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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ISSUE 13 | JULY 2011

Information superheroes

Interview: Tom Baldwin, Reed Smith’s CKO The US/UK giant’s head of KM on how knowledge is at the heart of tomorrow’s firm Feature: How KM is boosting competitiveness How top 100 law firms are boosting their corporate brainpower to compete Plus: Phoenix Business Solutions on SJ Berwin’s killer KM 2 briefing on KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT www.legalsupportnetwork.co.uk

It’s not what you know...

go by, it is now a key route subject. Plus, we have a It’s the way that you know to productivity and client great feature on how firms it. Knowledge management value. Why? Because the are using KM systems and (KM) is no longer just about most forward-thinking firms people programmes to documents, precedents are now leveraging internal deliver more value internally and IT – it’s built itself a knowledge in innovative and externally. And we have vital role in making your ways to win business and a supplier’s view of how SJ firm more competitive and get closer to clients – and Berwin combined internal more efficient. stay there. and external knowledge KM has been coming In this issue we have sources to boost its out of the basement, so to a cracking interview with corporate brainpower. Enjoy. speak, for a few years, but the friendliest man in KM, if the evidence in this issue Rupert White, head of Tom Baldwin, who gives of Briefing is anything to content and community us a high-level view on the

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Interview: Tom Baldwin Information superheroes Best of both worlds Rupert White talks to Reed Smith’s chief Joanna Goodman looks under the Ray Burch, technical director for Phoenix knowledge officer about why KM is now bonnet at some of the UK’s top firms to Business Solutions, on why connecting central to delivering a more see how KM is coping with a fundamental internal and external information is the key efficient, more profitable law firm shift in the structure of legal business to competitiveness

How Briefing works

Briefing features editorially independent interviews and feature Clients want to see articles as well as sponsored editorial. what engagement All sponsored editorial is marked as such. We re-interview supplier case we have with project studies and edit sponsored articles to make sure we deliver valuable, management and useful content for readers. process improvement, because they have it in Become a Briefing sponsor Want to get involved in Briefing? Call one of the their own business – and legalsupportnetwork team on 0870 112 5058, or click to email us at [email protected] they’re expecting their law firms to do it. Our interview with Tom Baldwin was Tom Baldwin, CKO, Reed Smith transcribed by:

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INTERVIEW

Power in knowledge Tom Baldwin, chief knowledge officer at US/UK giant Reed Smith, talks to Rupert White about why KM is now central to delivering a more efficient, more profitable law firm

Knowledge management, on efficiency that we’ve never you’re working for fixed fees or KM, used to be one of experienced before. It’s given or a more sophisticated those areas in law firms to KM practitioners an opportu- arrangement, Baldwin says, which partners sent lawyers nity to demonstrate what we the pressure is on to deliver who didn’t want to do the can bring to the table.” on-budget. Price predictability long hours, or geeks who Knowledge management is now the watchword, but liked computers more than hasn’t been seen, traditionally, clients don’t want to sacrifice litigation. No more. as a department that can help quality – “and that’s really KM has spent the last create competitive advantage. where knowledge manage- few years coming out of the But this is changing, Baldwin ment comes into play”. cupboard, and now it’s playing says – it’s now dealing Can KM really play a part a key role in forward-thinking increasingly directly with in this that’s equal to finance firms, both in delivering and clients, partly because clients or BD? Sure, Baldwin says winning work. Tom Baldwin are involving purchasing – in fact, KM plays a vital is chief knowledge officer at departments and procurement prerequisite role, because, he Reed Smith, a firm that would, in their legal buying. “We’re says: “How do you know what if it were a UK-headquartered having to have a much more something costs?” business, be in financial terms business-focused conversa- Delivering on AFAs is in number five in theLawyer ’s tion,” he says. many ways about working out top 100. He says KM is at a “Simply going into a pitch how much work costs to do. pivotal point – it has the power with your CV and your league The way firms do this is to go to deliver on some of firms’ tables really doesn’t impress back over similar work and key needs, both in terms of somebody who has no calculate what that work has delivering on the new world of context towards those things.” cost you to do. Simple, right? alternative fee arrangements The downside is the Not if your data is wrong. (AFAs), and in terms of making pressure clients are putting on “In a perfect world you’ve them more efficient, more firms to become much more already got all of your matters transparent to clients – funda- precise on pricing – “and not properly coded and tagged so mentally, better businesses. only do we have to be precise that it’s easy to go into your “We’re going through sort on pricing, but our clients are financial system and look that of a renaissance in KM, and now holding us accountable to up and bing, bang, boom, I think it’s largely due to the hit those numbers”. you’re up and running. But in downturn in the economy Worse, clients are expecting reality… crazy as it sounds, – and it’s probably been the – demanding – that firms meet many firms struggle with the best the thing that ever hap- those promised numbers, right data points on a broad pened to KM, because there’s often regardless of however enough spectrum of matters a focus and premium placed many hours it takes. Whether to be able to have good

