Legal Ops 101: Our Legal Front Door Methodology

TLB's Legal Front Door Methodology

TLB’s Legal Front Door Methodology is a straightforward framework to help in-house legal teams streamline incoming legal requests. It aligns team members on operational goals, suggesting specific roles and responsibilities for smooth process management. It also offers guidance on digitising the process for data-driven insights. By adopting TLB’s Legal Front Door Methodology, teams can improve interactions, relationships, and overall efficiency across the business.

Objectives

TLB’s Legal Front Door Methodology sets out five key objectives:

1. Provide top-notch legal services to business stakeholders.
2. Handle all incoming legal queries promptly and efficiently.
3. Clearly define roles and responsibilities for managing the legal front door.
4. Enhance communication and collaboration within the team and with the broader business.
5. Access data and metrics for continuous improvement and reporting.

Operations

TLB’s Legal Front Door Methodology describes an operational process with four key elements, making them transparent to assign roles and monitor performance:

1. Logging of Requests: Centralised tracking of requests in a database or ticketing system. This tech-driven process requires specific information upfront from business stakeholders.

2. Triaging of Requests: Prioritise requests based on urgency and impact, requiring pre-defined roles and responsibilities.

3. Assignment of Requests: Allocate requests to team members based on skills and availability. Technology can help track capacity and support headcount expansion when needed.

4. Resolution of Requests: Legal team resolves requests within agreed service level agreements (SLAs), assisted by technology to track adherence and communicate resolutions.

Roles & Responsibilities

TLB’s Legal Front Door Methodology defines roles to streamline the process:

• Legal Front Door Manager: Oversees the efficiency of the Legal Front Door, reporting to senior stakeholders and addressing improvement obstacles.
• Legal Front Door Analysts: Logs, triages, and assigns requests according to team policy.
• Collaborators: Resolves requests, possibly with specialisation, and escalates issues as needed.
• Business Stakeholders: Submits requests and needs education on best practices for interaction.

Tools & Technology

Service Desk Software: Centralised platforms like Trello, ClickUp, Jira, or Workday help manage requests, track status, assign tasks, and communicate with stakeholders. TLB’s Legal Front Door Methodology is adaptable to any suitable tech solution.

Form Design: Effective forms gather information at the request point, enabling efficient processing. User-centric design ensures stakeholders provide accurate and complete answers.

Data and Reporting: Service Desk Software offers detailed reporting on metrics like:

• Request Resolution Time: Identifies bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
• SLA Resolution Rate: Indicates efficiency in resolving issues.
• Business Stakeholder Satisfaction: Measures satisfaction with the legal service.
• Request Volume by Assignee or Team: Identifies trends and informs process improvements.

Improving Performance

• Standup Meetings: Regular 15-minute meetings align the team, surface blockages, and champion successes.
• Review Meetings: Monthly reviews to analyse data, identify improvement areas, and implement changes.
• KPI Targets: Set measurable goals for performance improvement.
• Reporting Progress to Stakeholders: Regular reports tailored to different stakeholders support decision-making and highlight successes and areas for improvement.

Support from TLB

At TLB, we help legal teams embed our Legal Front Door Methodology through:

1. Discovery Workshop: Understand the current state, capacity, and vision of your legal team. Stakeholder mapping and requirements gathering.

2. Technology: Utilise existing technology to avoid additional costs and ensure quick adoption. Otherwise, we will recommend suitable technology that suits your needs.

3. Workflow Mapping: Visualise future workflows for effective request intake and resolution.

4. Build and Test: Implement and test your Legal Front Door, iterating as needed.

5. Reporting Implementation: Extract actionable data for reporting.

6. Roll Out: Ensure smooth adoption across the organisation through comms, training and effective change management.

By considering TLB’s Legal Front Door Methodology, legal teams can proactively improve their strategic impact and relevance within their organisations.

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If you need help implementing a Legal Front Door within your organisation, we can help. Reach out for an informal chat on how we might partner together to get your Legal Front Door up and running as smoothly as possible.