Legal intake policy template for contract workflows
Download an editable legal intake policy template with required fields, routing rules, return criteria and SLAs, then see a filled request routed through it.
What the intake policy template contains
The download is an 11-section Markdown file you can paste into Notion, Google Docs, Confluence or your wiki. Template version: 2026-11-11. All value bands, SLAs and routing thresholds in it are examples and are marked as such.
Legal intake policy template (Markdown, version 2026-11-11)
- Purpose
- Scope and out-of-scope matters
- Required intake fields
- Routing rules
- Return and decline criteria
- SLAs by lane
- Ownership
- Quality controls
- Metrics tracked
- Policy change process
- Change log
Not legal advice. Have counsel review your adapted policy before publishing it.
Required and optional intake fields
Keep the required list short enough that requesters complete it, and make each field earn its place by driving a routing or review decision.
| Field | Status | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Requesting team and named business owner | Required | Someone must be able to accept commercial risk and answer questions. |
| Counterparty legal entity name | Required | Needed for conflict checks, signature blocks and the agreement register. |
| Contract type | Required | Drives the template, the checklist and the reviewer lane. |
| Own paper or counterparty paper | Required | Counterparty paper usually needs a full clause review. |
| Value band and term | Required | Feeds value-based routing rules. |
| Target signature date and reason | Required | Lets the queue tell real urgency from preference. |
| Personal or restricted data involved? | Required | Triggers data protection review. |
| Non-standard terms requested | Required (may be "none") | Surfaces deviations before drafting starts. |
| Approved fallback positions on key terms | Optional | Speeds negotiation when the business has already agreed limits. |
| Related agreements (parent MSA, DPA) | Optional | Avoids conflicting terms across documents. |
| Prior history with the counterparty | Optional | Context for past concessions or disputes. |
Filled intake example
Hypothetical request with fictional parties: Acme LLC's sales team needs a customer agreement with Northwind Ltd.
| Requesting team / business owner | Sales, Acme LLC. Owner: VP Sales (fictional) |
|---|---|
| Counterparty legal entity | Northwind Ltd |
| Contract type | Master services agreement plus first SOW |
| Paper | Counterparty paper |
| Value band and term | $100K to $500K per year, 24 months |
| Target signature date and reason | End of quarter; customer budget approval expires |
| Personal or restricted data involved? | Yes: customer contact data processed by Acme |
| Non-standard terms requested | Customer asks for uncapped liability for data breaches |
| Approved fallback positions | Business accepts a 2x annual fees cap for data claims |
| Related agreements | Northwind's data processing addendum (attached) |
Routing example
These are the example routing rules from the template. Check every rule; the request goes to the highest lane any matching rule triggers.
| Trigger (example) | Lane | Example SLA |
|---|---|---|
| Own-paper NDA, no non-standard terms | Self-serve template, business owner signs | No legal review |
| Own-paper MSA or SOW under $100K, no non-standard terms | Reviewer queue | Decision within 2 business days |
| Counterparty paper, any value | Reviewer queue | Decision within 3 business days |
| Own-paper MSA or SOW from $100K to $500K, no non-standard terms | Reviewer queue | Decision within 3 business days |
| Over $500K, strategic flag, or restricted data | Senior reviewer plus counsel notified | First response same business day |
| Requested term outside approved fallback (for example uncapped liability) | Counsel escalation | Per escalation policy |
| Anything not matched above | Reviewer queue for triage | Decision within 3 business days |
How the Acme and Northwind request routes
- Counterparty paper: at least the reviewer queue.
- Value band is under $500K and data is not restricted: no senior-reviewer trigger on value.
- Uncapped liability for data breaches is outside the approved fallback: the request goes to counsel escalation with the business's 2x cap position attached.
Result: counsel escalation, handled under the legal escalation policy playbook. The reviewer still runs the contract review checklist on the rest of the agreement.
When to return a request
Return a request, with the specific gap named, when any of these apply. The SLA clock starts only once it is complete.
- A required field is missing or contradicts another field.
- A referenced exhibit, SOW or related agreement is not attached.
- The requested date is inside the SLA with no business reason given.
- The request duplicates a matter already in the queue.
Track how often requests are returned and for which field. A field that is often missing may need clearer wording, a default value or removal. For drafting from standard templates, LegalDoc's guided document intake requires the template's fields before a draft is created.
FAQ
What is a legal intake policy?
A written rule set for how requests reach the legal team: which information is required, how requests are routed to self-serve, reviewer or counsel lanes, when a request is returned, and what response times apply.
Are the value bands and SLAs in the template recommendations?
No. They are placeholders that show the shape of a rule. Replace them with thresholds from your own volume, staffing and risk appetite, and have counsel approve the final policy.
Should incomplete requests be rejected?
Return them rather than reject them: tell the requester exactly which field is missing and do not start the SLA clock until the request is complete.
How does this connect to LegalDoc?
LegalDoc's template drafting uses guided intake with required fields before a draft is created, and a consented intake agent can submit a lawyer handoff request with jurisdiction, urgency and notes. The written policy still decides routing and who approves.