Why Understanding Family Court Lawyers Can Help Streamline Your IT Contracting Decisions

Most people don’t think of family court lawyers, but the truly excellent family law lawyer is very skilled. She or he delivers the right solution to the client, quickly and appropriately, using her knowledge of the legal system and procedures, making connections with other legal professionals, and negotiating what is needed. In fact, part of what makes family law lawyers so special is that they are trained to deliver the right solution quickly. They know how to read the situation, evaluate the best solution, and then deliver that. They can help parents and judges correctly discern the best interests of children and parents. They are concerned about all parts of the process, cost as well as the quality of the result. Family lawyers are looking to achieve something that works for the family. People outside the field have many misconceptions about the job of family court lawyers. The common question is “what does a family court lawyer do?” Yes, a family law lawyer is a lawyer, dealing with issues such as divorce, property division, custody, and spousal and child support. But, she is also a negotiator for control over money and time, while remaining respectful of everyone involved (including, importantly, the children). She is also a translator between lawyers representing each party in a divorce or separation, and a translator between the family and possibly three different judges, three different courtrooms, and three different sets of court personnel.

Let’s look at the parallel with managing information technology contractors. Just as family lawyers are highly skilled at delivering the legal solutions to problems, your contract IT professionals are very good at delivering IT solutions to company needs. Family lawyers have their own knowledge, which is useful in delivering the right solution quickly. Similarly, you need to have an understanding of the field of information technology, specifically the issues associated with having a staff of contractors, and especially the field of the contractor. For example, consider the case of a technical support clerk. A person doing this job needs to understand how to best support computer users who are generally not technical in nature. This means the support staff is the first point of contact when a computer support need arises. It is the job of the technical support worker to guide people through the process of finding a solution to their computer problem, so that they experience as little down-time as possible.

The steps of the technical support worker are to ask questions about an issue, to determine the cause of the issue, and then to provide the solution to the client. Similarly, there is a need for technical support in every organization, from manufacturing and warehousing to information technology. In fact, the support function is often contracted as a separate, specialized function, with its own resources and technical knowledge, because the need for such support is not constant. Client defines “we have a problem with IT”. The problem may be that the email is not working, or the internet connection is down, or a software program failed to install. The appropriate response is to have a technical support person on call, even if they are not tied to any physical location within the company. And, if the problem persists, it may be necessary for an employer to have more than one technical support worker, distributed over different locations.

The take-away point here is that knowing a bit about a field outside of your current job provides you with additional knowledge with which to frame your expectations. Family court lawyers are trained to understand social and individual dynamics, the nuances of legal solutions, and how best to connect supportive resources to the need. IT contractor managers who are outside the field of information technology will benefit from having some understanding of the field. Your knowledge helps you frame your expectations in selecting the best contractor professional for your job requirements.