Eisenhower Matrix

The Lawyer's Guide to the Eisenhower Matrix

Because Every Case Feels Urgent, But Not All Are Equal

Transform your chaotic caseload into a manageable system. Stop drowning in deadlines and start practicing law with clarity.

Free printable Eisenhower Matrix templates for lawyers. No email required.

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What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

A Decision-Making Framework for Legal Professionals

Named after President Eisenhower, this simple 2x2 grid helps you categorize tasks by urgency and importance. For lawyers juggling multiple cases, court dates, and client demands, it's a sanity-saving system.

Q1: Crisis Mode

Urgent & Important

Court deadlines, emergency motions, critical client issues

Example: Filing deadline tomorrow for motion to dismiss

Q2: Strategic Zone

Not Urgent & Important

Case strategy, relationship building, skill development

Example: Researching precedents for upcoming trial

Q3: Delegation Zone

Routine filings, scheduling, administrative tasks

Example: Scheduling depositions, routine document requests

Q4: REVIEW

Time wasters, unnecessary meetings, perfectionism

Example: Rewriting emails for the third time

Why Lawyers Need This System

⚖️

Meet Every Deadline Without Panic

Never miss a filing deadline or court date again. See all critical dates at a glance and plan backwards from deadlines.

🎯

Focus on High-Value Work

Stop spending billable hours on low-value tasks. Identify what truly moves cases forward and delegate the rest.

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Serve Clients Better

When you're organized, clients feel it. Respond faster, deliver better results, and build stronger relationships.

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Actually Leave the Office

Create boundaries between urgent and important. Not everything needs to be done tonight at 11 PM.

Quick Start for Legal Professionals

1

Brain dump all tasks

List everything: cases, deadlines, admin work, business development

2

Apply the Legal Lens

Ask: 'What has a hard deadline?' and 'What advances my cases or career?'

3

Sort into quadrants

Place each task in the appropriate box based on urgency and importance

4

Execute strategically

Q1 first, schedule Q2, delegate Q3, delete Q4

Eisenhower Matrix for Lawyers

Free Printable Eisenhower Matrix Templates for Lawyers

Get templates specifically designed for legal professionals, with examples from real law practices.

📄

Word

Editable template with legal-specific examples

Download Word
📊

PowerPoint

Present to your team or use in partner meetings

Download PowerPoint
📑

PDF

Print and keep on your desk for quick reference

Download PDF

When You're Ready: Go Digital

All the benefits of paper, plus features designed for legal professionals

Voice Input

Dictate tasks between meetings or while commuting

Scenario: Walking to court: 'Add research Smith v. Jones precedent to Q2'

Voice Capture

Transcript:

"Research Smith versus Jones precedent for motion to dismiss"

AI Parsed Result:

Task: Research Smith v. Jones precedent

Due: This week

Quadrant: Q2 - Not Urgent & Important

Color-Coded by Case

Assign colors to different cases or practice areas

Scenario: Blue for litigation, green for contracts, red for pro bono

Litigation

Prepare witness list

Contracts

Review purchase agreement

Pro Bono

Draft asylum application

Multiple Boards

Create separate matrices for different practice areas or roles

Scenario: One for casework, one for business development, one for personal

Active Cases Tasks

Motion deadlineDeposition prepClient meeting

Attach Documents

Link briefs, memos, and research directly to tasks

Scenario: Attach draft motion directly to 'Review and file motion' task

Task Attachments

Motion_to_Dismiss_Draft.pdf

245 KB • PDF Document

Legal_Research_Memo.docx

128 KB • Word Document

Exhibit_A_Contract.jpg

1.2 MB • Image

Pro tip: All attachments are securely stored and can be viewed directly in the app without downloading.

Recurring Tasks

Set weekly case reviews and monthly billing to repeat automatically

Scenario: Every Monday: 'Review all case statuses' appears in Q2

March 2024

S
M
T
W
T
F
S
25
26
27
28
29
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Weekly Quizzes (Auto-recurring)

Team Meetings (Every Tuesday)

Works Everywhere

Access from office desktop, courtroom tablet, or phone

Scenario: Check priorities from anywhere - court, office, or home
9:41 AM

Eisenhower Matrix

DO FIRST

Motion deadline today

Due today

Emergency TRO hearing

Urgent

Judge's order to respond

2:00 PM
SCHEDULE

Develop cross-examination strategy

Next week

Research case precedents

March 15
DELEGATE

Schedule expert depositions

Delegate

Send discovery requests

Get help
DELETE

Debate strategy in hypotheticals

Skip

Ready to use the Eisenhower Matrix to keep you sane?

📋

Start with Paper

Download templates designed for legal professionals

Download Legal Templates
Eisenhower Matrix

Go Digital

Full-featured app built for busy attorneys

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