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10
L
aw firms (regardless of size) build KM
programs to better suit client needs and
have industry tools and techniques designed
specifically for this purpose. While Knowledge
Management (KM) professionals at law firms are
client facing both internal and external – KM in a
law department is equated to programs dealing with
Information Governance, Records Management,
Security and Risk management, document
management, and overall litigation or case related
governance for evidence or support. In some cases,
a law department KM manager is not an attorney
working on a case – the role is assigned to a legal
operations professional or other law department staff
being the all in one Knowledge Master for anything
related to the governance of information, how it is
used, and what it should be used for.
There are distinct factors which make the law
department KM manager different from the law firm
KM manager. Notably are the challenges which law
department KM managers or (as legal operations
information governance managers – IG Managers) face
to drive how information is managed, paid for, and
deliver value back to the organization. This discussion
will focus on the key challenges of proposing law
department internal budgets for program and support
building of knowledge management/Information
governance programs as well as sponsoring
professionals to support and run its operations.
Program and Professionals building and master
KM programs within law departments are part of a
B Y J A C K T H O M P S O N
Corporate KM
