In the early stages of any software platform, the codebase is often a battlefield—features are shipped fast, edge cases are patched on the fly, and architectural purity takes a backseat to survival. But then something shifts. Quietly, unmistakably, the system begins to speak for itself.
That’s where we are now.
Our recent work has revealed a pattern—not just in the code, but in the philosophy behind it. When design patterns, inheritance, generics, and reflection all take center stage, it’s more than a technical milestone. It’s a signal that the platform is maturing. Each principle promotes reuse in its own right. Together, they’re a force multiplier.
📐 Design Patterns as Narrative Structure
We’ve leaned into the Template Method pattern to govern how legal deadlines are processed. The base class defines the flow:
- Identify the trigger event
- Apply the base limitation
- Layer in discovery rules, tolling, and repose
- Record an auditable result
- Derived classes override only what’s necessary—just like statutory exceptions modifying common law. It’s not just elegant; it’s jurisprudential.
🧬 Inheritance as Legal DNA
Our base utility now serves as the “common law” of the system. It encodes the default rules for:
- Limitation periods
- Discovery logic
- Minor tolling
- Statute of repose
Each derived utility—whether for personal injury, medical malpractice, or motor vehicle claims—inherits this foundation and introduces overrides only where the law demands nuance. It’s inheritance with discernment.
🧰 Generics for Repeatability
We’ve begun abstracting shared behaviors into generic utilities—hydrating rule sets, generating audit trails, and managing extension logic.
This isn’t just DRY code. It’s a framework for onboarding new practice areas with surgical precision—and every new rule automatically inherits the same audit-ready scaffolding.
🪞 Reflection for Extensibility
Reflection allows us to instantiate calculators dynamically based on metadata and rule types.
No fragile switch statements.
No hard-coded logic.
Just clean, data-driven instantiation that respects exclusivity while enabling scale.
🚀 The Force Multiplier
These principles aren’t just academic. They’ve transformed how we build:
Lean codebase: Duplication is gone. Shared logic lives in one place.
Reduced bugs: Fixes in the base class propagate everywhere.
Fast extensibility: Adding a new calculator is now a seven-step, repeatable process.
Audit by design: Every deadline decision leaves a transparent, explainable trail.
🧭 Closing Thought
This refactor wasn’t just about code. It was about alignment. By treating our base utility as “common law” and our overrides as “statutory exceptions,” we’ve created a system that respects the law’s structure and delivers maintainable, audit-defensible software.
If you’re a developer who sees architecture as narrative, and reuse as stewardship, we’re building something you’ll want to be part of.
About the Author
My name is Paul A. Jones Jr., and I am a software engineer and legal tech founder developing tools for professionals in law and other regulated industries. I write about systems thinking, modern workflows, and SaaS applications at PaulJonesSoftware.com. Follow me on Twitter: @PaulAJonesJr.
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