Knowledge Management
Knowledge management is a particular area of specialism for us. Our team includes former heads of KM functions in law firms. This, alongside our experience of fee earning and fulfilling professional support/knowledge lawyer, innovation and quality management roles, gives us a perspective on what firms and fee earners need and the practicalities of delivering it.
Our approach
We believe that a properly organised and managed knowledge management function can contribute to a firm’s profitability and help manage risk, whilst improving efficiency and supporting talent retention. We use accepted international knowledge management standards as a reference point where appropriate, but recognise that each firm is different. We adapt our tried and tested KM review process to take into account the current state of knowledge management in the firm and its needs and aspirations. Our advice focuses on practical steps that can be taken in the context of each firm’s budget and resources, bearing in mind the nature of its practice.
We assist firms with:
Knowledge management strategy
Knowledge systems and integration
Knowledge management team development
Legal process and legal project management
Knowledge management team training and away days
Our team
Our team includes former heads of KM functions in law firms with experience of running KM functions in law firms. This, alongside our experience of fee earning and fulfilling professional support/knowledge lawyer, innovation and quality management roles, and our business analysis capability gives us a perspective on what firms and fee earners need and the practicalities of delivering it.
Our services include
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KM strategy
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The structure, development and management of KM teams
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KM systems and repositories (selection, upgrades, taxonomies, processes) and KM aspects of other systems, including document management
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Selection and implementation of search tools
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Intranets and digital workspaces - selection and implementation
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Knowledge culture
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Legal process analysis
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Legal project management (tools and training)
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Leveraging client and matter data to improve KM inititatives
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Legal training/learning management
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Client-facing knowledge and training offerings
Example projects
We have been engaged on more than 100 KM-related projects over the years, ranging from KM strategy reviews, the delivery of KM team training and team-building, to the selection and implementation of comprehensive KM systems and intranets. Our aim is always to make the delivery of client services more efficient and cost effective, whilst managing risk and supporting talent retention.
We are helping firms upgrade their intranets to provide better communication and engagement wherever staff are working, and have helped firms implemented new digital workplaces based on MS 365.
We assist firms in analysing how innovative approaches such as the use of artificial intelligence can improve their processes and deliver access to reliable knowledge.
We assist firms in focusing their KM strategy to deliver the requirements of the firm's overall business strategy.- We analyse existing knowledge capture and sharing processes and recommend ways to improve them, whether involving culture change, or improvements to or replacement of systems.
Fractional KM Directors
Headed up by Jenni Tellyn from our KM team we provide experienced fractional Knowledge Management (“KM”) Directors to firms whose KM function is in its infancy or which is fragmented in practice groups and/or is lacking in centralised co-ordination and strategic focus. This provides firms with access to high quality, experienced professionals without the need to employ a full-time member of staff.
Client references
Kate Stanfield
Director of Knowledge
Collas Crill
We reached out to 3Kites to support our new team of professional support lawyers, some of whom have only recently crossed over from fee earning. Jenni's experience in having made the same transition, and thoughtful personalisation of the training to our firm's needs made it a very valuable set of sessions, and her enthusiasm was infectious. Rather than just looking at the basics of knowledge management itself, Jenni offered meaningful insights into the relationship between knowledge management and fee earners. They left the session with a number of ideas for initiatives on improving stakeholder engagement, and a deeper understanding of what it means to work in knowledge management
