Statement

Clients are looking at their bills more critically than ever and making decisions on retaining legal counsel based on a calculation of cost and value, pushing each lawyer to practice more efficiently. This applies equally to small, medium and large sized firms. Lawyers are adopting technology to perform document drafting and distribution electronically.  They are relying on the Internet to do more of their research, and are using e-mail to communicate with their clients, and each other. The two issues of cost and what other lawyers are doing are combining to push all lawyers to become adopters of technology.

We are seeing that technology is becoming critical to the practice of law. Lawyers can use technology to leverage their key asset, their knowledge, to practice more efficiently, to reduce their costs, and to communicate more effectively. Much of the inefficiencies at any firm come from a core problem, the inability to quickly retrieve and apply know-how that the firm has already developed to a new matter. Having to "reinvent the wheel" when a firm has already developed a solution is costly and wasteful of the firms resources. Knowledge Management, managing information so that lawyers can quickly find and apply the firms inventory of intellectual capital, can make a small firm more competitive and help a large firm communicate it's knowledge internally more effectively.

The NYSBA can help its membership to become more effective through the use of technology. Developing tools such as discussion forums and practice  sites where members can request information and share their knowledge with each other is critical. Retaining that captured knowledge in "knowledgebases" that can be searched is also a service that the Bar Association can provide its membership. Providing access to those repositories via a seamless and well organized web site is fundamental to lawyers adopting the NYSBA site as their source for research and collaboration. The website must be continually refreshed with the most up-to-date information and edited to delete stale information so as to entice users to return regularly and check on the latest information posted.

The NYSBA should also focus on helping the membership adopt technology. Large firms have the ability to invest in professionals to guide the firm in this area. Smaller firms do not have the luxury of this approach. The Bar Association can provide the training and support for lawyers to learn how technology in general  and knowledge management in particular might help their practices and how to implement the relevant technologies for their firm.

Biography

John Szekeres is Assistant Director of Knowledge Management for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, New York, New York.  (Bio to follow.)


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