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60-Day Challenge - Week FOUR
The 60-Day Email Inbox Challenge
The External Email Process
In Weeks Two and Three, London the Lawyer, Parker the Paralegal, and Bailey the Legal Assistant focused on their internal email process. Now, in Week Four, the team is ready to address the external emails that come into a law firm every day.*
London, Parker, and Bailey are learning that external emails should not sit in the inbox simply because they involve an important case, vendor, or deadline. Each email should be moved into a workflow that makes the next step clear.
* Legal Professionals in corporate legal departments keep perfecting Weeks One to Three and review the law firm structure for applicable similar tasks. Additional legal department folder structure is forthcoming.
The 60-Day System
The goal is not to create case folders in the email inbox. Instead, Week Four uses action-based folders that help the firm decide what must be analyzed, calendared, delegated, followed up on, saved to the matter file, or handled by firm administration.
This week focuses on emails from:
Courts and electronic filing systems
Opposing counsel and opposing counsel’s staff
Clients and client representatives
Process servers
Mediators and arbitrators
Experts and consultants
Court reporters and litigation vendors
Trial document and exhibit vendors
The firm’s accountant and IT company
A cleaner legal inbox begins when external emails are organized by what the team must do next. Remember using one scheduled hour per day and applying the 15-second decision rule can help you review approximately 120 to 240 emails per day.
Two Key Objectives for Success
Everything in this challenge flows from two foundational commitments.
Organize your email system by
Using folders
Conversation views
Rules
Filters, and
Automation.
This structural change ensures that your inbox is easier to identify and process, so the right messages reach you at the right time.
Set the Inbox Up for Success
Commit to spending no more than one hour a day reviewing email. You can break that time up into four 15 minutes in the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening. During each review, every email receives a 15-second decision: Delete it, Delegate (Forward) it, or Do it. Email review becomes a scheduled activity rather than a constant interruption during your day.
Build a New Email Habit
02
01
This week is about creating the external email process in which a legal team communicates with the courts, counsel, clients, vendors, and the firms operating companies.
Build the Process. Identify the Action. Confidently Control.
Week Four: Build the Law Firm External Email Process Folder System
For further assistance, Download and Print 'Law Firm Folder Inbox System'.
This Week, Focus On
Identifying the external sender.
Determining the action from the email.
Moving the email.
Day 23
Identify External Email Sources
Today, identify the external emails that regularly create inbox traffic. The goal is not simply to name who is sending emails. The goal is to understand which outside sources regularly create work, deadlines, decisions, follow-up, or administrative tasks for the legal team.
During each email review session, scan your inbox for emails from people or systems outside the firm. Look for patterns. Which senders appear repeatedly? Which emails usually require legal analysis? Which ones require calendar or docket entry? Which ones involve scheduling, vendor coordination, settlement discussions, invoices, IT issues, or follow-up?
Common sources include:
Court electronic filing systems
Court staff or judicial assistants
Opposing counsel and their staff
Client written communications
Process servers
Mediators and arbitrators
Expert witnesses and consultants
Court reporters
E-discovery vendors
Trial exhibit or document printing vendors
The firm’s accountant
The firm’s IT provider
Other outside vendors or service providers
As you review these emails, do not create case folders in your email system. Instead, identify the type of action each external email usually requires. For example, a court filing pleading may require legal analysis, while a notice of hearing may require calendar or docket entry. An email from opposing counsel may require a response, settlement review, scheduling coordination, or follow-up. A vendor email may require confirmation, payment review, document delivery, or task assignment.
By the end of Day 23, participants should have a clearer understanding of where external inbox traffic is coming from and how those emails should be sorted by next action.
Team Practice Tip
During this week, London, Parker, and Bailey should agree on how court filings, opposing counsel, vendors, and client emails are handled when one email requires different actions of the team members. For example, if a court filing requires legal analysis by London and internal filing and calendaring by Bailey. London and Bailey will move the same email to different inbox folders in accordance with the action necessary for each person. When Bailey completes the filing and calendaring tasks, Bailey will reply by email. When London conducts the legal analysis for the email, London will see that the document is properly filed and calendared.
