The literature reveals enormous potential of knowledge management for law firms, yet research in knowledge management seems fragmented with extensive theoretical discussions but little empirical evidence. The aim of this study is to empirically determine the guidelines and techniques of knowledge management in law firms in Botswana in the light of the rapid changing legal environment. It identified the different categories of knowledge existing in the law firms in Botswana and considered the factors that would motivate or inhibit the adoption of knowledge management. It also identified the tools and technologies for knowledge management and agents and institutions necessary for knowledge management in law firms in the country. The study adopted the triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. Open and closed ended questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data that was analysed. The survey research design was adopted and census of all the lawyers in the country undertaken. Out of the 217 questionnaires distributed to the 115 registered firms, 140 completed questionnaires were returned, giving a return rate of 64.5%. From the study, it has emerged that law firms in Botswana are significantly affected by the changes in the legal environment. The adoption of formal knowledge management in law firms in Botswana is still however, at an initial stage. Most of the law firms do not have knowledge management policies and guidelines and there are still many challenges to the effective implementation of knowledge management. Nevertheless, it is clear that there is a growing awareness of the key role, importance and potential of knowledge management in an increasingly competitive environment as a means of making law firms more innovative and cost effective. Guidelines for knowledge management in law firms were established and several suggestions on how it can be successfully implemented made in the hope that this would not only improve the awareness and utilisation of knowledge management in the country but could also be adopted in other African countries whose legal environment is similar to that in Botswana. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Information Science / unrestricted

This purpose of this study was to develop evidence of a relationship between law libraries and private law firm profitability for law library administrators to use when making strategic decisions that influence the value of their libraries. The highest ranked administrator at each private law firm listed on the 2008 Am Law 200 was invited to complete an online benchmarking survey. The adjusted sample population totaled 179 firms. Fifty-one valid surveys were completed for a 28.5% response rate. Descriptive and statistical analyses were conducted using 26 independent variables (law library characteristics) and a single dependent variable, Revenue per Equity Partner, developed from data published for the Am Law 200. The most significant contributions of this study are: development of important law library financial and return on investment benchmarks; a listing of characteristics that have been empirically shown to impact law firm productivity; identification of optimum reporting structure for the law library administrator. Six characteristics positively impact Revenue per Equity Partner: to whom the library Administrator reports, number of library staff per library, number of Library staff per library, range in hourly bill rate for library staff time, practice areas most often supported. Two monetary measures were also established. The cost benefit of an Am Law library to its firm is $1.00 : $1.68. Each Am Law Library staff member is worth $295,000 in Revenue per Equity Partner to a firm. Law library practitioners can use the results to support evidenced-based strategic decision making in the administration of any private law firm library. Faculty and students in law librarianship programs will have a greater understanding of how to manage law libraries and collections to provide maximum value to their law firms. Benefits to library and information science research include validation of the research design and benchmarking as a theoretical framework for conducting research into ways libraries can deliver value and return on investment to their sponsors. This research design can be generalized and replicated in future studies. It demonstrates how rank can be used to operationalize relative measures of value for research purposes. Findings from future studies in both for-profit and non-profit settings using appropriate measures of rank may form the basis for development of a theory concerning the relationship between a library and their sponsor's success.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Leipzig, 2000.

