Glossary
Welcome to the glossary! This section provides definitions and explanations for various terms and acronyms used throughout the documentation and in internal discussions. If you come across a term you're not familiar with, check here for a quick explanation.
A
API (Application Programming Interface) A set of rules and protocols for building and interacting with software applications. It defines how different software components should interact.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.
B
Backups The process of creating copies of data to ensure its recovery in case of data loss or corruption.
C
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) A method to frequently deliver apps to customers by introducing automation into the stages of app development. The main concepts attributed to CI/CD are continuous integration, continuous deployment, and continuous delivery.
Component Diagrams A type of diagram in the Unified Modeling Language (UML) that shows the organization and interrelationships of components in a system.
CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) A pattern that separates read and write operations for a data store. It aims to provide better scalability, maintainability, and security for data operations.
D
Database Maintenance The routine tasks and activities performed to ensure that a database is running efficiently, securely, and with minimal downtime.
E
Endpoints Specific URLs at which an API can be accessed by a client application.
Event Sourcing A pattern in which changes to application state are stored as a sequence of events. It provides a complete audit trail of all changes and can help with debugging, scalability, and maintaining data integrity.
G
Git A distributed version-control system for tracking changes in source code during software development.
J
Jasmine A behavior-driven development framework for testing JavaScript code. It provides functions to structure and run tests.
L
Legal Firm Structure Terms
Associate A lawyer who is employed by a law firm but is not a partner or an owner. Associates typically have the potential to become partners after several years of service.
Equity Partner A partner who has an ownership stake in the firm and shares in the firm's profits. Equity partners are typically senior lawyers who have a significant influence on the firm's direction and strategy.
Managing Partner The partner responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the law firm. The managing partner often has administrative duties in addition to practicing law.
Non-Equity Partner A partner who does not have an ownership stake in the firm. Non-equity partners may receive a salary and bonuses but do not share in the firm's profits to the same extent as equity partners.
Partner A senior lawyer who has been granted partial ownership of the firm. Partners share in the firm's profits and are involved in its management and decision-making.
Senior Partner An experienced partner who holds a leadership position within the firm. Senior partners often have significant influence over the firm's strategic decisions and may oversee other partners.
Junior Partner A partner who is relatively new to the role of partner and may not yet have the same level of influence or ownership as senior partners. Junior partners are often on the path to becoming senior partners.
Of Counsel An attorney who has a close, ongoing relationship with a law firm but is not an associate or partner. Of counsel lawyers may provide specialized expertise or work on a part-time basis.
Paralegal A professional who assists lawyers in their work but is not licensed to practice law. Paralegals may conduct research, draft documents, and perform other supportive tasks under the supervision of an attorney.
Legal Assistant A support staff member who performs administrative tasks for lawyers and paralegals, such as scheduling, document management, and client communication.
Managing Attorney A lawyer who oversees the work of other attorneys and legal staff within a particular department or practice area. The managing attorney ensures that the team meets its goals and maintains high standards of practice.
Law Clerk A law student or recent graduate who assists a judge or attorney with research and drafting. Law clerks gain practical experience and may help prepare legal opinions or briefs.
Practice Group Leader An attorney responsible for leading a specific practice group within a law firm, overseeing the group's operations, and ensuring that the group meets its strategic and financial goals.
Section Lead A senior lawyer responsible for managing a particular section of the firm, often focusing on a specific area of law or group of practice areas.
Executive Partner A senior partner with additional executive responsibilities, such as participating in high-level strategic planning and decision-making for the firm.
FST Administrator (Firm Support Team Administrator) A professional responsible for managing the administrative support staff and ensuring the smooth operation of support services within the firm.
System Administrator An IT professional responsible for managing and maintaining the firm's computer systems, networks, and software applications.
Firm Management The collective group of individuals responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the law firm, including partners, executive partners, managing partners, and other key leaders.
M
Microservices An architectural style that structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled, independently deployable services. Each service represents a single business capability and is developed, deployed, and scaled independently.
Mocking Creating simulated objects or behavior in testing environments to mimic real objects or scenarios.
P
Profiling Methods Techniques used to analyze where a program spends its time and to identify potential performance bottlenecks.
Pub/Sub (Publish/Subscribe) A messaging pattern where senders (publishers) send messages without specifying the recipients (subscribers). Subscribers express interest in specific messages and only receive those they are interested in.
S
SOC2 (Service Organization Control 2) A type of auditing procedure that ensures service providers securely manage data to protect the privacy and interests of their clients.
Saga Pattern A pattern for managing distributed transactions, ensuring data consistency across multiple services without relying on distributed transactions. Sagas are sequences of local transactions coordinated through events or messages.
T
TypeScript A strongly typed programming language that builds on JavaScript, giving you better tooling at any scale.
TDD (Test-Driven Development) A software development process in which developers write tests for new functionality before writing the code to implement that functionality. It aims to improve code quality and maintainability.
U
Unit Testing A software testing method where individual units or components of a software are tested. The purpose is to validate that each unit of the software performs as designed.
V
Version Control A system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that you can recall specific versions later.
Vertical Scaling Increasing the capacity of a single server or resource to handle increased load, typically by adding more CPU, memory, or storage. This contrasts with horizontal scaling, which involves adding more servers or resources.