RPLV Decision Making is a structured framework for making high-quality decisions about how legal resources are deployed. It stands for:

◼️R = Resources: What resources do you have?

◼️P = Prioritisation: How do you prioritise these resources across competing demands?

◼️L = Leverage: How can you leverage the resources you have to boost productivity returns?

◼️V = Validation: How do you validate the productivity returns of your resourcing decisions and prioritise those that deliver the highest measurable value?

This station is about moving away from gut instinct and firefighting towards a disciplined, data-driven approach to resource allocation. Legal teams often face rising workloads without additional headcount or budget. Without a prioritisation framework, they risk spreading themselves too thin, missing deadlines, and failing to demonstrate value.

RPLV ensures that every resource decision is strategic, transparent, and defensible. It forces legal teams to ask: “What will deliver the greatest impact for the business?” and then allocate resources accordingly. It also embeds validation into the process, so legal can prove the ROI of its decisions-critical for credibility and future investment requests.

The RPLV Decision Making station typically includes:

◼️Resource Identification: Mapping all available resources-people, processes, and technology.

◼️Prioritisation Framework: Ranking tasks based on risk, value, and strategic importance. If you do not have an approved Legal Department Mandate, this can be very difficult.

◼️Leverage Strategies: Finding ways to amplify resource impact through automation, delegation, and process redesign.

◼️Validation Metrics: Defining KPIs to measure the success of resource allocation decisions.

◼️Decision Governance: Establishing clear accountability for prioritisation decisions.

◼️Continuous Review: Regularly reassessing priorities as business needs evolve.

◼️Integration with Legal Ops: Embedding RPLV into broader legal operations planning.

◼️Communication Protocols: Ensuring stakeholders understand how and why decisions are made.

In GLS legal ops, the RPLV Decision Making is considered a "Foundational" and a "Repeater" resource within legal operations.

The Foundational Resource: Is responsible for determining the overall performance capabilities of a “critical” legal function. If it is not optimised, the function can never be optimised. 

A Repeater Resource: Supports multiple legal functions, ensuring that structured legal requests improve contracting, dispute resolution, compliance, and advisory services.

The best practice features of RPLV Decision Making are as follows:

◼️Legal Dept Mandate: Your legal team absolutely needs the Business to agree the legal team’s formal mandate.

◼️Structured Framework: Uses a clear, documented process for resource decisions.

◼️Data-Driven: Relies on workload and performance data, not intuition.

◼️Business Alignment: Prioritises tasks that deliver measurable business impact.

◼️Leverage Focus: Identifies opportunities to amplify resource productivity.

◼️Validation Requirement: Requires evidence of ROI for major resource decisions.

◼️Governance Integration: Links to legal operations governance for accountability.

◼️Transparency: Communicates prioritisation logic to stakeholders.

◼️Continuous Improvement: Reviews and refines the framework regularly.

The RPLV Decision Making station delivers the following value to the Business:

◼️Cost Efficiency: Ensures resources are deployed where they deliver maximum ROI.

◼️Risk Management: Prioritises high-risk matters to protect the organisation.

◼️Agility: Enables faster, smarter responses to changing business needs.

◼️Transparency: Provides a clear rationale for resource allocation decisions.

◼️Performance Assurance: Validates that legal is contributing measurable value.

For the legal team, RPLV provides:

◼️Clarity: A structured approach to managing competing priorities.

◼️Confidence: Decisions backed by data and validation metrics.

◼️Efficiency: Focus on high-impact work, reducing wasted effort.

◼️Credibility: Demonstrates strategic thinking and measurable results.

◼️Empowerment: Gives legal control over its destiny rather than reacting blindly.

The RPLV Decision Making station is essential for:

◼️Legal Department Leadership

◼️Legal Operations Managers

◼️Executive Management

◼️Risk and Compliance Teams

A legal team operating without RPLV Decision Making will face a wide range of inefficiencies including:

◼️Reactive Chaos: Constant firefighting without strategic prioritisation.

◼️Resource Waste: Time and effort spent on low-value tasks.

◼️Credibility Loss: Inability to justify resource decisions to the business.

◼️Burnout: Overloaded teams with no clear focus.

◼️Missed Opportunities: Failure to leverage technology and process improvements.

RPLV Decision Making benefits from technology that supports data-driven prioritisation. Matter management systems, analytics dashboards, and workflow tools can provide the insights needed to make informed decisions and validate outcomes.

1. What does RPLV stand for in legal operations?

A: Resources, Prioritisation, Leverage, and Validation-the four pillars of strategic resource decision-making.

2. Why is RPLV important for legal teams?

A: Because it ensures resources are deployed where they deliver maximum business value.

3. How does RPLV improve legal performance?

A: By prioritising high-impact resource allocations, by squeezing more juice from the lemon, by building legal team credibility, and by building its capability to demonstrate value to the business.

4. Can RPLV reduce legal costs?

A: Yes, by eliminating wasted effort and focusing on value-driven tasks.

5. What tools support RPLV Decision Making?

A: All tools that drive resource allocation productivity leverage outcomes.

6. Is RPLV relevant for small legal teams?

A: Absolutely-resource constraints make prioritisation even more critical.

7. How often should RPLV decisions be reviewed?

A: RPLV decision making is an always on decision making framework – all RPLV assessment are constantly monitored as they are applied to all decisions – all of the time. 

8. Does RPLV require executive approval?

A: No. Its free and costs nothing – and amounts to a reminder to make better decision.

9. What happens if legal teams skip RPLV?

A: They will not be able to prioritise and validate – and will increasingly be overwhelmed by the in-house contradiction – more work and less resources. 

10. Is RPLV a one-time exercise?

A: No-it’s an always on framework for high quality performance led in-house legal team decision making.