by Chan Ka Ming, Yiu Hon Lam. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1986 / Bibliography: leaf 91.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A, sometimes, very controversial concern in any professional service firm across the globe, be it a law firm, accounting practice or consulting engineering firm, is how to construct an equitable, performance-based reward system for executives and professional partners. This study project will address those key issues that affects partner compensation and profit sharing decisions within professional law firms on a daily basis, by establishing which factors influence the current and future legal environment as well as the factors which drive the decision making process when selecting a partner compensation system for a specific law firm, regardless of size and legal focus. This study project also establish which partner compensation systems are currently available and frequently being used by several law firms across the globe, by investigating and analysing their intrinsic features and operations. A total of eleven compensation systems have been identified and will be reported on. This includes the different lockstep models, the merit or performance–based model (also referred to as the discretionary model), the peer-review system as well as other least frequently used systems like the equal partnership, ownership percentage model, 50/50 subjective-objective system, the modified “Hale and Dorr”, simple unit and the team building systems. The study project, by focussing on the operations of a specifically selected South African law firm, will furthermore investigate what effects a possible firm-wide approach to profit sharing, instead of the traditional partner / owner profit sharing systems, might have on the overall operation and / or performance of a law firm. Several performance appraisal concepts and general remuneration principles will be addressed which forms the backbone of this firm-wide approach and which are the key issues to effectively evaluate a person’s overall performance and contributions to a firm – those elements that should be aligned with your firm’s remuneration system. In essence, the aim of this study project is to establish an information resource base on partner compensation and profit share models in law firms, to establish the viability of introducing a firm-wide approach as alternative to the traditional partner-only profit sharing models, to establish a formal framework and model for firm-wide profit sharing for the selected South African law firm and ultimately presenting an effective decision making tool and concept document when selecting a fair and equitable remuneration system for your legal practice. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Een van die mees kontroversiële aspekte in professionele dienste firmas wêreldwyd, hetsy binne ‘n regsfirma, rekeningkundige praktyk of konsulteringsfirma, is hoe om uitvoerende bestuur en professionele vennote op gelyke voet te vergoed gebaseer op hulle werklike algehele prestasie. Hierdie werkstuk sal daardie kern aspekte adresseer wat vennote vergoeding- en winsdelingstelsel besluite, binne regsfirmas, op ‘n daaglikse basis affekteer deur die lewensvatbare faktore te identifiseer wat die huidige en toekomstige regsomgewing sal beïnvloed, asook daardie faktore wat die besluitnemingsproses dryf wanneer dit kom by die keuse van ‘n vennote vergoedingstelsel vir ‘n spesifieke regsfirma, ongeag die relatiewe grootte en fokus van die regsfirma. Hierdie werkstuk sal verder vasstel watter vennote vergoedingstelsels tans op ‘n gereelde basis gebruik word deur regsfirmas wêreldwyd, deur ondersoek in te stel na die verskillende stelsels se inherente eienskappe en operasionele werking. Elf vennote vergoedingstelsels word in hierdie studie bespreek. Dit sluit in die verskillende tipe “Lockstep” modelle, die prestasie-meriete gebasseerde modelle, die “peer-review” model asook ander modelle wat minder konsekwent toegepas en aangewend word soos die gelyke vennootskap model, die eienaarskap persentasie model, die 50/50 subjektiewe-objektiewe model, die aangepaste “Hale and Dorr”, die “simple unit” en spanbou modelle. Die werkstuk, deur spesifiek te fokus op die werksaamhede van ‘n spesifieke Suid-Afrikaanse regsfirma, sal ook die effek van ‘n moontlike firma-wye benadering tot winsdeling ondersoek, in teenstelling met die tradisionele benadering van net uitvoerende bestuur wat kan deel in die wins, en sal fokus op die invloed van so ‘n stelsel op die algehele werksaamhede en prestasies van ‘n tipiese regsfirma. Verskeie konsepte van prestasie meting, asook die algemene beginsels van vergoeding word aangespreek wat die fondamente vorm van so ‘n firma-wye benadering – dus daardie kern aspekte wat effektiewe prestasie meting verteenwoordig en wat in lyn gebring moet word met die firma se gekose vergoedingstelsel. Die doel van hierdie werkstuk is dus om ‘n inligtingsdatabasis oor vennote vergoeding- en winsdelingstelsels in regsfirmas te vestig, om vas te stel of daar moontlike potensiaal daarin is om ‘n firma-wye benadering te ontwikkel as alternatief vir die tradisionele modelle waar net uitvoerende bestuur of eienaars deel in die winste, en vervolgens om ‘n formele raamwerk en model vir firma-wye winsdeling te ontwerp om moontlik geimplementeer te word in die spesifieke regsfirma wat ondersoek word. Die werkstuk sal dus dien as ‘n effektiewe besluitnemings- hulpbron wanneer daar op ‘n spesifieke vergoedingstelsel vir jou regsfirma besluit moet word.

This thesis examines why law firms are organised as they are. It develops a theoretical framework of reflexive archetype theory which is constructed from structuring theory (Ranson, Hinings and Greenwood 1980), archetype theory (Hinings and Greenwood 1988), and circuits of power theory (Clegg 1989). It emphasises the reflexivity and integration of the process of organising within law firms. Empirical data are collected from fifteen Sydney law firms and interpreted within reflexive archetype theory. These data confirm the reflexivity and integration of elements within law firms that are theoretically postulated. A research agenda is developed and the contributions of the thesis to the field of organisational analysis are enumerated. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

