# Law firm operations diagnostic Walk the practice with this checklist. Tick what still happens by hand or is missing. Bring it to the audit — we’ll cost it properly. ## How the estimate works - Each ticked manual-work item ≈ 4 hours/month (rough). - Automatable bands: 40% / 70% / 90%. - Cost those hours at €20/h — planning rate, not your payroll. This is not a full audit. The free audit replaces the estimate with your real numbers. --- ## 01 · Attract _How work finds you. Website, booking, ads, and content — before anyone replies._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] No website, or the site does not convert - [ ] No booking form on the site - [ ] No booking quiz / qualifier before a call - [ ] Inquiries only arrive by phone or email - [ ] No content or lead magnet bringing inbound - [ ] Ads or social send people into an inbox, not a flow - [ ] No practice-area landing pages **First build if this stage leads:** Practice-area pages and a booking / qualifier flow that doesn’t dump ads into an inbox ## 02 · Capture _The enquiry arrived. What happens in the first hour — response, acknowledgement, fit._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] New inquiries don't always get a same-day response - [ ] No automatic capture from website or email - [ ] Leads sit in a shared inbox until someone has time - [ ] No automatic 'we got it' acknowledgement - [ ] Qualification lives in someone's head - [ ] After-hours enquiries wait until morning - [ ] Conflict / fit check is remembered, not systematic **First build if this stage leads:** Same-day structured intake with acknowledgement — lawyer decides who to take ## 03 · Quote & win _From interest to a yes. Proposals, fees, follow-up — still typed or remembered?_ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] Quotes or proposals typed by hand from the enquiry - [ ] No rate / fee lookup — numbers live in someone's head - [ ] Slow response loses the work - [ ] Follow-up is remembered, not a sequence - [ ] Proposal documents start from a blank page - [ ] Margin or pricing rules are not written down **First build if this stage leads:** Fee / proposal assembly from firm rules with follow-up that isn’t memory-based ## 04 · Onboard _They said yes. Getting the work started — kickoff, setup, paperwork._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] Kickoff is a pile of emails - [ ] Data is retyped from the enquiry into the system of record - [ ] Missing paperwork is chased by hand - [ ] No checklist for what we need before work starts - [ ] Access, templates, or matter/job setup is manual **First build if this stage leads:** Kickoff checklist and matter setup without retyping the enquiry ## 05 · Deliver _The hours that produce the outcome. Documents, packs, re-typing the same facts._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] Similar documents drafted from scratch repeatedly - [ ] Data typed from PDFs or documents by hand - [ ] The same facts get entered in more than one place - [ ] Work starts by copying an old file and hoping it is current - [ ] Errors show up after a client, court, or carrier sees them - [ ] Local court forms are filled by hand every time - [ ] Matter packs assembled by copying previous files **First build if this stage leads:** Firm-template and local-form document assembly with lawyer approval ## 06 · Status _They already hired you. Updates still eat the day — “where is this?” on repeat._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] Answering "where is this / what is the status" repeatedly - [ ] Status updates sent manually - [ ] Calling drivers, courts, or third parties for updates - [ ] Same client questions answered from scratch every time - [ ] Client has no place to see progress themselves **First build if this stage leads:** Status answers and client progress view so “where is this?” stops eating the day ## 07 · Support _Questions that are not a new job. Same how-tos, email queues, no shared answers._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] Support questions answered from scratch every time - [ ] No shared FAQ or knowledge base - [ ] Support lives in email, not a queue - [ ] The same how-to is explained to every new client - [ ] No bot or form that handles the obvious questions first **First build if this stage leads:** FAQ / deflection for repeat how-tos before they hit email ## 08 · Bill & collect _You did the work. Getting paid — time, invoices, reminders that depend on memory._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] Time tracking done manually or reconstructed later - [ ] Invoices built by hand - [ ] Overdue invoices chased by hand - [ ] Matching invoices and reconciling by hand - [ ] Payment reminders depend on someone remembering **First build if this stage leads:** Invoice and reminder flow that doesn’t depend on reconstructing time later ## 09 · Deadlines & exceptions _The work that only shows up when it is already late — watches, handoffs, surprises._ **What still happens by hand — or is missing** - [ ] Deadline tracking depends on someone remembering - [ ] Exceptions surface too late - [ ] No automatic monitoring of regulatory or vendor changes - [ ] Handoffs live in chat and get lost **First build if this stage leads:** Deadline and exception watch before it surfaces too late --- Bring this to the audit call and we’ll cost it properly. Book free audit: https://www.eternacreative.com/operations/law-firms#operations-audit Online diagnostic: https://www.eternacreative.com/diagnostics/law-firms