Your step-by-step operating playbook.
Proposed client-review workflow for documents, calendars and case administration under attorney supervision. Adapt permissions and targets at kickoff; this public template is not approved internal policy or authority to provide legal advice.
The complete SOP is visible below—no download or extra click required. Tailor the selected duties, training, tools and approval limits with your team before work starts.
Complete task & responsibility scope.
Support administration under attorney supervision. Do not provide legal advice, sign filings or make professional legal decisions.
Select the duties relevant to your business at kickoff. Extended duties require suitable training, supervisor approval and scoped access; this list does not automatically authorize clinical, legal, licensed or financial decisions.
- Organize case files and correspondence
- Track calendars and approved deadlines
- Prepare documents from approved templates
- Coordinate client communications and meeting notes
- Indexed case files and correspondence with version history
- Approved deadline register, calendar entries and reminders
- Template-based drafts with unresolved fields marked
- Approved administrative communications and delivery records
- Reviewed meeting notes and assigned administrative follow-ups
01 / Deliverables, ownership & kickoff
What you receive
- Indexed case files and correspondence with version history
- Approved deadline register, calendar entries and reminders
- Template-based drafts with unresolved fields marked
- Approved administrative communications and delivery records
- Reviewed meeting notes and assigned administrative follow-ups
Who owns what
Assistant
- Organize matter records and prepare documents without interpreting legal content.
- Maintain approved calendars, coordinate communications and record meeting follow-ups.
- Check sources, preserve review status and escalate uncertain instructions.
Client owner
- Designate supervising attorney, matter owners, access permissions and approved templates.
- Authorize deadlines, document content and communications requiring professional review.
- Retain legal decisions, signatures, filings, purchases, budgets and payments.
VSI coordinator or agreed Team Lead
- Confirm scope, handoff expectations and escalation contacts with the client.
- Review process adherence and coaching needs using minimally detailed reporting.
- Coordinate coverage and priority conflicts without approving legal content or deadlines.
Confirm before work starts
- Assign supervising attorney, backup reviewer and matter owners.
- Approve matter identifiers, folder structure, naming and version conventions.
- Supply templates, permitted fields and document approval gates.
- Define deadline sources, timezones, reminders and change approvers.
- Document recipient verification, contact permissions, scripts and opt-outs.
- Grant individual access to assigned matters and approved channels only.
- Agree reporting, quality targets and urgent escalation routes using sample records.
02 / Skills, systems & approved access
Skills and qualifications
- Legal administration familiarity
- Document accuracy
- Confidentiality and deadline management
- Confidentiality
- Deadline management
- Administrative communication
- Meeting-note accuracy
Verify the capability—not just the résumé
- Legal administration familiarity
- Sort sample correspondence without interpreting legal significance.
- Document accuracy
- Populate a sample template and identify missing fields.
- Confidentiality
- Detect a mismatched recipient and demonstrate escalation.
- Deadline management
- Transfer approved dates with timezone and source references.
- Administrative communication
- Draft a scheduling message; route a legal question to counsel.
- Meeting-note accuracy
- Separate reported decisions, administrative actions and unresolved questions.
Tools and systems
Use client-approved tools and individual role-based accounts. Examples are options, not claims that an integration or subscription is included. Never share credentials in chat.
- Client-approved case management system
- Secure document management
- Shared calendar and approved communications
- Shared calendar
- Approved communications
How access supports the procedure
Client-approved case management system
Use: Maintain matter references, correspondence status and follow-ups.
Access: Assigned matters only; no filing or professional decision authority.
Secure document management
Use: Store sources, approved templates, drafts and reviewed versions.
Access: Approved folders and editing permissions; no unapproved exports.
Shared calendar
Use: Record confirmed deadlines, meetings and agreed reminders.
Access: Delegated calendars only; owner authorizes changes.
Approved communications
Use: Coordinate administrative messages and authorized review requests.
Access: Verified recipients and approved channels; no automatically enabled integrations.
03 / Case correspondence and template preparation
Start when: Correspondence arrives or an attorney requests a template-based document.
What you need
- Matter reference and source correspondence
- Approved template and supplied values
- Reviewer and document instructions
How to complete the work
- Verify matter, source, access and template version; hold ambiguous or mismatched records.
- Save correspondence using approved naming; index sender, date and source location.
- Populate the template with supplied facts only; mark missing fields without guessing.
- Compare names, dates, attachments and fields against sources; preserve original and draft versions.
- Submit draft and unresolved questions to the attorney; obtain approval before distribution.
- Distribute as authorized; log approval, recipient and final version. Route signing and filing to counsel.
Sources are indexed and reviewed versions recorded; authorized distribution is evidenced or pending review explicitly flagged.
