CI in the Small Firm Environment

Nuts and Bolts of Competitive Intelligence:

CI in the Small Firm Environment

AALL PLL-SIS program

Washington, DC

Sunday, July 26, 2009

3:00 - 4:00

Caren Luckie

Julia Hughes

[NOTE: Below is the presentation handouts presented by Julia Hughes at the AALL 2009 Annual Conference in Washington, DC.]

Ci In The Small Firm

Pages w/ Links To CI Resources:

Justia Free 60: 60 Essential Free Law Firm Competitive Intelligence Resources:

1-11 -- http://onward.justia.com/useful-tools-web-sites-50-justia-free-sixty-60-essential-free-competitive-intelligence-resources-for-your-legal-desktop-1-11.html

12-24 -- http://onward.justia.com/useful-tools-web-sites-52-justia-free-sixty-60-essential-free-actionable-intelligence-resources-for-your-law-firm-12-24.html

25-39 -- http://onward.justia.com/useful-tools-web-sites-53-justia-free-sixty-60-essential-free-strategic-intelligence-resources-for-your-law-firm-2539.html

40-44 -- http://onward.justia.com/-55-justia-free-sixty-60-essential-free-law-firm-competitive-intelligence-resources-4044.html

45-60 -- http://onward.justia.com/law-firm-competitive-intelligence-57-justia-free-sixty-60-essential-free-law-firm-competitive-intelligence-resources-4560.html

Birdsong, Lark "Growing on a Shoestring" Searcher March 2008 pgs16-19+; April 2008 14-19+.

Part I: http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-strategy-outsourcing/10591616-1.html

Part II: http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/banking-lending-credit-services-payment/10593192-1.html

Pacifici, Sabrina I., "Competitive Intelligence - a selective resource guide - updated and revised March 2009", http;//www.llrx.com/features/ciguide.htm

Schweyer, Kitty "Competitive Intelligence Resources in Law Firms" Searcher, April 2008 pgs 30-39

http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-strategy/10593224-1.html

Articles:

Cohen, Alan, "Survey: CI n the Rise at Firm Libraries" Lawfirm Inc. August 19, 2008 http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1202423517443

Gibson, Ann Lee, "How to Create and Use Competitive Intelligcence; 45 Tips for Law Firms" http://www.abanet.org/lpm/magazine/articles/v34/is2/pg47.shtml

Kaczorowski, Monice M. "Uniting in Competitive Intelligence" AALL Spectrum V12 March 2008 pg 26 http://www.aallnet.org/products/pub_sp0803/pub_sp0803_CI.pdf

Middlemiss, Jim "Firms Look to Intelligence to Gain a Competitive Edge" Law Times http://www.lawtimesnews.com/200703051346/Headline-News/Firms-look-to-intelligence-to-gain-a-competitive-edge

Peros, Janet "Blurring the Lines" AALL Spectrum V10 April 2006 pg http://www.aallnet.org/products/pub_sp0604/pub_sp0604_Blurring.pdf

Raashc, Janet Ellen, "Use Competitive Intelligence to Make Better Business Decisions." Law Practice Today June 2007 http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt06071.shtml

Sankstone, Shannon "Law Firm Competitive Intelligence" Marketing the Law Firm Newsletter April 10, 2008 http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1207737845590

Will, Linda "Law Firm Libraries: the Focal Point for Competitive Intelligence Services," Practice Innovatons Vol 8 No. 2 July 2007 pg 1 http://west.thomson.com/pdf/iii/PracticeInnovJuly07.pdf

Internal Audit

A. Resources

1. Staff

a. who?
b. backup for normal job functions?
c. break point for help?
d. joint w/ marketing?

2. Materials (firm size / market size)

i. Lexis/Westlaw

* public records
-corporate
-property
-UCC / Liens
-Personal - address/phone
*news
*cases
*administrative decisions/materials
*rep visits

ii. Public Library?

iii. Internet - use multiple search engines
(use web capturing software Zotero / NetSnippets)

*manta

iv. Administrative agencies
v. PACER
vi. Commercial services (?)
-CourtLink
-Other Subscription resources ??

Creating the Report

A. Format(s)
1. Length
a. Brief w/ out news
b. Brief w/ news
c. Full

d. Length of time to compile each report

2. What is included in report?
a. basic corporate information
b. legal background
c. industry information
d. create a template (brand it)

3. Physical Formatting
a. Report itself / electronic or paper
b. Include any ancillary materials?
i. paper
ii. electronic (eSnips? / bib of

B. "Procedures Manual" (electronic or paper)

1. schedule/process for updating

plan time (20-40 min) at the end of each report to evaluate new materials? patterns?

2. record of resources

Getting it Started and Keeping it Going

A. Ways to get started

1. Responsive
2. Proactive

B. Responsive

1. Marketing
2. Attorney

C. Proactive - who are you comfortable with?

1. Head of PR committee
2. Partner / Sr. Associate
3. Marketing Department
4. Office Administrator

D. Keeping it Going

1. Work w/ the Marketing Department
2. Attend Practice Group Meetings - talk it up
3. Hopefully recipients will talk. If they are helpful they will.
4. All Firm Seminars on CI reports and how they have affected client development.
Or do them by practice group so that you can highlight a report/potential client of
interest to that group.

E. What's going to sell them?

1. Start by giving them "Full" reports only offer other options after first one
2. YOU are a researcher; so be one. Do the best you possibly can on Firsts.
3. If they get the client -- make marketing dept. contact to keep you in the loop so
you can keep track of which clients you helped with.

F. Create a System (work w/ Marketing?)

1. When should you be doing reports?
2. How are deadlines met? - know how much lead time you need for specific kinds of reports and make sure that is
3. Create a system for vetting and filtering report requests.

Working with other Departments

A. Accounting - time record

B. Marketing

1. Feed you reports - access to who target clients are
2. Feed back on success
3. Do you need to meet regularly to discuss?

C. Library - Online expenses

Other Things to keep in mind

A. Organize materials

1. In DMS
2. Hard Copy

B. Keep track:

1. Companies reports were done for
2. When they were done
3. Who they were done for (check DMS to see who access the report - calendar tickler)

C. Follow-up - did they get the client?

1. Update?
2. Monitor?

D. Follow-up with Library Staff (continual evaluation)

1. Keep track of the number of reports that are being done.
2. How is this affecting staff and work completion?
3. Where do you need to make adjustments?