Four High-Impact Meetings In-House Lawyers Need, That You're Probably Not Having (Yet)

Deep Dive

Four Meetings to Add to Your Calendar

As in-house lawyers, our calendars are essential.

They show how we’re spending our time and how our stated priorities line up with our efforts. Both essential.

More tactically, they tell us what to do when. And with mental loads like ours, a well-managed calendar is a game changer (because who has energy to decide what to work on several times throughout the day?).

Our calendars are often full. Really full.

And while I have plenty of advice on clearing things off your calendar, that’s for another day.

Today’s issue is about four events you should add to your work calendar.

Because making time for these four things will increase your impact, your clarity, and your sense of control. And you probably won’t do them if you haven’t calendared them.

1. Monthly Strategy + Alignment Review

Once a month, block time to lift your head up from the day-to-day and ask: Am I working on the right things? This is your chance to reconnect with the big picture—your team’s goals, your company’s priorities, and your own career trajectory.

Look back at what you spent time on last month. What moved the needle? What didn’t? Then look ahead: What’s coming up that deserves more of your focus? What should be delegated, delayed, or dropped? Even 30 minutes of strategic reflection can prevent 30 days of misaligned effort.

2. Weekly Calendar Management Session

Once a week—ideally Friday afternoon—set aside 30 minutes to get intentional about the week ahead.

Look at every meeting and ask: Does this need to happen? Do I need to be in it? If multiple members of your team are scheduled to attend, would it be better for one of you to spend the time differently? Is the topic ripe for discussion, or is further work needed in preparation?

Then make space for the work that matters most: deep work, strategic projects, follow-ups you’ve been meaning to send. This is also your chance to block time for non-negotiables like thinking, learning, and moving.

If you have any personal commitments during the week that aren’t already blocked off, do that now too. Protect the time for your son’s concert or your daughter’s soccer tournament (and travel to and from the event!) just as fiercely as you protect your business-critical meetings. Remember, glass balls don’t bounce.

Your calendar shouldn’t just reflect other people’s priorities. Scheduling a meeting with yourself to actively manage your calendar ensures it reflects yours too.

3. Twice Monthly Learning Block

The most effective in-house lawyers are permanent students. They understand that learning and growing are career-long pursuits, and that investing the time and energy is always worth it.

Blocking time twice a month for intentional learning helps you stay sharp, relevant, and strategically valuable. Use it to dig into a new area of the business, explore an emerging legal risk, or listen to that industry podcast you keep saving for later.

This isn’t “extra.” It’s how you stay ahead of issues instead of reacting to them. Learning fuels better judgment, better questions, and better decisions. But only if you make space for it.

4. Daily Movement Time

If you’re reading this email, my guess is you spend a lot of time sitting down. Because you’re an in-house lawyer, and that’s kind of part of the gig.

We attend meetings (sitting down), read and respond to emails (also seated), and draft and review documents (still sitting), so sitting a lot is inevitable.

Now maybe you have a standing desk, and even a walking pad under that desk, and that is far better than nothing. But even with those things—you probably still spend more time sitting than you’d like.

So: block time to move.

If your job has set office hours and clearer boundaries, calendar your exercise outside of work hours, and make space during the day for smaller movement breaks (walks to grab lunch, a coffee, or a walking meeting).

And if you have a job where you don’t have set office hours, but are basically on call all the time (🙋🏻‍♀️), you have to calendar movement where it actually fits. Even if that means going for a run or lift during the workday. Because if you can’t exercise at 6AM because you’re in Boston on a call with Europe, and you can’t exercise at 8PM because you’re on a call with someone on the West Coast, you won’t move unless you protect the time you do have.

Motion creates energy, keeps you healthy, and makes your day better. Block that time on the calendar and honor it.

Your calendar reflects what you value. Prioritizing these four meetings can help make you more effective, fulfilled, and healthier.

When managed intentionally, your calendar is more than just a list of obligations. It can serve as a tool for designing a better work life. By adding even a few intentional blocks, you create space for strategy, clarity, growth, and well-being. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to find time.

Make time for what matters, and let your calendar reflect the lawyer, leader, and person you want to be.