Podcast Episode 24: Leveraging AI, Data, and Experience Management for Competitive Advantage with Rachel Shields Williams

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Rachel Shields Williams

In this episode, Amy Monaghan (VP of Client Success and Product Innovation, Infodash) fills in for Ted Theodoropoulos to host a dynamic conversation with Rachel Shields Williams, the Director of Knowledge Management at Sidley Austin. Rachel shares her journey from marketing coordinator to knowledge management leader, discussing the evolution of experience management, AI’s impact on data extraction and hygiene, and the importance of product management and governance in legal tech. Rachel also contributed to “Knowledge Management & Innovation – A Manual for Law Firms and Other Legal Services Organizations” from the Practising Law Institute (PLI)’s Press – Chapter 14: Experience Management.

Tune in to hear Rachel’s valuable experiences and forward-looking perspectives on legal innovation.

In this episode, Rachel shares insights on how to:

  • Leverage experience management systems for efficient legal practice.
  • Use AI tools for data extraction and hygiene in law firms.
  • Streamline new matter intake processes for better data management.
  • Integrate product management and governance in legal tech.
  • Utilize competitive intelligence and experience data for proactive client engagement.

Key takeaways:

  • Integrating AI for document extraction and data hygiene boosts the efficiency and accuracy of experience management systems.
  • Experience management aids not just marketing but also recruitment by finding suitable candidates, training by pairing juniors with mentors, and client engagement with tailored insights.
  • Using structured data and predictive analytics offers valuable insights, enhances decision-making, streamlines operations, and improves outcomes for firms and clients.
  • Promoting knowledge sharing and continuous learning within the legal industry drives innovation, enhances practice management, and prepares legal professionals for evolving challenges.

About the guest, Rachel Shields Williams

Rachel Shields Williams is a seasoned legal business professional with nearly two decades of experience spanning Business Development, Marketing, Sales, Knowledge Management, and Legal Technology. Currently serving as Director, Knowledge Management at Sidley Austin, Rachel thrives on assessing and anticipating both internal and external customer needs, while leveraging her cross-industry expertise to bring fresh insights to every project. With a proactive and entrepreneurial mindset cultivated from her family-run business background, Rachel is committed to service excellence and takes ownership of every endeavor she undertakes. Her strategic acumen shines through as she translates vision into actionable goals and results, adept at designing and implementing innovative yet practical technology and process solutions. Under her leadership, she has spearheaded transformative initiatives that have had a meaningful, measurable impact on a global scale. Rachel is actively engaged in the legal community, serving as Treasurer on the 2024 Legal Marketing Association International Board of Directors and contributing to the International Legal Technology Associations Program Planning Council. She is also a Fellow in the College of Legal Practice Management. 

“As much as we love to try to organize our lives, we’re a little messy, we make mistakes, and I really think AI is going to help us reduce the amount of human interaction when it comes to data hygiene, when it comes to the structure and cleanup deduping.” – Rachel Shields Williams

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