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INTERVIEW TOM BALDWIN business intelligence across Baldwin’s team built a system Baldwin’s home turf, and it has own business – and they’re the board.” called ouRSite, a web-based numerous significant knock-on expecting their law firms to This puts KM in a central extranet through which clients effects, including a movement do it.” position in delivering ‘the new can see how matters are away from practice divisions At Reed Smith, this is also pricing’ (see Briefing on AFAs being staffed and how the firm with firms and towards client partly being delivered by for more on that) – but it’s is progressing against budget. and sector teams – partly embedding into teams lawyers also becoming indispensible This is especially valuable if because clients like law firms who have “substantive experi- when it comes to delivering on the firm has create a bespoke to talk their language. ence in certain areas but also the hard promises that AFAs workflow for the client. “Our major clients are in have process improvement create, because, Baldwin It also addresses a very pharmaceutical, life sciences, backgrounds, who have done says, it must now manage the modern client concern – that manufacturing, financial process mapping and process work to deliver with a margin when firms propose AFAs, services and energy, and we improvement engagements”. within the AFA. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the UK, Carmel US or Australia – no matter where you are, these pricing pres- sures are real, and lawyers are “Clients want to see what having a hard time adjusting engagement we have with to them because it’s requiring them to do things differently.” project management and process improvement Process power because they have it in So, it’s down to KM to provide their own business – and new tools to help ‘process map’ what lawyers do, “find they’re expecting their law areas of deficiency and help firms to do it.” create better processes, so that they’re more streamlined”. Tom Baldwin, chief knowledge officer, Reed Smith This also means identifying better staffing models to ensure work is done in a more cost-effective way while still delivering quality, and “inject- clients worry that they’re going have dedicated client teams This isn’t just a recession- ing technology where we can, to unduly staff the work with in those areas. In most cases, driven fad. “The reality is our to help automate the creation lower-level resources. Deliver- those industries are very clients are never going to go of forms or automate other ing more matter transparency process-oriented, even in the back to the old norm. They’re processes that used to be through ouRSite means Reed legal departments – I’ve been going to demand accountabil- done in a manual fashion”. Smith can allay those fears. on-site with clients where [cli- ity, they’re going to demand “When you package all that Delivering these solutions ent] lawyers are talking [project certainty, and when you get to together, you get a process falls to KM, he says, and it management language] Six that level of rigour, you have to that’s [correctly] staffed, it’s drags the firm into a newer Sigma. introduce some level of rigour profitable, and using technolo- world – of process improve- “We see it in pitches, we in [your own] process.” gy where appropriate to make ment and legal project see it across the board – they things even more automated management. want to see what levels of than they were before.” Seeing legal work through engagement we have with KM as differentiation Reed Smith is also turning the eyes of the project project management and this management information manager is a hot topic in UK process improvement But it’s not all about process into client-facing transparency. law and across the Atlantic on because they have it in their and workflow. The shift to-

