LEGAL OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Kick things off by meeting your instructor and peers. We’ll break down the course, the assignments, and the final project — so you know exactly what’s ahead.

• Instructor intro 
• Course outcomes
• Assignments overview

Get clear on what legal operations is (and isn’t), where it fits inside legal teams, and how the role connects to real responsibilities and CLOC competencies — so you can start thinking like a legal ops pro from day one.

• Legal operations responsibilities overview
• Legal operations managers & the legal industry
• Roles & departments within a legal firm 
• Case Study: Day in the life of a legal operations manager
• CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) & 12 competencies

Get a clear picture of who’s who on your team and how to work with them — manage across departments, communicate with stakeholders, and keep everything running smoothly, even when your team isn’t in the same room.

• Roles, hierarchies, responsibilities: Who are you working with?
• Effective management & support across departments
• Remote work: Managing your team from a distance
• Stakeholder communication

Assignment #1: Work Expectations Policy Key Points
Write key points for your policy on work expectations.

Explore the legal tech landscape, see what’s out there, and figure out which tools make contracts, cases, and AI-assisted document review work smarter, not harder.

• Relevant software platforms & tech 
• Contract management systems
• API’s & case management software
• Integrating AI tools for document review
• Demo: Luminance/M365

Assignment #2: Technology Needs & Solution Options Analysis 
Select areas of work which require or could benefit from technology — include 2 tiers of possible solutions with key pros and cons of each.

Explore the tech tools that would work for your organisation, map out how to roll them out smoothly, spot automation opportunities, and sidestep the common pitfalls that trip teams up.

• Choosing the right technological options
• Implementing new tech systems: Training, upskilling, supporting staff
• Automation: Which tasks & processes are best suited
• Avoiding common pitfalls

Assignment #3: Technology Roadmap Prioritisation
Create a 1-slide roadmap prioritising your options list.

Learn how to pick, vet, and manage the right vendors for your legal operations. You’ll compare services, run due diligence, leverage RFP tools, and bring stakeholders into the process, while building relationships that will work in a long-term perspective.

• Services & vendors overview: General, IP, data management
• Identifying appropriate vendors & KYC/V 
• Building relationships with vendors
• Stakeholder input in vendor management
• Workshop & Case Study: RFP

Assignment #4: Request for Proposals Toolkit
Build a request for proposals toolkit. Include an Excel spreadsheet with a tab for each key element.

Learn to take control of legal operations costs: prepare budget forecasts and accruals, negotiate with vendors, and monitor billing to support effective financial management.

• Working within the budget: Balancing costs & expenses
• Forecasting & accruals
• Negotiating with vendors & service providers
• Overseeing billing
• Case Study & Demo: Real-world budget

Explore how AI can lead or support legal workflows, get hands-on with agentic AI concepts, and evaluate real-world chatbot use cases to see what works — and why.

• AI-first or AI as an integrated tool
• Using agentic AI
• Workshop: High-level chatbot creation & use

Assignment #5: Copilot Chatbot
Design a Copilot chatbot using a template provided.

Turn numbers into insight. Learn to process legal data, track KPIs, spot trends, and tell clear, compelling stories with reports and visualisations that can make a real impact.

• Gathering & processing data: Sources & uses
• Demo: Excel pivot table 
• Important KPIs in legal & how to track them
• Analysing trends
• Reporting & data visualisation skills

Assignment #6: Data Lifecycle Graphic
Create a 1-slide data lifecycle graphic.

Dive into the engine room of legal operations — map current processes, design smarter workflows, assign responsibilities with RAPID, and spot automation opportunities to make contract review, billing, and day-to-day legal tasks run smoother.

• Identifying current processes & mapping to-be status
• Roles & responsibilities: RAPID 
• Automation 
• Legal workflows: Different settings & purposes
• Case Studies: Contract review, approval workflow, & eBilling approvals to AP

Assignment #7: Workflow Builder
Create a workflow builder template.

Spot the real problem, think two steps ahead, and turn challenges into clear strategies. You’ll learn to diagnose issues, plan smart solutions, prepare for surprises, and test your fixes against real-world scenarios like legal policy non-compliance.

• Identifying the issue or opportunity
• Clarification
• Solution planning
• Contingencies
• Case Study: Non-compliance of a legal policy

Learn to communicate like a pro — craft presentations and written updates that grab attention, highlight what matters, and get stakeholders to act. You’ll practice tailoring messages, prioritising info, and making your requests impossible to ignore.

• Know your audience
• Prioritisation & summarisation 
• Key actions & asks
• Carrot & stick
• Workshop: Presentation skills

Assignment #8: Audience-Tailored Communications Pack
Build an audience-tailored communications pack: C-Suite, managers, and worker bees. 

Capstone Project: Business Case
Create a business case for the selection, design, and implementation of a legal technology platform. Include the budget, roles, responsibilities, and timescales.

Step into the world of legal operations with confidence — explore career paths, sharpen your CV and interview skills, and learn how to move into ops roles while keeping ethics and professionalism front and center.

• Ethics & professional responsibility
• Industry overview: Big Four, Magic Circle, ALSPs, smaller firms
• Interview & CV tips
• Transitioning from other legal positions into operations