10 Ways You Should Be Using Your Firm’s Knowledge Management Department

By: Michael J. Lehet OGLETREE, DEAKINS, NASH, SMOAK & STEWART, P.C.

THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES HOW LAW FIRM attorneys can get the most out of their knowledge management (KM) department, and it covers topics such as KM tools for attorneys, artificial intelligence (AI), and using KM to create client-facing solutions.

KM is the process of leveraging innovation to identify, organize, and share information, typically within an organization but also outside of it. This knowledge includes data, documents, expertise, and research, among others. As discussed in Professional Development: Life as a Knowledge Management Attorney, KM plays an increasingly critical role in delivering quality representation and client solutions. To make the most of KM, however, attorneys must know what KM resources are available and why, when, and how to incorporate them into their workflows.

Whether an attorney is a recent law school graduate or a shareholder with an extensive book of business, KM provides ever-evolving opportunities to boost efficiency and advance client services. The following are 10 recommendations for utilizing this important resource.

1. Boost Your Efficiency and Productivity with Direct-Access KM Tools

KM departments offer attorneys numerous direct-access (i.e., self-service) tools to help them work smarter, faster, and more in sync. Although these tools vary from firm to firm, they commonly include:

• Enterprise search engines that allow attorneys to mine a firm’s document management system, client-matter records, time entries, and other resources in a few keystrokes and mouse clicks
• Resource centers containing turnkey checklists, model documents, and practice notes curated by KM attorneys and firm subject-matter experts
• Surveys, maps, and other multi-jurisdictional content that attorneys can use to compare and contrast legal requirements across countries, states, counties, and municipalities

These items are generally accessible via intranets, which are themselves powerful tools for attorneys to quickly identify everything from firm news to practice group content.

Before sending a firm-wide email, conducting external research, or drafting from scratch, you can and should use these KM tools to identify existing information or documents. Doing so saves significant time while ensuring attorneys appropriately use their firm’s collective experience and work product.

2. Improve Drafting Accuracy and Speed with Document Automation

As the name suggests, document automation is the process of automating the creation of documents at scale. With document automation, attorneys specify the document of interest, answer a questionnaire to verify certain information (parties, jurisdiction, etc.), and generate the desired output. The process allows users to generate high quality documents in significantly less time.

KM departments can assist attorneys in determining whether to automate documents and, if so, the specific documents to automate. Depending on firm and client demand, automated content can range from administrative paperwork to transactional documents to litigation materials. Once a firm identifies target documents, KM departments can assist with building and deploying the underlying automation technology, whether the firm develops the automation in-house or in partnership with third parties. KM can also work with the appropriate teams to launch and market the technology inside and outside the firm.

To review the additional eight best practices for using your KM Department, please follow this link to read the full article in Practical Guidance.

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Michael J. Lehet leads the Knowledge and Innovation (K&I) Department at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. He advances the development, delivery, and adoption of direct-access tools and services to ensure attorneys and others effectively leverage the firm’s extensive expertise and work product. Mike works closely with practicing lawyers on content creation and curation, innovation design and deployment, practice and industry group support, and K&I education and training.

To find this article in Practical Guidance, follow this research path:

RESEARCH PATH: Civil Litigation > General Litigation > Practice Notes

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