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INTERVIEW TOM BALDWIN wards client and sector teams Happily, giving clients an extremely positive, and the tionality. But, if I’m on a mobile is driving firms hard to be able insight into how the firm deliv- feedback we get is that it device, I get an automatically to produce expert lawyers – ers the work (with OurSite, for demonstrates our expertise in streamlined version. so KM is increasingly becom- example) delivers a high-value a unique way”. “We need to have some ing about delivering technolo- side-effect: if the firm can The dark side of this way that the lawyer who’s gies and human programmes describe the legal process of data-led modernity is informa- receiving this information… to help firms more accurately the client’s work in the client’s tion overload. This is another can do more than just read and quickly locate the human own terms, it can show that it area that KM units have been something, because most capital that lies at the heart of knows the client’s business – turning their minds to in recent often there’s an action they legal business. so it’s providing differentiation. years – to “look at the totality want to take – they want to “Clients want to see much of all that data, and figure see more detail behind the more than just your legal out the best way to sum up financial input, they want to acumen,” Baldwin says. What’s your USP? that information in the most see more information behind “They want to know that you digestible way”. the client.” can take that legal prowess “We’ve found that these tools Part of the solution is in pri- and apply it directly to their and methods have a greater oritising information, and part business. That’s more Future KM technology important than ever, from a pitch perspective.” Lawyers may or may But digging out your not be pleased to see a best people just gets “Clients want to see much more techno-solution to this harder the bigger you than just your legal acumen. techno-problem, but, get. And this is a growing Baldwin says, this inte- issue as the market They want to know that you can grated, multi-platform continues to consolidate. world is the way KM is “If you merge with a firm take that legal prowess and going. in Asia or Canada, and apply it directly to their business. “What we’re seeing you’re in London, it’s very is the next evolution of difficult to walk down the That’s more important than ever, information delivery, and hall to know what those aggregation that spans people do.” from a pitch perspective.” multiple disciplines Technology, such as within a law firm. It’s a enterprise relationship Tom Baldwin, chief knowledge officer, Reed Smith harmonised approach and expertise identifica- that gives the lawyers tion systems, can get the easiest, most you part of the way to digestible way to look unearth those experts, he impact in how we demon- is thinking about a different at information, and it spans says, but part of the solution strate our sector expertise way of delivering it, he says. multiple platforms.” (see to this human problem lies in than almost anything else. The It’s similar to the IT concept of Phoenix’s article on p11) creating programmes within clients are seeing what we’re ‘rich vs reach’, or, as Baldwin This means a lot of working the firm that turn lawyers into doing dissected in a very would put it: “I can take a with IT, but it is also about business-savvy people, to granular way, they’re hearing bunch of reports delivered via designing and architecting get them to be more like the our thought process as we go email and consolidate that the systems – which is a KM clients the firm seeks out. through that map [and they’re into one master web-based thing, at least, it is at Reed Baldwin sees this as “a seeing that we understand report that gets pushed via Smith, Baldwin says. But it’s natural evolution for law their decision points, which something more interactive. right that it’s KM people lead- firms”, because, at the top, are often not legal ones].” Whether I’m on a Blackberry ing the way on this, he says, your capability is assumed – Baldwin says this kind or an iPad, I get it in a format because they’re not embed- “instead, it becomes about of behaviour is still in its that I can read. If I’m at my ded in one specific group. demonstrating you know their salad days at Reed Smith, desk, I get a higher-fidelity “KM can look at it in the most business better”. but “reaction from clients is version that has more func- holistic, non-biased way, and

