Kilpatrick Stockton of Atlanta is on the edge of a new frontier. The firm has launched numerous online collaboration initiatives, including Web conferences for internal communications and client training, and dozens of blogs, so that its partners can share views with clients and potential clients. “We are building blogging into our extranet because we have already seen a strong increase [in] how attorneys are using blogs to generate information flow, which leads to business development,” says David Gregson, the firm’s chief information officer.

Collaboration doesn’t stop there. Kilpatrick Stockton is also using an automated contact management tool that “crawls” through the firm’s internal information sources and helps attorneys find out who knows whom at existing and potential client firms. The technology automatically keeps track of who people are working with at various companies across the globe, Gregson explains.