Knowledge Analyst

We are recruiting a Knowledge Analyst to join our Lawtech team.

About Macfarlanes

Macfarlanes is a pre-eminent law firm that serves a global client base in private capital, private wealth, M&A and disputes. Personal connection, an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence are at the heart of our firm. These values drive our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.

We are big enough to undertake the most complex and demanding mandates yet small enough to know each other well and to be agile, adapting to the needs of our clients. We seek to strengthen the firm by recruiting talented people from all backgrounds who want to build long-lasting and impactful careers with us. Our culture is challenging and supportive, creating an environment where individuals can thrive.

What this means for you

Joining Macfarlanes means being part of a collaborative, approachable team who want you to succeed. You’ll be encouraged to get involved and recognised for your contribution.

We take your development seriously. Our learning and development programmes are second to none and are designed to help you strengthen your skills.

Above all, you’ll be part of a firm where we all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, value your efforts and help you to thrive.

Team overview

Emerging legal technologies, new tools and alternative approaches are driving significant change in how we work and deliver services to our clients.

The Knowledge & Data team sits within Lawtech, which is at the forefront of how the firm responds to this evolution. Building on our strong client relationships and in-depth understanding of their businesses the team designs and delivers technological solutions for legal problems, offering new and innovative ways of tackling our clients’ most complex issues while enhancing and streamlining the firm’s existing services.

Combining a broad range of insights and experiences, including law, technology, knowledge management, AI, data, design, process, and change, the Lawtech team develops a wide range of creative and forward-thinking solutions to complement the firm’s trusted legal expertise. Our Knowledge & Data team support the firm through knowledge, AI, and data technologies, working closely with Partners, Knowledge Lawyers and staff on knowledge sharing and collaboration initiatives. Lawtech are central to how the firm and its clients navigate knowledge and data management, powering tools spanning traditional machine learning and generative AI.

The Lawtech department consists of 18 individuals. The Knowledge & Data team has a Senior Knowledge Manager and a Senior Knowledge Officer. The Knowledge & Data team is responsible for developing, maintaining and promoting our:

• knowledge management systems, related practices and processes, including ensuring compliance with GDPR and other relevant law and regulation;
• firm’s know-how and precedent collections, architecture and taxonomies;
• firm’s intranet and internal collaboration solutions;
• enterprise and legal search engines and associated AI integrations; and
• firm’s culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration.

The role and background

We are looking for a proactive, collaborative and passionate Knowledge Analyst with technical expertise to support our team. Reporting to the Senior Knowledge Manager, this role centres on helping to facilitate the management of the firm’s legal and technical ‘know how’ collection with a focus on AI-enabled curation, innovation and structuring the data to drive optimal AI/search outcomes. You will be part of a team who are responsible for several systems and tools which facilitate quick and easy access to all the knowledge and information needed by the firm’s staff to perform at the highest level. The new hire will also work closely with our IT department to manage and optimise content using tools, such as ontologies and knowledge graphs, and help drive engagement with the firm’s use of these systems.

During the first six months of employment, you may be required to attend the office four days per week to support onboarding, training and collaboration. Your line manager may adjust this requirement based on your progress and business needs.

Key Responsibilities

The individual will be required to carry out a broad range of good quality work. Key duties will include:

• assisting with creation of intranet pages and team sites on our enterprise collaboration / content management portals;
• working closely with the intranet’s content editors on a day-to-day basis to ensure they are posting, editing and tagging correctly so it is optimised for search and AI;
• helping to deliver Knowledge & Data / AI Solutions projects, including trialling proposed new systems/features and providing feedback and suggestions;
• supporting the growth of quality precedents and know-how in the firm’s central database and build momentum in the visibility, use and effectiveness of these tools across all practice areas and acting as a day-to-day point of contact for the Knowledge Lawyers;
• assisting with the ongoing maintenance and review of the firm’s legal taxonomies and providing input to help improve the rules which facilitate automated / AI-driven processes and classification of legal content;
• liaising directly with Partners, Knowledge Lawyers and staff providing regular updates on central Knowledge & Data team activities and projects;
• actively contributing to a culture that values and leverages the firm’s knowledge by assisting with training, new joiner inductions, communications and attending face to face meetings to raise the profile of the Knowledge & Data and wider Lawtech team;
• collaborating closely with the firm’s IT department to coordinate the testing and maintenance of the firm's knowledge systems;
• delivery of statistical usage reports and analysis of the firm’s knowledge systems;
• attendance at vendor user groups and supplier meetings; and
• keeping up to date with industry developments and new technologies.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the team.

The candidate

The successful candidate will be committed to providing high quality support to our central Knowledge & Data team within Lawtech and will thrive on collaborating closely with stakeholders across the business to help drive the delivery of knowledge management projects and programmes. The individual will be personable with the ability to quickly build trust and confidence with colleagues across the firm. We are looking for someone who combines strong technical understanding with an AI-driven, product focused mindset to deliver modern, insight-driven solutions.

The successful candidate will ideally possess the following:

• one to two years’ experience of working in a knowledge management or information services role in a legal, corporate or professional service environment;
• an undergraduate degree, similar higher education or equivalent experience;
• an aptitude for using technology and be highly computer literate, including strong knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and database software;
• knowledge and experience of how to use relational databases, content management systems, such as SharePoint Online, enterprise search and AI functionality;
• a solid understanding of metadata, taxonomies, ontologies and knowledge graphs and how they can be used to classify and structure data;
• ability to evaluate AI and search outputs for accuracy and reliability;
• an organised, meticulous and methodical approach to work and high attention to detail;
• excellent written and oral communication;
• strong project management and organisational skills;
• critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
• curious and open mindset;
• self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to work flexibly both independently and as part of a team; and
• strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage confidently with colleagues across the business

Desirable

• a masters in Information Science or similar;
• knowledge and experience of Microsoft Power Platform; and
• experience using legal AI tools.

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These checks will be initiated with your consent, and your CV will be sent to the provider by us. The screening will include but is not limited to your employment references, professional and academic qualifications including grades and any criminal records. Your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.

Our commitment to inclusion

Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print).

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at recruitment@macfarlanes.com.