The 1,225-attorney law department of General Electric has a budget hovering around $1 billion, according to Corp. Counsel, Vol. 14, May 2007 at 92. The $163 billion company’s department has its own dedicated legal IT team, which includes 10 full-time staff and one attorney.
The article makes the point that the team customizes much of its software to meet the law department’s unusual needs because off-the-shelf software doesn’t work for a law department of its size (See my posts of Jan. 30, 2006 on customized patent software; Sept. 18, 2006 on the advantages of user groups; Feb. 12, 2006 on the US Army Claims Services’ bespoke package; Sept. 5, 2005 and a Lotus Notes application; and Dec. 5, 2005 on Thomas Miller & Co. and its OASIS customized software.).
The article describes software the GE legal group has developed for virtual deal rooms, workflow tools, and tracking systems. The article does not explain whether that IT team also provides helpline support for the department. It leaves the impression that the group is primarily a programming shop.