Standard operating procedures · Legal
The Legal procedure manual
33 written procedures across 11 teams, made of 202 numbered steps. 48 of those steps are a person deciding and 154 are agent work … more
Procedures
33
Median 6 steps long.
Numbered steps
202
Every one carries exactly one actor.
Decision points
48
24% of this function's steps stop for a person.
Agent steps
154
54 of them on the shared spine.
Named agents
92
Registered against the teams inside this function.
Units a week
108,092
Across every procedure in this manual.
Who this manual belongs to
Accountability above the procedures
Accountable
General Counsel
The end of the escalation path for every procedure in this manual. more
Chief of staff
Legal Chief of Staff
Holds the operating rhythm of the function: the cadence these procedures are reviewed on and the queue of changes waiting to be made to them.
Autonomy across this function
66% now · 78% target
This is the function’s declared autonomy, not a reading taken from the procedures. Measured off the procedures themselves, 76% of the steps in this manual run without a person. The two are different questions and they do not have to agree.
The service level
Standard contract turnaround
cycle-time · target 48 hrs · Rolling 30 days, 90th percentile
Attainment is 96.2% against a target of 48 hrs.
Request received to executed or returned, standard paper only.
Governance gates on this function
4 declared
These are rules about the function as a whole, not about one procedure. more
| Gate | What trips it | Who releases it | Clock | Waivable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Any external legal communication approval | Every communication leaving the enterprise on a legal matter | Named lawyer | Same day | No |
Contract above $250,000 approval | Contract value above $250,000 or nonstandard indemnity, unlimited liability or IP transfer | General Counsel delegate | 2 business days | No |
Settlement or regulator filing approval | Any settlement, filing or regulator submission | General Counsel | Case dependent | No |
Citation and provenance audit oversight | Every agent-produced document with external authority citations | Citation Verifier plus lawyer sign-off | Pre-release | No |
Run any procedure in this manual
33 to choose from
This is a run, not a forecast. One unit enters the procedure and is walked station by station in the recorded order, each station taking exactly the dwell the estate records for it, held by whoever the estate says holds it. The clock you watch is worked time: the sum of the time the work is actually being done. Pick a procedure on the left and press run. Happy means nothing goes wrong: no station raises an exception, no gate sends the unit back, no rework loop fires and nothing sits in a queue between stations. Viable means the path is the one the estate already permits: the lanes are the recorded lanes, every decision that stops for a person still stops for that person, and no step is moved unless the owning team has autonomy ceiling left to cover it. It is a floor for how fast this procedure can go while staying inside its own rules, not a promise about any particular Tuesday.
Nothing has happened yet. more
- The lanes are the recorded lanes. 1 of the 7 stations stop for a person and every one of them still does on this run.
- Every one of the 1 decision is still taken by the person who holds it. The happy path is that each one is released first time, not that it is skipped.
- The owning team is held to a 64% autonomy ceiling and this run sits at 51% unattended, inside it.
- 2 systems are attributed across the stations, and 0 of them are connected. Nothing in this run has been watched executing against a real system of record.
One decision, held by Associate General Counsel, Commercial. more
- 05 Counsel review — The last decision on the line. Something on every procedure ends with a person, so this one is never offered.
