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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: Law firm IT?  (Read 2778 times)

Demosthenes

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Law firm IT?
« on: June 28, 2004, 12:25:57 PM »
Law, I know you could probably have some answers, but I know there are other IT types here that might have some good info too, so I post this to everyone rather than just as a PM to you.

I'm considering applying for an IT position for which a local law firm is advertising.  Their ad says they want someone that knows Windows (all versions), workstation setup, Exchange, Office XP, and "knowledge of Citrix Metaframe is a plus".

How heavy do smallish law firms really rely on IT people?  Are they going to reject me outright because I'm not certified in anything?  Or will they be in awe of my years of experience and diverse background in both hardware, software, and troubleshooting?

I'm just trying to get a feel for whether I should even bother sending them a resume or not.
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reimero

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Law firm IT?
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2004, 01:39:42 PM »
I'd say it depends on the law firm, personally.  Some might get hung up on the certifications, others may not.  The larger the firm, the more important certifications will be (most likely.)

Can't hurt to send in a resume, tho.
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Law firm IT?
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2004, 01:48:25 PM »
Might want to ask JesterPoet. I think he does IT for a law firm.
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Law

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Law firm IT?
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2004, 04:14:42 PM »
We're not a really good example Demo. My firm is notorious for underpaying our IT people, to the point that the majority of the department is fresh out of college trying to get a big name firm on their resume so they can move somewhere else. Our turnover rate is alarming down there.

That being said, we use our IT people a lot. I don't know for a small firm, but we are aggressively moving into an almost complete electronic format for our litigation and bankruptcy work. The US District Court system is almost done rolling out their electronic case filing system and almost every Bankruptcy Court has not only converted to ECF, but is now making it mandatory in all but a few cases. We have recently purchased new litigation support software packages that do myriad different things and always need support. IP and real estate law is moving quickly into electronic formats and business law is naturally already there supporting global exchange amongst companies.

But we train our people in house and the firm pays for them to be certified, etc. We do not require special certification except for really software or case specific jobs.

Now, like I said we always need people, so that may be why we have a relaxed hiring curve, I honestly don't know. I do know that we have 6 totally linked offices (Boston, NYC, Washington, Providence, San Francisco and London), ~600 attorneys (all with Citrix capabilities) and about 1000 support staff, so our IT demands are pretty impressive. We are slowly working out into a permanent staff of 38 IT people and many of them have been here for some time. We made a disastrous foray into outsourcing our IT support, but are now back entirely in house.
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Demosthenes

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Law firm IT?
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2004, 04:38:57 PM »
Holy crap.  No, your office probably isn't a good example then. :P

I think the law firm I'm dealing with here is a pretty small office.  I was just curious to know how IT-intensive even a small law firm is, but I think you answered my question anyway.

I'm going to send a resume their way and hope for the best.  What's the worst that could happen?  :)
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reimero

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Law firm IT?
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2004, 04:43:17 PM »
Demo, I don't work for a law firm, but I do know that the legal profession is going more and more tech-oriented.  Many of the more common legal research tools and whatnot are all online and subscription-based now (PACER, Lexis-Nexis, Westlaw and BNA, to name a few.)  I also know that lawyers coming out of law school are being trained to do legal research using electronic resources, but training in the IT aspect is still lacking.

To be honest, I imagine that for a small law firm, efficient IT is even more critical because it gives the little guys somewhat more competitive parity with the major firms.
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Demosthenes

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Law firm IT?
« Reply #6 on: June 28, 2004, 04:47:41 PM »
Think they'll run a background check on me?  I haven't had a prospective employer do one of those in years...
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reimero

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« Reply #7 on: June 28, 2004, 04:52:36 PM »
Maybe, can't say for sure.  My guess is they'll run a criminal check, but no guess on a drug test.
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Demosthenes

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Law firm IT?
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2004, 04:54:20 PM »
Not that I'm worried about either... I just haven't had to submit to a background check or a drug test in years.  I just want to know what to expect.

I'm a pretty good boy where both of those are concerned.  But I think the last time I consented to either was in Virginia back in '96 or so...
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Law firm IT?
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2004, 05:32:57 PM »
Most likely they will be impressed with your many years of experience. From what I have read on various places online, certs are nearly a dime a dozen nowadays, and almost anyone can get their hands on one with little effort. So the true value of them has since decreased.

I wish I could find a small law firm or something around here to work at where I could do some hands on IT work, but places like that don't exist around here. There are only schools, and businesses that are too small to have a staff dedicated to their "IT department".
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Law firm IT?
« Reply #10 on: June 29, 2004, 02:12:52 PM »
Lack of certs probably won't hinder you with years of experience. I find it's usually the HR people who ask for them and not the technical people who know they're pretty much toilet paper.
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