Joining Forces - Knowledge and business development

Knowledge management and business development – selling expertise and know-how to clients – have traditionally been regarded as different skills. To maximise the impact of these functions on the business Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer decided it was time to merge the two disciplines into a single integrated team called knowledge and business development (KBD).

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Debt to librarians
Over the years librarians have come a long way and are now key connectors between those who need to know and those who know.

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New directions in knowledge
Catherine Flutsch explores what the Legal Services Act means for knowledge management in the legal profession.

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Dealing with data diversity
Departments often need different things from the mass of client information at a law firm’s disposal. Practice management has different needs to client-relationship management, which requires summary information to get an accurate picture of key client accounts. Consolidation of that data is therefore a challenge, but a phased and focused approach can avoid the pitfalls.

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Here we go again...
LYNDA RATHBONE predicts a holistic user experience for 2008 and argues that while you can throw new technology at old problems, it doesn’t always solve them.

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Handling information overload
The amount of information a law firm routinely stores and processes places a huge strain on management systems to maximise efficiency. Portal technology can filter information for user-friendly presentation, but careful planning is required to ensure a return on investment.

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KM for the Google generation
Field Fisher Waterhouse was the first major law firm to establish a virtual presence on Second Life. Jane Bradbury, knowledge management director and who recently chaired Ark Group's Knowledge Capture and Retention Conference, talks to Joanna Goodman about the topics discussed there and outlines her innovative, technology-driven approach to these key aspects of knowledge management.

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Thought Leader
The literature and discussion surrounding social computing and knowledge management (KM) has focused on both technology and cultural/human issues. While we acknowledge the importance of addressing the requirement for cultural change, we believe well designed and well-implemented social computing and KM systems will go a long way in overcoming social barriers to finding, constructing and using knowledge.

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Up close and personal
Could personal knowledge management be the key to enhancing the productivity and effectiveness of information workers in your organisation?