Common vocabularies are a core requirement if firms want to fully utilize the knowledge created by their attorneys. Organizing those vocabularies into a taxonomy makes it easier to share knowledge across tools and practices. However, many firms don’t create or maintain common taxonomies, resulting in knowledge gaps and a lack of findability.

A common vocabulary, whether it’s something that’s specific to your firm or leveraging existing taxonomies like SALI, is an investment of both time and money, but putting in the effort allows attorneys to quickly find colleagues who have specific skills, experience, or backgrounds.

Questions the moderator asked the speaker:

1.Is there one thing in particular that made you realize that this was a problem, and one that needed to be solved?

2.Talking about taxonomies tends to make people tune out. How did you get buy in from other groups?

3.How do you maintain your taxonomies? Is it a group effort? If so, which groups should be involved?

4.What would be your recommendations for firms that are just starting to engage with this issue?

Moderator:

@Holly Hanna - KM Firm Solutions Manager, Perkins Coie

Speaker:

@Rachel Shields Williams -  Director, Knowledge Management, Sidley Austin LLP

Recorded on 07-13-2023