Leveraging the Power of Intranets for Knowledge Management in Law Firms
In today’s rapidly changing legal environment, Knowledge Management and Innovation (KM&I) teams are the unsung heroes driving operational excellence in law firms.
The rise of remote and hybrid work models has posed new challenges for legal organizations, compelling them to find innovative ways to organize and distribute vital information to their workforce.
Enter the intranet – the secret weapon in a law firm’s digital toolkit. These internal portals have become game-changers for KM&I departments, providing a centralized hub for communication, collaboration, and productivity. According to the 2022 ILTA Technology Survey, intranets rank as one of the top three KM assets, just behind document management systems and enterprise search.
Interestingly, most law firm intranets are built on Microsoft SharePoint. They are often considered more valuable than traditional KM tools like experience management, document assembly, and internal knowledge bases. However, to truly harness the potential of intranets, thoughtful planning and strategic implementation are crucial.
Deciding What’s Needed
If your firm is transitioning its intranet to SharePoint Online and reimagining its future state, it might be tempting to jump right into a formal requirements gathering process. Ten years ago, this approach made sense because there were few out-of-the-box legal intranet solutions, and those that did exist were often inadequate. This is no longer the case. Legal intranets have matured to the point where every practical use case is well known. The likelihood of uncovering a novel use case during requirements gathering is minimal. The legal intranet problem has been solved countless times over the past 25 years, and experienced vendors understand what firms need. Check if your vendor partner has a standard playbook like the one below. Following a proven playbook can save you many months and thousands of dollars in unnecessary planning activities.

Content is Paramount
Let’s get real – an intranet without quality content is like a library without books. Simply migrating old content into a new system can lead to chaos. Instead, energize your content creators to produce fresh, relevant material such as news, events, know-how, and training resources. Keep it current, accurate, and tailored to your audience’s needs. This is where solid content lifecycle management (CLM) comes into play, focusing more on people and processes than on technology.
Find It or Forget It
Many legal professionals feel like they’re searching for a needle in a haystack when trying to locate information on their intranets. Often, the content is present but difficult to find, leading to wasted time and missed opportunities. Enhancing content discoverability is essential.
Start with the user interface (UI). A cluttered, inconsistent UI leads to frustration. Implement clear page templates and style guides, train your content creators, and avoid complex navigation structures that require extensive searching to find information.
Next, consider taxonomy and metadata tags. Review your content types and establish meaningful tags for each. Ensure your content owners tag consistently and accurately. Proper tagging is crucial for efficient content retrieval.
Customizations: Handle with Care
If you’re a large law firm, you’re likely using or planning to switch to SharePoint Online for your intranet. The SaaS model offers benefits such as scalability, lower upfront costs, and enhanced security, but it also presents challenges.
Law firms often customize SharePoint to meet their specific needs. However, frequent updates from Microsoft can disrupt custom solutions, creating operational issues unless monitored closely.
To mitigate this risk, be strategic about customizations. Consider using a third-party intranet framework to minimize the impact of updates. Let the vendor’s team monitor updates and address potential issues. This approach allows you to focus on your core responsibilities without constantly managing your intranet. Notably, law firms have been moving away from in-house custom intranet solutions, with a 30% decline in custom solutions over the past four years, according to the ILTA Technology Survey chart below.

In conclusion, intranets have become essential tools for law firms’ KM&I efforts, especially in the era of remote and hybrid work. SharePoint Online provides a strong platform for legal intranets, but firms must prioritize quality content creation, effective content lifecycle management, and enhanced discoverability to maximize their intranet’s value. Customizations should be approached with caution, considering third-party intranet frameworks to mitigate risks associated with frequent updates. As the legal landscape continues to evolve, a well-designed and maintained intranet can be a crucial asset in fostering collaboration, productivity, and knowledge sharing within law firms.