In the fast-paced world of small law firms, wearing multiple hats is the norm. Whether you’re a paralegal juggling deadlines and client correspondence or an office manager coordinating calendars and compliance, staying organized and efficient is key. As someone who consults with law firms every day, I’ve discovered two tech tools that have transformed my workflow—Trello and ChatGPT. Here’s how they help me stay productive and how they can work wonders for your practice, too.
Trello: A Visual Command Center for Your Law Office
Trello is a project management tool built around the Kanban board concept, where you can visually organize tasks as cards on boards. Each board can represent a case, client, internal project, or even office processes like onboarding or marketing. Here’s why it’s one of my go-to tools:
Visual Clarity
Trello’s layout makes it incredibly easy to see what needs to be done, what’s in progress, and what’s completed. Imagine a board with columns like “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done”—a simple but powerful way to track the life of a task. On my main board, each team member has a list with our current project priorities. Every team member has their own board with individual lists for each project. The list is created with cards with tasks for each project. The design is simple, the interface is intuitive, and the cards are easily added, moved, and archived when completed. As a bonus, I can change the scenery on the board. All of my boards are pastels with flowers—providing a moment of Zen each time I visit Trello.
Customizable for Any Workflow
Whether you’re managing litigation deadlines, tracking contracts, or organizing work schedules, you can create a Trello board to suit your unique needs. Add due dates, checklists, attachments, and comments to each card, making it a living record of the task.
Team Collaboration with Flexibility
Trello allows multiple team members to collaborate on the same board, seeing updates in real time. You can assign tasks, tag colleagues, and set reminders. Need privacy for HR or firm management projects? You can also create private boards for individual use or limited visibility.
Integrations Galore
Trello connects with tools you may already use—Google Drive, Slack, Outlook, and more—streamlining your tech stack instead of complicating it.
ChatGPT: Your On-Demand Legal Assistant and Idea Partner
ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI, is another game-changer in my workflow. While it doesn’t replace legal expertise, it boosts productivity, especially for drafting, brainstorming, and simplifying complex information.
Draft Faster, Write Smarter
Need to draft a blog post, client email, or office policy? ChatGPT can help you generate a first draft in seconds. I often use it to outline articles, rephrase text, or create templates for things like checklists or newsletters. For some people, the blank page is paralyzing. Typing even a rough prompt into ChatGPT will have words on the page in seconds helping you overcome writer’s block immediately.
A Brainstorming Partner
Running out of marketing ideas or unsure how to structure a new client process? I use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas and explore options. It’s like having a thinking partner available 24/7. Here’s a quick peek into the tasks ChatGPT has helped me with in the past week:
- creating a PPT for a CLE program I am presenting
- creating a list of interview questions for a vendor I need to hire
- drafting a Q&A on cyber insurance for a newsletter
- writing a nomination for a friend who wants to serve on a volunteer board, and
- offering risk management advice for an insured who suffered a flood in their office.
Simplify Legal Language
Use ChatGPT to help turn “legalese” into plain English, making client communication clearer and more engaging. It’s particularly helpful when creating FAQs or client-facing documents.
Save Time on Research and Admin
While it’s not a replacement for Westlaw or Lexis, ChatGPT can summarize general legal concepts, help with procedural checklists, and even assist in creating training materials for staff.
Putting It All Together
A typical day might involve using Trello to manage your firm’s cases and tasks—assigning roles, setting deadlines, and tracking progress—while ChatGPT helps you draft a memo, brainstorm marketing ideas, or clarify a process for a new employee. Together, these tools cut down on email back-and-forth, reduce redundant meetings, and keep everyone aligned and moving forward.
Final Thoughts
Small law firms don’t always have the luxury of large support teams or big tech budgets. That’s why tools like Trello and ChatGPT are so valuable—they’re affordable, easy to use, and incredibly powerful. Whether you’re keeping track of discovery deadlines or preparing your next client newsletter, these tools can help you work smarter, not harder.
Camille Stell is the Vice President of Risk & Practice Management for Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of N.C. and the co-author of the book, RESPECT – An Insight to Attorney Compensation Plans, 2nd edition published October 2024 and available from RESPECT — An Insight to Attorney Compensation Plans. Continue this conversation by contacting Camille at camille@lawyersmutualconsulting.com or 800.662.8843.
