At ILTACON this year, I joined the KM Roundtables and found myself at the table where the main topic was Knowledge Banks. It was one of those conversations where everyone nods in agreement, partly because the pain is universal, and partly because the solution still feels tantalisingly out of reach, or is it?
The session kicked off with a deceptively simple question: What’s the definition of a knowledge bank?
No one gave a neat, dictionary-style answer, but there was consensus on two things:
One participant summed it up well:
“A knowledge bank should be where our best work lives – best practice, precedents, the distilled expertise of the firm – and where everyone can find it without friction.”
Right now, that’s not what most firms have. Instead, they have scattered, siloed content that makes lawyers spend far too much time hunting for “the thing they know exists somewhere.”
Knowledge banks have always been indispensable tools for law firms but difficult to maintain. These repositories of information serve as centralized hubs where legal professionals can store, access, and manage vast amounts of data, case files, precedents, and research materials. By leveraging knowledge banks, law firms can significantly enhance their operational efficiency, reduce redundant work, and ensure that all team members have access to the most current and relevant information.
The ROI case for a centralised, well-governed knowledge bank is straightforward:
Moreover, knowledge banks facilitate better collaboration and knowledge sharing among legal teams. With easy access to a wealth of information, lawyers can quickly find answers to complex legal questions, streamline their workflows, and make more informed decisions. This not only improves the quality of legal services provided to clients but also helps law firms stay competitive in a crowded market.
This isn’t just a KM problem. It’s a productivity, profitability, and client service problem.
Knowledge banks play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of client services provided by law firms. By streamlining access to information and facilitating efficient workflows, knowledge banks enable lawyers to deliver more timely and accurate legal advice.
With a well-organized knowledge bank, lawyers can quickly retrieve relevant case law, statutes, and legal precedents, allowing them to build stronger cases and offer more informed legal opinions. This not only improves client satisfaction but also helps build trust and long-term relationships with clients.
Additionally, knowledge banks can be used to create client portals, providing clients with secure access to their case files, documents, and updates. This level of transparency and accessibility enhances the client experience and demonstrates the law firm's commitment to client-centric service.
The group quickly rattled off familiar blockers:
The conversation naturally turned to AI – could it help? Here, the mood was cautious.
When asked if AI could differentiate between versions of documents, or respond accurately to natural language queries, there was healthy scepticism. Without structured metadata, quality control, and governance, AI can just as easily surface a draft as the gold-standard precedent.
One question landed heavily: Would you trust AI to create knowledge?
The hesitation was telling. Eventually, the group agreed – not yet. AI can summarise, suggest, and assist, but creating authoritative knowledge still requires human expertise and sign-off.
The discussion also touched on experience management, described simply as:
Together, this is the lifeblood of a firm – but in many, it’s still a “hodgepodge” of databases, spreadsheets, and tribal knowledge.
What struck me most was how universal these challenges are and how closely they link to AI-readiness. If your knowledge is scattered, unstructured, and poorly governed, your AI outputs will reflect that chaos.
A modern knowledge bank isn’t just a filing cabinet; it’s an organized, searchable, governed foundation that supports both human work and AI-enabled services. Without it, firms will struggle to deliver the speed, accuracy, and insight that clients now expect as standard.
A modern knowledge bank is not just a static library of documents. In 2025, it should be:
In short, a 2025 knowledge bank is the firm’s collective memory – captured, curated, and connected to deliver value. It is both a best practice and a technology platform that surfaces the right knowledge in context.
The conversation at ILTA was clear: the vision of a single, seamless platform that acts as the firm’s collective brain is compelling, and the sooner firms start building it, the sooner they can stop wasting time looking for what they already know.
Atlas turns Microsoft 365 into your firm’s intelligent knowledge layer – capturing, classifying, and surfacing best practice and precedents in context. With automated metadata enrichment, hybrid search, and AI orchestration, Atlas ensures lawyers find the right knowledge instantly.
No more wasted time. No more duplicated effort. No more hodgepodge.