David Holtzman wrote a very good little article for CSO magazine called “Legal Is from Mars, Security Is from Venus,” which points out the often-too-obvious fact that many times lawyers and IT people speak in completely different languages. Holtzman makes some good observations and draws a good conclusion – we can learn from each other. I’m consistently shocked by the number of lawyers who are unfamiliar with even the language of computer security, let alone the techniques and issues. I sometimes feel like a long lost friend who has finally returned when IT people realize that I can talk in their language and understand what they are saying and their points of view. I’m afraid to think about what happens in contracts and other legal work when there isn’t even a basic level of understanding.