Working with Tasks
Tasks are where the actual work happens in Laminar. Matters track the big picture, but tasks are the individual things that need to get done: “Order title search,” “Review survey,” “Send reporting letter.”
This page covers how to create, manage, and complete tasks. If you only learn one part of Laminar well, this should be it.
Finding Your Tasks
Section titled “Finding Your Tasks”Click My Tasks in the sidebar. This is your personal to-do list, filtered to show only tasks that are assigned to you and relevant right now.
My Tasks has three views you can switch between:
Ready shows everything that needs your attention now. This includes overdue tasks (past their scheduled date) and unscheduled tasks (no date set yet). Overdue items are highlighted so you can spot them immediately.
Future shows tasks scheduled for upcoming dates. These are organized but staying out of your way until their day arrives.
Completed shows tasks you’ve finished, in case you need to look something up.
The goal is that your Ready view represents a realistic picture of what you need to accomplish. If the list feels unmanageable, that’s a signal to schedule some items to a later date.
Creating a Task
Section titled “Creating a Task”There are two ways to create a task:
From within a matter: Open the matter and go to the Tasks section. Click the add button, give the task a title, and it’s created. It automatically belongs to that matter and inherits the matter’s assignee by default.
From the Create button: Click the + button in the top bar and select “Task.” You’ll need to specify which matter it belongs to.
Every task requires a few things:
- Title: What needs to be done. Keep it short and specific. “Order title search” is better than “Title stuff.”
- Assignee: Who’s responsible. This defaults to the matter’s assignee. You can reassign it to anyone.
- Status: Where it is in its lifecycle. New tasks start at the beginning of their workflow (typically “Unstarted”).
And a few things are optional but useful:
- Scheduled date: When should this task appear in the assignee’s Ready list? If you don’t set one, it goes into Ready immediately as an unscheduled task.
- Description: Any additional context or instructions.
Working Through Tasks
Section titled “Working Through Tasks”The daily flow looks like this:
- Open My Tasks. Start with the Ready view.
- Pick a task. Click it to open the detail view.
- Do the work. Whatever the task requires, whether that’s making a phone call, uploading a document, or reviewing something.
- Update the status. Move the task forward in its workflow. If it’s done, mark it complete. If it’s partially done, move it to the appropriate intermediate status.
- Move on. Pick the next task.
When you mark a task as complete, it disappears from your active list. It’s still recorded on the matter’s activity timeline, but it’s no longer taking up space in your view.
Task Detail View
Section titled “Task Detail View”When you click on a task, you get a detail view with a few sections:
Header area shows the task number, its parent matter (clickable, so you can jump to the matter), its current status, and the assignee.
Description is a text area for any context or instructions. Not every task needs one, but for complex items, it’s helpful to leave notes for yourself or whoever picks it up next.
Notes are timestamped comments you can add as you work. “Called vendor, no answer, will try again tomorrow.” These become part of the permanent record.
Assets are files attached to the task. Upload documents, screenshots, or any file that’s relevant to this specific piece of work.
Activity is the automatic log of everything that’s happened: when the task was created, who changed the status, when files were uploaded.
Changing Task Status
Section titled “Changing Task Status”Tasks have their own workflow, typically simpler than a matter’s workflow. The default task workflow is: Unstarted, Started, Completed.
To change status, click the status indicator on the task and select the next stage. That’s it. The change is saved immediately and logged in the activity timeline.
Some things to know:
- Moving a task to “Completed” removes it from your active task list.
- Status changes are recorded: who changed it, when, and from what to what.
- You can move a task backward if something needs to be reopened, though this should be uncommon.
Reassigning Tasks
Section titled “Reassigning Tasks”Sometimes a task ends up on the wrong person’s plate. To reassign it, click the assignee on the task detail view and pick a different user or team.
When you reassign a task:
- It leaves your My Tasks list (assuming you were the previous owner).
- It appears in the new assignee’s My Tasks list.
- The reassignment is logged in activity, so there’s a clear record.
Reassignment is normal and expected, especially as workloads shift. It’s not a sign of failure; it’s a sign that the system is working.
Adding Context to Tasks
Section titled “Adding Context to Tasks”Click into the notes section and type your update. Press Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter on Mac) to post it. Notes are attributed to you and timestamped automatically.
Good notes are specific and brief. “Left voicemail for client re: closing date, will follow up Thursday” is useful. “Called client” is less useful. Future-you will thank present-you for the specifics.
Notes are editable for a short window after posting (a few minutes), then they lock. This is intentional: notes are meant to be a reliable history, not a document you keep revising.
Assets (File Attachments)
Section titled “Assets (File Attachments)”Drag a file onto the task detail view, or click the upload area. The file is attached to the task, visible to anyone who opens it. Uploaded files show who uploaded them and when.
Common uses: attaching a PDF you received by email, uploading a scanned document, or storing a screenshot of something relevant.
Tasks and Matters
Section titled “Tasks and Matters”Tasks belong to matters. When you complete tasks on a matter, you’re making progress toward completing the matter itself. But tasks don’t automatically advance the matter’s workflow stage. Those are separate decisions.
Think of it this way: completing the task “Order title search” doesn’t automatically move the matter from “Active” to “Searches.” The matter stage is a higher-level decision that a person makes when they’re confident the matter is ready to move forward. Tasks are the evidence that support that decision.
This separation is intentional. Matters progress through stages based on judgment, not checklists. A lawyer might complete all the tasks for a stage but hold the matter back because something doesn’t feel right. That’s a feature, not a bug.
Keep task titles action-oriented. “Order title search” is better than “Title search.” The verb tells you what to do. When you’re scanning a list of 20 tasks, verbs save you thinking time.
Use scheduling aggressively. If you can’t or won’t do it today, schedule it for when you will. A shorter daily list with honest dates beats a long list you’re silently ignoring.
Don’t create tasks for things you’ll do in the next five minutes. Tasks are for tracking work over time, not for documenting things you’re about to do right now.
Check unscheduled tasks periodically. Tasks without dates can pile up quietly. Once a week, scroll through your unscheduled items and either schedule them or ask yourself if they’re still relevant.