These are fascinating times for the legal profession, which is adapting to the recession and grappling with the role of new technology in creating the firm of the future. Law firms and in-house legal counsel are turning to social technology, not just because it is novel, but because it promises the kind of cost savings, value enhancement and business transformation potential they need to emerge from the downturn as leaner, more competitive organisations.

This is an area we have been thinking and writing about for some time, so we were delighted to have an opportunity to research the state of current practice in some depth over the past few months.

Now, we are proud to announce the release what is a major new report, published in association with Ark Group, entitled Social Networking for the Legal Profession, In the report, Lee Bryant and I look at ways in which legal professionals are exploiting social networking for business, both internally for operations and communication, and externally as part of their marketing and business development efforts. We provide insight into the thinking of some key players in this space and look ahead to assess the longer-term impact of social networking in general on the legal profession.

We explore the networking practices and social tools that are currently being adopted by individuals and firms, and provide practical guidance to those looking to get started with an online social networking strategy, including:

• An examination of what social networking means in the legal context;
• A survey of personal, professional and lawyer-to-lawyer social network sites, including the best sites for lawyers and what they have to offer;
• Supporting social networking within the firm with social tools including blogs, wikis, RSS, presence sharing, social bookmarking and tagging;
• Using online social networks for recruitment, value-added legal services, thought leadership and reputation management;
• Using networks across the firm to improve experience location, knowledge sharing, current awareness and internal communications;
• The role of social networks in improving both personal and network productivity, decision making, collective intelligence and relationship building;
• Challenges to establishing and participating in online social networks;
• Evaluating and selecting social networking tools, and assimilating them in to your professional and personal life in ways that suit and make sense to you;
• Policy and governance issues around social networking adoption; and
• Future social networking trends and their impact on the legal profession.

From our work with law firms and interviews with legal professionals we have compiled an extensive collection of case studies that offer practical advice and insight into social networking and the use of social tools.  In the report you can find out more about:  

• Graduate recruitment and trainee networking at DLA Piper LLP and Addleshaw Goddard LLP;
• Expertise location and networking within BT Legal;
• Knowledge sharing at Allen & Overy LLP;
• Improving information findability at Latham & Watkins LLP;
• Creating a social intranet at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP;
• Implementing a new digital environment at Linklaters LLP; and
• Adopting social tools at Clifford Chance LLP, Hicks Morley and Mallesons Stephen Jacques.

A copy of the report can be purchased from the Ark Group by visiting the online store here or at a special discount price with these flyers:

• UK Discount Voucher.pdf
• US Discount Voucher.pdf
• Australia Discount Voucher.pdf