Mastering the Quick Matter Review: A Simple Habit for Scalable Oversight

Mastering the Quick Matter Review: A Simple Habit for Scalable Oversight

According to an Attorney at Work article by David and Karen Skinner, as law firms grow, it becomes harder for managing partners to maintain visibility across active matters. Adding staff may increase capacity, but it also increases the distance between leadership and daily legal work. Without a consistent process for reviewing case progress, firms risk missing deadlines, misaligned priorities, and inefficient use of resources. A quick matter review offers a simple, repeatable framework to bring structure, control, and accountability to every matter.

The authors note that this weekly review process can be seamlessly integrated into an existing team meeting or used to establish a new one. Each session focuses on five core questions: the current status of the matter, what’s overdue, the next milestone, who owns the next step, and whether any scope or resource issues exist. 

Sharing a live digital matter board via tools like Clio Manage, Microsoft Planner, or Legalboards ensures everyone sees the same up-to-date information. With just five minutes per file, teams can quickly spot roadblocks, reassign tasks, and adjust timelines as needed.

For managing partners, the quick matter review improves communication across legal teams, reduces guesswork, and enhances both accountability and efficiency. Over time, the habit builds a culture of operational discipline and client-centric delivery. Instead of relying on sporadic updates or reactive problem-solving, firm leaders can proactively manage workload, protect profitability, and foster stronger collaboration.