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INTERVIEW TOM BALDWIN work with the lawyers to figure pings you when matters are price something, you don’t powerful. Today, law firms in out how to use this informa- approaching, say, 75% of have the data from which to general can’t rely on matter tion, what’s most important to budget becomes crucially pull, to use the KPI tools. types to do that in an accurate them.” important.” “I’m hoping to see some- way. If you’re looking at KM A goal in this bright future, Beyond this now essential body build a system that takes technology, that’s a big one Baldwin says, should be a tech, Baldwin thinks one of the the technological concept of that no one’s done.” situation where “the lawyer future routes to KM nirvana auto-classification and moves So the future of KM is, doesn’t need to know the lies in software that will do it up a level to auto-classify in part, something like the names of the various systems what lawyers often fail to do – matters. Once you do that, semantic web – and it’s not they need to go to get infor- correctly ‘tag’ documents and, you can use that data in so just a geek’s dream of making mation – other than Microsoft more important (and harder), many different ways – when the information within a law Office and a few other core matters. It’s called predictive it’s correct. firm more available and more applications, they shouldn’t coding, and it might represent “Most firms have [hundreds understandable. It could, have to even go into separate a partial solution to systems to get what they the great challenge need; it should all be delivered of the ‘missing data’, in a unified interface”. mentioned earlier, that There have been many prevents true insight “If I can really know that a efforts to deliver this future, he into the cost of legal says, but “I don’t think that, if work. lawyer’s billed X amount of time you ask most lawyers today to a certain type of matter, boy, if what they’re getting kind of meets their needs, that they Why matters matter that’s really powerful. Today, would say that these tools are meeting all their expectations”. “If you talk to anybody, law firms in general can’t rely Partly this is because the whether they’re in IT on matter types to do that in an technology’s not at the right or KM, they’ll tell you level yet, he says, and part of that lawyers historically accurate way.” it’s been the learning curve to have been wretched understand the technology at profiling docu- Tom Baldwin, chief knowledge officer, Reed Smith available – and it’s also been ments. Many lawyers because the lawyers’ needs will just put ‘other’ in a themselves are changing at document description the same time. because they just don’t But the time has arrived see the benefit [of not doing of thousands] or even a million in fact, effect a profound when sophisticated tech- so] – it’s too much hassle to matters in their accounting increase in a firm’s financial nological assistance at the spend the extra ten seconds system – imagine how much self-awareness and a signifi- fee-earner level has become to find the right document power you would have at your cant step up in capability and more than a ‘nice to have’ – type.” fingertips if you’ve got those efficiency, all based in comput- it’s now essential to remain Baldwin says firms have matters properly classified. ing, that would make a firm a competitive. systems that do predictive “You could do better pricing lot more competitive. “If you rewind the clock five coding for KM for documents, estimates, and you can also No wonder KM leaders like years, having a dashboard but he can see on the near work properly from an experi- Baldwin want this to hap- that tells you when matters are horizon technology that aims ence and KM perspective pen – because KM is now at approaching the threshold of a to auto-classify matters too. if you’ve properly classified the leading edge of law firm budget might have been novel “Matter typing suffers from matters. Right now, I have efficiency and competitive- and cute, but it may not have that same dilemma, where great data to find expertise, ness. Perhaps, to KM people, been a requirement. lawyers, when they open a but if [I can really know that] their field has always been a “But with fixed fees and matter, will just put in ‘general’ a lawyer’s billed X amount part of that. The difference is other types of billing arrange- – so when you go back to dip of time to a certain type that, now, the rest of the firm ments, having a widget that into your pool of matters to of matter, boy, that’s really is having to acknowledge it. l

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FEATURE Information superheroes

Joanna Goodman looks under the bonnet at some of the UK’s top firms to see how knowledge management is coping with a fundamental shift in the structure of legal business

