![\"Email](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Email-Delegation-for-Lawyers.jpg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Table of contents<\/h2>\n\n- Assess Your Current Email Workflow<\/a><\/li>\n
- Choose the Right Assistant<\/a><\/li>\n
- Develop an Email Management Playbook<\/a><\/li>\n
- Provide Email Templates<\/a><\/li>\n
- Set Up Automation and Filters<\/a><\/li>\n
- Train Your Assistant<\/a><\/li>\n
- More Process Improvement Tips for Your Law Practice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
How many emails do you get every day? According to research<\/a>, the average person gets over 120 emails a day and spends over 15 hours a week dealing with them all.<\/p>\nBy delegating email management, you can dramatically reduce the time you spend in your inbox and free up hours a day for higher-value work. Yet, despite the frustration many people feel about email, it can be hard to give up control of that inbox. People worry that important messages will slip through the cracks, responses won\u2019t go out on time, and they\u2019ll miss critical information.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a step-by-step process for effectively handing over responsibility for your email inbox without losing the important stuff.<\/p>\n
Assess Your Current Email Workflow<\/h2>\n
To develop an effective process that empowers others to handle your email, you need to get your own process out of your head. The starting point is a clear understanding of how you <\/em>distinguish between the types of emails you receive and how you <\/em>handle them.<\/p>\nIdentify the types of emails you receive and categorize them into \u201cbuckets.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n
\n- High-priority emails<\/strong> (urgent or require your attention)<\/li>\n
- Low-priority emails<\/strong> (newsletters, updates, general inquiries)<\/li>\n
- FYIs<\/strong> (things you need to know about but not act upon)<\/li>\n
- Routine emails<\/strong> (common requests, scheduling, follow-ups)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Decide what you want to happen with each of the buckets. For example, what kinds of emails do you need to see immediately (if any)? What do you need to see, but not immediately? What can you unsubscribe from?<\/p>\n
Identify the most repetitive types of emails and the tasks associated with them (like accepting calendar invitations, rescheduling meetings, or responding to frequently asked questions) and start capturing your best answers to them.<\/p>\n
Choose the Right Assistant<\/h2>\n
Your delegation doesn\u2019t have to be to a person. An app like Spark<\/a>, SaneBox<\/a> or Superhuman<\/a> can save you a lot of time. However, you may prefer to have an assistant (virtual or in-house) personally reading your email and responding on your behalf. One of our coaching clients delegated his inbox to a virtual assistant and saved himself more than two hours every day.<\/p>\nStart by deciding if you want someone internal or external. Trust is a big part of selecting the right person. Some lawyers prefer to use an existing member of staff they already know well. Others prefer to use an external person, so there isn\u2019t any temptation to gossip around the coffee machine about emails they might see. Obviously, your email handler shouldn\u2019t be sharing anything about the content of your emails, but in some offices, it\u2019s a concern.<\/p>\n
As part of your selection process, test your candidates. Ask candidates to draft a typical client-facing email or response to a routine enquiry. Did they follow instructions? Were they able to take initiative to answer a client\u2019s question? Did they use the right style, grammar and spelling? You are looking for someone detail-oriented, reliable, discrete and skilled at communication.<\/p>\n
Develop an Email Management Playbook<\/h2>\n
Create a detailed guide or standard operating procedure (SOP) <\/strong>for how you want your email handled. At a minimum, it should include:<\/p>\n\n- How to access your inbox.<\/li>\n
- How to categorize and prioritize emails.<\/li>\n
- When and how often your assistant should check your inbox.<\/li>\n
- Clear instructions for who will handle which types of emails. For example, will you retain responsibility for certain types of emails while your assistant always handles others?<\/li>\n
- Service standards, including expectations for response times and follow-ups.<\/li>\n
- Templates for common responses.<\/li>\n
- Instructions or a decision matrix for escalating specific types of messages. One of our clients has a separate Slack channel just for email management. If his assistant isn\u2019t sure how to handle a particular message, he sends a quick message in Slack.<\/li>\n
- Guidelines for tone and style when drafting replies.<\/li>\n
