Law Firm Project Management via Wiki
Do you struggle with managing the documents and communications within your law firm? Perhaps you have a complex document management system, along with email. How do you keep the emails connected in the context of the appropriate client & matter? Maybe you should think about a Wiki.
A whati?
A wiki. Have you ever visited the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia? Did you ever wonder how it got its name? It’s a wiki-based-encyclopedia.
So what is this thing, anyway? According to, yep, Wikipedia, it’s a website that allows users to add, edit, and manage content. In other words, it’s all about users interacting with each other while managing information.
Wikis are extremely flexible in use and size. You can setup your own and manage your personal task list and journal, or you can join with thousands of users and write an encyclopedia. If you want to manage content, a wiki will save the day.
Where does the firm fit in?
I’m glad you asked. What does a law firm “matter” consist of? It’s a set of documents and communications, right? A group of people are working together to achieve a common goal. Isn’t that what a wiki facilitates?
As this article from Human Law explains, more and more companies are finding the benefits of integrating wikis into their set of tools. Why shouldn’t law firms join this movement?
Think about it. Your firm could have a secure wiki (of course you have to protect confidentiality) accessible anywhere in the world by authorized users. Each client and matter would be integrated into the system, with users only able to access their matters. Documents could be logged into the wiki. Revisions could be made and compared. Communications could go back and forth between team members around the world. At any point, you could pull up the project’s page within the wiki and check the status. Isn’t it glorious?
Here’s an idea: let’s call it a “liki.” Get it? “Legal” + “Wiki” = “Liki” Why shouldn’t lawyers have their own term for them? After all, we’re really blawgers, right?
What do you think about using likis (legal wikis)? Have I missed the boat entirely? Please post a comment or drop me a line.
[tags]legal andrew, law firm, project management, wiki, liki[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
