Just Below The Law

By Matt Mitrovich

Document review may be tedious and boring, but to say it lacks any value is ridiculous.  Skills learned as a contract attorney can transfer over when you take a job at a firm or start your own practice.  Below are just a few skills that you can gain from document review.

Learn key points faster: Going through all of the data that may be relevant to a case can be a daunting task, but contract attorneys have learned how to quickly sort through the data to find what is relevant.  They can read a complaint and other trial documents to find the search terms needed.  A few boxes of documents are child’s play to a former contract attorney compared to the mountains of data involved on an average document review.

Ingrained understanding of privilege: It is not unusual for new attorneys to have difficulty understanding attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine.  Experienced contract attorneys, however, have applied those doctrines so often that a single glance at a document can determine what protection it could receive.

Basic understanding on a variety of legal fields: To be a better reviewer, contract attorneys will take time at the beginning of a case to learn about that field of law and the meaning of the keywords and phrases that go with it.  If those same attorneys are on their own, they would be more willing to take a variety of cases because they have a foundation of knowledge from document review to build upon.

Understanding of the Litigation Process: Not all law schools require someone to take a Trial Advocacy course.  Those lacking that option can get an understanding of how litigation is played out by participating in the discovery phase and interacting with the attorneys supervising the review.  Contract attorneys know what to expect from litigation when they strike out on their own.

Software proficiency: Technology is ever-evolving and contract attorneys are at the forefront of that evolution in the legal industry.  Contract attorneys become proficient in various types of software besides what they use on a document review.  This knowledge can help make your own practice more proficient.

Leadership skills: Contract attorneys who are team leaders or project managers get a chance to test their leadership ability in a workplace environment.  If you get a job in a firm or start your own practice, you may find yourself working with people under you.  Your experiences as a leader on a project can help you better manage your future staff.

Communication skills: Contract attorneys routinely communicate with clients, attorneys and others on a project.  Learning how to communicate and listen effectively on a project can help an attorney once they take the more traditional route.

Work Ethic: Reviews demand both speed and efficiency.  Balancing the two is a difficult task even for an experienced contract attorney, but the attorney who masters it will gain a strong work ethic that they will keep with them in their future career.

By Angie Robertson

The lottery has gotten pretty lucrative in recent months.  Chances are you are one of millions of people who purchased a ticket.  Sadly, chances are also that you are one of the millions who did not win.

Contract attorneys in general have a few things in common.   Many of us are straddled with law school debt we haven’t figured out an escape from.  Frequently, we are strapped for cash, struggling to make ends meet between projects on odd jobs or unemployment.  While we are all grateful to have found a way to make ends meet on a short-term basis, none of us would be doing document review if we didn’t need the money.

I’ve been working on a small document review team for the past month. We have been able to hold limited conversations and everyone gets along—a sign that we’ve all been on our share of reviews.  When the lottery was over $600,000,000, we decided to go in on tickets as a team.  There was only one hold-out on our team of reviewers.  He said he just “didn’t believe in the lottery.”  He went on to explain some other plan that he has to make a billion dollars that no one else on the team could comprehend.  We didn’t ask any more questions.

We photocopied the tickets so we could all review them when the numbers were drawn.  Our outlook on life suddenly changed…

We all took turns telling stories about what we’d do with the money.  It felt as though we were sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows instead of in front of PC’s digging through spreadsheets.  We’d pay off loans, travel, save homeless animals, house homeless people, and create several dream homes of our own.  Investments in the Cayman Islands were mentioned more than once.

It was almost an hour before I realized my stomach was no longer growling, I wasn’t freezing anymore, I  stopped tapping my pen intermittently, and I wasn’t craving my usual third cup of coffee.  We were all full of hope, high on the promise of the lottery. One of my coworkers verbalized what we were all thinking:  “Even though I know that we’re not going to win, just pondering the possibility has been worth the two dollars.”

Monday morning, the man from our group who was in charge of the money gave each reviewer fifty cents.  We hadn’t hit the jackpot, but we DID win the Powerball—twice.   Our luck was looking up.  We decided to try again a few weeks later.  It has become a short-term tradition of sorts for us on our short-term document review.  Well, except the one reviewer who has his own secret billion dollar idea.  I really hope other document reviewers are pooling their efforts towards the lottery.  Because if my team never wins, I’d really like to see the money go to another team in the doc review universe.