- Guidelines for if and when you want reports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Your SOP should also provide a workflow.<\/h3>\n
Yours might look like this:<\/p>\n
\n- Inbox Review (assistant)<\/strong>:\n
\n- Check emails X times daily.<\/li>\n
- Sort emails into categories or folders (e.g., Urgent, Routine, FYI).<\/li>\n
- Respond to routine inquiries using templates.<\/li>\n
- Flag or forward high-priority emails for your attention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Daily Summary (assistant)<\/strong>:\n
\n- Provide you with a short summary of flagged emails needing your input (e.g., \u201c3 client inquiries, 2 partnership proposals\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Follow-Up Management (you and your assistant)<\/strong>:\n
\n- Track follow-ups using reminders or task lists to ensure no emails fall through the cracks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Weekly Report<\/strong> (Assistant)\n
\n- Deliver a report on email trends, unresolved queries, and improvements needed in the process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Pro Tip:<\/strong> Creating the email management SOP does not have to be your responsibility. Work with your assistant to design the process and delegate to them the authority to write the SOP and keep it up to date.<\/p>\nProvide Email Templates<\/h2>\n
Equip your assistant with templates for the most common emails you expect them to write. This will likely include templates for:<\/p>\n
\n- Scheduling meetings<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Confirming appointments<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Answering FAQs<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Redirecting inquiries to the right department or person<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Set Up Automation and Filters<\/h2>\n
You can save even more time by using automations, rules and filters in your email platform. Many platforms can automatically filter out newsletters and spam. You and your assistant can set up additional filters and rules for how you want your messages tagged and filed.<\/p>\n
For example, you may want urgent messages flagged for you immediately, non-urgent case-related emails marked as \u201cImportant,\u201d newsletters sent to a \u201cRead Later\u201d folder, and routine inquiries flagged for your assistant.<\/p>\n
Train Your Assistant<\/h2>\n
Sustainable delegation requires an investment of your time upfront. When you\u2019ve got a solid SOP and you take the time to train your assistant carefully, they\u2019ll be able to take over management of your email much more quickly.<\/p>\n
Schedule a training period where you review emails together. Show them how you prioritize, respond, and handle specific scenarios. Have them draft responses for your review and feedback before they send emails independently.<\/p>\n
Read: \u201cMastering Delegation in Legal Work: 7 Tips to Scale Your Practice<\/a>.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\nCheck In Regularly to Answer Questions and Refine Your Process<\/h2>\n
When your assistant starts, schedule daily check-ins to review flagged emails, provide guidance, and adjust the process as needed. As your assistant becomes more capable and comfortable, you\u2019ll be able to cut your check-ins back to once a week and, ultimately, only as needed.<\/p>\n
You will want to monitor your email analytics (if your platform provides them) to evaluate email management and response times. You\u2019ll also want to keep the process up to date. Make it your assistant\u2019s responsibility to report on analytics and maintain the email process. They should be authorized to update the SOP if anything changes in the platform itself or in the way you handle particular types of messages. The goal is to create a comprehensive process that others can follow if your assistant is away or moves on.<\/p>\n
Email was supposed to make our lives easier. For most of us, it hasn\u2019t. Instead, it\u2019s created a time-consuming cycle of checking, opening, responding, filing and deleting. By creating a clear process for managing your inbox, you\u2019ll be able to delegate the work confidently and effectively, and save yourself hours of time every day.<\/p>\n
Be sure to read \u201cGot a Process for Your Processes? Create Law Firm SOPs in 5 Easy Steps<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n![\"Power](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/The-Power-Zone-Playbook-COVER-Low-Res-w-Rule.jpg?resize=412%2C612&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\nGet the Power Zone Playbook for Lawyers<\/h2>\n
By Karen Dunn Skinner and David Skinner<\/p>\n
