Firms Take DIY Approach to Tech, but With Limits

Immigration services firm Fragomen recently announced that it's opening a new center in Pittsburgh, staffed with up to 50 employees, where it will develop or redevelop much of its software and cybersecurity technology in-house.

Fragomen's aggressive do-it-yourself approach to technology sets it apart in the industry. But leaders at several Pennsylvania-born law firms insisted it isn't all that different from what they're doing themselves—even if their firms only plan to tackle so much tech innovation on their own.

“What Fragomen is attempting to do, we have it,” said David Pulice, manager of practice innovation at Reed Smith. “That's pretty common among law firms.”