Knowing what you know is not easy. Many law firms and corporate law offices have tried implementing Knowledge Management (KM) programs, only to be disappointed by the results.
An experienced author and speaker, Jerry Lawson has new ideas on KM. His main current interest is innovative practical techniques for improving KM return on investment. His next book, Knowledge Management for Lawyers: Creating a Culture of Success is now scheduled for publication in September 2022.
How will this book differ from previous lawyer KM books?
Pat DiDomenico‘s Knowledge Management for Lawyers (2015), Gretta Rusanow‘s Knowledge Management and the Smarter Lawyer (2003) and Matthew Parson‘s Effective Knowledge Management for Law Firms are all excellent books. However, the newest of these books is a few years old. Individually and collectively these books do not say everything that could usefully be said about this topic.
A key thesis of the new book is that human factors are by far the most important determinant of KM failure or success. How do you recruit providers of information, motivate them and make their contributions available to others? Other KM writers touch on this factor. It is a primary interest in this book.
Finally, at times all three of the existing lawyer KM books at times read like Ph.D. theses. Lawson’s book will take a different, more engaging tone, consistent with his usual writing style. The new book might be considered something like “Lawyer KM for the Rest of Us.”
This more approachable tack will be similar to Lawson’s approach in his successful first book, The Complete Internet Handbook for Lawyers (ABA 1999). That pioneering book was praised for explaining important ideas about lawyer use of the Internet in a practical, understandable way. It is considered to have changed the way many lawyers think about using the Internet. Lawson hopes his new book will cause lawyers to similarly reassess their approach to knowledge management.
Why are you making copies of draft sections of the book available via this website?
One of the reasons for the success of Mr. Lawson’s first book, is that much of the book was “road tested.” Lawson spoke about the book’s topics at multiple professional conferences, especially ABA Techshow. He also published draft sections of much of the book in various magazine articles and his personal blog. The resulting feedback, especially from the live presentations, was invaluable. He hopes to follow the same successful strategy with Knowledge Management for Lawyers: Creating a Culture of Success.
What draft book sections are available at this website?
- Preface
- Should You Strive to Maximize the Number of Employees Participating in KM Efforts?
- How Can Allowing KM Contributor Anonymity Benefit Your Law Office?
Other draft sections will be posted in our Knowledge Management category.