The 20th anniversary of KM Legal: A look back with KM expert
Scott Rechtschaffen

ARK’s KM Legal 2024 will celebrate 20 years this fall as the beacon of knowledge management excellence. This year’s can’t-miss event will spotlight 20 years of thought leadership with more than 30 industry-leading speakers. To commemorate this milestone anniversary, ARK caught up with industry expert and longtime conference attendee and speaker Scott Rechtschaffen, chief knowledge officer & shareholder, Littler Mendelson P.C., to reflect on the evolution of knowledge management in law firms since its inception 20 years ago.

Throughout his decades-long career, Rechtschaffen has witnessed the development of knowledge management firsthand. Here are a few of his reflections and insights ahead of KM Legal 2024:

Q: In honor of our KM Legal conference’s 20th anniversary, what stands out to you as the most significant developments/advancements as you reflect on the evolution of knowledge management over the years?

A: When I began in knowledge management 20 years ago, most legal technology conferences (ILTA, Legal Tech) had only one or two break-out sessions dedicated to knowledge management and invariably they had the same speakers. ARK was a pioneer in putting together full-day programs featuring some of the leading voices in the emerging discipline of Knowledge Management–Jeff Rovner, Michael Mills, Peter Krakauer, John Alber, and others.

ARK created a forum in which these pioneers could share their insights, discuss the cutting-edge tools they were developing, and explain how they were using knowledge management principles and tools to dramatically change the delivery of legal services within their law firms. We learned from each other and collectively challenged each other to innovate. Twenty years ago, law firms might have allowed a few partners to dabble in this new thing called “KM.” Now, most major law firms have established KM departments dedicated to increasing efficiency and enhancing quality in the delivery of legal services.

Q: What are some areas of opportunity and/or biggest challenges that remain in the knowledge management space?

A: There are two types of attorneys: those who hate change and those who despise change. Too many attorneys believe that the service delivery practices that have made them successful for so long will sustain them in the future. It is a mistake to try and convince them that they are wrong and get them to completely change the way they practice, telling them that generative AI can write their briefs or draft legal memos for their clients. But you can offer them enhancements that subtly improve the way they do things and make them more efficient, much like how we got attorneys to use computer-assisted legal research (instead of volumes of books) or word processing software (instead of dictation). We weren’t changing how they practiced their craft; we were just making things a little easier for them. And they learned to adopt these new technologies because they saw that they didn’t require them to completely change the practices that had made them so successful in the past.

Q: How important is cross-departmental collaboration for a law firm’s long-term success? And what strategies would you recommend to firms still working in silos?

A: KM cannot succeed as a stand-alone endeavor; it must work together with other corporate departments, including compliance and risk management, finance and accounting, and technology services. Some of our most successful projects owe their success to our marketing and business development department. They were tremendously important in marketing our tools to our attorneys and clients. One of the most successful projects, the Knowledge Desk (a KM concierge service) became a sensational success because of the campaign developed by our marketing team (“Knowledge Desk: Your Answer is Here”).

Q: In this era of AI, what do you see as the greatest advantages to leveraging AI in knowledge management? On the flip side, what are the key pitfalls firms need to be aware of?

A: We need to explain to attorneys that generative AI will not replace attorneys and write their briefs and memos; but it will replace attorneys who don’t learn how to use generative AI to hone their craft.

Q: Looking ahead, how do you see the role of KM developing in organizations over the next five years or so?

A: KM needs to become embedded into every aspect of law firm operations and legal service delivery. KM should not be thought of as a separate discipline; it should be a part of every aspect of how attorneys deliver services, every aspect of how corporate departments support attorneys, and every aspect of how clients access legal services.

KM Legal 2024 will take place September 10-11 at the Hotel Indigo Williamsburg-Brooklyn in New York. Click here to see the full agenda, roster of speakers, and registration information.