Law firms are changing the knowledge officer at Reed now in providing fast, straight- Fine and her team organise very way they are structured Smith, says in this issue's forward access to knowledge training courses to encour- to deliver better services to interview, "clients want to and expertise. "The role of age collaboration between clients – but to make that know that you can take legal KM, and learning and devel- individuals in different parts of work, the way they create prowess and apply it directly opment, is to provide an effec- the firm. Wikis are established and handle knowledge has to their business". This move tive, consistent interface that after each training course to had to undergo a similar towards client and sector facilitates knowledge sharing. help people keep in touch shift. It's no longer just what teams brings legal slightly We need to enable lawyers and share ideas from the you know, but who. more towards the manage- to use our internal know-how training. A simpler outcome of In the strategy issue ment consultancy model – but and expertise and access the this approach is that helping of Briefing (June 2011), there are some real differences firm’s industry experts across people put faces to names Linklaters’ head of strategy between the two when it all geographic locations." fosters collaboration because and business transformation, comes to knowledge manage- To deliver this global KM they feel more comfortable Rupert Egerton-Smith, said ment (KM) and practice. set-up, Linklaters worked with contacting people they've that law firms must become But the move away from IT consultants to develop a already met. more flexible in how they the practice area structure, web browser toolbar for law At Field Fisher Waterhouse organise themselves, and and a need to demonstrate firm workers, called Se@rch, (FFW), the firm is organised map their internal organisation vastly more sectoral and client which is based on Autonomy’s by practice area and sec- structures to what clients really knowledge, is putting a greater meaning-based search tor group. Learning and require. In other words, law pressure on KM people and engine. The firm doesn't knowledge management firms should look at moving their solutions – and the clock need an additional expertise director Jane Bradbury says away from practice areas and will not be wound back. finder, Fine says, because its information officers work towards client- and/or sector- Se@rch links the lawyer who closely with the lawyers and focused groups. generated any particular docu- are integral to every team. "KM To varying degrees, this Team challenges ment to that person. Internal is not a back-room position," is happening in the top 100 directories are then used to she says. "[KM people] sit with and beyond, but being 'client Suzanne Fine, global head of find specific experts. the lawyers and attend client centric' means getting a grip knowledge and learning at Lin- Face-to-face contact is still meetings. Positioning them on who knows what – and klaters, emphasises the stra- a key element of the ‘who with the lawyers has made whom. As Tom Baldwin, chief tegic role that KM is playing do you know’ approach. them more effective than

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Information superheroes they were when they were help to formalise expectations undertakes multi-jurisdic- working in a centralised library on both sides, facilitating the tional mandates for global – team-working is incredibly exchange of information and clients. Teams have to important." building a pipeline of work," draw experts from across Bradbury and her depart- he says. "There is also a more the firm together, and ment are often the first port intangible role of packaging Fine’s team has to work of call for partners looking for information in a way that across jurisdictions as well as tate work tended to be siloed specific expertise. Echoing meets client expectations.” practice and sector areas. in terms of practice groups a point made by Baldwin But this doesn't mean and clients." The sector head at Reed Smith, Bradbury the firm has flipped on its at Addleshaws, therefore, had says that, because FFW KM back: "In theory, relationship Collaborative working to bring together everyone at people work across depart- managers own the knowledge sector level and foster col- ments, they are most likely exchange action, and become Addleshaw Goddard intro- laboration within and between to know which specialists to the client’s point of contact, duced a sector-focused groups. contact. FFW doesn't have an but in practice the client may strategy two years ago, having The outcome has been a expertise locator either – its prefer to work with a particular previously concentrated on more collaborative environ- search engine, Recommind, partner." And, of course, client across-the-board positioning. ment, he says – physically is used to identify the authors of relevant documents on any particular topic, and it can generate contact lists. “The challenge is to build In fact, unlike global consul- tancies and corporates, most client knowledge without law firms do not have stand- alone expertise locators. distracting lawyers. We Mark Gould, head of knowl- need to find a way for edge management at Addle- shaw Goddard observes that fee-earners to move an expertise locator isn't high priority in terms of IT invest- client work into the wiki ment because lawyers tend or another collaborative to use their personal contacts within the firm. Addleshaws solution that does not also has a contact directory on its intranet. involve extra work.” But, he says, "in a larger firm with international offices, Mark Gould, head of KM, Addleshaw Goddard online information becomes more valuable". A larger trend than expertise search right now is the growth relationship people need as But, as Gould explains, some as well as intellectually. "The of the client account manager. much input from KM as the sector groups were easier to sectoral approach has altered As part of its sector focused lawyers, if not more. bring together than others. the way different practice strategy, Addleshaw God- Linklaters 'head of sectors' "The firm already had a well- areas interact. The projects dard is experimenting with role, currently occupied by established financial serv- and real estate groups in our these new roles, Gould says, projects and energy partner ices practice, with particular Manchester office frequently because the traditional set-up Fiona Hobbs, demonstrates strength in building society work together, so they are of partners managing legal this new focus on a sectoral mergers, so lawyers in that now located in a single open- work and client relationships, approach, which is particu- sector were accustomed to plan office. "is not always effective". larly appropriate in the energy working together. However, re- "Sharing knowledge and "Relationship managers sector, where the firm regularly tail and consumer and real es- insights improved the service

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Information superheroes to joint and separate clients, says. “People have to work relating to specific deals, so when the London office across departments because called Deal Finder. The moved premises, we drew our teams reflect client needs. pitch team, part of the from that experience and the "Other benefits [to that] business development office is completely open plan. include the ability to cross-sell function, works closely The office layout encourages our services. It is important for with knowledge and learning Proposal Generation to build collaboration, and people clients to know what expertise using a combination of Deal written pitches from standard have become accustomed to we have in their sector and, to Finder and Se@rch to work text on practice and sector working differently.” provide effective, commercial with knowledge from across credentials, including CVs, In a more digital mode, Mark advice, our lawyers have to the firm. This approach helps and tailored information added Collins, head of knowledge understand the sectors they Linklaters "leverage previous manually. "We also create a at Nabarro says online operate in and target relevant deals to win new business", non-chargeable workspace workspaces (in WorksiteWeb business.” Fine says. for each pitch, which hopefully at Nabarro) can also help Linklaters has developed a At Nabarro, business becomes a live matter when foster collaboration within and specific tool to locate teams development uses the the work is won. We have between teams. and relevant documents Hubbard One solution workspaces on the intranet for Nabarro is organised clients, matters, projects, by group and practice sectors and practice areas,” area, but its lawyers work Collins explains. collaboratively in sector The social media firm: and client teams, he says. “We have client groups, Dirkzwager Issues of engagement interest groups and industry sector groups – which pool A key priority of the KM explains: “They highlight Firms are using collabora- resources from across function at 120-lawyer relevant legal and business tion and social media tools, practice areas. Each has Dutch firm Dirkzwager is information, undertake desk but their effectiveness its own online workspace, to share knowledge with research into clients and depends fundamentally on where anyone can share the firm’s clients, which markets, support external how willing people are to knowledge and where we represents a major shift in knowledge blogs, organise use them and, sometimes, can push RSS feeds of what firms think KM is for. meetings, restructure even on the type of lawyer business intelligence, news Dirkzwager’s innovative knowhow portals and work involved. and information. knowledge-sharing platform closely with the marketing Fine’s KM team at Linklat- "Like many firms, our is based entirely on social department.” ers uses LiveMeeting, internal structure supports media. Each of the firm’s He says that, because internal instant messaging management convenience, eight practice areas has many enterprise clients and collaboration spaces not client service, but our a blog, written by lawyers don’t have knowledge created after training sector focus [also] makes who received training in managers, the ‘big idea’ courses (see box p10) to us better commercial blog writing. The blogs are was to transport legal share feedback and ideas. lawyers and enhances our used to generate client knowledge to enterprise Addleshaw Goddard has client offering." e-newsletters. There are legal departments – creating created around 30 client also 10 news feeds covering client value out of KM. wikis, but only five are used various themes, so lawyers Dirkzwager’s feeds regularly. Feedback sug- Pitch perfect can create customised and newsletters can be gests this is because some feeds for themselves and accessed directly via the practice and sector groups FFW is strongly focused on clients, who can link these internet, as well as via preferred face-to-face highly regulated industries, feeds to their intranets. email and specific apps team meetings to digital and cross-practice teams Plus, key sector groups for iPhone, BlackBerry and working, but there could are regularly pulled together have dedicated knowledge Android. The firm is piloting also be another reason – an for pitches. “If you get the managers. As knowledge a desktop app for Mac and aversion to yet more 'clicks' team right at pitch level, manager there Mark Jansen Windows. in the working process. the work follows,” Bradbury "The challenge is to build

