What's Really Burning Out Your Team (It's Not What You Think)

For legal professionals, the promise of a career is growth, learning, and the opportunity to make an impact. But for many, that promise feels out of reach. Not because of lack of skill or ambition, but because they're stuck doing tasks that don't use their talents. Welcome to the hidden world of trapped time.

What Is Trapped Time, and Why Should Your Team Care?

Trapped time refers to all the essential but non-billable admin work that consumes hours every day: chasing clients for documents, scanning files, updating case notes, scheduling meetings, and sending reminders. These tasks keep the office running but take legal staff away from the work they were trained to do.

For new hires eager to learn and grow, trapped time means less mentorship, fewer chances to develop new skills, and limited exposure to the kind of legal work that builds careers. For experienced professionals, it means less time to lead, strategize, and guide the team forward.

How Trapped Time Holds Back Careers and Team Growth

When admin work takes over, the impact goes beyond just lost billable hours. Here's what happens inside the team:

• Frustration and Fatigue: Staff feel busy but stuck working long hours without meaningful progress. This leads to burnout and dissatisfaction.
• Stalled Development: With constant admin distractions, it's hard for anyone to focus on skill-building, client relationships, or career advancement.
• Team Morale Drops: When people feel their time isn't valued, motivation drops, and turnover risk rises.

Imagine What Your Team Could Do With Just One More Hour a Day

What if trapped time was cut down by just 60 minutes each day? That adds up fast, to over 5 extra hours each week and 260 hours every year per person.

That's time that could be spent:

• Receiving targeted training.
• Collaborating on challenging cases.
• Building relationships with clients
• Innovating new workflows or services
• Simply taking a well-earned break to recharge

Reclaiming time isn't just about working faster it's about giving your people the space to grow, contribute, and thrive.

How You Can Help Your Team Break Free From Trapped Time

Start by understanding where trapped time hides in your team's daily routine. Ask:

• Which admin tasks take up the most time without adding value?
• Are junior staff overwhelmed with repetitive tasks that limit their learning?
• Could some work be automated, delegated, or streamlined?

Next, invest in tools and processes that reduce admin burden, such as digital document management, automated reminders, and centralized communication platforms. Finally, create space for coaching and professional development. Encourage senior team members to share their expertise, and give everyone a clear path to grow beyond admin tasks.

At Tracument, we've helped firms save up to 80% of their staff's admin time. That's time teams can now use to do more valuable work. The kind they actually trained for. Not scanning. Not faxing. But real, productive work that grows careers and supports clients. Because when your team has more time, they can do their best work, and your whole company benefits from increased efficiency, stronger employee engagement, and improved operational performance.

The Bottom Line: Unlock Your Team's Potential

Trapped time isn't just an operational issue, its a people issue. When legal professionals are bogged down in admin, their careers stall, morale suffers, and your firm's future is at risk.

By identifying and reducing trapped time, you're not only improving productivity, you're investing in your team's growth, engagement, and long-term success.

Ready to help your team reclaim their time and potential? Download our free guide on identifying trapped time and start transforming your workflows today.

Want to take it further? Have a 15 minute chat with us to see if we can be a perfect fit for your organization!