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23 TALL Newsl. 1 (2003-2004)

handle is hein.journals/tallquart23 and id is 1 raw text is: Vol. 23, no. I FaIl 2003 ELIONT TALL Newsletter Use of Knowledge Management in Toronto Area Law Firms: A Survey by Vicki Jay Knowledge Management (KM) has been used for many years in the business industry. Over the years, as KM techniques have improved and its benefits have become more recognized, it has slowly been adopted in a growing number of law firms. A KM study was conducted in April and May of 2003 tofind out the state of KM use in Toronto area law firms, and the roles of legal information professionals in KM projects in order to inform librarians who wish to advocate their place in such programs. The study indicated that 10 out of 15 responding Toronto area law firms utilize KM. It is expected that KM use will continue to increase as law firms realize the power of using KM. Introduction to Knowledge Management Knowledge Management is a growing hot topic in organizations which want to gain a competitive edge over their competition. But what exactly is KM? By definition it is the ways and means by which a firm leverages its knowledge resources to generate business value (Anonymous, 2000) by [involving] any systematic activity related to sharing of knowledge by an organization (Statistics Canada, 2001). The first organizations to recognize the benefits of KM and implement KM practices were businesses and management, in particular manufacturers and communication companies in the business sector. Fortunately, law firms have finally noticed the benefits of KM, which allows the user to retrieve relevant information from a database of inputted information and knowledge. However, because law firms are secretive when it comes to proprietary issues like KM, details on the progress of KM projects are not usually discussed in public for fear of divulging their competitive edge to other law firms (Taylor, 1999). Data collected in a law firm can take the form of both tangible information and tacit knowledge. Tangible information is documented records, for example, in- house memos and legal forms, researched case law, information on contacts and clients, and training materials. Tacit knowledge is held by individuals in (Continued on page 4) Inside... Continuing Education 19 @ Editor's Notes 3 @ From the Literature 15 0 In the Loop 17 * IRQs 19 @ Jeffrey Miller 14 @ Letter of Appreciation 18 @President's Message 3 Vol. 23, no. 1 Fall 2003

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