From law as a practice, to law as a business
Knowledge management
Knowledge is core of every legal business. Are you getting the most out of it or do you realise that you are not doing enough with the legal knowledge that you produce? You want to improve things but you have no idea where to start?
Getting the most out of your knowledge starts with an understanding of business needs and desired outcomes.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
A knowledge management (KM) strategy defines the specific steps that need to be taken to implement a successful KM initiative in line with your strategic business objectives. Together we will develop a bottom-up strategy to ensure that real needs and critical issues are tackled. Strategy development is ideally initiated by the results of an assessment complemented with input from senior management regarding strategic business objectives.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TOOLKIT
There is an abundance of knowledge management (KM) tools and techniques: document management and knowledge databases, online platforms, knowledge portals, collaboration tools, wikis, etc. Where do you start in a constantly evolving legal landscape where there always seems to be a new Legal Tech hype? Together we will define which tools and techniques fit best with your KM challenge. The right mix of tools and techniques is crucial to avoid one of the most common pitfalls: the technology pitfall. Knowledge is shared and reused by people following processes enhanced by systems, not the other way around.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING CULTURE
Knowledge management (KM) is all about creating an organisational culture of learning, knowing and sharing, driven by strategic and business-operation priorities, facilitated through the use of the right processes and tools. Creating the right culture is the most challenging part in implementing a successful KM initiative. Discover how the implementation of an engaging content strategy and the introduction of KM incentives will embed KM in daily routines.
GETTING STARTED: KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT
A knowledge management (KM) assessment is the ideal starting point to kickstart or improve KM activities. Basically, it is an in-depth analysis of your current state of KM in terms of content, processes, technology and people. A typical assessment includes face-to-face interviews, a legal technology quick scan and a content quality check.
Knowledge is core of every legal business. Are you getting the most out of it or do you realise that you are not doing enough with the legal knowledge that you produce? You want to improve things but you have no idea where to start?
Getting the most out of your knowledge starts with an understanding of business needs and desired outcomes.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
A knowledge management (KM) strategy defines the specific steps that need to be taken to implement a successful KM initiative in line with your strategic business objectives. Together we will develop a bottom-up strategy to ensure that real needs and critical issues are tackled. Strategy development is ideally initiated by the results of an assessment complemented with input from senior management regarding strategic business objectives.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TOOLKIT
There is an abundance of knowledge management (KM) tools and techniques: document management and knowledge databases, online platforms, knowledge portals, collaboration tools, wikis, etc. Where do you start in a constantly evolving legal landscape where there always seems to be a new Legal Tech hype? Together we will define which tools and techniques fit best with your KM challenge. The right mix of tools and techniques is crucial to avoid one of the most common pitfalls: the technology pitfall. Knowledge is shared and reused by people following processes enhanced by systems, not the other way around.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING CULTURE
Knowledge management (KM) is all about creating an organisational culture of learning, knowing and sharing, driven by strategic and business-operation priorities, facilitated through the use of the right processes and tools. Creating the right culture is the most challenging part in implementing a successful KM initiative. Discover how the implementation of an engaging content strategy and the introduction of KM incentives will embed KM in daily routines.
GETTING STARTED: KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT
A knowledge management (KM) assessment is the ideal starting point to kickstart or improve KM activities. Basically, it is an in-depth analysis of your current state of KM in terms of content, processes, technology and people. A typical assessment includes face-to-face interviews, a legal technology quick scan and a content quality check.
Process improvement
Doing the right things better results in a smarter, faster and more cost effective delivery of legal services by increasing operational efficiency and effectiveness.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Understanding how people work, why they do things the way they do, and identifying inefficiencies offer great opportunities for improvement. Methodologies such as Lean and Continuous Process Improvement offer a structured approach to performing this analysis. The playing field of legal process improvement is much bigger than the standardisation of high volumes of work, transactional and litigation work. Every legal service or business operation can be defined as a process and thus optimised.
HOW DOES KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FIT IN?
The right allocation of resources (including knowledge management (KM) resources and the introduction of KM tools such as templates, checklists and standard documents) is essential to improving processes. Documenting processes also ensures that the improved processes will be sustained.
KNOWLEDGE, MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
Pitches, client seminars, newsletters, and even legal advice are rarely just about knowledge. They are also examples of effective client communication and often the result of business development efforts. Nevertheless, knowledge, marketing and business development professionals often operate in process silos which clearly undermine operational effectiveness. Discover how integrating processes will transform “legal knowledge” into “engaging legal content” that creates conversations with clients: the starting point of any strong and long-lasting client relationship.
Doing the right things better results in a smarter, faster and more cost effective delivery of legal services by increasing operational efficiency and effectiveness.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Understanding how people work, why they do things the way they do, and identifying inefficiencies offer great opportunities for improvement. Methodologies such as Lean and Continuous Process Improvement offer a structured approach to performing this analysis. The playing field of legal process improvement is much bigger than the standardisation of high volumes of work, transactional and litigation work. Every legal service or business operation can be defined as a process and thus optimised.
HOW DOES KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FIT IN?
The right allocation of resources (including knowledge management (KM) resources and the introduction of KM tools such as templates, checklists and standard documents) is essential to improving processes. Documenting processes also ensures that the improved processes will be sustained.
KNOWLEDGE, MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
Pitches, client seminars, newsletters, and even legal advice are rarely just about knowledge. They are also examples of effective client communication and often the result of business development efforts. Nevertheless, knowledge, marketing and business development professionals often operate in process silos which clearly undermine operational effectiveness. Discover how integrating processes will transform “legal knowledge” into “engaging legal content” that creates conversations with clients: the starting point of any strong and long-lasting client relationship.
Legal design
Legal design is a human-centred approach to innovation in the legal sector. In essence, it refers to the application of design thinking in the legal field. Design thinking is a methodology for creative problem solving. It is a way of thinking and a way of working. By putting the user at the heart of the design process (way of thinking) and by following a structured process of exploration, creation, reflection and implementation (way of working), you enhance the possibility of creating innovations that serve a real need.
After all, innovation is a risky business. Innovation initiatives often fail because the innovation does not solve a real problem. There is no market need. Design thinking minimises this risk by engaging users from the very beginning and by following a structured process. As a result, your outcome will be more useful, user-friendly and desirable in the most efficient and effective way.
Legal professionals often perceive the term "user" as a bit strange. In fact, users might be anyone: internal clients (e.g. salespeople, HR directors, risk managers, senior and junior lawyers), external clients (e.g. consumers, private clients, businesses) and other stakeholders (e.g. shareholders, government). The term "users" is thus broader than the traditional term "clients".
Why is legal design an emerging practice? The legal landscape is constantly evolving and will continue to do so. Staying relevant in a crowded marketplace is now more important than ever. Design thinking has been successfully used for many years in every industry to drive innovation. Why would the legal industry be an exception?
Legal design is an umbrella term of which the application possibilities are vast. Innovations can relate to products, services, processes, communications, business models and even ecosystems, to name just a few.
HOW YOU CAN BENEFIT FROM LEGAL DESIGN
Legal information design
Legal information design helps you to communicate complex legal information. We combine legal expertise with the power of design thinking and visual thinking to create legal communications which people will like to read. In essence, legal information design facilitates effective (internal and external) client communication and helps you to communicate with impact. It is all about effective communication. Communication that is clear, to the point, and user-centred.
Legal information design is much more than just applying graphic or visual design to legal documents. We do not want to get lost in a terminology discussion, but we should make clear that the "design" part of legal information design refers to the design thinking approach. The goal is not to beautify legal documents, but to create legal documents that are clear, well-structured and therefore easy to navigate, easy to read and understand.
Contract design as an example of legal information design
The one who draws up the contract is usually not the one who negotiates or signs the contract. This can lead to misunderstandings, especially if the contract is poorly structured and written in legalese. Contracts should be business tools that enable and speed up your business, not slow down or block your business. Contract design bridges communication barriers between legal professionals and (internal) business partners, and makes contracts easy to explain, easy to understand, and easy to read.
By putting the user(s) at the heart of the design process, you are rethinking the contract from the perspective of e.g. a consumer who has to sign the contract and salespeople who have to negotiate the contract. The contract is no longer a "lawyer tool", written by lawyers for lawyers.
Do you want to learn how to write business-friendly contracts? Send an email to dominique@2knowhow2.com and find out how you can benefit from legal information design!
Product or service design
Do you want to create or improve legal products or services? Great initiative! But … These initiatives often fail because the product or service doesn’t solve a real problem. There is no market need. Design Thinking minimises the risk of innovation by engaging end-users from the beginning and by following a structured process of exploration, creation, reflection and implementation. As a result, you will design products or services that people really want to use.
Speed up your innovation process and validate your concepts in the shortest possible time with a Design Sprint.
Send an email to dominique@2knowhow2.com to drive your legal business forward faster!
Business model design
Challenges are facing the legal landscape. Staying relevant in a crowded marketplace is now more important than ever. Legal players are rethinking their business models in the light of technological change. How to turn challenges into opportunities that drive innovation? How to find new ways to create, capture and deliver client value?
Send an email to dominique@2knowhow2.com and find out more about our "Fast forward 2022" interactive workshop!
GET INSPIRED
"Wat we van designers kunnen leren om onze competitiviteit te verhogen" - My interview with Antwerp Management School (in Dutch)
Training programmes
Drive your business forward faster with our inspiring training programmes. Interactive workshops is what we are known for. Actively engaging, working with and empowering people. Communicating visually to turn ideas into action. Connect, share, learn is our credo.
Connect. We have the power to connect and ... it's visual! No boring presentations, we create conversations.
Share. Our trainings are based on first hand experience. We practise what we preach!
Learn. Our tools and techniques are immediately applicable thanks to our pragmatic and hands-on approach.
2KnowHow2 organises both open training and tailor-made training programmes. Most topics can be offered as an in-house training or interactive workshop. Personal coaching is also possible. Our training sessions are always tailored to the specific needs of our clients and fun is guaranteed!
What previous participants say about our in-house workshops and open training
'' Inspirerend,
praktisch, vernieuwend - Boeiend, confronterend, leerrijk - Top -
Usable
info, informative, made me fall in love with KM all over again - Hands-on, inzicht -
Een
must voor elke advocaat ondernemer - Pratique, échange
d'expérience, clair -
Ik vond het een zeer inspirerende training. Geeft weer wat moed om verder te gaan
met het digitaliseringsproces dat we willen implementeren. -
Leerrijk,
eyeopener, didactisch - Intéressant, pas facile à mettre en oeuvre,
mais très utile -
Zeer interessant en leerrijk. De opleiding maakt je enthousiast om aan de slag te gaan! ''
Fast forward 2022
Challenges are facing the legal landscape. Staying relevant in a crowded marketplace is now more important than ever. How to turn challenges into opportunities that drive innovation? This training will enhance your innovative mindset. You will walk away with new insights and actionable ideas. Boosting legal innovation starts here!
Topics on the agenda include
- Identifying challenges
- 10 types of innovation
- Business Model Innovation
- Stealing ideas from existing business models
Pitching to win
A pitch is a sales opportunity. Nothing more, nothing less. Pitching to win focuses on the key steps in a pitch process. We will map out your current process to introduce or improve best practices in each step of the pitch process.
The following steps will be discussed:
- Receiving the request - let’s get started
- Building a great pitch team - all for one, one for all
- Writing the pitch document - let’s get visual
- Pitch presentation - the floor is yours
- Feedback and debriefing - the die is cast
Kickstart knowledge management
Knowledge management is all about creating an organisational culture of learning, knowing and sharing, driven by strategic and business-operation priorities, facilitated through the use of the right processes and tools. In this session we will explore four building blocks of knowledge management: content, processes, technology and people.
Topics on the agenda include
- Know your audience and managing expectations
- Capturing, managing and sharing knowledge efficiently
- Overcoming resistance and other implementation challenges
Legal process improvement: doing the right things better
Every legal service or business operation can be defined as a process and thus optimised. In this session you will experience the power of Lean! Lean is a methodology that creates efficient processes by eliminating non-value adding activities. We will dive into a process simulation so that you can immediately apply Lean tools in practice.
Part of this exercise is:
- Mapping a process using a Value Stream Map
- Identifying non-value adding activities (“waste”)
- Optimising processes using the principles of Womack
- Making change happen using visual management
Better together
Pitches, client seminars and newsletters are rarely just about knowledge. They are also examples of effective client communication and the result of business development efforts. Nevertheless, knowledge, marketing and business development professionals often operate in silos. This clearly undermines operational effectiveness. In this session we will break down these silos.
Topics on the agenda include
- What are the key drivers to closer collaboration?
- Where are our teams already working well together and where could we improve?
- What would “perfect” collaboration look like?
- How to overcome challenges to closer collaboration?
Blog | To Know How To
Yes, I know. Blog posts are a good way to attract people and to engage with leads and clients. But - to be honest - I am not much of a writer. I am more a visual strategist. Therefore, I will share most of my insights through an original visual rather than write entire pages on them.
