How knowledge management can help firms steer clear of trouble

The annual American Lawyer survey is out and the results - while confident and positive - point out some troubles ahead for which I believe knowledge management could be a suitable treatment for:

"Firms complain bitterly that these young lawyers are leaving before the firms can fully recoup their investments in them. They have no one to blame but themselves. The profitability model is built on churn."

KM can bring young lawyers up to speed quicker thereby achieving returns on human capital investments earlier. I agree with Linda Tsang: "There is no point (...) in creating a knowledge management system that is a university for trainees." But it will help those joining fresh from uni understanding house style better and simply allow them seeing law in action.

Bruce MacEwen comments on the notion of the "profitability model is built on churn": "The associates know that as well as you do. They're "infantry fodder," and the partners' munificent compensation intrinsically depends on washing out as many associates as possible, stopping just short of completely and utterly blowing up the potential-partnership-carrot."

"Cutting through all the chatter, what this comes down to is a struggle between firms and associates over who gets to decide when the kids will leave."

KM can make their lives easier, maybe incentivizing the "kids" to stay. And if they dont, at least their knowledge stays with the organisation. Or at least more of their knowledge than there would stay with the organisation without KM.

I know this comes at the danger of repeating myself, but I truly believe KM needs to be seen as much more than just organising information...