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WWW.ILTANET.ORG | ILTA WHITE PAPER
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Cultivating a Sharing Organization: Incentives That Really Work
through the Venture Fund Program. This allows training programs and
applications to be accessible to a different market and eliminates the
significant conflict issue.
The firm has created a culture of investment in innovation. At
the department or practice group leader's discretion, Baker holds
innovation contests within select groups. Teams of lawyers pitch
ideas for new ways to deliver legal services using online tools, and the
practice group chair and CKO select winners. Winning teams then
work with KM to execute the idea while receiving working aorney
credit through the Venture Fund Program. Each year, the most
innovative timekeepers are considered for additional firm bonuses.
Anticipating the Future
More than a decade ago, Baker Donelson created an environment of
sharing that has cultivated the practitioners' involvement through a
very innovative incentive initiative. Over the years, this has evolved
into a part of Baker Donelson's culture and DNA. The Venture Fund
Program has allowed the KM department to successfully implement
sharing strategies without the need for a large KM staff. Through
this program, the firm has generated and maintained over 30,000
precedents and forms, 600 document automation systems, 200
workflows or databases, 120 portal sites, two client training systems,
two mobile applications, and 10 soware packages. Watching what
innovation and knowledge-sharing the Venture Fund will help promote
in the coming decade should prove exciting. ILTA
MEREDITH L. WILLIAMS
Meredith Williams is Baker Donelson's
Chief Knowledge Management Officer.
She oversees the firm's industry-
leading intranet and coordinates
strategic growth on behalf of the firm in
knowledge management, competitive
intelligence and technology. Meredith
directs the firm's collaborative, web-
based suite of online client services
and is the lead contact for information
and pricing on the firm's wholly owned
subsidiary Mitigated Risks, LLC. Meredith
is widely recognized as a leading
authority in knowledge management
issues for the legal field, is a frequent
presenter and author on knowledge
management and competitive
intelligence, and is the current President
of ILTA. Contact her at mlwilliams@
bakerdonelson.com.