As Seth Godin said: “Everyone is not your customer”. Are you a legal professional interested in legal innovation beyond the buzzword? Do you believe that players in the legal field should become more business-like? Great, you've come to the right place! What can you expect? Original content on how to drive innovation through knowledge management, process improvement and legal design.
Of course, I hope to educate and entertain you with my blog posts, but, most of all, I want to inspire you and provide you with the information you are looking for. I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on all this. Just drop me a line (dominique@2knowhow2.com) and I will get back to you!
Have a nice day,
Dominique
Connecting the dots between knowledge management, legal design and contract automation
Connecting the dots between knowledge management, legal design and contract automation. How to go from “best practices” to “next practices”? How to upgrade your contract from “a lawyer tool” to “a business tool”? How to start with contract automation?
Interview met de Juristenkrant
'Elke juridische communicatie zou de gebruiker centraal moeten zetten'.
Je sales departement krijgt altijd dezelfde vragen van klanten over specifieke contractclausules. Dat vertraagt het sluiten van contracten, je moet er als bedrijfsjurist telkens tijd insteken. Wat doe je dan? Je vraagt aan Dominique Meert van The Visual Lawyer om het contract te vertalen in visueel ondersteunde mensentaal. 'Mensen zijn veel meer visueel ingesteld dan ze zelf denken.'
The Visual Lawyer vertaalt complexe, juridische materie in visueel ondersteunde mensentaal
Antwerpen, 10 september 2019 - Vandaag wordt The Visual Lawyer gelanceerd, een in Antwerpen gevestigde start-up die zijn cliënten helpt om complexe, juridische informatie op een duidelijke en effectieve manier te communiceren. Met een uitgebreide juridische expertise en innovatieve concepten zoals legal information design en graphic facilitation zal The Visual Lawyer advocatenkantoren, juridische afdelingen en andere juridische dienstverleners bijstaan met het opbouwen van betere cliëntenrelaties. “Met The Visual Lawyer willen we van juridische documenten tools maken die de business versnellen in plaats van vertragen”, zegt oprichtster Dominique Meert, die eerder ook al 2KnowHow2 oprichtte om innovatie in de juridische sector te stimuleren.
Case study "From legal counsel to legal business partner"
The client participated in our programme “From legal counsel to legal business partner” in order to maximise the added value of the legal department to its internal business partners, and to improve efficiency within the department itself. We co-created a dedicated legal intranet page aka 'legal knowledge portal' that serves as a new delivery tool for routine legal matters and for knowledge sharing. In addition, we designed a legal training programme tailored to the specific needs of the respective internal business partners.
Our story
WHAT WE DO
2KnowHow2 helps legal service providers to optimise the use of their knowledge in order to deliver smarter services and products to internal and external clients.
We challenge traditional legal services delivery and drive innovation mainly through knowledge management, process improvement and legal design. 2KnowHow2 goes beyond the “traditional consultancy”. We co-create with our clients and that is where we make the difference.
Our clients include law firms, in-house legal departments from the private and public sector, start-ups and other legal service providers.
WHAT WE BELIEVE IN
It's not about me. It's about you. And in the end it's about your clients. Challenges are facing the legal landscape and will continue to do so. The present is just a prelude to the future. We believe in constant innovation. Client-centered innovation. We are Legal Design Thinkers. We help you improve your legal services delivery to make this more useful, user-friendly and desirable in the most efficient and effective way.
Services and products must be delivered in a flow that clients value. Activities that add value are the only ones that matter. We believe in continuous improvement. We are Lean Thinkers. We help you optimise your processes by reducing activities that do not add value for clients.
OUR LOGO
Our logo represents our core business, the way we work and what we value.
WHAT WE DO
2KnowHow2 helps legal service providers to optimise the use of their knowledge in order to deliver smarter services and products to internal and external clients.
We challenge traditional legal services delivery and drive innovation mainly through knowledge management, process improvement and legal design. 2KnowHow2 goes beyond the “traditional consultancy”. We co-create with our clients and that is where we make the difference.
Our clients include law firms, in-house legal departments from the private and public sector, start-ups and other legal service providers.
WHAT WE BELIEVE IN
It's not about me. It's about you. And in the end it's about your clients. Challenges are facing the legal landscape and will continue to do so. The present is just a prelude to the future. We believe in constant innovation. Client-centered innovation. We are Legal Design Thinkers. We help you improve your legal services delivery to make this more useful, user-friendly and desirable in the most efficient and effective way.