A second example is that one team member needs to perform multiple actions for one email. If a discovery request court filing is received, Parker must internally file and calendar the deadlines and draft the responses for London’s review. Parker may first move the email to For Internal File/Calendar subfolder and when completed, move to Litigation Analysis Needed subfolder. London will move the email to Awaiting Filing/Calendaring subfolder. Parker will reply when the task of filing and calendaring is completed for the email and London can delete the email. When Parker completes the discovery response draft, Parker will email to London with a subject line format that contains the phrase "Document Review", which will send the discovery response draft to London's To Review subfolder.
Action Step:
Make a list of the top external senders that regularly appear in the inbox. Next to each sender, identify the most common action required, such as:
Legal analysis needed
Calendar or docket entry needed
Response needed
Vendor coordination
File in matter system
Waiting on external response
Administrative or firm operations review
DAY 24
Separate Court Filing Emails by Required Action
Today, focus on emails received from court electronic filing systems, court portals, court staff, judicial assistants, and other court-related sources. These emails are important because they may contain filed documents, court orders, hearing notices, deadlines, service confirmations, or other litigation activity that requires the legal team to take a next step.
The key for Day 24 is to avoid treating every court email the same way. A court filing notice should not automatically sit in the inbox simply because it relates to a case. Instead, the participant should open the email, identify the type of document or notice, and decide what action is required.
Some court emails require legal analysis. These are emails that may affect litigation strategy, case posture, response obligations, or next steps in the matter. Examples may include:
Complaints
Answers
Counterclaims
Motions to dismiss
Motions for summary judgment
Motions for sanctions
Discovery motions
Final judgments
Substantive court orders
Notices of filings that require a response or strategic decision
Other court emails require calendar or docket entry. These are emails that contain dates, deadlines, appearances, hearings, conferences, or other time-sensitive events. Examples may include:
Notices of hearing
Notices of deposition
Notices of mediation
Scheduling orders
Case management orders
Trial orders
Pretrial conference notices
Deadlines set by court order
Orders requiring a response by a specific date
During today’s email review sessions, participants should sort court-related emails by what must happen next. If the email requires attorney judgment, it belongs in Litigation Analysis Needed subfolders. If it contains a date or deadline, it belongs in For Internal File/Calendar (Bailey the Legal Assistant) or Awaiting Filing/Calendaring (London the Attorney) subfolders. If both actions are necessary for one email, then the legal team must discuss and document a procedure for the joint processes.
The purpose of this step is to protect the team from two common risks: missing a deadline and overlooking a substantive filing that requires legal analysis.
Action Step:
In your Do It or Delegate It core folders, depending on your tasks for the legal team, create action subfolders for court filing emails; such as Litigation Analysis Needed, For Internal File/Calendar, Awaiting Filing/Calendaring. Remember to schedule time on the calendar to complete the tasks contained in the folders and subfolders.
Action Step:
Process at least 25 old court filing emails from last week by moving them to the correct action folder.
DAY 25
Build the Opposing Counsel Email Process
Today, focus on emails received from opposing counsel and opposing counsel’s staff. These emails often require careful attention because they may involve scheduling, discovery disputes, settlement discussions, draft joint filings, proposed orders, extensions, meet-and-confer obligations, or other communications that affect the direction of a matter.
The purpose of Day 25 is to help participants stop treating all opposing counsel emails as one general category. Instead, each email should be reviewed for the next action required. Some emails need a response. Some need attorney review. Some create a deadline. Some require team coordination. Some should be saved to the matter system. Others may simply need to be tracked while the firm waits for a response.
Common opposing counsel emails include:
Scheduling requests
Settlement discussions
Draft joint motions or stipulations
Discovery disputes
Proposed orders
Requests for extensions
Deposition coordination
Meet-and-confer communications
Once the type of email and the next action needed are clear, the email should move out of the inbox and into the appropriate action folder.
Use subfolders such as:
Response Needed for emails requiring a reply.
Litigation Analysis Needed for emails requiring attorney review or legal strategy.
For Internal File/Calendar for emails containing dates, deadlines, hearings, depositions, mediations, or scheduling proposals or attachments that belong in the approved matter file.
Settlement Analysis Needed for settlement demands, offers, mediation discussions, or authority-related communications.
Awaiting External Response for emails where the firm has responded and is waiting on opposing counsel.
The goal is not to overcomplicate the process. The goal is to make sure that opposing counsel emails do not remain buried in the inbox simply because they require thought. If an email requires action, it should be assigned to an action folder. If it contains a deadline, it should be calendared or docketed. If it relates to a substantive matter issue, it should be reviewed and saved according to firm procedure.