Follow Angie on Twitter @robertsonatlaw

By Bethany Clark

So are you thinking that document review is a dead end road? Don’t see the value of it on your resume or see it adding any value to your professional pursuits in the future? Well, what if I told you that you could use document review to land a permanent job at a competitive salary? Document review doesn’t have to be a dead end road and it can add value to a professional future…in project management!

There are five things you can do to improve your chances of landing a permanent gig.

1.  Learn, learn, learn software and platforms – a lot of the behind the scenes of document review has a more technical spin than what the reviewers see on their end.  Learning Relativity, Concordance, or any new and upcoming platform in and out is the first big hurdle to get past if you even want to score an interview.

2. Gain leadership experience – start off with being a QCer then work your way up to team lead.  Gain the experience of managing a group of persons, and more importantly, do it well.

3.  Get on special projects – if you can’t start off with leadership experience try getting on any special projects the agency may assign.  Showing that your versatile and a team player comes in handy when applying for project management jobs.

4.  Work on your people skills – it would be helpful to have great communication skills if you want to lead.  I have seen projects where the leaders did not have any social skills whatsoever and what ensued was nothing good.

5.  Learn different areas of law – try to get on as many different areas of law on projects as you can.  Once again, casting a wide net will show that you are motivated and able to learn anything.  Also, you will have more of a chance being placed in different types of companies.

So Now That You Have the Skills…What Do You Do Next?

I would start off by targeting vendors who help on the projects that you have been on. Scour their websites and see if they have any openings for project managers.  Talk to recruiters and if you can, someone who actually works at a company that provides end-to-end support for clients.  Word of mouth can be a powerful tool.  Good luck!

Follow Bethany on Twitter @beclark12

By Angie Robertson

Of the few “perks” that come with document review, one of the most highly-coveted is the ability to listen to music, radio, or podcasts on a fairly regular basis while reviewing documents. I’ve compiled a list of new, old, useful, and unusual podcasts to spice up the doc review hours.  What are some of your favorites?

1. The Moth
If you are a fan of This American Life, you will probably enjoy the storytelling on The Moth, the podcasts of an acclaimed organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling.

2. Mental Illness Happy Hour
Comedian Paul Gilmartin discusses issues of depression, addiction and other mental challenges which are so prevalent in the creative arts.  Guests include celebrities, writers, doctors, and friends of friends.

3. The Paranormal Podcast
UFO sightings, mediums, and the supernatural are all featured topics of conversation on the Paranormal podcast. While host Jim Herald takes his paranormal pursuits very seriously, this podcast helps remind me how “normal” my real life of doc review actually is.

4. Judge Hodgman
Author, comedian, actor, and Daily Show personality John Hodgman takes a crack at the non-legal disputes of family members and friends.  If the high-stakes corporate dispute you are working on is boring compared to, say, an argument between mother and daughter over sanitation methods used in canning vegetables, this podcast may be a nice change of pace.

5. Radio Lingua
Language learning tools are made easy and fun with Radio Lingua.  Listening during doc review will probably not result in fluency, but it is a great supplement if you are taking classes or have taken classes and need to brush up on your skills.  Languages include Spanish, French, German, & Italian.

6. How Was Your Week with Julie Klausner
The former writer for VH1’s Best Week Ever and Rolling Stone columnist Julie Klausner rehashes the last week in pop culture.  A great break from the serious.

7. International Waters
This new podcast from the folks at Maximum Fun is a pop culture quiz that pits comedians from the U.S. against comedians from the U.K. The result is an hour of hilarity.

8. Dinner Party

If you only have time for one podcast, the Dinner Party will cover many bases. A cocktail recipe for this day in history, interviews with relevant artists, etiquette, and conversation starters–this show has it all.

9. Here’s the Thing- Alec Baldwin

SNL veteran and 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin has taken to the WNYC airwaves with his own podcasts where he has interviewed comedy legends, Hollywood names, political strategists, and whoever else he wants to interview.

10. Throwing Shade

Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi dissect issues in pop culture and politics that includes gay rights and women’s issues.  The tone is catty and you aren’t going to get the level of analysis you might come to expect from, say, Rachel Maddow.  Throwing Shade is, nonetheless, fun to listen to.

Follow Angie on Twitter @robertsonatlaw

By Anonymous

Project managers and team leads sometimes appear as if they have unfettered power.  But there are steps they can take to improve their management style and by doing so, improve the production on their project while actually being liked by the people they lead.