This is a run, not a forecast. more
Happy means nothing goes wrong: no station raises an exception, no gate sends the unit back, no rework loop fires and nothing sits in a queue between stations. more
The second clock is the allowance. more
A decision may be handed to the agent lane only if two things hold … more
The run reads the station rows only. more
What this run does not model: arrival patterns, contention between procedures for the same person, shift patterns, weekends, learning curves, and the cost of anything. more
Contract Lifecycle
3 procedures · 20 steps · 5 decisions
Runs the line
Contract Lifecycle Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Commercial Contracts
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns contract work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
In-policy paper is drafted, redlined and executed without a lawyer touching it. more
The 2 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Contract Lifecycle Decision Envelope
under reviewLG1-POL-200 · Envelope · v3.8 · approved by Director, Commercial Contracts
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the contract sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Contract Lifecycle Evidence Standard
activeLG1-POL-201 · Evidence · v3.2 · approved by Director, Commercial Contracts
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG1A | Standard AgreementT | 9 | 1 | 89% | 6,513 | ||
| LG1B | Non-standard AgreementT | 7 | 3 | 57% | 2,223 | ||
| LG1C | Obligation MonitoringT | 4 | 1 | 75% | 2,484 |
Commercial Advisory
3 procedures · 18 steps · 3 decisions
Runs the line
Commercial Advisory Orchestrator
Accountable
Associate General Counsel, Commercial
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow
That team’s remit
Owns advisory matter work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Agents draft the advice and the reasoning. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Commercial Advisory Decision Envelope
activeLG2-POL-200 · Envelope · v5.0 · approved by Associate General Counsel, Commercial
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the advisory matter sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Commercial Advisory Evidence Standard
supersededLG2-POL-201 · Evidence · v4.2 · approved by Associate General Counsel, Commercial
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Commercial Advisory Escalation Rule
activeLG2-POL-202 · Escalation · v4.9 · approved by Associate General Counsel, Commercial
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG2A | Advisory RequestT | 7 | 1 | 86% | 6,513 | ||
| LG2B | Deal Structure ReviewJ | 6 | 1 | 83% | 2 | ||
| LG2C | Precedent Library BuildT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 7,699 |
Corporate & Governance
3 procedures · 18 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Corporate Secretariat Orchestrator
Accountable
Company Secretary
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns corporate action work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Assembly, calendaring and filing mechanics are automated. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Corporate & Governance Decision Envelope
activeLG3-POL-200 · Envelope · v1.2 · approved by Company Secretary
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the corporate action sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Corporate & Governance Evidence Standard
activeLG3-POL-201 · Evidence · v2.9 · approved by Company Secretary
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Corporate & Governance Escalation Rule
under reviewLG3-POL-202 · Escalation · v3.8 · approved by Company Secretary
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG3A | Board Meeting CycleT | 7 | 1 | 86% | 4,042 | ||
| LG3B | Statutory FilingT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 625 | ||
| LG3C | Authority Register UpdateT | 5 | 2 | 60% | 3,260 |
Compliance & Ethics
3 procedures · 18 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Compliance Orchestrator
Accountable
Chief Compliance Officer
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns compliance case work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Screening and attestation run at scale without humans. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Compliance & Ethics Decision Envelope
under reviewLG4-POL-200 · Envelope · v3.3 · approved by Chief Compliance Officer
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the compliance case sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Compliance & Ethics Evidence Standard
activeLG4-POL-201 · Evidence · v4.8 · approved by Chief Compliance Officer
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Compliance & Ethics Escalation Rule
activeLG4-POL-202 · Escalation · v2.9 · approved by Chief Compliance Officer
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Compliance & Ethics Autonomy Ceiling
under reviewLG4-POL-203 · Ceiling · v5.3 · approved by Chief Compliance Officer
The ceiling for this lane is 76 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG4A | Annual Attestation CycleT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 6,407 | ||
| LG4B | Third-party ScreeningT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 6,427 | ||
| LG4C | Ethics Case IntakeT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 3,510 |