This study investigates the effect of founders socialization experiences and contextual interpretations on the deviation of recently-established law firms from the dominant organizational form in the B.C. legal profession. Through this research I address three issues fundamental to the neo-institutional perspective on organizational analysis: 1) whether consensually-understood frameworks exist in highly-institutionalized environments, 2) the extent to which new entrants to such industries reproduce or depart from these prescribed arrangements, and 3) why some conform while others deviate. In the first phase of my investigation, I ascertained the nature of the legal profession s dominant template for organizing by analyzing qualitative data collected from multiple data sources including both observers of and practitioners within this industry. I subsequently validated this template by collecting quantitative data through a survey administered to a panel of lawyers. The results support the existence of a commonly- perceived template for organizing in the B.C. legal profession. In the second phase of my research, I investigated sixty recently-established law firms in B.C. Through a background questionnaire and personal interview conducted with the founder of each firm, I collected data on multiple dimensions of form, the founder s experience, and his or her rationale for designing the firm in a certain way. I also administered a survey to a separate panel of lawyers, to obtain their perceptions of the extent to which alternative arrangements differed from those of the dominant template. This data was used to calculate deviation measures for the recentlyestablished firms. The results revealed that, despite the prevalence with which founders voiced disenchantment with the dominant template, 85% of their firms exhibited very little deviation from the normative form. Thus, it appears that most new entrants to a highlyinstitutionalized setting act primarily as agents of institutional perpetuation rather than entrepreneurship. The 15% that exhibited greater deviation tended to be headed by founders with less experience in the industry s most prominent organizations and by those who most strongly questioned the moral legitimacy of prevailing organizational arrangements. Experience in marginal organizations or other industries, as well as doubts about the dominant template s pragmatic legitimacy, were insufficient triggers of new entrant deviation.

Esse trabalho aborda a Administração Legal como uma ferramenta capaz de orientar e conduzir as organizações prestadoras de serviços jurídicos rumo à inovação e à competitividade, em conjunto com a aplicação da metodologia Business Process Management (BPM) como opção alternativa na busca pela vantagem competitiva sustentável. Alinhando essas duas abordagens, a Administração Legal e o BPM, o objetivo deste trabalho é identificar os principais processos de negócio que compõem a estrutura de um escritório de advocacia. Uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativo-exploratória e quantitativo-descritiva foi realizada, sendo as estratégias metodológicas desenvolvidas em três fases. A primeira fase de coleta de dados envolve a identificação dos critérios e fundamentos terminológicos do contexto analisado, por meio da aplicação de três entrevistas individuais semi-estruturadas. Após a identificação do mapa das dimensões terminológicas, parte-se para a segunda fase da coleta de dados, a aplicação de um questionário estruturado, o qual foi aplicado nos escritórios certificados com a norma ISO 9001 no Brasil. Por meio da estatística descritiva foram identificados os principais processos de negócio que compõem a estrutura dos escritórios de advocacia, bem como seus processos de apoio. Os processos foram agrupados em quatro categorias para os processos principais e em seis categorias para os processos de apoio. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-06-02T19:56:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Manuela Rosing Agostini.pdf: 3064051 bytes, checksum: c1693d2047e5f6fca0b89ab26fe379cd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-02T19:56:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Manuela Rosing Agostini.pdf: 3064051 bytes, checksum: c1693d2047e5f6fca0b89ab26fe379cd (MD5) / This work uses the Legal Administration, as a tool to guide and lead the legal services organizations toward to innovation and competitiveness, along with Business Process Management (BPM) methodology as an option for sustainable competitive advantage. Based on the application of both approaches together, i.e. Legal Administration and BPM, the aim of this research is to identify main business processes that make up the structure of a law firm. A qualitative-exploratory and quantitative-descriptive nature research was realized based on three main phases. The first phase involves identifying criteria and terminological basis within the context analyzed based on the application of three individual semi-structured interviews. After the identification of the terminology dimensions map, the second phase was the application of a structured questionnaire, which was applied on nine Law Firms, certified on ISO 9001, in Brazil. Based on descriptive statistics the main business processes that define the organizational structure of law firms, as well as their supporting processes were identified. The main business process were grouped in four categories and the support business processes were grouped in six categories.

The paper deals with the issue of house search and inspection of non-residential space in criminal proceedings. It focuses on the historical and current legislation. The main part of this thesis deals with conditions of home searching and inspection of non-residential space. Applicable legislation is analyzed in terms of both basic definition of the term "flat" and "commercial space", as well as in terms of regulation ineffectiveness of evidence in case of violation of the law. The author of the work also discusses a radical judgment of the Czech Constitutional Court, which annulled the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allowed the prosecutor to order a search of non- residential space. The author gradually expresses the individual arguments of the Constitutional Court, trying to answer whether the annulment of provisions appropriate solution. In the next part the author demonstrates on case study the fulfillment of the legal conditions set out in first part and based on an analysis of reported case derive specific conclusions. A part of the paper focuses on the comparison of foreign laws: namely the legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Slovak Republic. The work also includes an analysis of the legislation of house search of law firms. The main objective of this part...