Everybody’s talking about…

It would feel somewhat remiss not to make at least a brief reference to the chaos that ensued following the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption in Iceland – and the subsequent cloud of ash, which grounded all flights into European air space. With UK flights finally taking off again at time of press, people and businesses everywhere in the City (and those unfortunate to be stranded a long way from home) are breathing a collective sigh of relief – and hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself.

The situation will have no doubt forced many organisations to do a lot of thinking on their feet, in order to cope with staff absences, delivery delays and issues with business-critical (or otherwise) overseas travel. While it’s fairly simple to roll out a business continuity plan for a technological failure or other relatively predictable scenario, what has been referred to as an ‘act of God’ by some (savvy?) insurance companies will no doubt have proved more challenging.

Volcanoes aside, it would seem that the business challenges for law firms are showing no signs of letting up in the wake of the financial crisis. Everyone is talking about alternative fee arrangements, a topic that is touched on briefly in the Redwood Think Tank case study on page 25. Most commentators are of the opinion that – like the Legal Services Act in 2007 – firms have come to terms with the fact that this is where the marketplace is heading, and they need to act quickly.

The role that knowledge management plays – in assessing current working practices and data, and driving efficiencies in individual matters – will be explored in more detail in the next issue of the magazine.

In the meantime, I hope to see some of you at Ark’s annual KM Legal conference in May. It will be interesting to hear your views on the state of the legal services industry, along with your thoughts on future developments in knowledge management. Of particular interest to me will be any ideas that you have on how KIM Legal could be improved – what you like, dislike or feel is missing from the magazine. If you see me, come and have a coffee. Otherwise, feel free to send me a message at the usual address: kclifton@waterlow.com. As always, if you have an experience that you would like to share within an article, get in touch.

Kate Clifton
Managing editor

Features

Time for change? This article is for subscribers only
Intelligent organisations use knowledge management (KM) to distil from their past experience useful guidance for their current and future activities. KM encompasses a variety of techniques and methods and the choices businesses make about the activities they select are intimately bound up with the context in which they are done. As law firms face serious challenges over the coming years, the KM they invest in should also change.

KM on a shoestring This article is for subscribers only
One could be forgiven for approaching this subject with a degree of pessimism. However, it should not be seen in such a negative light. The current financial crisis has undoubtedly posed problems for the legal profession and those involved in devising knowledge management (KM) strategies for the short and medium term.
It has been argued in the past that KM has been too dependent upon technology; this approach has changed but in the current climate an organisation’s restrictions on spending money on IT will no doubt affect the ability of KM professionals to implement KM solutions.

Is there an app for that? This article is for subscribers only
Hélène Russell presents a list of the iPhone applications that can come in handy for professional purposes and knowledge work

Softly, softly? This article is for subscribers only
In various ways, technology offers considerable benefits. Though its promise often exceeds its delivery (potential benefits overstated), the legal profession has only begun to explore the benefits – from the perspective of recognising greater value from the efforts of lawyers in-house and outside – that can result from effective application of technology in the practice.
Nonetheless, law departments and law firms must temper their expectations. They should approach the use of technology in a more defined and discrete fashion. Rather than seeking the ‘all in one,’ magic solution to multiple problems, try to use technology to improve performance – and realise more value – in specific functions.

A hybrid approach This article is for subscribers only
Historically, KM in US law firms has been primarily technology driven – all about the development of information systems, which have concentrated on the enhancement of individuals’ efficacy as a priority rather than knowledge sharing. To some extent, this may reflect the original US firm ‘eat what you kill’ attitude to compensation – an approach which ties an individual’s remuneration exclusively to individual rather than firm performance. This is a very different system to what used to be the traditional English lockstep, although this has also evolved with recent reports that one UK national law firm is scrapping the firm-wide performance element in its bonus model for salaried partners and focusing purely on individual performance.

Herding cats This article is for subscribers only
Since I’ve dedicated 2010 to evangelising the importance of a KM value proposition, it seems only fitting that I should write about making the business case for KM. Whether you’re engaging in an initial discussion or rebranding KM efforts the ability to define, rationalise and set expectations is a critical cornerstone of a successful and sustainable KM initiative.

Taking lessons back to school This article is for subscribers only
Every day it seems as though a politician, business leader or sports team manager can be heard to utter the words ‘and of course, we will learn the lessons from this...’. Whether it’s a government scandal, a commercial catastrophe or the shock defeat of an otherwise invincible football team – you can be sure that lessons learned can always be salvaged, together with somebody’s reputation.
‘Lessons learned’ is one of the areas where our special knowledge management (KM) language overlaps with everyday business language. If you offer to help any team review the lessons learned from an activity, most people will have a good idea of what you mean and will probably welcome your help. You’ll get far more blank looks if you offer to conduct an organisational network analysis or to launch a community of practice!

Great minds... This article is for subscribers only
Launched in 2006, the Redwood Think Tank is an industry body dedicated to researching best practice in law firm management. As law firms face the challenges brought about by the recession and regulatory change, many are turning to such bodies to explore the organisational changes necessary to build efficiency and emerge from the recession as a more ‘nimble’ business.
In the Q&A below, Kris Satkunas talks through some of the key issues being discussed by current Think Tank members; providing the backdrop for a case study of how SJ Berwin combined business intelligence and insight gleaned from the Think Tank to streamline its processes and respond to such challenges.