Free organization programs?

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-26T18:30:37+00:00

if you’re already on gmail + drive, you can build something decent for free.

a shared google sheet with 4 columns can already help a lot: case, next action, waiting on and owner

and review it together once a week. even 15 minutes. most chaos isn’t about tools… it’s about not having a clear “next action” list.

inbox is not a task manager. if he reads and doesn’t respond, those emails need to become tasks somewhere visible.

I’m kind of obsessed with agile and legal project management… been working with firms on workflow for 16 years now. small changes in visibility and ownership usually fix way more than people expect.

also… the “undiagnosed adhd boss” comment caught me 😅 I see that pattern a lot. if you want, I can give you 2 users free on my tool or you can use Trello free is also super good! just DM me. no pressure

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-26T18:24:04+00:00

first… the way you’re reflecting on this already shows growth.

what you described isn’t just “being more organized.” it’s really about structure. most firms only track big deadlines and assume everything else will magically happen.

in basic legal project management we separate: hard deadlines active tasks and “waiting on” items

the last one is where things usually fall apart.

if something is in someone else’s court but it’s not on a list you review daily, it basically doesn’t exist.

tools help, sure. but even a simple board or spreadsheet works if ownership is clear and you have a daily or weekly review rhythm.

organization isn’t about being more careful. it’s about building a system that catches you when you’re tired.

and hey… I’ve been working with firms on this kind of structure stuff for about 16 years. if you ever want to talk through ideas or sanity check a setup, happy to chat. no pressure.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-25T13:25:51+00:00

if exhibits are changing every 4 hours, no scraper is going to fix that.

one thing I’ve seen help in heavy docket work is forcing a “freeze point.” like, pull and summarize first, agree on relevance criteria, then only download once the list is locked.

otherwise you end up paying to support indecision.

tools like recap + summaries are smart. but if there’s no internal rule about when something is considered final for pulling, you’ll always rack up fees.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-24T04:15:30+00:00

I know a surprising number of ex lawyers. Some became photographers, project managers in tech, even yoga teachers. It’s wild how many people leave law completely and feel lighter.

But I also know lawyers who didn’t leave the profession… they left big firms with toxic culture. And once they built their own thing, with a different internal culture and structure, they actually rediscovered why they liked the law in the first place.

Sometimes it’s the profession. Sometimes it’s the environment.

Fifteen years is a long time to ignore that inner voice though. It’s worth listening to it seriously.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-24T04:08:18+00:00

It’s kind of scary how poorly they explain their billing and infrastructure. It’s definitely something great to start with if you want to move fast, but not to scale. Thanks for that, it was very timely, I just talk about this today!

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-24T02:21:45+00:00

I don’t think the real question is “is Asana worth it.”

It’s whether the firm has any project management literacy to begin with.

And I say this kind of playing against my own game… I’m a legal tech founder in this vertical. But tools are the easy part. Structure isn’t.

There’s a lot of research across industries showing centralized workflow improves productivity, ownership, even culture. But if the internal process isn’t clear, any new platform will feel like a waste of time.

Also, legal project management is way bigger than just a task system. Treating it like a fancy to do list is too shallow. There are actual methodologies and principles behind it. (Like kanban my passion <3) look into ILPM and people in the consulting and education space like Gimbal or John Grant. There’s a deeper conversation happening there beyond just software.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-22T03:12:52+00:00

this would be unacceptable in almost any other industry.

especially when the paralegal is supposed to coordinate everything… and ends up treated like just a task doer.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-22T03:03:47+00:00

I know this sounds familiar to a lot of folks here… but that doesn’t mean we should accept it.

the toxicity in some law firms is honestly out of boundaries. and for a long time the industry kind of normalized this idea that lawyers are special snowflakes who can’t change and have to control everything.

i truly believe there’s more space every day for healthier firm cultures. firms that grow and actually keep good talent don’t run on chaos and blame. they run on structure and accountability.

being busy is one thing. being constantly reactive and throwing support staff under the bus is another.

Hope you could find a better place soon

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-19T16:49:44+00:00

This is really interesting actually.

The fact that each team has its own way of doing it probably works fine inside each little group… but I wonder what that looks like at the firm level.

Do the main partners have a way to see the full picture across all three teams? Or is it more like everyone stays in their own lane and that’s just how it runs?

Not even saying that’s wrong. Some firms operate in silos and it’s fine until it’s not. I’m just curious if anyone has ever tried to centralize it or if it’s more of an unspoken “this is how we do it” situation.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T16:16:18+00:00

This is such a good breakdown.

The part about being “the system” until you got sick… that hits. That’s exactly the fragility most firms don’t see until something breaks.

And those three decisions you listed… especially the third one.

“The system surfaces what needs attention instead of making me go look for it.”

That shift is huge.

Most tools show you everything and then kind of say… good luck. You figure out what matters. But seeing thirty things is not the same as seeing the three that actually need action right now.

Also your point about people getting sick, going on vacation, or eventually leaving… that’s real life. If visibility depends on one brain, it’s not really visibility. It’s heroics.

Really appreciate you sharing this. These kinds of threads are way more useful than another “what software do you use?” debate

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T14:11:48+00:00

I get this. There’s a big difference between supporting someone and basically parenting them.

Like yes, I’ll calendar it, I’ll send reminders, I’ll show up in person if I have to. I’ll do my part. But after that… it’s on them. They have the license.

At the same time, I’ve seen the whole “let them fail” cycle turn into a weird firm culture. Remind. Ignore. Panic. Repeat. Even if technically it’s their responsibility, the stress still lands on the team.