Regulatory Affairs
3 procedures · 19 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Regulatory Affairs Orchestrator
Accountable
VP Regulatory Affairs
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow
That team’s remit
Owns regulatory item work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Horizon scanning and impact mapping are continuous and agentic. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Regulatory Affairs Decision Envelope
activeLG5-POL-200 · Envelope · v2.1 · approved by VP Regulatory Affairs
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the regulatory item sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Regulatory Affairs Evidence Standard
activeLG5-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.0 · approved by VP Regulatory Affairs
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Regulatory Affairs Escalation Rule
activeLG5-POL-202 · Escalation · v3.0 · approved by VP Regulatory Affairs
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Regulatory Affairs Autonomy Ceiling
activeLG5-POL-203 · Ceiling · v4.8 · approved by VP Regulatory Affairs
The ceiling for this lane is 68 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG5A | Regulatory Change ResponseT | 7 | 1 | 86% | 5,001 | ||
| LG5B | Regulator SubmissionT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 7,243 | ||
| LG5C | Regulatory Stance PositionJ | 6 | 1 | 83% | 1 |
IP Portfolio
3 procedures · 19 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
IP Orchestrator
Accountable
Chief IP Counsel
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow
That team’s remit
Owns IP matter work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Search, docketing and renewals are automated. more
The 2 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
IP Portfolio Decision Envelope
activeLG6-POL-200 · Envelope · v1.2 · approved by Chief IP Counsel
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the IP matter sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
IP Portfolio Evidence Standard
activeLG6-POL-201 · Evidence · v4.4 · approved by Chief IP Counsel
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG6A | Invention to FilingT | 7 | 2 | 71% | 2,792 | ||
| LG6B | Annuity & RenewalT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 7,581 | ||
| LG6C | Portfolio Strategy PositionJ | 6 | 1 | 83% | 1 |
Litigation & Disputes
3 procedures · 20 steps · 6 decisions
Runs the line
Litigation Orchestrator
Accountable
VP Litigation
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow
That team’s remit
Owns matter work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Deliberately the lowest ceiling in Legal. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Litigation & Disputes Decision Envelope
activeLG7-POL-200 · Envelope · v2.0 · approved by VP Litigation
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the matter sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Litigation & Disputes Evidence Standard
activeLG7-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.2 · approved by VP Litigation
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Litigation & Disputes Escalation Rule
activeLG7-POL-202 · Escalation · v4.6 · approved by VP Litigation
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG7A | Matter LifecycleT | 8 | 3 | 63% | 5,697 | ||
| LG7B | Discovery ProductionT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 4,774 | ||
| LG7C | Settlement PositionJ | 6 | 1 | 83% | 4 |
Employment Legal
3 procedures · 19 steps · 5 decisions
Runs the line
Employment Legal Orchestrator
Accountable
Associate General Counsel, Employment
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns employment matter work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
The lowest ceiling in the entire estate alongside Litigation. more
The 2 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Employment Legal Decision Envelope
activeLG8-POL-200 · Envelope · v3.5 · approved by Associate General Counsel, Employment
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the employment matter sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Employment Legal Evidence Standard
activeLG8-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.3 · approved by Associate General Counsel, Employment
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG8A | Employment AdvisoryT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 5,792 | ||
| LG8B | Termination ClearanceT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 4,773 | ||
| LG8C | Collective ConsultationJ | 7 | 2 | 71% | 2 |
Privacy & Data Protection
3 procedures · 21 steps · 6 decisions
Runs the line
Privacy Orchestrator
Accountable
Data Protection Officer
Layers in play
strategy · policy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns privacy case work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Subject requests are located and assembled autonomously against a statutory clock. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Privacy & Data Protection Decision Envelope
activeLG9-POL-200 · Envelope · v5.8 · approved by Data Protection Officer
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the privacy case sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Privacy & Data Protection Evidence Standard
