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Two technology topics with torque – programming and multiplicity of packages

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Met. Corp. Counsel, June 2010 at 9, has two quotes that twisted my mind from an interview of the CEO of Datacert. Bear in mind that the speaker leads a company that has just announced a “platform” with patented software that integrates and makes easier development of software. “One of the main requirements that the corporate legal department[s] and law firms gave us is that they did not want to hire armies of C++, Java, or Web application programmers to make changes to the software.” I am flummoxed because not one in a thousand law departments even consider having programmers write software (See my post of June 3, 2009: bespoke, customized software written for legal departments with 12 references.).

Some may happen at the interface of accounts payable and a matter management system but the quote seems to exaggerate significantly for legal departments.

Now the other quote with a sharp turn. “[W]e know legal departments that use over a hundred systems just to support their department.” I wish that James Tallman had named one of those departments with more than 100 pieces of software and explained how they count the packages.

Perhaps the situation is a bit like law firms. It may not matter how many packages are in use if only one or two lawyers use them. For example, specialized software for Edgar filings has no drain on the other lawyers. I doubt that the vast majority of law departments have more than a dozen packages in use – aside from the usual suite of word processing, spreadsheet, and PowerPoint applications.

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2 responses to “Two technology topics with torque – programming and multiplicity of packages”

  1. Steven B. Levy, Author of Legal Project Management says:
    July 5, 2010 at 10:38 am

    Every law firm of size has “programmers,” since firms have captive IT departments; the CEO said “departments and firms.” Many large departments also have IT app-dev resources that do work for them, whether they work for the department, work for a captive IT team, or are assigned from a general IT pool for projects deemed necessary.
    Also, while 100 apps is on the high side of the curve, it’s not off the charts when you consider the various reports, websites that are more than simple HTML (e.g., SharePoint sites), point solutions such as EDGAR or Board minutes, etc. All of these need someone to deal with them — vet, install, maintain, update, train, configure, etc. Many require “programmers” of some sort. A small percentage require C++ or Java, but many require some knowledge of the tool’s reporting mechanisms, JavaScript /CSS(web programming, such as the code that drives this very page), or other “programming lite.”
    Bottom line: It’s quite possible you’re both right. There’s a lot of ambiguity here in the face of a world that’s more complex and messy than it looks once you really dig into it.

  2. Steven B. Levy, Author of Legal Project Management says:
    July 5, 2010 at 10:38 am

    Every law firm of size has “programmers,” since firms have captive IT departments; the CEO said “departments and firms.” Many large departments also have IT app-dev resources that do work for them, whether they work for the department, work for a captive IT team, or are assigned from a general IT pool for projects deemed necessary.
    Also, while 100 apps is on the high side of the curve, it’s not off the charts when you consider the various reports, websites that are more than simple HTML (e.g., SharePoint sites), point solutions such as EDGAR or Board minutes, etc. All of these need someone to deal with them — vet, install, maintain, update, train, configure, etc. Many require “programmers” of some sort. A small percentage require C++ or Java, but many require some knowledge of the tool’s reporting mechanisms, JavaScript /CSS(web programming, such as the code that drives this very page), or other “programming lite.”
    Bottom line: It’s quite possible you’re both right. There’s a lot of ambiguity here in the face of a world that’s more complex and messy than it looks once you really dig into it.