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Information superheroes client knowledge without conference. But collabora- distracting lawyers from their tive spaces can't be created work," Gould explains. "If we willy-nilly. Making links at Links ask them to upload or forward "You can only establish a information to the wiki, we are wiki where people want to Firms are increasingly ships across the firm, creating an additional task. communicate on a collabora- seeing the value of train- which enhances our global We need to find a mechanism tive platform," Bradbury says. ing as a means of building strategy.” This is a similar for fee-earners to move client “It's not the right tool for every peer and sectoral net- methodology to that used work into the wiki or another group, but it works particu- works across geographi- by MBA courses and collaborative solution that larly well where sector groups cal and practice areas. global consultancies. does not involve extra work." straddle more than one office. At Linklaters, Suzanne Links isn’t alone – top Gould says the success "We would like everyone to Fine, global head of firms are increasingly of collaborative platforms move away from Outlook and knowledge and learning, consciously incorporating depends on participation into collaborative technology, and her team organise networking opportunities – and this depends on the but the level of involvement a week-long orientation into their training and working culture of individual depends on the culture of course twice a year in development programmes. practices or sector groups. different practice areas and London for more than Social networking and Collins agrees – at Nabarro, industries.” 100 lawyers across all collaboration spaces some groups make more Looking ahead, the focus international offices. provide a useful follow-up use of workspaces than is on involving clients in The courses are aimed to facetime, helping people others. “If there are only three knowledge sharing, adding at fostering networking across the firm to maintain lawyers, they will probably value to the client directly (see between new lawyers contacts and collaborate have a meeting. But as groups box: The social media firm, joining the firm, to bring more easily in future. get bigger and broader, p9). Popular tools include them into a ‘cohort’. Benefits to the firm include systems and workspaces client-facing blogs, wikis and Following each event, an a more joined-up service become essential.” Nabarro's other collaboration spaces. online network is estab- and the opportunity to workspaces are genuinely A relatively recent trend is for lished to help lawyers stay leverage client contacts collaborative, he says, but it's clients appointing panel firms in touch with their cohort across groups. Social essential to make the process looking to source know-how in and organise further networking site LinkedIn as fast and straightforward as one collaborative space. events to maintain face-to- is also becoming more possible. Collins has dealt with “Dealrooms have evolved face contact. “The network popular among law firms this by allowing them to 'cc' into secure internet spaces keeps the communication to help deliver this joined- an email to the workspace. where a client can get all their going, and fosters relation- up networking. "It's not web 3.0, but it advisers working together,” works,” he says. Collins observes. “They include social media technol- ogy – the ability to add and idea there, Collins says, "is But to win tomorrow's Broader collaboration edit information – and involve to highlight key know-how client, firms will have to find different levels of security for and developments and avoid even better ways to mine FFW also uses wikis to particular resources." But, he duplication". both the information held in share sector, project and says, generally a client has So, as firms change to databases and the informa- client information and create to be pretty big to establish match themselves more tion held in people's heads. newsfeeds around particular this type of resource to bring closely to client expectations, Client-centric service involves clients. Information officers together its legal advisers. they've also got to adapt their more than legal and sector provide most of the structure One example of that is corporate 'brains' to do the expertise – it's about relation- and content, and lawyers pass the Banking Legal Technol- same. It's unlikely, from the ships, both within the firm them information to upload. ogy Portal, a site that hosts evidence, that this means and between the firm and its There are about 30 FFW wikis content from 13 leading becoming just like manage- clients, and a sharp focus on and blogs, updated by the KM international law firms and ment consultants, though personal networks, and KM team, supported by webinars is accessed by 30 global structurally they are moving (and learning) will play a pivotal and group meetings via video financial institutions. The that way. role in making this happen. l