Services and products must be delivered in a flow that clients value. Activities that add value are the only ones that matter. We believe in continuous improvement. We are Lean Thinkers. We help you optimise your processes by reducing activities that do not add value for clients.
OUR LOGO
Our logo represents our core business, the way we work and what we value.
2. The first "2" in our logo refers to the personal contact with our clients, which we value very highly. Face-to-face meetings build stronger relationships, create more trust and finally better work. Our clients entrust us with some of their most valuable assets: their knowledge and people. So whatever we do, we do everything to give them the best client experience possible.
Knowhow. 2KnowHow2 is obviously all about "to know how to" get the most out of our knowledge, taking into account content, processes, technology and people. 2KnowHow2 has the "know-how" to realise this.
2. The second "2" in our logo refers to our analytical way of working. Our analysis is based on facts and figures to the greatest possible extent. We believe in thoughtful, objective analysis followed by practical action.
About Dominique
Hi, I am Dominique Meert, an independent consultant operating under the business name "2KnowHow2" since September 2016.
To move ahead, one must often first look behind (David Garmin, 2000)
I spent many years working for great law firms and private companies, but under the guidance of my career coach, I discovered that ongoing personal and professional development in challenging environments is what really makes me happy. I love to design and implement new strategies, processes and tools, but once everything is running smoothly it is time to move on to new challenges.
In a constantly evolving legal landscape, I have always been an early adopter. A non-conformist, curious by nature, who likes to stay ahead of the curve. With a combined academic background in Economics and Law, and additional certificates in Business Design Thinking, Digital Strategy and Successful Innovation, it is no surprise that I love to work in multidisciplinary fields.
The legal landscape is constantly evolving and so am I. Zen Buddhism - not that I am a practitioner but I love this one - has a concept called "Shoshin". This concept perfectly reflects who I am. It means "Beginner’s Mind" and is characterised by an attitude of eagerness, openness and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.
Prior to founding 2KnowHow2, I worked for about 13 years in law firms as a lawyer, knowledge officer and manager, as well as marketing and business development manager. Before that, I was involved in private equity and I gained thorough financial insight in a banking environment.
As you would expect, given my professional track record, my first clients were law firms. In the meantime, I have also worked on projects with in-house legal departments from the private and public sector, start-ups and other legal service providers.
What this means to you:
- consultancy, training and support based on first-hand experience in all types of legal environment with different innovation and maturity levels and different resources;
- creative and "off the beaten path" thinking that gets people inspired.
I am also the founder of The Visual Lawyer, which helps legal service providers to build better relationships with their internal and external clients through visual communication. Is there a link between that company and this one? Yes, there is. The common objective that bridges their activities is "helping you get the most out of the knowledge that you produce". 2KnowHow2 works around four building blocks to achieve this: content, processes, technology and people. The Visual Lawyer exclusively focuses on the delivery of your legal content and connecting the dots between what is traditionally called knowledge management, marketing and business development. Both companies combine visual thinking with different methods and tools from various disciplines to boost creative problem solving.
An overview of some reference projects:
- knowledge management assessments
- document and contract automation projects
- designing and implementing client knowledge portals and legal intranet pages
- market positioning of lawyers as legal experts based on market and competitor research
- law firm market analysis in preparation for a beauty contest
- implementing a matrix to measure law firm performance
- designing and implementing procedures and processes to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
- redesigning law firm websites based on data analysis
- acting as a sounding board to take a "fresh look" at systems and practices
Your story
- You realise that you are not doing enough with the legal knowledge that you produce, you want to improve things, but you have no idea where to start
- You are writing off billable hours because people keep reinventing the wheel and are not taking advantage of existing experience and expertise
- Your quality of work and time to deliver still depend too much on who is doing the work
- Your external clients consider knowledge sharing part of the “new legal normal”
- You already have a document or knowledge database but sometimes neither documents nor people find their way to it
- You want to avoid your exit meetings turning into “transfer of knowledge” meetings
- You realise that offering the right knowledge support to your internal clients definitely gives a competitive advantage in the war for talent
Have a question or want to sign up for a session?
2KnowHow2
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Greenhouse
Uitbreidingstraat 66
2600 Antwerpen
Belgium
Route description - +32 (0)474 46 40 13
- info@2knowhow2.com
- VAT: BE 0820.223.585
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