Where does Legal Time Really Go?

You started the day with a plan. You had priorities. And then reality hit. Emails piled up. A meeting ran long. By 5 PM, your big goals were hardly touched, again. Sound familiar? For legal professionals, every day can feel like a sprint. Calendars are packed, deadlines are tight, and yet the feeling persists: "Did I actually get anything meaningful done today?"

Let's break down where legal time really goes… and why it matters.

The Illusion of a Full Day

Take Sam, for example, a junior associate who started the week eager to dive into case research and client strategy. But instead, Sam spent hours following up on missing client documents, emailing intake forms, and re-entering case notes across different platforms. By Friday, the legal work was still waiting. The reality is that being busy doesn't always mean being productive.

Recent surveys and anonymized data from mid-size firms offer a telling snapshot:

• 20% — Email: Reading, responding, forwarding, filing.
• 15% — Document Management: Drafting, editing, organizing, formatting, and version tracking.
• 10% — Time Entry & Admin: Logging hours, updating case notes, processing expenses, internal meetings.
• 10% — Research: Legal research, fact-finding, reviewing precedents.
• 25% — Billable Client Work: The work that actually gets invoiced—and often the most engaging part.
• 20% — Everything Else: Business development, compliance training, tech troubleshooting, or just catching a breath.

Source: 2023 Legal Trends Report by Clio, combined with internal anonymized data from participating mid-size firms

Only about one-quarter of the day is spent on billable, substantive legal work.

The Trap of Trivial Time

So where is the time actually going?

In many firms, manual processes are still the default. Notes are written twice. Documents are emailed back and forth. Multiple tools are used for the same task, none of them integrated. Even experienced staff can get lost in the maze of fragmented systems.

While most legal professionals enter the field to practice law, much of the day gets swallowed by tasks that feel more operational than legal, especially around managing document requests. Chasing down paperwork, sending reminders, following up (again), and organizing incoming files can eat up hours. These repetitive, often manual tasks quietly drain time and energy from the more strategic and rewarding aspects of the job.

This "trapped time" is a quiet drain. Not because it's unimportant, but because it crowds out the higher-value work that drives career growth, client outcomes, and personal satisfaction.

To learn more about 'trapped time', read our first blog on how law firms lose time to admin tasks and how you can start a legal time audit.

Reclaiming Time for Meaningful Work

The good news? Trapped time isn't inevitable. You can't automate everything, but awareness is a powerful first step.

For many legal professionals, the most fulfilling parts of the job—solving legal problems, advising clients, crafting arguments—are often squeezed into the margins. Instead, days fill up with chasing documents, updating systems, or attending back-to-back internal meetings that feel disconnected from actual client outcomes.

Reclaiming time doesn't mean working longer; it means working smarter. That could mean:

• Batching emails instead of checking them continuously.
• Using templates or legal document automation tools for repeatable tasks.
• Blocking focus time on your calendar—and fiercely protecting it.
• Minimizing tool sprawl, so you're not toggling between six platforms to do one job.

It's about changing how you think: not everything urgent is truly important, and some admin work is necessary—even if it feels unproductive.

When you create space for meaningful legal work, the benefits ripple outward: better focus, stronger results, less burnout, and a greater sense of purpose in the profession you chose.

At Tracument, we help legal professionals eliminate administrative friction—especially around document requests. We've helped hundreds of Canadian Law Firms reduce admin time and save up to 80% of staff time. Whether you're trying to automate reminders, track legal documents, or reduce back-and-forth emails, we're here to help you get back to the work that actually matters.

Let's say every person on your team gained just one hour back each day. That's five hours a week. 260 hours a year. What could they do with it?

Take the Time Audit

For one day or one week, log everything — billable, non-billable, admin, and in-between. What's your real ratio of meaningful work to maintenance work?

Then, take small steps to remove or automate the work that's holding your team back. The result? A more focused, energized, and high-performing legal team that's equipped to deliver real value — every single day.

Want to know more about how we help? Chat with us for 15 minutes,, or explore our resources on law firm workflow optimization, time-saving strategies for legal professionals, and legal operations efficiency.