Implementing a modern, effective, and integrated knowledge intranet, or knowledge-centric intranet, delivers far more than a technology upgrade. It supports a firm’s content strategy, drives operational effectiveness, and underpins scalable legal excellence.
Still, most Chief Knowledge Officers (CKOs) and Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officers (CKIOs) know they’ll face the inevitable “why” when proposing investment in a platform that, at first glance, can seem intangible.
That skepticism isn’t surprising. Legacy intranets often focused on “nice-to-haves” - the canteen menu, firm-wide news, HR updates - while failing to support the core of legal work. As a result, many intranets go largely unnoticed by legal professionals because they don’t contribute meaningfully to legal workflows.
Law firms today face rising pressure:
What does get attention is a platform that enables timely access to precise, actionable knowledge. That’s why modern firms are doubling down on knowledge intranets, as critical enablers for competitive advantage and operational excellence. Not just for traditional workflows, but increasingly for those augmented by generative AI.
An effective legal workflow means professionals can quickly access the right information, enabling them to deliver high-quality legal outputs, advice, agreements, or casework, on time, on budget, and profitably.
Supporting these workflows are a whole set of core set of systems, typically the Document Management System (DMS) and Practice Management System (PMS), plus CRM tools, Experience Management platforms, and standard applications like Outlook, Word, Teams, PowerPoint, and Excel.
But the volume and fragmentation of systems, data, and applications can slow professionals down. That’s where a knowledge intranet delivers real value.
So where does a knowledge intranet fit in?
It provides a firm-wide, intuitive solution to capture, update, search, and access knowledge efficiently, across multiple systems and in the flow of work.
A high-value knowledge intranet connects legal professionals to the content they need. Regardless of where it lives, through a single, unified experience.
Quantifying this value in monetary terms is difficult. Is it worth more than a premium coffee per user per day? Absolutely. More than lunch? Very likely, but how do we measure that?
A useful starting point is to consider the cost of not having it. Let’s define this cost as the RONI (Return On Nil Investment).
Consider this scenario:
You’re asked to help with a routine Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) on a Friday afternoon (of course this is going to happen on a Friday afternoon).
By Monday, your RONI calculation would be based on something like this:
This outcome, the RONI, has negative value, made up of: lost time, reduced fees, reputational damage, and strained client relationships.
Incidentally, that same Monday morning, your colleague returns, and emails a direct link to the exact SPA in iManage.
Now imagine the opposite:
How do we measure that value? It may not generate headlines, but it protects revenue and relationships. So, we come back to trying to provide a believable ROI statement based on:
These are intangible, until they’re not. And that’s the challenge: the value of finding the right knowledge at the right time is clearest when it’s missing.
The most common and accepted Return on Investment (ROI) calculations are based on a "time saved" basis, which - when worked on intangible scenarios (as above) - becomes an impossibility to calculate. So, if an ROI calculation is must-have for your business case, then we agree with those that argue that an ROI (expressed as a monetary value over the investment period) can - as a practical alternative - be evaluated as:
ROI = - ( IoP – RONI ), where IoP is the Investment over Period
I.e. it is the inverse of the "cost of doing nothing", less the "investment of doing something".
To illustrate, and without going into too much detail, we valuate a firm, with 1,000 attorneys.
First, we evaluate the impact based on the firm having made no investments in a knowledge centric intranet. We assume one incident per attorney annually (similar to the simple incident described above).
Setting a monetary total cost of $5,000 for one such incident is arguably very low – but will serve as a conservative baseline estimate.
Over a three-year investment period, the RONI would simplistically be:
RONI = $5,000 per attorney per year * 3 years * 1,000 attorneys = $15 million
Second, we now imagine the same firm having invested in a knowledge intranet, and we make the following simple assumptions:
Investment over period, IoP = $2 million + $0.25 million/year * 3 years = $2.75 million
The Return on Investment over a three-year period would then be:
ROI = - ( $2.75 million - $15 million ) = $ 12.25 million
This calculation will be fraught in numerous ways and is extremely simplistic. It is based on a very simple set of assumptions and is completely non-scientific. However, it does serve as a very powerful illustration and practical tool when the “cost of doing nothing” is easier to calculate than the value of “doing something”.
On the basis that ROI is incredibly hard to calculate in a tangible way, rather than trying to prove the ROI to the last calculated decimal, we suggest that you instead align your platform investments to strategic goals that can drive forward the modern and growing law firm:
When assessing your firm’s pain points, use these goals such as these, as proxies for value to guide prioritization and decision-making.
Legal professionals spend significant time searching for and verifying information. A knowledge intranet cuts this overhead, freeing time for billable work.
McKinsey (2023): Knowledge workers spend 20–25% of their time searching. Intranets can reduce this by up to 35%.
Inefficient knowledge practices create avoidable overhead and impact profitability. Centralising knowledge reduces duplication and operational costs.
McKinsey (2023): Poor knowledge management costs organizations up to 25% of annual revenue.
Timely access to accurate data supports better, faster decisions.
Gartner (2024): Strong knowledge systems improve team speed and efficiency by up to 39%.
A knowledge intranet centralizes current guidance and standards, reducing regulatory and professional risks.
PwC (2023): Centralized knowledge reduces compliance errors and client service risks.
Growth often relies on lateral hires and graduate talent. Knowledge intranets support onboarding, learning, and retention.
Harvard Law School (2023): Strong knowledge management correlates with higher engagement and lower attrition.
Knowledge intranets are not just platforms, they’re foundational platform to the future of law firm operations.
Supported by research from McKinsey, PwC, Gartner, and Harvard Law School, the case is clear: firms that invest in intelligent knowledge systems position themselves for greater productivity, lower costs, faster decisions, stronger compliance, and more scalable talent development.
The result? A more agile, competitive, and future-ready law firm.
To get started, depending on your "current state", here are some suggested next steps:
|
Step |
Who is responsible? |
Actions & objectives |
|
Consider the high-value goals and alignment with firm strategy |
CKO/CKIO |
Referring to the high-value goals above, or similar, consider how they align with the overall strategy. Are you expanding into new areas of law or jurisdictions? If so, what high-value goals will align and get you there. |
|
Conduct baseline knowledge audit |
CKO, CIO |
Identify current knowledge gaps and inefficiencies; measure baseline productivity metrics. |
|
Set clear, measurable objectives & KPIs |
CIO, CKO/CKIO, COO |
Define measurable targets based on industry benchmarks: reduced search time, increased productivity, and cost savings. |
|
Select & pilot technology platforms |
CIO, CKO/CKIO, CTO |
Evaluate and pilot proven intranet platforms; validate against defined KPIs and high-value goals; Work with CTO to align to technology strategy (e.g. platform must be embedded in M365). |
|
Invest in training & change management |
COO, HR Managers, CKO |
Develop tailored training programs to ensure high adoption across all user groups. |
|
Monitor & refine KM strategy continuously |
CKO, CIO, CKIO |
Regularly analyze usage, feedback, and productivity data; adapt strategy accordingly. |
|
Embed a knowledge-sharing culture |
COO, CIO, CKIO, Senior Leadership |
Encourage ongoing participation; reward contributions; maintain visible executive sponsorship. |
If you are interested in reading more, please see the sources for some of the stats and research in the article above: