2026 MIE National Conference for Legal Aid Managers

Managing attorneys wear a lot of hats. Client advocate. Supervisor. Trainer. Compliance officer. But somewhere between the caseload and the compliance calendar, there's a job that rarely gets named: project manager.

This session is designed for managing attorneys and legal aid managers at any level who are looking for practical, low-barrier tools and systems to bring more structure, visibility, and collaboration to their teams. Whether you're managing a team of two or twenty, coordinating across offices or time zones, or just trying to reduce the number of things that fall through the cracks, this session will give you a working toolkit you can put into practice.

We'll explore how managing attorneys can apply project management principles and tools, from simple task tracking systems to shared collaboration platforms, and even Generative AI tools, without requiring a technology background or a dedicated IT department. We'll cover how to match the right tools to your team's actual workflow, how to build buy-in from staff who are already stretched thin, and how to create systems that don't collapse when key people are out.

Attendees will leave with a framework for evaluating project management tools, practical examples of what can work in legal aid environments, and concrete first steps for building or strengthening the organizational infrastructure behind their team's legal work.