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ANALYSIS KM SYSTEMS

Best of both worlds Making it easy to access a complex mix of internal and external information is the key to competitiveness, says Ray Burch, technical director for Phoenix Business Solutions

Law firms now recognise the develop a cutting-edge (and information itself comes from with global ambitions have a value of cutting-edge tech- award-winning) KM solution a variety of sources, and SJ further KM challenge when it nology. One of the effects of that brings together the Berwin was looking for a comes to external sources – this is that the next 10 years Autonomy iManage Universal system that could combine its offices in differing jurisdictions will be transformative in Search (IUS) and Phoenix own knowledge with external need their KM system to link legal services delivery. And Knowledge Assist solutions to resources. to various external knowledge a major part of that transfor- help deal with this challenge. The firm chose Autonomy sources within those jurisdic- mation will be in knowledge The combination of IUS IUS, the latest web-based tions, including various rich management (KM). and Knowledge Assist gives intelligent search product, media. This was the case at A decade ago, KM tended lawyers faster access to which integrates with the SJ Berwin, but it was solved to involve multiple, discon- knowledge, which increases iManage document manage- through the creation of that nected functions. Now, people productivity and collaboration ment system. The workflow wide selection of connectors. expect to search across and improves client service tools for submitting, reviewing, To create an intuitive user several sources concurrently, and value for money. In my categorising and publishing interface, we ran a pilot study rank results by relevance, opinion, this would strengthen content in IUS are particularly to develop an interface that and filter the results using a any firm’s market position and valuable – Knowledge Assist, suited SJ Berwin users of combination of taxonomy, competitive advantage. meanwhile, addresses the all levels of technological structured metadata and When we were asked to risk associated with updating capability. It seems to have extracted concepts and build it, there were two key internal precedents, forms worked – usage figures and entities – 24 hours a day. It’s priorities: a straightforward and so on by ensuring that all feedback tell us that lawyers the ‘Google effect’, and it’s user interface that required material is relevant, up to date now primarily rely on IUS and helping give better access to little or no training, and the and approved. Knowledge Knowledge Assist for data in almost every business. ability to weight search results Assist can also be separately knowledge and information. Law firms have grasped that in favour of the firm’s specific integrated with SharePoint The ability to turn around knowledge does not reside knowledge resources. and SharePoint Search. high-quality work faster has just in documents – searching The speed and quality Because IDOL, the engine reduced costs and improved for experts is often the key of advice the lawyers give, behind Autonomy IUS, wasn’t productivity, client service, to client satisfaction, or to and therefore quality of specifically designed for the and value for money – and winning a pitch. Firms also the client’s experience, is legal sector, a challenge we it’s cutting-edge KM that now have a lot more content dependent on their ability to faced was how to tailor IDOL’s delivers this. In my opinion, it’s to deal with, like voice, video, access precedents and other powerful search technol- solutions like those described wikis, blogs and discussions. documents relating to similar ogy to SJ Berwin’s business above that are helping firms Whatever the format, the most recent work, and the firm’s requirements. We worked with build competitive advantage relevant material needs to to locate expertise within the Autonomy to make sure that a for the next 10 years. appear at the top of search firm. These abilities also affect wide selection of connectors results, and be displayed any firm’s ability to win work, with all the appropriate legal clearly. This is a standing because the right experts resources were put in place. Click! challenge. need to be found rapidly and This development also for more about We’ve been working effectively when pitching. helped deliver global KM what Phoenix Business recently with SJ Berwin to Behind the scenes, the capability. Global firms or firms Solutions does for law firms

SPONSORED EDITORIAL ISSUE 13 | JULY 2011