I’ve been interested in the idea of portfolio management since at least as far back as my earlier days as an estate planning lawyer when I helped draft the Missouri Prudent Investor Act, which is based on ideas of portfolio management.
I checked and noticed that I first wrote about applying portfolio management techniques to legal technology in 1998 and spoke on the topic at the ABA TechShow in 2002.
So, it’s been one of my favorite topics. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve noticed a good number of mentions of IT portfolio management lately. CIO Magazine’s Portfolio Management: How to Do It Right is one example and a very nice primer on this important topic, with good examples and practical tips.
Since most law firms seem to take nothing more than a seat-of-the-pants approach to technology planning, portfolio management should be an attractive planning approach for those firms, but, more importantly, a great way for innovative law firms to extend their technology and business lead over the rest of the pack.