approved updates connected to the matter.
Explore the service ↗
Document formatting and assembly
Document formatting and assembly
Prepare consistent drafts and review packs using your firm’s templates and instructions.
Explore the service ↗A role shaped around your operationStart with the work
Start with the work
you want to hand over.
Tell us where the queue slows down. We’ll discuss the scope, tools, coverage, and review points that belong in your support role.
Book a free consultation
Define the role before making a commitment.