Legal Intake Triager

Overview

Legal teams are bottlenecks. Not because they're slow, but because everything gets routed to them. This skill provides a framework to determine what actually needs legal review vs. what business teams can handle themselves with proper guardrails.

The Triage Problem

CURRENT STATE (Most Companies):
──────────────────────────────
All contracts → Legal queue → Wait 3-10 days → Business frustrated

IDEAL STATE:
────────────
Low risk → Self-service with guardrails → Same day
Medium risk → Light-touch legal review → 1-2 days  
High risk → Full legal review → 3-5 days
Critical → Priority legal handling → ASAP

Triage Decision Framework

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    LEGAL INTAKE DECISION TREE                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│                     NEW LEGAL REQUEST                           │
│                           │                                     │
│                           ▼                                     │
│              ┌────────────────────────┐                        │
│              │ Using approved template │                        │
│              │ without modifications?  │                        │
│              └───────────┬────────────┘                        │
│                    │           │                                │
│                  YES          NO                                │
│                    │           │                                │
│                    ▼           ▼                                │
│              ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────────┐                    │
│              │ SELF-    │  │ Check value  │                    │
│              │ SERVICE  │  │ threshold    │                    │
│              └──────────┘  └──────┬───────┘                    │
│                                   │                             │
│                    ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐             │
│                    │              │              │              │
│                 <$[X]K      $[X]-[Y]K        >$[Y]K            │
│                    │              │              │              │
│                    ▼              ▼              ▼              │
│              ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐          │
│              │ LIGHT    │  │ STANDARD │  │ FULL     │          │
│              │ REVIEW   │  │ REVIEW   │  │ REVIEW   │          │
│              └──────────┘  └──────────┘  └──────────┘          │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Request Categories

Category 1: Self-Service (No Legal Review)

Criteria - ALL must be true:

Using approved template without modifications
Value below self-service threshold
Standard terms (no negotiation needed)
Counterparty on approved list OR standard vendor/customer

Examples:

Request Type	Self-Service If
NDA (mutual)	Using approved template, standard terms
Simple SOW	Under threshold, approved template, existing MSA
Vendor agreement	Under threshold, standard SaaS terms
Renewal	Same terms, no material changes
Amendment	Administrative changes only (contacts, addresses)

CUSTOMIZATION REQUIRED:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your self-service thresholds:               │
│                                             │
│ Maximum value: $_______________             │
│ Maximum term: _____ months                  │
│ Approved templates: _____________________   │
│ Approved vendors list location: _________   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Category 2: Light-Touch Review

Criteria - ANY of these:

Minor modifications to approved templates
Value in mid-range
Low-risk contract type with standard counterparty
Routine contract on vendor's paper (with checklist)

Process:

LIGHT-TOUCH PROCESS:
1. Requestor completes intake form
2. Requestor completes self-review checklist
3. Legal reviews checklist + flagged items only
4. Legal approves or escalates to full review
5. Target turnaround: 1-2 business days

Self-Review Checklist (for Light-Touch):

LIGHT-TOUCH SELF-REVIEW CHECKLIST
─────────────────────────────────
Contract: _________________
Value: $_________________
Term: ___________________

REVIEW THESE CLAUSES (check if acceptable):

□ Liability cap at least [X]x contract value
□ Indemnification is mutual OR limited to IP/breach
□ Termination for convenience included OR breach cure reasonable
□ Auto-renewal notice period ≥ [X] days
□ Governing law is [acceptable jurisdictions]
□ No mandatory arbitration OR arbitration terms acceptable
□ Data protection terms present (if handling data)
□ Payment terms Net [X] or better

IF ANY BOX UNCHECKED → Escalate to Standard Review

□ All boxes checked - Submit for light-touch approval

CUSTOMIZATION REQUIRED:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your light-touch thresholds:                │
│                                             │
│ Value range: $_______ to $_______           │
│ Acceptable liability cap: ___x value        │
│ Min auto-renewal notice: _____ days         │
│ Acceptable jurisdictions: ______________    │
│ Required payment terms: Net ____            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Category 3: Standard Review

Criteria - ANY of these:

Value in upper range
Non-standard terms requiring negotiation
Vendor's paper with material modifications needed
New vendor/customer relationship
Contract type not on approved template list

Process:

STANDARD REVIEW PROCESS:
1. Requestor completes full intake form
2. Legal assigned within 1 business day
3. Legal reviews and provides redline/comments
4. Negotiation support as needed
5. Target turnaround: 3-5 business days

Category 4: Full/Priority Review

Criteria - ANY of these:

Value above high threshold
Strategic relationship
Non-standard contract type
Significant risk factors present
Regulatory implications
M&A or investment related

Process:

FULL REVIEW PROCESS:
1. Intake with business context call
2. Senior legal assigned
3. Full review with risk assessment
4. Cross-functional input if needed
5. Executive approval if required
6. Target turnaround: 5-10 business days (expedite available)

CUSTOMIZATION REQUIRED:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your full review thresholds:                │
│                                             │
│ Value threshold: Above $_______             │
│ Term threshold: Above _____ years           │
│ Strategic vendors/customers: ____________   │
│ Always full review: ____________________    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Category 5: Immediate Escalation

Always escalate immediately (regardless of value):

Litigation / threatened litigation
Regulatory inquiry or investigation
Data breach or security incident
Employment disputes / terminations
M&A / investment opportunities
IP infringement claims
Whistleblower complaints
Government contracts
Media inquiries with legal implications

Intake Form

Basic Information

LEGAL REQUEST INTAKE FORM
═════════════════════════

REQUESTOR INFORMATION
─────────────────────
Name: _________________________
Department: ____________________
Date: _________________________
Urgency: □ Routine □ Urgent □ Emergency

REQUEST TYPE
────────────
□ Contract Review (new)
□ Contract Review (renewal)
□ Contract Review (amendment)
□ NDA
□ Legal Question/Advice
□ Employment Matter
□ Regulatory/Compliance
□ IP Matter
□ Litigation/Dispute
□ Other: _________________

CONTRACT DETAILS (if applicable)
────────────────────────────────
Contract type: _________________
Counterparty: __________________
Our role: □ Vendor □ Customer □ Partner □ Other
Value: $________ □ Total □ Annual
Term: _______ months/years
Auto-renewal: □ Yes □ No

Context and Risk Factors

BUSINESS CONTEXT
────────────────
Why do we need this?
___________________________________________

What's the deadline and why?
___________________________________________

What happens if we don't get this done?
___________________________________________

RISK FACTORS (check all that apply)
───────────────────────────────────
□ Handles customer data
□ Handles employee data
□ Involves PII / PHI / financial data
□ Requires system access
□ Requires on-site presence
□ International component
□ Government/public sector
□ Regulated industry
□ New vendor (no prior relationship)
□ Non-standard terms requested
□ Competitive/strategic relationship
□ Press/PR implications

ATTACHMENTS
───────────
□ Draft contract attached
□ Vendor's paper (their template)
□ Our template
□ Prior agreements with counterparty
□ Other: _________________

Routing Logic

Routing Matrix

Request Type	<$25K	$25K-$100K	$100K-$500K	>$500K
NDA (our template)	Self	Self	Self	Self
NDA (their template)	Light	Light	Standard	Standard
SaaS/Subscription (standard)	Light	Standard	Standard	Full
Services Agreement	Standard	Standard	Full	Full
MSA (new relationship)	Standard	Standard	Full	Full
MSA Amendment	Light	Light	Standard	Full
Partnership/Reseller	Standard	Full	Full	Full
Employment Agreement	—	—	Standard	Full
Real Estate/Lease	Standard	Standard	Full	Full

CUSTOMIZATION REQUIRED:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your value thresholds:                      │
│                                             │
│ Self-service max: $_______                  │
│ Light-touch max: $_______                   │
│ Standard max: $_______                      │
│ Full review above: $_______                 │
│                                             │
│ Adjust routing matrix above accordingly     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Routing by Risk Factor

Regardless of value, escalate to next level if:

Risk Factor	Escalation
Handles customer PII	+1 level
Handles PHI (healthcare data)	Minimum Standard
Government/public sector	Minimum Standard
International (non-US law)	+1 level
Strategic relationship	+1 level
Non-standard IP terms	+1 level

Legal Team Routing

Who Handles What

CUSTOMIZATION REQUIRED:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your legal team routing:                    │
│                                             │
│ Commercial contracts: __________________    │
│ Employment matters: ____________________    │
│ IP/Technology: _________________________    │
│ Regulatory/Compliance: _________________    │
│ Privacy/Data protection: _______________    │
│ Real estate: ___________________________    │
│ M&A/Corporate: _________________________    │
│                                             │
│ Escalation contact: ____________________    │
│ Emergency contact: _____________________    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

SLA Expectations

Response Time Targets

Review Level	First Response	Completion Target
Self-Service	N/A	Same day
Light-Touch	Same day	1-2 business days
Standard	1 business day	3-5 business days
Full	1 business day	5-10 business days
Emergency	4 hours	Best effort

When to Expedite

EXPEDITE CRITERIA:
□ Revenue at risk (deal deadline)
□ Regulatory deadline
□ Security/breach response
□ Executive request
□ Competitive situation

EXPEDITE PROCESS:
1. Mark request as URGENT
2. Explain business impact
3. Identify hard deadline
4. Legal will prioritize accordingly

Self-Service Guardrails

Approved Template Library

CUSTOMIZATION REQUIRED:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your approved templates:                    │
│                                             │
│ □ Mutual NDA: [location]                    │
│ □ One-way NDA (inbound): [location]         │
│ □ One-way NDA (outbound): [location]        │
│ □ Simple SOW (under MSA): [location]        │
│ □ Standard MSA (vendor): [location]         │
│ □ Standard MSA (customer): [location]       │
│ □ Consulting agreement: [location]          │
│ □ _______________________: [location]       │
│ □ _______________________: [location]       │
│                                             │
│ Template library location: _______________  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Modifications Not Allowed in Self-Service

STOP: REQUIRES LEGAL REVIEW
───────────────────────────
Any modification to:
□ Limitation of liability
□ Indemnification
□ IP ownership
□ Governing law
□ Confidentiality term extension beyond standard
□ Non-compete / non-solicit
□ Exclusivity
□ SLA commitments
□ Warranty terms

Intake Quality

Common Problems with Requests

Problem	Impact	Solution
No deadline given	Can't prioritize	Always require deadline
Missing context	Wrong routing	Require business context
Wrong attachment	Delays	Verify before submission
Incomplete form	Back-and-forth	Required fields
Premature request	Wasted effort	Confirm deal is real

Request Completeness Check

BEFORE SUBMITTING, VERIFY:
□ All required fields completed
□ Correct contract/document attached
□ Value is accurate (not placeholder)
□ Deadline is real (not arbitrary)
□ Business context explains WHY
□ Risk factors reviewed and checked

Resources

references/

routing-matrix-detailed.md — Full routing rules by contract type
template-library-guide.md — How to use approved templates
escalation-procedures.md — When and how to escalate

scripts/

triage-router.py — Auto-suggests routing based on inputs

assets/

intake-form.docx — Legal intake form template
self-review-checklist.xlsx — Light-touch review checklist
sla-tracker.xlsx — Track legal request turnaround