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Building A Law Firm Intranet
The intranet has developed into the preferred platform for internal communication within many law firms.
In 2003, McNees Wallace & Nurick launched its intranet with software called SharePoint Team Services. Each of the firm's administrative areas (marketing, human resources, IT, the information center, etc.) is represented on the intranet as well as several restricted areas for management and timekeepers.
Similar to the Web, there is a lot of value to be gained from a strong intranet presence. Everyone had his or her own ideas on what should be included and posted on the intranet. After a number of group meetings with IT, each department was given a page with basic components.
What to Include
A few internal departments were fortunate to have an individual with a computer background who set up and laid out the content. The Information Center has been a series of trials and errors.
Learning about and viewing other law firms' intranet sites during the 2003 Law Librarians Conference was very beneficial. There were a variety of ideas discussed as to what goes into developing and generating content for intranet pages. Several factors to focus on are: Keep the content fresh and updated, get feedback from the attorneys and staff in the firm and refer to previous requests from the various practice groups and the staff.
The major components of our Information Center's intranet site were discussed and evaluated by the library staff. It was concluded that these components should be based on what is requested from the Information Center on a continual basis.
Wanting to reach a broader range of users, the Information Center would have to make everyone aware of the services available. While certain groups know the Information Center has a particular item or resource available for use, it was imperative to let others know about it too.
The decisions on what to include on our intranet pages were as weighty as what not to include. There is always the risk of missing something that will inevitably be important to one person, and including several things that will not be important to anyone.
With the abundance of information available at one's fingertips, it is necessary to assemble useful guides on how to access that information.
Our goal was, and will be, to give our time-challenged attorneys and paralegals a resource that they can turn to for quick, reliable links and pertinent information to expedite their research.
The home intranet page for the Information Center is 'generic' in scope. One of the first things to appear on our home page was our library catalog. Placed on a Quick Launch bar, it is a handy tool for people to use to find out if we have a particular title on site, or online access to it, without ever leaving their desks. Within this catalog, links are provided to databases and Internet sites. The firm's mission statement and user manual can also be found in the quick-launch section.
An interactive map of the Infor-mation Center was created and added for viewing. By passing the mouse over an area of the library, the name of that specific section appears. This is an excellent way to guide the user through the library stacks. Our bimonthly newsletter, book and software purchase request forms and a listing of our software, CD-ROMs and online subscriptions are also posted within the quick-launch section. Helpful Internet guides, reports, bulletins and Web site hyperlinks are linked to a specific practice group section.
The 'announcements' section of the home page is limited to timely court cases, legal news and national headlines, with listings of commonly used Web sites as hyperlinks for quick access.
The 'events' section highlights library-sponsored activities, such as National Library Week, or a Westlaw/Lexis 'lunch and learn' session.
Another section found on the home page provides the tables of contents from a variety of subscription journals, magazines, newsletters, bulletins, alerts, advanced sheets and other publications.
Update Content
This past August the Information Center's home page was expanded to include two more sections: resources and training.
The resource intranet page has three sections devoted to Web site hyperlinks.
One section is general legal (ie, the American Bar Association, Hieros Gamos and FindLaw), another is federal (Supreme Court, CFR and Federal Register) and the last is Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Bulletin, Pennsylvania Code and Commonwealth Telephone Directory).
The announcements section of the resource page is used primarily for geographical-area related law.
The quick-launch section of the resource page displays a variety of links. The 'ask a librarian' link gives users a choice of forms: one for quick research requests and another for more complex research requests.
A list of court and government Web sites has also been posted under the quick-launch section. Scanned copies, by permission, of the district and county reporters, as well as several tax products are listed. Supreme Court opinions from the Legal Information Institute can also be found in the Quick-launch section. A link is devoted to new titles purchased by the library.
Another link lists our online services complete with hyperlink and password.
The 'training' intranet page consists mainly of Westlaw and Lexis materials. Sections of newsletters, alerts and tips for cost-effective searching from both services are provided. Press releases or new features are a part of the announcements section. User guides and FAQs for the frequently used Pacer service, and the not-as-often used CourtLink service, are provided.
Finally, each page would not be complete without contact information, including e-mail and phone extension, to the Information Center staff.
Individual practice group pages and a 'who to see' or 'where to go' page for specific research needs have been scheduled to be added to the intranet site. RSS feeds are being evaluated, as are Weblogs. Ultimately, the Information Center would like to construct a one-stop information hub through its intranet pages.
A firm's intranet pages are a constant work in progress, but you don't have to be a computer programmer or systems person to navigate your way to a successful site.
Margaret Ross is director of information services for Harrisburg, PA-based McNees Wallace & Nurick. Susan Giusti is a library assistant at the firm.
The intranet has developed into the preferred platform for internal communication within many law firms.
In 2003,
Similar to the Web, there is a lot of value to be gained from a strong intranet presence. Everyone had his or her own ideas on what should be included and posted on the intranet. After a number of group meetings with IT, each department was given a page with basic components.
What to Include
A few internal departments were fortunate to have an individual with a computer background who set up and laid out the content. The Information Center has been a series of trials and errors.
Learning about and viewing other law firms' intranet sites during the 2003 Law Librarians Conference was very beneficial. There were a variety of ideas discussed as to what goes into developing and generating content for intranet pages. Several factors to focus on are: Keep the content fresh and updated, get feedback from the attorneys and staff in the firm and refer to previous requests from the various practice groups and the staff.
The major components of our Information Center's intranet site were discussed and evaluated by the library staff. It was concluded that these components should be based on what is requested from the Information Center on a continual basis.
Wanting to reach a broader range of users, the Information Center would have to make everyone aware of the services available. While certain groups know the Information Center has a particular item or resource available for use, it was imperative to let others know about it too.
The decisions on what to include on our intranet pages were as weighty as what not to include. There is always the risk of missing something that will inevitably be important to one person, and including several things that will not be important to anyone.
With the abundance of information available at one's fingertips, it is necessary to assemble useful guides on how to access that information.
Our goal was, and will be, to give our time-challenged attorneys and paralegals a resource that they can turn to for quick, reliable links and pertinent information to expedite their research.
The home intranet page for the Information Center is 'generic' in scope. One of the first things to appear on our home page was our library catalog. Placed on a Quick Launch bar, it is a handy tool for people to use to find out if we have a particular title on site, or online access to it, without ever leaving their desks. Within this catalog, links are provided to databases and Internet sites. The firm's mission statement and user manual can also be found in the quick-launch section.
An interactive map of the Infor-mation Center was created and added for viewing. By passing the mouse over an area of the library, the name of that specific section appears. This is an excellent way to guide the user through the library stacks. Our bimonthly newsletter, book and software purchase request forms and a listing of our software, CD-ROMs and online subscriptions are also posted within the quick-launch section. Helpful Internet guides, reports, bulletins and Web site hyperlinks are linked to a specific practice group section.
The 'announcements' section of the home page is limited to timely court cases, legal news and national headlines, with listings of commonly used Web sites as hyperlinks for quick access.
The 'events' section highlights library-sponsored activities, such as National Library Week, or a Westlaw/Lexis 'lunch and learn' session.
Another section found on the home page provides the tables of contents from a variety of subscription journals, magazines, newsletters, bulletins, alerts, advanced sheets and other publications.
Update Content
This past August the Information Center's home page was expanded to include two more sections: resources and training.
The resource intranet page has three sections devoted to Web site hyperlinks.
One section is general legal (ie, the American Bar Association, Hieros Gamos and FindLaw), another is federal (Supreme Court, CFR and Federal Register) and the last is Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Bulletin, Pennsylvania Code and Commonwealth Telephone Directory).
The announcements section of the resource page is used primarily for geographical-area related law.
The quick-launch section of the resource page displays a variety of links. The 'ask a librarian' link gives users a choice of forms: one for quick research requests and another for more complex research requests.
A list of court and government Web sites has also been posted under the quick-launch section. Scanned copies, by permission, of the district and county reporters, as well as several tax products are listed. Supreme Court opinions from the Legal Information Institute can also be found in the Quick-launch section. A link is devoted to new titles purchased by the library.
Another link lists our online services complete with hyperlink and password.
The 'training' intranet page consists mainly of Westlaw and Lexis materials. Sections of newsletters, alerts and tips for cost-effective searching from both services are provided. Press releases or new features are a part of the announcements section. User guides and FAQs for the frequently used Pacer service, and the not-as-often used CourtLink service, are provided.
Finally, each page would not be complete without contact information, including e-mail and phone extension, to the Information Center staff.
Individual practice group pages and a 'who to see' or 'where to go' page for specific research needs have been scheduled to be added to the intranet site. RSS feeds are being evaluated, as are Weblogs. Ultimately, the Information Center would like to construct a one-stop information hub through its intranet pages.
A firm's intranet pages are a constant work in progress, but you don't have to be a computer programmer or systems person to navigate your way to a successful site.
Margaret Ross is director of information services for Harrisburg, PA-based
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