Knowledge Management in the Modern Law Firm

Innovation in services and products is the true challenge facing Knowledge Management thought leaders today. Attorneys in today's law firm environment need to take advantage of KM tools and techniques to cope with increasing information overload, new competitive pressures and changing economic realities. But what are the business goals that law firms are seeking to accomplish through their practice support initiatives? What do attorneys expect from the KM function—and how do we get there?

It is well-understood that successful law firm KM offers the potential for improving capabilities by tapping into business processes and infrastructure—making better use of a firm’s expertise while accelerating professional development and ultimately driving profitability and the delivery of core services at the highest standard.

While knowledge management has been a topic of discussion at many competitive law firms for a number of years, many firms still struggle to fully appreciate their own resources—particularly as attorneys can be slow to adopt the most useful tools and technologies.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN THE MODERN LAW FIRM conference will once again feature real-world case studies and interactive panel discussion illustrating how law firms today are striking a balance between technology, strategy and culture—effectively integrating and embedding knowledge management activities across various disciples and specializations within the firm to deliver value and support to a myriad of firm functions.

Some have argued that KM has taken the simple route of technology and is at risk of disappearing as a well-defined law firm function. Others wonder where IT stops and KM begins? Can KM continue to deliver value along side strategically-minded CIO’s and IT departments? Can IT and KM both be strategic and operational?

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN THE MODERN LAW FIRM is an ideal opportunity to learn from and network with your industry peers. Researched with and developed exclusively for knowledge and information managers in the legal domain, this year’s program moves from the theoretical to the practical--linking knowledge management activities to business objectives while strategically increasing value along the KM spectrum by taking inventory of your knowledge resources, tools and processes.

Are we witnessing the convergence of litigation support, practice support, risk management and client services? Can transactional-based KM practices be extended to support litigation? We invite you to join experienced KM legal professionals to examine and discuss the implications in merging various firm specializations, promoting more collaborative cross-discipline initiatives while keeping an eye on client service goals.

There is little doubt that KM is shifting in emphasis from supporting pure legal knowledge to supporting knowledge that relates to the business.