If something is missing or outside scope: Pause for conflicting facts, unsupported clauses or unclear ownership; ask the attorney to resolve them.
04 / Approved deadlines and meeting coordination
Start when: A confirmed deadline, approved date change or meeting request is assigned.
What you need
- Attorney-confirmed date and source
- Timezone, participants and availability
- Reminder and calendar instructions
How to complete the work
- Check approver, source date, time and timezone; never calculate or infer legal deadlines.
- Compare existing entries and availability; flag duplicates, conflicts and missing details.
- Prepare calendar entries or meeting options with the approved date and matter reference.
- Obtain authorization for unresolved choices, changed deadlines and invitations outside standing permissions.
- Enter authorized events, set agreed reminders and send approved invitations to verified recipients.
- Record source and approval references; check saved entries, track responses and escalate scheduling risks.
Register and calendar match authorized sources; confirmation gaps have owners and follow-up dates.
If something is missing or outside scope: Urgently route disputed or approaching unconfirmed deadlines to counsel; retain existing entries until authorized correction.
05 / Client communications and meeting notes
Start when: An administrative inquiry or meeting requires coordination and follow-up.
What you need
- Verified matter and recipient details
- Approved script or instructions
- Agenda and note-taking permission
How to complete the work
- Verify recipient, contact permission and inquiry scope; route legal questions to the attorney.
- Draft administrative replies or meeting details using approved language; observe recorded opt-outs.
- Obtain required content approval, send through the authorized channel and log delivery status.
- Prepare supplied agenda topics; take factual notes without adding legal conclusions.
- Label decisions as reported, list action owners and dates, and submit notes for review.
- Share reviewed notes with authorized recipients only; record approval, follow-ups and unanswered questions.
Communication history and reviewed notes are linked to the matter; administrative actions are assigned and legal questions routed.
If something is missing or outside scope: Hold sensitive, unclear or disputed messages and notes; escalate recipient mismatches or legal requests to counsel.
06 / Daily rhythm, quality & reporting
Daily routine for this role
- Review assigned matters and attorney-approved priorities.
- Compare upcoming reminders with confirmed deadline sources.
- Check pending drafts and communication delivery exceptions.
- Update correspondence indexes, versions and follow-ups.
- Report blockers without unnecessary matter detail.
Weekly review
- Reconcile deadline register and calendar with owner.
- Sample documents and recipient checks against sources.
- Review aging approvals and process improvements with coordinator.
Quality checks and measures
Agree review standards with the client. Example measures are not guaranteed service levels.
Document field accuracy
Review standard: Agree sampled accuracy target; correct mismatches before release.
Evidence: Source comparison checklist and corrections.
Deadline traceability
Review standard: Proposed target for agreement: every deadline has an attorney-confirmed source.
Evidence: Register sample and approval references.
Communication authorization
Review standard: Proposed target for agreement: every sampled outbound item has recipient and permission checks.
Evidence: Communication log and approvals.
Follow-up completeness
Review standard: Agree percentage of open actions requiring owner, status and next-check date.
Evidence: Weekly administrative action review.
Reporting and handoff
Cadence: Agree daily recap and weekly review; route urgent exceptions immediately through the designated channel.
- Matter reference
- Completed outputs
- Confirmed upcoming dates
- Documents awaiting approval
- Communication exceptions
- Actions and owners
- Blockers and requested decisions
07 / Approval limits & escalation
Decisions that need approval
- No legal advice, interpretation, professional decisions, signatures or filings by the assistant.
- Client and authorized professionals retain budgets, purchases, payments and commitments.
- Use client-approved systems only; choices do not promise integrations.
- Follow approved access, sharing and retention instructions; do not independently delete matter records.
- Use approved contact permissions, scripts and opt-outs; never improvise substantive legal communications.
What to do when work cannot proceed
Unconfirmed, conflicting or potentially missed deadline
Action: Flag urgently with sources; request authoritative date and next instruction.
Owner: Supervising attorney
Legal advice, signature or filing requested
Action: Stop and route the request without offering a legal answer.
Owner: Supervising attorney
Wrong recipient, suspected disclosure or unexpected access
Action: Stop sharing, preserve incident details and follow client instructions.
Owner: Client owner
Missing template data or disputed notes
Action: Keep draft pending; request clarification before release.
Owner: Designated attorney reviewer
Approval backlog or competing priorities
Action: Summarize blockers for client reprioritization; coordinate handoff.
Owner: VSI coordinator or agreed Team Lead
Name the owner and backup, agree response windows and permissions, and record client sign-off at kickoff. Revisit the SOP whenever scope or access changes.