Tag Archives for " innovation "

Does your firm or organization need a Modern Library Audit?

By Michael Feit | Feit Consulting , Modern Law Library , Resources

If you are a Librarian or Administrator who has the mindset of continuous process improvement with the goal of optimizing resources (time and money), the Modern Library Audit provides concrete steps specific to your firm’s needs to achieve this.

In a Modern Library Audit, Feit Consulting’s team of experts conducts a thorough assessment of all legal information functions in the library and the support provided for various departments and practice groups. We evaluate the utilization of personnel, internal processes, technology, legal information resources and the overall support for the business of law.

From the assessment, we develop and present a plan to further modernize your Law Library. What this equates to is a solid plan with clear action steps and ROI for improving how your Law Library operates.

The Modern Law Library is not a destination but an approach to managing legal information resources. Even when a firm reaches the realm of modernizing their law library, changes will occur – internal and external to the firm – that affect the role of the Library and what it provides.

The result of a Modern Law Library Audit is a clear plan with recommendations specific to your firm/organization with the goal of saving money, improving efficiencies, and maximizing the utilization of resources.

If you are ready to take your Law Library to the next level, Feit Consulting’s Modern Library Audit provides a clear path forward. Contact a Feit Advisor today to set up an initial consultation and schedule your Audit.

The Law Library: A Center of Excellence

By Michael Feit | Best Practices , Feit Consulting , Legal Information Trends , Modern Law Library , Resources

“A Center of Excellence (COE) is a team, a shared facility or an entity that provides leadership, best practices, research, support and / or training for a focus area.”

– Mark O. George (2010), The Lean Six Sigma Guide To Doing More With Less, John Wiley & Sons.

It is no secret that the legal sector is in flux. As clients demand better value for the dollars they spend, firms are taking a hard look at how they do business; analyzing their organizational structure, and evaluating the way services are delivered with an eye towards process improvement.  Out of this structural evolution comes the Modern Law Library.

The top challenges facing law firms today has little to do with actually practicing law.  As costs and expenses rise and revenue drops, law firms are facing major hurdles supporting  their everyday business practices.  How exactly might the Modern Library help?

By moving towards a COE approach, the Modern Library can provide “sufficient and easily accessible legal and business research” so that decision makers have intelligence to make informed decisions for positive results.  Still providing research services, the Modern Law Library embodies evolution, innovation and collaboration.

Where to begin?

A Feit Modern Library Audit evaluates the utilization of personnel, internal processes, technology, legal information contracts and overall support to assess and identify new roles the library might consider within their Firm. Presented are clear recommendations specific to your firm/organization with the goal of saving money, improving efficiencies, and maximizing the utilization of resources.

What better way to start the New Year than with resolutions for improvement. Is it time to consider transitioning your library to a Modern Library and towards a Center of Excellence?

Contact a Feit Advisor for an initial conversation on what this means for your Firm.  

ROI of a Modern Library Audit

By Michael Feit | Feit Consulting , Librarians , Modern Law Library , Resources

The Modern Library requires individuals to change their mindset from maintaining the status quo and becoming open to new ways of doing things. What is the ROI of your Law Library? What tools are you utilizing to track metrics? Do you feel the library’s resources are being optimized?

Whether you are an Administrator or Librarian, the goal of becoming a modern law library can have many obstacles – money, time, firm culture.

In a Modern Library Audit, our team of experts evaluate resources, personnel, technology, processes, and overall usage of the Library and its’ resources. In analyzing all of these components, a unique business plan is developed with workable recommendations that are specific to your firm’s needs and culture. Recommendations will include clear steps to increasing the Return On Investment of your Library.

Let an objective team of experts develop a business plan for optimizing your Law Library to support the business of law. Contact Feit Consulting today to set up an initial call on how a Modern Law Library Audit can benefit your firm. 

Feit Presenting at ARK Conference on “What is the Modern Law Library?” February 22nd, NYC

By Michael Feit | Feit Consulting , Librarians , Modern Law Library , Resources

Feit Consulting is presenting on “What is the Modern Library?” at the Ark Group’s 12^th annual Law Firm Library, Research & Information Services conference, February 22, 2018.