under reviewLG9-POL-201 · Evidence · v4.4 · approved by Data Protection Officer
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Privacy & Data Protection Escalation Rule
activeLG9-POL-202 · Escalation · v4.8 · approved by Data Protection Officer
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Privacy & Data Protection Autonomy Ceiling
activeLG9-POL-203 · Ceiling · v4.8 · approved by Data Protection Officer
The ceiling for this lane is 70 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG9A | Data Subject RequestT | 7 | 1 | 86% | 3,199 | ||
| LG9B | Privacy Impact AssessmentT | 7 | 2 | 71% | 1,057 | ||
| LG9C | Breach ResponseT | 7 | 3 | 57% | 1,669 |
Outside Counsel Management
3 procedures · 16 steps · 4 decisions
Runs the line
Outside Counsel Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Legal Operations
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns engagement work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Guideline enforcement on legal invoices is exactly the kind of high-volume rules work agents do better than people. more
The 4 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Outside Counsel Management Decision Envelope
activeLG10-POL-200 · Envelope · v3.8 · approved by Director, Legal Operations
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the engagement sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Outside Counsel Management Evidence Standard
activeLG10-POL-201 · Evidence · v5.8 · approved by Director, Legal Operations
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Outside Counsel Management Escalation Rule
activeLG10-POL-202 · Escalation · v4.9 · approved by Director, Legal Operations
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
Outside Counsel Management Autonomy Ceiling
activeLG10-POL-203 · Ceiling · v2.1 · approved by Director, Legal Operations
The ceiling for this lane is 85 on the platform scale. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG10A | Matter AssignmentT | 6 | 1 | 83% | 2,272 | ||
| LG10B | Invoice ReviewT | 6 | 2 | 67% | 5,720 | ||
| LG10C | Panel ReviewA | 4 | 1 | 75% | 36 |
Legal Ops & Spend
3 procedures · 14 steps · 3 decisions
Runs the line
Legal Ops Orchestrator
Accountable
Director, Legal Operations
Layers in play
strategy · observe · workflow · gbs
That team’s remit
Owns ops item work end to end inside Legal. more
Why the ceiling sits there
Pure operations work with no legal judgment in it. more
The 3 rules every procedure in this team runs inside
Legal Ops & Spend Decision Envelope
activeLG11-POL-200 · Envelope · v2.8 · approved by Director, Legal Operations
Agents in this lane may act without a human when the ops item sits inside the stated value, risk and confidence envelope. more
Legal Ops & Spend Evidence Standard
activeLG11-POL-201 · Evidence · v1.1 · approved by Director, Legal Operations
Every autonomous decision writes inputs, the rule version applied, the model and prompt version, the output and a reversal path. more
Legal Ops & Spend Escalation Rule
activeLG11-POL-202 · Escalation · v1.9 · approved by Director, Legal Operations
Escalation is mandatory when confidence falls below the floor, when two options sit inside the confidence band, or when a break condition on a ratified position fires. more
| Code | Procedure | Steps | Decisions | Who does the work | Agent % | A week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG11A | Spend ReadA | 5 | 1 | 80% | 41 | ||
| LG11B | Knowledge CaptureT | 5 | 1 | 80% | 672 | ||
| LG11C | Capacity RebalanceA | 4 | 1 | 75% | 60 |
Where this manual comes from
Nobody wrote these procedures. more
What it cannot claim
The twenty-four controls and eighteen exception classes in this platform are held at estate level … more
These procedures describe the modeled estate. more
Actions
What is waiting on a person
What a single function manual is for, and the three things worth checking the moment you open one.
governing rules bind the teams inside these functions
Every team carries between two and four rules covering evidence, envelope, escalation and ceiling. 395 are active. more
governance gates are declared across the function estate
A governance gate is a rule about the function, not about a single procedure: a threshold, a named approver and a clock. more
points separate the most and least agent-run function, Customer Service and Legal
Customer Service runs 90% of its steps without a person and Legal runs 76%. The gap is not a target and not a failing … more
Operations
What this desk is allowed to start
A surface that only reports is not operable. more
Trigger and bound
A function manual gathers every procedure the function owns, grouped by the team that runs it, with the orchestrator, the accountable human, the autonomy ceiling and the governing rules printed against each team. more
Live observability
What the record shows right now
How the manuals differ in size, by number of written procedures. more
Current distribution
211 procedures
Is policy and strategy coming to fruition
Whether the written intent is holding here
Holding on structure, not on assurance. more
Not holding on the record
Every manual is complete: 475 procedures with nothing unassigned, 154 teams each carrying an orchestrator and a named accountable human, and every step attributed to a lane. more