Get out of the grind and into your power zone!<\/strong> Learn to align the work you do with the work you love, finding the sweet spot where your expertise, passion, and client needs intersect. It\u2019s here, in your Power Zone, that you will discover the secret to a thriving practice.<\/p>\nEverything you need is in your Playbook.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\u200bGet it now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMore Process Improvement Tips for Your Law Practice<\/h2>\n\n- 5 Tips to Make Time Entry Less Painful for Lawyers<\/a><\/li>\n
- Law Firm Intake: 3 Tips to Save Time and Convert More Clients<\/a><\/li>\n
- New Client Onboarding: 5 Tips to Win Over New Clients<\/a><\/li>\n
- Time to Build Your Team: 5 Steps to Improve Your Hiring Process<\/a><\/li>\n
- From Hire to Higher: 6 Ways to Improve Employee Onboarding<\/a><\/li>\n
- Do You Dread the Law Firm Annual Planning Process? 5 Ways to Make It Easier and More Fun<\/a><\/li>\n
- Lawyer Conflict Checks: 5 Tips to Tune Up Your Process<\/a><\/li>\n
- Got a Process for Your Processes? Create Law Firm SOPs in 5 Easy Steps<\/a><\/li>\n
- Want to Get Paid Faster? 5 Ways to Fix Law Firm Invoicing<\/a><\/li>\n
- Who\u2019s Answering Your Phones? 3 Tips to Improve Your Law Firm\u2019s Call-Answer Process<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nKaren Dunn Skinner and David Skinner<\/strong> help lawyers and legal professionals build more efficient, productive and profitable practices. They\u2019re the co-founders of Gimbal Lean Practice Management Advisors and lawyers with over 20 years of experience each in Canada and Europe. Together, they\u2019re the exclusive Global Advisors on Legal Process Improvement to the International Institute of Legal Project Management. They write and speak regularly, facilitate legal process improvement projects across North America, and have taught Gimbal\u2019s LeanLegal\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0approach to thousands of legal professionals.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nImage \u00a9 iStockPhoto.com. <\/p>\n
How many emails do you get every day? According to research<\/a>, the average person gets over 120 emails a day and spends over 15 hours a week dealing with them all.<\/p>\n By delegating email management, you can dramatically reduce the time you spend in your inbox and free up hours a day for higher-value work. Yet, despite the frustration many people feel about email, it can be hard to give up control of that inbox. People worry that important messages will slip through the cracks, responses won\u2019t go out on time, and they\u2019ll miss critical information.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a step-by-step process for effectively handing over responsibility for your email inbox without losing the important stuff.<\/p>\n To develop an effective process that empowers others to handle your email, you need to get your own process out of your head. The starting point is a clear understanding of how you <\/em>distinguish between the types of emails you receive and how you <\/em>handle them.<\/p>\n Identify the types of emails you receive and categorize them into \u201cbuckets.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n Decide what you want to happen with each of the buckets. For example, what kinds of emails do you need to see immediately (if any)? What do you need to see, but not immediately? What can you unsubscribe from?<\/p>\n Identify the most repetitive types of emails and the tasks associated with them (like accepting calendar invitations, rescheduling meetings, or responding to frequently asked questions) and start capturing your best answers to them.<\/p>\n Your delegation doesn\u2019t have to be to a person. An app like Spark<\/a>, SaneBox<\/a> or Superhuman<\/a> can save you a lot of time. However, you may prefer to have an assistant (virtual or in-house) personally reading your email and responding on your behalf. One of our coaching clients delegated his inbox to a virtual assistant and saved himself more than two hours every day.<\/p>\n Start by deciding if you want someone internal or external. Trust is a big part of selecting the right person. Some lawyers prefer to use an existing member of staff they already know well. Others prefer to use an external person, so there isn\u2019t any temptation to gossip around the coffee machine about emails they might see. Obviously, your email handler shouldn\u2019t be sharing anything about the content of your emails, but in some offices, it\u2019s a concern.<\/p>\n As part of your selection process, test your candidates. Ask candidates to draft a typical client-facing email or response to a routine enquiry. Did they follow instructions? Were they able to take initiative to answer a client\u2019s question? Did they use the right style, grammar and spelling? You are looking for someone detail-oriented, reliable, discrete and skilled at communication.<\/p>\n Create a detailed guide or standard operating procedure (SOP) <\/strong>for how you want your email handled. At a minimum, it should include:<\/p>\n Yours might look like this:<\/p>\n Pro Tip:<\/strong> Creating the email management SOP does not have to be your responsibility. Work with your assistant to design the process and delegate to them the authority to write the SOP and keep it up to date.<\/p>\n Equip your assistant with templates for the most common emails you expect them to write. This will likely include templates for:<\/p>\n You can save even more time by using automations, rules and filters in your email platform. Many platforms can automatically filter out newsletters and spam. You and your assistant can set up additional filters and rules for how you want your messages tagged and filed.<\/p>\n For example, you may want urgent messages flagged for you immediately, non-urgent case-related emails marked as \u201cImportant,\u201d newsletters sent to a \u201cRead Later\u201d folder, and routine inquiries flagged for your assistant.<\/p>\n Sustainable delegation requires an investment of your time upfront. When you\u2019ve got a solid SOP and you take the time to train your assistant carefully, they\u2019ll be able to take over management of your email much more quickly.<\/p>\n Schedule a training period where you review emails together. Show them how you prioritize, respond, and handle specific scenarios. Have them draft responses for your review and feedback before they send emails independently.<\/p>\n Read: \u201cMastering Delegation in Legal Work: 7 Tips to Scale Your Practice<\/a>.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n When your assistant starts, schedule daily check-ins to review flagged emails, provide guidance, and adjust the process as needed. As your assistant becomes more capable and comfortable, you\u2019ll be able to cut your check-ins back to once a week and, ultimately, only as needed.<\/p>\n You will want to monitor your email analytics (if your platform provides them) to evaluate email management and response times. You\u2019ll also want to keep the process up to date. Make it your assistant\u2019s responsibility to report on analytics and maintain the email process. They should be authorized to update the SOP if anything changes in the platform itself or in the way you handle particular types of messages. The goal is to create a comprehensive process that others can follow if your assistant is away or moves on.<\/p>\n Email was supposed to make our lives easier. For most of us, it hasn\u2019t. Instead, it\u2019s created a time-consuming cycle of checking, opening, responding, filing and deleting. By creating a clear process for managing your inbox, you\u2019ll be able to delegate the work confidently and effectively, and save yourself hours of time every day.<\/p>\n Be sure to read \u201cGot a Process for Your Processes? Create Law Firm SOPs in 5 Easy Steps<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n By Karen Dunn Skinner and David Skinner<\/p>\n Get out of the grind and into your power zone!<\/strong> Learn to align the work you do with the work you love, finding the sweet spot where your expertise, passion, and client needs intersect. It\u2019s here, in your Power Zone, that you will discover the secret to a thriving practice.<\/p>\n Everything you need is in your Playbook.<\/strong><\/p>\n Karen Dunn Skinner and David Skinner<\/strong> help lawyers and legal professionals build more efficient, productive and profitable practices. They\u2019re the co-founders of Gimbal Lean Practice Management Advisors and lawyers with over 20 years of experience each in Canada and Europe. Together, they\u2019re the exclusive Global Advisors on Legal Process Improvement to the International Institute of Legal Project Management. They write and speak regularly, facilitate legal process improvement projects across North America, and have taught Gimbal\u2019s LeanLegal\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0approach to thousands of legal professionals.<\/em><\/p>\n Image \u00a9 iStockPhoto.com. <\/p>\nAssess Your Current Email Workflow<\/h2>\n
\n
Choose the Right Assistant<\/h2>\n
Develop an Email Management Playbook<\/h2>\n
\n
Your SOP should also provide a workflow.<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Provide Email Templates<\/h2>\n
\n
Set Up Automation and Filters<\/h2>\n
Train Your Assistant<\/h2>\n
Check In Regularly to Answer Questions and Refine Your Process<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\nGet the Power Zone Playbook for Lawyers<\/h2>\n
More Process Improvement Tips for Your Law Practice<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AttorneyatWork-Logo-%C2%AE-2021-1.jpg?resize=372%2C106&ssl=1\" "\\"\\""){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\n