I only occasionally hear law firms talk about legal technology and knowledge management investments to keep and attract lawyers. At least to some lawyers though, it makes a difference.
Jones Day Practice Head Joins Winston; Other Lawyers Likely to Follow (ABA Journal, 13 Jan 2010) reports on a lawyer moving firms in part because his new firm has a “commitment to streamlining its legal work with the help of new technology” and “a knowledge management department that collects good pleadings and good research so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when you take on a client issue.”
Given how much firms invest in recruiting and vetting laterals, I wonder how much they have thought about the “equipment” they offer to practice as a recruiting tool.
This year will likely see stable instead of shrinking legal demand. Firms have to adopt to a new reality of clients who want more value. With the crisis over, it will be interesting to see how legal IT and KM fare. And whether this article represents a blip or a trend.