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July 31, 2005
Law Firms Reinvent KM
According to an article by Judith Lamont, Law Firms Reinvent KM, KM is being integrated nicely in many law firms these days. Though the general KM hype has definitely died down, Dennis Kennedy is quoted as saying "Law firms have become more pragmatic in their use of knowledge management technology. They are less concerned about the buzzwords and more focused on what can be accomplished." So KM is now emphasizing practical, mangeable applications that can effect how lawyers work on a daily basis, sometimes globally, sometimes on a more local level.
Much of the emphasis seems to be shifting to identifying expertise rather than just delivering documents. At Heller, Ehrman, they're emphasized connecting people, though they're also working with American Legalnet to create a universal forms library, according to Robin Solomon, the firmwide knowledge manager.
It's clear from this article that what many people would consider to be KM functions are actually quite dispersed among different departments in a firm. Interaction, a client relationship management solution, is also in use at Heller Ehrman and provides useful information about relationships with organizations and clients. Document management systems certainly have KM applications, and even Legalkey, a records management program can provide access to necessary information.
Another notable point is "Process drives technology." The Cooley Godward example pinpoints the usefulness of gathering information at the right time and place, as as part of the general workflow, and not as a separate task. Leveraging data gathered by non-KM departments can be the most efficient way to enhance KM systems.
So as the title of the article implies, KM is morphing and changing and being reinvented as we speak.
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