Strategic Legal Technology

I’m at the 2007 annual conference of the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) in Orlando. Today was the day for knowledge management. Fortunately a fellow blogger covered the sessions. 

Practicing real estate lawyer, KM lawyer, and blogger Doug Cornelius of Goodwin Proctor provided real time coverage of the four KM track today. The sessions he blogged:

• The Alignment of Information Management, Knowledge Management and Records Management
• Stories From Client-Facing Knowledge Management Implementers
• How Wikis, Blogs and Discussion Forums Relate to Knowledge Management in the Legal Field
• Developing the Right IT And KM Governance Structure For Your Firm

Two of my observations: The first session ("Alignment") was packed - standing room only. Obviously there is much interest in the RM aspect. The other KM sessions had respectable attendance but MUCH less than this one. I moderated the IT/KM Governance session. I was surprised that the panelists came down in favor of “KM is about technology” more so than “KM is about content and process.” That’s a bit of a simplification, but also explains why, at least for this audience, KM is more often a part of IT than a stand-alone function.