Introduction: Legal Operations Planning — Theory vs Reality

Legal Operations Planning is the legal department’s tactical execution framework. It is the rolling, practical plan that connects people, process, technology, and budget to the delivery of legal services and transformation initiatives.

It sits beneath strategy and transformation agendas and answers a simple but unforgiving question: how does intent turn into execution? Without a credible plan, strategy remains theoretical and transformation stalls at aspiration.

In its classical form, Legal Operations Planning assumes a degree of structural maturity — a defined legal operations function, dedicated resourcing, cross-functional coordination with Finance and IT, and the capacity to plan, sequence, and govern change over time. 

In that context, planning becomes the delivery discipline of the legal function: translating goals into actions, assigning ownership, allocating resources, tracking progress, and maintaining accountability.

At its best, Legal Operations Planning also acts as the coordination engine of the legal department. It aligns leadership priorities with operational reality, sequences technology rollouts and process improvements, and synchronises budgeting cycles with delivery capacity. 

It is typically rolling and adaptive — refreshed every 90–100 days — to reflect shifting demand, evolving business priorities, and emerging risk.

That description is correct. It is also out of reach for most in-house legal teams.

The reality is that many legal departments do not have a dedicated legal operations squad, surplus capacity, or the luxury of formal planning infrastructure. Expecting those teams to adopt a fully-formed, “mature legal ops” planning model from day one is unrealistic — and often paralysing.

This is precisely the gap GLS addresses.

The RPLV Starting Point: Planning Without the Infrastructure

GLS recommends an adapted entry point into legal operations planning for resource-constrained teams: the RPLV transformation decision-making framework — Resource, Priority, Leverage, and Value. We have an entire station dedicated to RPLV.

RPLV does not require a formal legal operations function. Instead, it provides a practical lens through which in-house teams can place every resourcing and prioritisation decision they make each day into a strategic transformation context. 

It allows teams to optimise what they already have, rather than waiting for structures, headcount, or funding that may never arrive.

Through RPLV, legal teams begin planning by default:

• understanding where scarce resources are actually being consumed,
• clarifying what genuinely matters now versus later,
• identifying leverage points where systems, process, or tooling can multiply effort, and
• linking activity to tangible business and legal value.

Used consistently, RPLV becomes the bridge between reactive delivery and intentional legal operations planning. It enables teams to generate early wins, build credibility, and progressively evolve toward the more formal, infrastructure-supported planning model described in this Station.

How to Use This Station on the  Legal Operations Line

For clarity and good order, this Station overview sets out Legal Operations Planning in its more mature form — as it would operate within a dedicated legal operations function.

However, GLS strongly recommends that all in-house legal teams, regardless of size or maturity, adopt RPLV as their North Star for initial legal operations planning. It is the most practical, realistic, and effective way to access the productivity and transformation upside of legal operations — starting exactly where you are.

The scope of legal operations planning encompasses all of below, but a GLS, your starting point will always be with the adoption of the RPLV decision making framework and the augment with more traditional legal operations planning principles. 

◼️RPLV Decision Making Framework: Adoption of GLS' RPLV Transformation Decision Making Framework - which drives/impacts/optimises all of the below.

◼️Execution of Strategic Priorities:  Translating strategic goals into operational actions.

◼️Resource Allocation: Assigning people, budget, and tools to initiatives.

Please watch GLS's Master Class on Available Legal Team Resources - its a complete eye opener - -most legal teams already have far more resources than they realise

◼️Timeline Management: Sequencing activities across 3 time line horizons - 100-day cycles, 12-18 months, and out to 36 months.

◼️Cross-Functional Coordination: Aligning Legal with Finance, IT, Procurement, and the Business.

◼️Performance Tracking:  Monitoring delivery against KPIs and milestones.

◼️Risk & Issue Management: Identifying blockers and adjusting plans accordingly.

◼️Change Enablement:  Supporting adoption through training and communication.

◼️Continuous Refresh: Updating the plan based on feedback, results, and changing priorities.

The Legal Operations Planning station is considered a Repeater resource within the GLS Legal Operations model.

A Foundational Resource: Is responsible for determining the overall performance capabilities of a “critical” legal function. If it is not optimised, the function can never be optimised. 

A Repeater Resource: Supports the performance of multiple "critical" legal functions and as such represents a "ripple effect" productivity intervention point. 

A Specialist Resource: Is responsible for driving the performance of a very specific part of an individual legal function. Its productivity contribution is limited to that single legal function. 