Action Step:
Action Step:
In your Do It or Delegate It core folders, depending on your tasks for the legal team, create action subfolders for opposing counsel; such as Response Needed, Settlement / Negotiation Review, Awaiting External Response. Remember to schedule time on the calendar to complete the tasks contained in the folders and subfolders.
For all new court filing emails, move email to appropriate next action subfolder.
Organize Vendor Emails
DAY 26
Today, focus on emails from external vendors who support the firm’s litigation, transactional, administrative, and operational work. Vendor emails can easily clutter the inbox because they often include scheduling details, confirmations, invoices, deliverables, status updates, document transfers, and follow-up requests.
The goal for Day 26 is to consider the type of vendors that emails and determine the type of action needed in response the emails.
Law firms may receive vendor emails from:
Process servers
Mediators and arbitrators
Court reporters
Expert witnesses and consultants
E-discovery vendors
Document review vendors
Trial exhibit and demonstrative evidence vendors
Trial document printing vendors
Litigation support vendors
Records retrieval companies
Translation or transcription vendors
The firm’s accountant
The firm’s IT company
Other firm operations vendors
As you review vendor emails, do not sort them by case folder in email. Instead, determine what action the email requires. Ask:
Is the vendor confirming completion of a task?
Is the vendor requesting documents, payment, dates, or instructions?
Is the email about scheduling a deposition, mediation, inspection, or hearing-related service?
Is there an invoice that needs billing or accounting review?
Is there a deliverable that must be saved to the matter system?
Does the email contain a deadline or appointment that must be calendared?
Is the firm waiting for the vendor to complete the next step?
Does the email need attorney review before the team responds?
Move vendor emails into the folder that reflects the next required action.
Use folders such as:
For Vendor Billing for emails requiring billing approval for the vendors.
For Internal File/Calendar for vendor emails involving dates, deadlines, depositions, mediations, hearings, inspections, or conferences.
Response Needed for emails requiring the firm to reply.
Awaiting External Response for vendor matters where the firm has sent instructions and is waiting for completion.
For Firm Operations for emails from the accountant, IT provider, insurance provider, or other non-matter business vendors.
For example, a process server email confirming service may need to be filed and calendared in the matter system and possibly forwarded to the legal team for legal analysis (especially if service was not made). A court reporter email confirming a deposition may need calendar review. An expert vendor email attaching a report may need legal analysis by the lawyer and supporting resource research and exhibit organization by the paralegal. An IT vendor email about firm security updates may need review and scheduling a meeting.
Action Step:
Action Step:
In your Do It or Delegate It core folders, depending on your tasks for the legal team, create action subfolders for opposing counsel; such as For Vendor Billing and For Firm Operations. Remember to schedule time on the calendar to complete the tasks contained in the folders and subfolders.
For all new court filings or opposing counsel emails, move email to appropriate next action subfolder.
DAY 27
Build the Client Communication Workflow
Today, focus on emails received from clients and client representatives. Client communications may include instructions, questions, approvals, documents, facts, business concerns, settlement authority, deadlines, or requests for status updates.
The goal for Day 27 is to move client emails out of the inbox and into an action-based workflow. Do not create separate case folders in email. Instead, sort client communications by what the firm must do next.
Client emails may require different actions, including:
Attorney review
A response to the client
Internal assignment to a paralegal or legal assistant
Calendar or docket entry
Filing documents to the matter system
Follow-up with opposing counsel, a vendor, or another third party
Review of settlement authority or negotiation instructions
Confirmation that the issue has been completed
Invitation to the client’s social event
These actions already have folders and subfolders. Therefore, during today’s email review sessions, participants should consider the action needed and move the email to the appropriate action folder.
Action Step:
Review client emails and move each one into the action folder that reflects the next required step. If a client email requires more than one step, follow the firm’s internal procedure for moving the email from one folder to another to complete all actions.
Action Step:
For all new court filings, opposing counsel emails, and vendor emails move email to appropriate next action subfolder.
Week Four Goals
By the end of Week Four, each participant should have:
Identified major external email sources
Created action folders for external law firm emails
Separated court emails by legal analysis versus calendar/docket needs
Organized external emails by next action
Building an external email process is a significant part of inbox organization, and it will take time to master. Once you do, opening your inbox will feel less overwhelming because you will have a clearer way to identify the actions each email requires.
Congratulations on completing Week Four of this 60-day Challenge!
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