Lawyers from the satellite office or headquarters can participate in the discussion without having to travel or set up time for a conference call. Therefore, the client benefits from the best thinking of all lawyers in the firm, not just those who were available to discuss the case at a certain time. If a case's strategy takes a twist, the lead attorney can post new information on the intranet, so the rest of the team can find the revised strategy easily. If a new lawyer is assigned to a case, he or she can log on the discussion forums and other online information and become acquainted with the case quickly. Another crucial part of networking is marketing.
Lawyers now understand that marketing is integral to building practices.
Coordinating marketing efforts is essential to make sure all the firm's resources at headquarters and at the satellite office are being used. Multiple offices can use the intranet to acquaint themselves with other practice areas and lawyers in the firm to facilitate cross-selling opportunities. Just as product-driven industries use intranets to inform sales people of changing product lines and costs, lawyers need to know what practice areas and expertise are available to introduce prospects to the firm. For example, at a recent conference for corporate counsel, a firm lawyer learned of an opportunity in a new area of business. Unsure of whether anyone in the firm had worked in that industry, the lawyer logged onto the intranet, searched the database of lawyer resumes, and discovered that a lawyer in a satellite office not only had experience in the industry, but also had attended the same university as the corporate counsel.