Making Holiday Handoffs Easy for Legal Teams
The holidays are a great chance for a well-earned break, but picking things up again can be tricky when team members are away. If information is scattered across emails, documents and chat threads, the rest of the team often has to spend time piecing everything together in order to keep matters moving.
It’s not just about keeping on top of tasks; it’s about making sure nothing gets missed while people are away. Even small gaps in information can slow things down, so having clarity and visibility is key.
Challenges That Can Arise When Team Members Are Away
Some of the common challenges that come up during the holiday season include:
Info Everywhere – Figuring out the full context of a matter can feel like detective work. Sometimes critical details are buried in a chat thread or a forwarded email, meaning covering team members can spend more time hunting for details than progressing the work.
“I spent half an hour digging through my inbox, the shared drive and Teams just to figure out where we left off on that contract. And I still missed a key email that changed the whole approach!”
Who is Doing What – When ownership isn’t clear, work can stall. Ambiguity around responsibilities can also create small errors or duplicated effort, especially if multiple people are trying to cover the same matter.
“I picked up a matter thinking it was mine, only to discover the original owner had already started it before their holiday. Cue a few awkward ‘oops, we already did that’ messages.”
No Clear Progress – Even with notes, it’s easy to forget what stage a matter is at or what approvals are still pending. Without a clear record of progress, covering team members may struggle to prioritise what needs attention first, slowing everything down.
“Coming back after the holidays, I stared at a spreadsheet for ten minutes trying to remember - did we get approvals or are we still waiting? It’s easy for momentum to get lost over a week or two off.”
Last-Minute Surprises – Occasionally, matters that seemed on hold suddenly require urgent attention, like a client query or a deadline that wasn’t flagged before someone went on leave.
“I opened my inbox to find a message marked urgent for a matter I hadn’t touched in weeks. It took a while to figure out the full context and respond accurately.”
Even small tasks can become tricky when team members are on leave, information is scattered and it’s hard to see who is responsible or what still needs attention. The more visibility a team has, the easier it is to pick things up quickly and keep work moving forward without disruption.
How Cubed by Law Squared can help
Built inside Microsoft 365, Cubed gives legal teams a reliable way to manage matters even when half the team is out and inboxes are overflowing.
Here’s how it helps keep work flowing smoothly:
Timeline – Everything related to a matter is in one place. Updates, documents and decisions are visible in real time, so covering lawyers don’t have to hunt through emails or notes. Even matters that have been quiet for a while can be picked up quickly and progressed rapidly.
Reassign Matters – Handovers are simple and clear. You can transfer ownership with all the context included, so the next lawyer knows exactly what’s happening without repeating work. This ensures continuity even when people are on extended leave.
Automatic Email Filing – Important emails go straight into the workspace. Nothing gets lost and the whole team stays on the same page.
“Finally, no more ‘did anyone see that email from last week?’ panic moments. Everything I need is right there in the matter.”
Status Updates and Matter Stages – Progress is visible at a glance. Everyone knows what is done, what’s next and where attention is needed, helping avoid confusion after the holidays.
Centralised Workspace – Everything lives in one place within Microsoft 365. Documents, emails, timelines and progress are connected, so work can be picked up and moved forward easily, even after time away.
With Cubed, legal teams stay aligned, maintain visibility and keep supporting the business, even when key people are offline. The holiday period becomes much easier to manage, letting the team focus on work that matters instead of scrambling to figure out what is going on.
Learn more at www.cubedlegal.com