Knowledge-management systems for law firms

1. A server for facilitating a knowledge management system, wherein the server communicates with client computers via a distributed computing network, and wherein the server comprises:

(a) a memory storing an instruction set, a first database related to work-product documents of a law firm, and a second database related to non-work-product legal precedence; and

(b) a processor for running the instruction set, the processor being in communication with the memory and the distributed computing network, wherein the processor is operative to perform the following steps:

(i) receive a query from an agent of a law firm operating one of the client computers, wherein the processor receives the query and provides, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a taxonomy of legal topics for selection by the agent, with selection of one or more of the legal topics indicative of the query being received;

(ii) search the first and second databases for content related to the query;

(iii) retrieve a first set of work-product documents of the law firm from the first database based upon the search step, wherein the first set of work-product documents is stored in a third database in one of the client computers, wherein the first set of work product documents is converted into a markup language and subsequently indexed based on legal citations and text to permit the work product documents to be searched, and the work-product documents are internal law-firm content;

(iv) retrieve a second set of non-work-product legal precedence from the second database based upon the search step; and

(v) provide, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, at least a portion of the work-product documents and the non-work-product legal precedence from the first and second sets including citations within the work-product documents and the non-work-product legal precedence, wherein at least one of the citations is associated with an indicator of current reliability of a corresponding document as a legal authority,

wherein each provided work-product document is associated with a depth-of-treatment indicator indicating a degree to which the provided work-product document treats a legal case and one or more of the provided work-product documents are associated with a feedback indicator selected to view one or more user comments on the one or more listed work-product documents.

2. The server as recited in claim 1 , wherein the internal law-firm content includes briefs, client letters and legal memoranda.

3. The server as recited in claim 1 , wherein the degree is qualitative as determined by previous users of the provided work-product documents.

4. The server as recited in claim 1 , wherein the degree indicates a quantity.

5. The server of claim 1 , wherein the first and second databases are separated by a firewall.

6. The server of claim 1 , wherein the second database is part of an online pay-for-access legal research service.

7. The server of claim 1 , wherein each provided work-product document is associated with an indicator identifying an author of the document, an office location of the author, and an identification of documents within a document management system for the law firm.

8. The server of claim 1 , wherein the query includes an identification of a legal case.

9. The server of claim 1 , wherein the server is further operative to perform the step of providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, at least a portion of each document found by the search step.

10. The server of claim 1 , wherein the server is further operative to perform the step of providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a displayable table of authorities listing documents cited within a work-product document selected from within the first set.

11. The server of claim 1 , wherein the server is further operative to perform the step of providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a listing of other documents citing the selected work-product document.

12. The server of claim 1 , wherein each portion of the documents in the search step includes a selection device for invoking display of text of the document, with text including one or more selectable citations to other corresponding documents and with each citation associated with an indicator of current reliability of a corresponding document as a legal authority.

13. The server of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the metadata profile data of the work product documents are incorporated into the converted work product documents.

14. A computer-implemented method for facilitating a knowledge management system in a distributed computing network have a server in communication with client computers, and memory storing a first database related to work-product documents of a law firm, and a second database related to non-work-product legal precedence, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

(a) receiving a query at the server from an agent of a law firm operating one of the client computers,

(b) providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a taxonomy of legal topics for selection by the agent, with selection of one or more of the legal topics indicative of the query being received;

(c) searching the first and second databases for content related to the query;

(d) retrieving a first set of work-product documents of the law firm from the first database based upon the searching step;

(e) storing the first set of work-product documents in a third database in one of the client computers;

(f) converting the first set of work product documents into a markup language and subsequently indexing the first set based on legal citations and text to permit the first set of work product documents to be searched, wherein the work-product documents are internal law-firm content;

(g) retrieving a second set of non-work-product legal precedence from the second database based upon the searching step; and

(h) providing at least a portion of the work-product documents and the non-work-product legal precedence from the first and second sets including citations within the work-product documents and the non-work-product legal precedence,

wherein at least one of the citations is associated with an indicator of current reliability of a corresponding document as a legal authority, and each provided work-product document is associated with a depth-of-treatment indicator indicating a degree to which the provided work-product document treats a legal case and one or more of the provided work-product documents are associated with a feedback indicator selected to view one or more user comments on the one or more listed work-product documents.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein the second database is part of an online pay-for-access legal research service, each provided work-product document is associated with an indicator identifying an author of the document, an office location of the author, and an identification of documents within a document management system for the law firm, and the query includes an identification of a legal case.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:

providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, at least a portion of each document found by the search step; and

providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a displayable table of authorities listing documents cited within a work-product document selected from within the first set.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a listing of other documents citing the selected work-product document,

wherein each portion of the documents in the search step includes a selection device for invoking display of text of the document, with text including one or more selectable citations to other corresponding documents and with each citation associated with an indicator of current reliability of a corresponding document as a legal authority, and

wherein at least a portion of the metadata profile data of the work product documents are incorporated into the converted work product documents.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents cause a distributed computer network to perform a method for facilitating a knowledge management system, the distributed computing network having a server in communication with client computers, and memory storing a first database related to work-product documents of a law firm, and a second database related to non-work-product legal precedence, the distributed computer network having a server program and a client program with functions for invocation by performing the steps of:

(a) receiving a query at the server from an agent of a law firm operating one of the client computers,

(b) providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a taxonomy of legal topics for selection by the agent, with selection of one or more of the legal topics indicative of the query being received;

(c) searching the first and second databases for content related to the query;

(d) retrieving a first set of work-product documents of the law firm from the first database based upon the searching step;

(e) storing the first set of work-product documents in a third database in one of the client computers;

(f) converting the first set of work product documents into a markup language and subsequently indexing the first set based on legal citations and text to permit the first set of work product documents to be searched, wherein the work-product documents are internal law-firm content;

(g) retrieving a second set of non-work-product legal precedence from the second database based upon the searching step; and

(h) providing at least a portion of the work-product documents and the non-work-product legal precedence from the first and second sets including citations within the work-product documents and the non-work-product legal precedence,

wherein at least one of the citations is associated with an indicator of current reliability of a corresponding document as a legal authority, and each provided work-product document is associated with a depth-of-treatment indicator indicating a degree to which the provided work-product document treats a legal case and one or more of the provided work-product documents are associated with a feedback indicator selected to view one or more user comments on the one or more listed work-product documents.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the second database is part of an online pay-for-access legal research service, each provided work-product document is associated with an indicator identifying an author of the document, an office location of the author, and an identification of documents within a document management system for the law firm, and the query includes an identification of a legal case.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , further comprising the steps of:

providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, at least a portion of each document found by the search step; and

providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a displayable table of authorities listing documents cited within a work-product document selected from within the first set.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , further comprising the step of providing, to the agent for display on a graphical user interface, a listing of other documents citing the selected work-product document,

wherein each portion of the documents in the search step includes a selection device for invoking display of text of the document, with text including one or more selectable citations to other corresponding documents and with each citation associated with an indicator of current reliability of a corresponding document as a legal authority, and

wherein at least a portion of the metadata profile data of the work product documents are incorporated into the converted work product documents.