The KM & Innovation Edge: ILTACON KM Recap and Insights – Atlas by ClearPeople
Welcome to the latest edition of The KM & Innovation Edge. This is a new monthly newsletter for perspectives at the crossroads of knowledge, technology, and AI in legal, professional services, and other knowledge-intensive industries.
In this issue, I’ll share key highlights over the past (incredibly busy) months from ILTACON roundtables, our contribution to ILTA’s Summer Magazine exploring the role of AI in legal workflows, plus a emerging ‘hot topic’ that came up again and again ‘Knowledge Banks.’
ILTA Summer 2025: Modern Legal Workflows – How Human Are They?
Our article in ILTA’s Summer Magazine explores the evolving role of AI in legal workflows, featuring insights from leaders at K&L Gates, Stradley Ronon, Baker McKenzie, and Atlas by ClearPeople.
The consensus: AI is becoming an integral part of legal work, but human expertise must remain central. Adoption requires strategic vision, careful implementation, and open dialogue between stakeholders. With the right balance, firms can unlock transformational potential while staying client-focused and competitive. Read in full.
ILTACON 2025 Roundtables: From AI Hype to Enablement
At the Atlas by ClearPeople and Upland BA Insights Customer Roundtable, KM and IT leaders spoke candidly about challenges and opportunities in legal AI.
What we heard:
- AI adoption is shifting from experiments to practical, measurable use cases.
- Common barriers include proof-of-concept fatigue, cloud migration delays, and vendor pivots.
- Success stories show that firms investing in clean, organized DMS foundations are reaping real productivity benefits.
Key enablers of AI success:
- Enhanced governance with clear policies and smooth tech adoption.
- Practical, role-based training to build confidence and adoption.
- Data readiness—eliminating noise so AI works with high-quality inputs.
A clear theme emerged: AI must simplify workflows, not complicate them. Whether through Microsoft Copilot, iManage, or NetDocuments, AI needs to be embedded into the tools lawyers already use.
Discussions pointed to three major transformations already underway:
- AI-augmented workflows that automate admin tasks, speed analysis, and boost billable hours.
- Data compliance by design to address both regulatory requirements and client expectations.
- Strategic team shifts, with “AI champions” driving adoption and value realization.
Firms that lay strong foundations now—both technical and cultural—will be best placed to thrive as AI becomes normalized in legal practice.
Read the full breakdown from the KM Roundtable here.
Knowledge Banks: From Hodgepodge to High-Value
At the KM Roundtables, knowledge banks emerged as a hot topic. The challenge is clear: knowledge remains scattered across DMS, local drives, and cloud folders, leaving lawyers frustrated and wasting time.
A modern knowledge bank in 2025 should be:
- Centralized and authoritative – a single source of truth for gold-standard content.
- Integrated – accessible directly from tools like Outlook and Word.
- Context-aware – surfacing the most relevant insights by matter, client, or practice area.
- Version-smart – ensuring the right precedent is surfaced, not a draft.
- AI-ready – structured for accurate retrieval and summarization, but validated by humans.
Why it matters: knowledge banks directly impact productivity, profitability, and client service. They accelerate onboarding, reduce risk, and enable faster, more informed decisions.
While AI may enhance retrieval and summarization, participants agreed: creating authoritative knowledge still requires human expertise and governance. Read the full blog.