The best practice features of the Legal Operations Planning are as follows:

◼️Workload Analysis & Forecasting:  You must analyse what work, you are doing, for whom and use that data to establish performance optimisation plans

◼️Current Status Assessment: You must build up a data based view of the legal processes you are trying to fix

◼️Benchmarking: Compared your results against a “peer” legal department - keep the comparison realistic and appropriate

◼️Wishlist Solution:  Develop a Wishlist specification that is “unbridled” so you are accessing the full spectrum of thinking about what your legal team can be

◼️Aggressive Socialisation: reduce your Wishlist down to the realities of your ecosystems - change management capability, budget, competencies, etc

◼️Safe Implementation Overlay: prioritise only initiatives that you know you are 95% likely to succeed - push back other required gaols until success profile reaches safe zone

◼️Operate 3 Time Horizons: 100 days, 12-18 months and 36 months - transformation initiatives will dynamically move to the correct time line

◼️Integrated Delivery Framework: Connecting strategic planning, budgeting, and transformation.

◼️Clear Ownership & Accountability: Named leads for each initiative and workstream.

◼️Cross-Functional Engagement" Involving stakeholders from across the business.

◼️Visual Planning Tools: Dashboards, trackers, and calendars for transparency.

◼️Risk & Dependency Mapping: Identifying what could derail delivery and planning around it.

◼️Feedback Loops: Regular reviews to assess progress and recalibrate.

◼️Alignment with Legal Mandate – Ensuring all initiatives support Legal’s agreed scope and purpose.

The Legal Operations Planning station delivers the following value to the Business:

◼️Faster Execution: Legal delivers services and transformation initiatives on time.

◼️Improved Resource Efficiency: People, budget, and tech are deployed where they matter most.

◼️Greater Transparency: Business leaders see what Legal is doing and how it’s progressing.

◼️Better Strategic Alignment: Legal’s activities are tied directly to business goals.

◼️Reduced Operational Risk: Planning reduces surprises, delays, and miscommunication.

◼️Enhanced Stakeholder Confidence:– Legal is seen as a reliable, forward-moving function.

Legal teams gain clarity, structure, and control. Legal Operations Planning reduces firefighting, improves morale, and enables lawyers and ops professionals to focus on high-value work. It also supports:

◼️Self Help Competency:  You demonstrate to the Business your ability to proactively self-help

◼️Transformation Delivery: Change initiatives are properly resourced and sequenced.

◼️Team Collaboration: Everyone knows what’s happening, when, and why.

◼️Performance Management : Progress is tracked and celebrated.

◼️Budget Discipline: Spend is aligned with planned outcomes.

◼️Tech Adoption: Tools are rolled out with support and accountability.

◼️Ops Maturity: Planning is a hallmark of high-performing legal functions.

The Legal Operations Planning station is essential for:

◼️Legal departments of all sizes

◼️Legal operations teams

◼️General Counsel and Heads of Legal

◼️Legal tech and innovation leads

◼️Compliance and risk management teams

A legal team operating without a Legal Operations Planning capability will face a wide range of inefficiencies including:

◼️Fragmented Execution: Initiatives stall or overlap due to lack of coordination.

◼️Poor Resource Utilisation: Time and budget are spent without strategic alignment.

◼️Low Stakeholder Confidence: Business sees Legal as reactive and disorganised.

◼️Transformation Failure: Change efforts lack structure and accountability.

◼️Burnout & Attrition:– Teams are overwhelmed by unprioritised demand.

◼️Missed Deadlines: Legal support is delayed, impacting commercial outcomes.

◼️Budget Overruns: No linkage between spend and delivery.

◼️Tech Misfires:  Tools are launched without adoption planning or support.

Fortunately, adopting the GLS RPLV approach, something that can be learnt in minutes, means that their is no excuse for any legal team not to be placing daily decision making into a strategic transformation context. 

This station is tech-leveraged both in terms of how you manage the transformation and what the transformation comprises. 

In terms of the management of the transformation activities, legal operations teams often use:

◼️Project Management Platforms: To track initiatives, milestones, and dependencies.

◼️Collaboration Tools: To coordinate across teams and functions.

◼️Analytics Dashboards: To monitor progress and performance.

◼️Budgeting Systems: To align spend with delivery.

◼️Workflow Engines: To automate and streamline execution.

In terms of what legal tech is included in the actual transformation initiative itself, we note the following points:

Legal Operations Planning also informs and is influenced by the Legal Tech Agenda - which focuses on correct technology choices to drive the transformation - ensuring that tech investments are sequenced and supported for successful rollout. 

GLS has firm views around the need to focus on processes and procedures before rushing into buying major technology platforms that promise to deliver instant transformation. We highly recommend you review the GLS Legal Technology Doctrine - Make Legal Tech Work For You as essential first steps reading.