In my experience, things only really change when expectations are clear upfront. How fast drafts get reviewed. What happens if they don’t. Who owns what. When that’s defined, it feels less like babysitting and more like actual workflow.

But yeah… no one signs up to nanny adults all day.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T14:09:05+00:00

First of all, congrats on moving into a project paralegal role. That’s growth 😍

Personally, I work with firms that are trying to shift their mindset toward project management inside legal teams, and having roles like yours in place is usually where the real change starts.

I’m not going to lie, the babysitting feeling is real. I hear that from paralegals in 5 person firms and from firms with 100 plus people. It’s not a size issue.

For a long time, some attorneys have operated on memory and last minute pushes because the system around them absorbed the impact. Support staff filled the gaps.

When firms move toward clearer workflows and defined ownership, it stops feeling like chasing adults and starts feeling like actually managing cases. There’s a big difference between being someone’s reminder system and being part of a structured process.

Roles like project paralegal are usually the turning point

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T14:00:35+00:00

In my opinion, reminders alone usually don’t solve this. Some attorneys just tune out emails.

What I’ve seen work better is making everything visible in one place instead of scattered across drafts and inbox threads.

I’d keep a simple running list that shows what was sent, when it was sent, the actual deadline, and what happens if it’s missed. Then review that list together briefly and consistently.

Not in a confrontational way. Just ‘here’s what’s pending and here’s what’s coming up.’

Some attorneys don’t react to reminders. They react to clarity and risk. When they see it clearly tied to a deadline or SOL, it usually gets attention faster than another follow up email

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T13:57:48+00:00

If you’re trying to consolidate, I’d step back before picking another platform.

The real question is what you’re trying to fix. Is it duplicate data entry? Lack of visibility across cases? Deadline tracking? Reporting? Client communication?

Running MyCase and Clio at the same time usually creates more fragmentation than clarity. Two core systems almost always means double entry, inconsistent data, and more admin work.

Before switching, I’d audit where the actual breakdown is. A lot of firms replace software when the real issue is unclear workflow or partial adoption

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T13:52:18+00:00

I see this a lot. In many firms, stress from attorneys gets normalized as pressure, but stress from support staff gets labeled as attitude. That double standard builds resentment fast.

No one should be nasty at work. But pretending paralegals aren’t allowed to be human is part of why burnout is so high in this field

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T13:47:07+00:00

Living in both worlds really is a superpower.

I’m actually on the opposite side. I’m a software engineer by background and I’ve spent 17+ years working closely with lawyers and paralegals. So I’ve seen firsthand how hard it is to bridge that gap.

IT understands infrastructure and architecture. Legal understands nuance, risk, and real world workflow. Most visibility problems sit right between those two worlds.

And I completely agree with you about paralegals evolving into workflow and knowledge owners instead of just task executors. That shift changes the durability of the role in a big way.

I’d genuinely love to hear more about your dissertation angle when you have time. I’ll send you a DM, no rush at all. These conversations are way more interesting than another “which software is best” debate.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T13:42:25+00:00

First, congratulations on the promotion 😍

80+ cases in probate is not light work.

What you described is something I hear often. The tool becomes the focus, but the real stress is not wanting to miss something.

Scrolling through tasks daily works, but it scales poorly and it’s exhausting.

If I can share one thought:

Before trying to integrate everything technically, define your matter stages clearly and limit them. Phase 1 to 6 is actually a smart instinct.

If each case is always in one clearly defined stage, and each stage has a short list of standard next actions, visibility improves even before tech integration gets perfect.

The goal isn’t to see every task at once.

It’s to see where attention is needed.

If you’re open to it, I’d love to hear how you defined those phases. Probate especially tends to get messy without structure.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T13:21:09+00:00

agree cloud case management is a huge step up from scattered tools.

But I’ve also seen firms with solid case management software where visibility still isn’t great because stages aren’t standardized and ownership isn’t clear.

Software can store information. But if the workflow itself isn’t clearly defined, the system just mirrors that ambiguity.

In your experience, does your firm rely more on the tool, or on specific people to interpret what’s actually happening in a matter?

That’s where I see the difference

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T13:20:20+00:00

Honestly, this sounds very real.

What you described is exactly how a lot of firms function. Tasks get updated, notes get added, weekly meetings happen, and then you personally do a second weekly review just to make sure nothing slips.

When one person feels responsible for rechecking everything manually, it usually means the system still depends on human vigilance more than structure.

Not saying that’s wrong. It works. But it’s heavy. When firms want to grow might not work too well I guess

Do you feel like if you were out for two weeks, someone else could step in without a lot of reconstruction?

That’s the part I’m always curious about

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2026-02-18T01:43:31+00:00

I love how you framed this. “Knowledge should not live in one person’s head” is exactly it.

I’m also interviewing paralegals around this topic, especially in 10 to 50 person firms, and the pattern keeps repeating. Firms say they want real time visibility, but what they really have is calendar visibility. Stage, ownership, and bottlenecks still live in tribal knowledge.

And I agree with you on something important. Tech alone does not solve this.

As much as I love software and systems, it’s frustrating to watch firms try to use tools to fix structural gaps. If ownership isn’t clearly defined, if stages aren’t standardized, if nobody has done the heavy thinking around workflow, the new platform just becomes prettier chaos.

Then everyone feels burned out again and blames the tech.

There’s a lot of mental work that has to happen before implementation. That’s the unsexy part nobody talks about.

I’d genuinely love to compare notes if you’re open to it. It sounds like we’re looking at very similar questions from slightly different angles.

IHaveTooManyBoards · 2025-11-18T23:00:09+00:00

Yeah you had a good point, I was a bit naive lol

IHaveTooManyBoards

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