Our program offers clear insights into the steps firms need to take for maximum efficiency and delivery of legal information resources and the role of the Modern Library. Feit Consulting’s Michael Feit, President & Founder and Monice Kaczorowski, Vice-President of Library Strategy and Innovation will lead the program by sharing their research on library modernization and how this is defined. We share key take-aways from our white paper, Beyond Virtualization: Transforming the Law Library.

An expert panel will discuss the “Big Picture” of Librarians as disruptors, how to change the stereotypical image of the librarian, how to run the Library as a business and the importance of interdepartmental support and technology. Panelists include:

What does it mean to be a Modern Law Library?

By Michael Feit | Feit Consulting , Librarians , Modern Law Library , Resources

The Modern Library is a business within a business, utilizing metrics and analytics to forecast, predict and analyze data as changes occur. More than providing content, the Modern Law Library encompasses a proactive approach and mindset, developing new processes and collaborations to support the business of law. An important component to realizing a Modern Library is open-mindedness by both Administrators and the Library team.

To fully embrace the Modern Library approach, consider the following questions in your role with the Library (whether as a Librarian or an Administrator):

• What can I do differently to offer value to my organization and make them see me and my library in a new way?
• How can I change my habits to actually facilitate change?
• How can I move out of my mindset of but we have always done it that way?
• How can I change the way I work with various departments, my Administrator, my Librarian to support the business of law in an improved, more efficient way?

While law firms have always depended on library and information professionals to support the research needs of their lawyers, the Modern Law Library is undergoing a paradigm shift. Success now depends on the library taking a more active role in the organization, to help support the day-to-day business of law. One such way is providing interdepartmental support.

A few examples of this include:

• Embracing new roles in Conflicts Support for new business intake.
• Partnering with Marketing to provide competitive intelligence to support the RFP process.
• Partnering with IT to identify and beta-test software.
• Driving Knowledge Management.

Becoming a Modern Law Library is not done overnight, or in a week or month. It is complex and includes many little steps in order for a Law Library to modernize. In sum, the Modern Law Library is a trendsetter, evaluating and embracing new techniques, ideas and technology to help support business processes.

Feit Consulting offers Modern Library Audits, examining and recommending changes to save the firm/organization money, improve efficiencies, and maximize utilization of resources. Contact Feit Consulting today to set up a free consultation on modernizing your Law Library today.

What We Learned at AALL: Transforming Knowledge Into Power

By Michael Feit | Librarians , Modern Law Library

The American Association of Law Libraries’ (AALL) conference this past year reminded us of our abilities, and more so the importance of transitioning from guardian of books to ‘linchpin librarians’.

Instead of guardians of books, it is time for librarians to become information brokers. Whether embedded in a practice group to support an attorney team or partnering with client development to support business development and increase revenue streams, take on the the linchpin mindset. High-level collaboration and interdepartmental support will break down librarian stereotypes as we work on building relationships within our organizations. Step outside your comfort zone.

In short, librarians need to showcase the true value they possess and can offer their organizations. The question now is, “How will you transform the knowledge and empowerment gained at AALL into action steps at your firm or organization?”

We revisited our checklist post AALL. Here are ways you can begin transforming knowledge into action:

• Brainstorm what new step(s) you can take to build high-level collaboration and interdepartmental support at your firm or organization.
• Determine the best avenues to grow your visibility within your organization.
• Ask yourself, “How can I change my habits? What can I do differently that offers value to my organization?”
• Plan a lunch or phone call with colleagues inside and outside your organization to brainstorm what cutting-edge solutions you can bring to your organization or firm.
• Reach out to your new networking contacts. Choose one each week with whom to connect.
• Develop a Conference Recap to show management the value of attending; highlight program sessions and vendor products that support current and potential organization/firm initiatives.
• Include conference benefits in the library’s annual report to Management.

At the core, librarians utilize knowledge and resources to answer questions and solve problems; and have a multitude of skills to offer value to their organizations – beyond performing legal research.