KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
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One Size Does Not Fit All: Practice Group KM
One Size Does Not Fit All:
Practice Group KM
by Andrea Alliston and Nicola Shaver of Stikeman Ellio LLP
It may be trite, but it is true: One size does not fit all when it
comes to knowledge management (KM) in law firms. A decade ago, KM
was a simpler realm where broad-brush solutions satisfied the needs of
all practitioners. But many traditional KM expectations no longer hold
true, and mature KM benefits from maximum flexibility.
Just as one philosophy of KM does not hold true across all
practice groups in a firm, most content, tools and technologies are
unlikely to succeed universally. The needs of different practice groups
vary. Regardless of whether you work in a large multijurisdictional
firm with diverse practices or a small boutique, your KM strategy and
approach should be responsive to your lawyers' particular needs. What
types of content do transactional lawyers, litigators and regulatory/
advisory lawyers value? What tools are best suited to help them excel
in their work?
Transactional Practices
Transactional lawyers are focused on best practices, past work product
and process; accessing this content when needed is critical.
ยป Precedents: The primary content request from transactional
lawyers is precedents. Model forms and precedents can encapsulate
a firm's best practices and expertise, provide a baseline starting
point, and address options, pitfalls and legal analysis to support
negotiations. They are also difficult to develop and maintain for
three main reasons:
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