Information overload is a problem for all of us: too many emails, too much data, too many magazine articles to read. Sorting the wheat from the chaff is a major challenge. And if lawyers are to focus on the right information, a lot of the sorting has to be done for them. How can firms approach this challenge?

At the beginning of a lawyer’s career a lot of time is spent on legal research, digging through cases and commentary for the right answer, or at least an arguable answer to support the client’s position. This is a painstaking process, but it is what lawyers are trained for and, on the whole, it interests them. It is also generally chargeable, so spending the time to dig for the right nuggets of information is acceptable. However, a lawyer may be less inclined to spend time digging for information that relates to their firm or their clients rather than the law itself – this is not billable and it was not what they trained for. But as a lawyer becomes more senior and has more responsibility for management (whether it be of matters, groups, offices or a whole firm), even finding the (non-chargeable) time to keep up-to-date with developments in the law can be a challenge. Nevertheless, if the practice of law is to be efficient (for the benefit of clients and the bottom line), this kind of information needs to be readily available.

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