Emails that carry a matter number or block-and-parcel number in the subject have their attachments saved to that matter's Google Drive folder under a dated file name and listed in the matter's document index. Paralegals stop dragging files by hand.
Typical results
Under 5 min
From email arrival to filed document
100%
Filed documents listed in the matter index
8
Lawyer mailboxes watched
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Signed contracts, bank letters, tax forms and registry extracts arrive by email all day, addressed to whichever lawyer the other side knows. Paralegals drag attachments into matter folders by hand when they find time, file names follow no pattern, and a key document can sit in one person's inbox until someone asks for it.
Before and after
Paralegal hours a week filing email attachments
−83%Minutes from email arrival to filed document
−99%The automation
Make watches the lawyers' mailboxes for subjects that contain a matter number or a property block-and-parcel number. Each match is looked up in the matter list, and every attachment is saved to that matter's Google Drive folder with a name built from the date, matter number and original file name. A new row in the matter's document index in Google Sheets records the sender, date, subject and file link. Emails with no match are left untouched.
How it works
- 01
Email arrives
An email with attachments reaches one of the lawyers' mailboxes.
- 02
Matter number found
The subject is checked for a matter number or a block-and-parcel number and matched to the matter list.
- 03
Attachments filed
Each attachment is saved to the matter's Google Drive folder under a dated naming convention.
- 04
Index updated
A row in the matter's document index records the sender, date, subject and file link.
- 05
Unmatched emails skipped
Emails with no matching number stay in the inbox untouched, so nothing is filed to the wrong matter.
Starts from
- Lawyer mailboxes
- Matter list
Delivers
- Filed to matter folder
- Matter document index
The impact
Paralegals get back about 5 hours a week that went to dragging and renaming attachments. Every signed contract and bank letter is in the matter folder within minutes of arrival, named the same way, and the document index shows at a glance what has been received on each file.
Questions about this automation
What if the subject line has no matter number?
The email stays in the inbox as it is, and nothing is filed. Lawyers can ask the other side to quote the matter or parcel number, or forward the email with the number added to the subject, and the attachments are then filed within minutes.
Does it work with Outlook as well as Gmail?
Yes. The automation can watch Gmail or Outlook mailboxes, and the folders can sit in Google Drive or another shared drive the firm uses. Each lawyer's mailbox is connected once, and the matter list it matches against is the same one the firm already keeps.
How are duplicate attachments handled?
Before saving, the automation checks the matter folder for a file with the same name and size from the same sender. Exact duplicates, such as a contract sent twice in one thread, are skipped and noted in the index, while revised versions are saved with a version suffix.