How to Run Legal Workflows in ClickUp

ClickUp gives legal teams a single workspace to organize matters, automate reviews, and track every step of a case or contract from intake to resolution.

This how-to guide walks you through setting up a repeatable, transparent legal workflow using views, templates, automation, and collaboration tools inspired by the features highlighted on the ClickUp legal workflow software page.

Step 1: Plan Your Legal Workflow in ClickUp

Before you build anything, define how legal work moves through your team. Then translate that flow into ClickUp spaces, folders, and lists.

Map your legal process

Write down the main stages for your recurring legal work. For example:

• Intake and conflict checks
• Scoping and assignment
• Research and drafting
• Review and approvals
• Client communication
• Execution, filing, and archiving

Decide which stages need tasks, sub-tasks, or checklists. This becomes the structure of your ClickUp workflow.

Create a legal space in ClickUp

1. Create a new Space named for your legal team or practice area (for example, “Legal” or “Corporate Legal”).
2. Add Folders for key categories, such as “Contracts,” “Litigation,” or “Compliance.”
3. Inside each Folder, create Lists for specific workflows, such as “NDA Requests” or “Vendor Agreements.”

This hierarchy keeps all matters organized while still giving you flexibility to customize each list.

Step 2: Build ClickUp Statuses for Each Matter Type

Statuses show where every matter stands. Custom statuses in ClickUp help you replace long email threads and scattered notes.

Define clear legal statuses

For each list, brainstorm the stages your team uses most often. Example statuses for contract work:

• New Request
• Intake Review
• In Draft
• In Internal Review
• With Counterparty
• Final Review
• Signed & Executed
• Closed

Keep statuses short and action-oriented so anyone can glance at a ClickUp Board view and know what to do next.

Configure statuses in ClickUp

1. Open the List settings.
2. Choose the option to edit statuses.
3. Add, rename, or remove statuses to match your legal process.
4. Save your custom status set so you can reuse it on similar lists.

Now every task in the list will move through the same predictable workflow.

Step 3: Turn Legal Tasks into ClickUp Templates

Templates ensure consistent handling of similar legal matters, reducing risk and saving time.

Create a matter template in ClickUp

1. Create a new task and name it something generic, like “Standard NDA” or “Employment Agreement.”
2. Add sub-tasks for each major step, for example:
   • Run conflict check
   • Confirm scope and parties
   • Draft initial version
   • Internal legal review
   • Client review
   • Finalize and execute
   • File and archive documents
3. Add a checklist in the description for detailed, repeatable steps.
4. Attach any standard forms, clause libraries, or playbooks.
5. Click the template options to save this task as a reusable ClickUp template.

Next time a similar matter comes in, apply the template instead of rebuilding the process from scratch.

Use document templates alongside ClickUp tasks

Link your preferred document templates to ClickUp tasks so attorneys and paralegals always start from the right version:

• Attach cloud documents (like contracts stored in your DMS).
• Link to internal clause banks or drafting notes.
• Add instructions in the task description for how to adapt each template.

Step 4: Track Matters with ClickUp Views

Views in ClickUp let you see the same legal data from different angles: by status, assignee, deadline, or client.

Use List and Board views for day-to-day work

• List view: shows all matters in a sortable table. Filter by practice area, client, or due date.
• Board view: groups tasks by status so you can drag and drop matters through the legal workflow.

Create custom fields like “Matter Type,” “Client Name,” “Jurisdiction,” or “Risk Level” to capture important legal metadata.

Use ClickUp Calendar and Gantt views for timelines

Legal matters often revolve around deadlines and milestones. Calendar and Gantt views help you avoid missed dates:

• Calendar view: see filing deadlines, hearings, renewal dates, and signature targets on a monthly or weekly calendar.
• Gantt view: map dependencies such as research before drafting, or signing before filing.

Adjust tasks directly in these ClickUp views to update timelines and assignments.

Step 5: Automate Legal Workflows in ClickUp

Automations reduce manual follow-ups and make your legal operations more scalable.

Set basic automations for legal tasks

In each legal list, open the Automations panel to add rules such as:

• When a task moves to “New Request,” assign it to the intake attorney.
• When a task changes to “In Internal Review,” notify a specific reviewer or team.
• When a task is marked “Signed & Executed,” move it to an archive list and update its priority.

These simple ClickUp automations keep your team aligned without constant manual coordination.

Automate reminders and SLAs

Use due dates, start dates, and reminders so nothing slips through the cracks:

• Add automations to set default due dates when a matter reaches certain statuses.
• Trigger reminder comments if a task stays in one status longer than your internal SLA.
• Notify stakeholders automatically when a milestone is completed.

Step 6: Collaborate Securely with ClickUp

Legal teams must collaborate while maintaining confidentiality. Use ClickUp features that support both.

Control access to legal workspaces

In your legal Space and Lists, configure permissions so only the right people see sensitive matters:

• Limit access to certain practice-area lists.
• Use private tasks for highly confidential issues.
• Restrict editing rights to senior staff when necessary.

This way, ClickUp becomes a central system of record while still respecting legal privilege.

Use comments and docs for collaboration

Replace long email threads with comments inside each matter task:

• Mention colleagues for quick input or escalation.
• Pin key decisions in comments or task descriptions.
• Attach or link related documents directly to the task.

Store reference materials, guidelines, and playbooks as shared docs linked to your ClickUp legal lists so new team members can get up to speed faster.

Step 7: Report on Legal Work with ClickUp Dashboards

Dashboards turn your legal data into insights you can share with leadership or clients.

Build a legal operations dashboard in ClickUp

Create a dashboard with widgets tailored to legal performance, such as:

• Open matters by status
• Matters by practice area or attorney
• Average cycle time from intake to close
• Upcoming critical deadlines and renewals

Filter these widgets by client, date range, or matter type to answer specific questions quickly.

Share insights with stakeholders

Use your ClickUp dashboard in regular check-ins to:

• Show caseload distribution and resourcing needs.
• Identify bottlenecks in review or approvals.
• Demonstrate improvements in turnaround times.

This turns your legal team’s work into measurable, trackable outcomes.

Step 8: Continuously Improve Your ClickUp Legal Setup

Once your first workflow is running, refine it based on feedback and data.

Review and refine your legal workflows

• Ask attorneys and paralegals which steps feel slow or unclear.
• Check reports to see where matters get stuck.
• Update templates, statuses, and automations to remove friction.

Repeat this improvement cycle regularly so your ClickUp workspace grows with your legal team.

Get expert help when needed

If you want outside help designing advanced ClickUp workflows, consider working with a specialist. For example, Consultevo focuses on modern operations and can help you tailor work management systems for legal teams.

Next Steps

By mapping your processes, creating templates, configuring views, and adding automation, you can turn ClickUp into a powerful hub for managing legal work. Start with one high-volume workflow, refine it, and then roll out similar structures across your other practice areas so your entire legal department benefits from a unified, efficient system.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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