1. Drop the Superiority Complex – Some people get a little taste of power and get carried away.  I think we have all been on a project where a team lead or a project manager has been drunk with the knowledge that they hold some kind of say over the contract attorneys “beneath” them.  This can happen in the newly promoted, the temporary power hungry person or even the experienced team lead/project.  Whatever the case, superiority complexes have no room on a project.  You will get further with your team if you respect them as people instead of minions beneath your regard.
2. No More Cruel and Unusual Punishment – Document review is long and tedious..no brainer there.  Usually you are coding for 8-12+ hours.  Contract attorneys understand they must stay on task, but popping up every time a 5 minute conversation takes place is not the way to be.  Contract attorneys who take mini-breaks from the computer screen from time to time are in my experience the most happiest and efficient at their job.
3. Listen and Address Concerns – This is supposed to be self-explanatory, but I have heard recent rumors that begs to differ. Regardless of the reputation of contract attorneys, most doc reviewers are professionals who want to do a good job and don’t expect much in return.  Most of the time, if you are respecting the reviewers and their concerns and thoughts, it will definitely benefit you and increase your chances of a smoothly run project.  The way to address these concerns is not through sarcasm or being condescending to the reviewers.  Mocking or making fun of them for complaining about a simple issue (like a constantly overflowing toilet) that has a simple solution is counterproductive.  Improving this aspect of your project will go a long ways toward improving the morale on your project.
4. Be Better Communicators – Constantly changing rules or protocol is the nature of the business. However, sometimes team leads or project managers forget this and when QC time comes around, they rip you a new one.  Conveniently forgetting that it was 1 week ago and at that time it was a different protocol.  The nature of the business requires that the kinks be worked out, and unfortunately while this is happening reviewers are still coding.  Dissemination and clarification of information is one of the biggest complaints of contract attorneys.  Fixing this can improve the productivity on your project.
5. Improve Your Management Style – Rather than be passive aggressive, project managers and team leads should work toward a more proactive style of management.  Make the team work for you and not against you. Reviewers work harder and longer for persons that respect their intelligence and actually speak to them like they are human beings.

Taking the steps above is a great start to improving your management skills and to building a better and more efficient review team!

By Jill Elden Rorem

The life of a contractor is most times, not fair.  The kind of not fair that makes you want to have a temper tantrum.  “You, said contractor, are not allowed to leave our project before it is over or you’ll never work for us again,” says a typical agency.  They pay you like garbage, insist on limiting work hours and rarely acknowledge the critical work you do but STAY – don’t take a vacation, don’t make plans, don’t go on interviews, don’t have a life – all for 28/hr.   That is CRAP. With that opening, I provide you with my top 5s on this topic:

TOP FIVE EXPECTATIONS AN AGENCY CAN REASONABLY HAVE OF ITS CONTRACTORS (not in any particular order)

1.     Show up on time.

2.    Honestly track your hours.

3.    Put in an 8 hour day.

4.     Notify the agency of upcoming vacations or conflicts prior to the commencement of your project.  This way, they can decide if these conflicts make you ineligible for a particular gig.

5.     Do not go missing – it’s embarrassing when a client comes by and you’re not there and we don’t have any idea where you are.

TOP FIVE EXPECTATIONS A CONTRACTOR CAN REASONABLY HAVE OF ITS AGENCY (not in any particular order)

1.     An honest depiction of the duration of a project.  These can change, as we know, but you should know when it does.

2.    A clear understanding of expectations with regard to hours prior to the commencement of a project; i.e., will there be flex time or set hours? Will OT be mandatory, and if so at what rate?

3.    A workspace conducive to efficiency and comfort.

4.    An open door and an open mind for discussion should you have an occasion to leave a project before it ends.

5.    A staffing team that looks out for its contractors’ well being by securing the ideal situations with regard to rate, schedule and duration.  Will they go to bat for you?!

When a contractor quits a project, it means a lot of things for the agency: inconvenience, embarrassment, fear of losing a client, etc.  Oh how we wish that you will stay to the bitter end– regardless of the fact that you have already met the duration requirement, regardless of the pay, regardless of the hours, etc.  However, the agency must earn your dedication to each project by treating you well, paying you well, offering you a pleasant work environment, etc.

They must also understand that opportunities for lucrative projects or permanent positions are sometimes hard to pass up and listen to your circumstances with compassion and then feel comfortable discussing the situation with their clients.  If a case can settle on you without notice, you should be able to make 5 more bucks an hour if such a project presents itself.  The key is and will always be mutual respect and communication between agency and contractor.

Follow Jill on Twitter @roremlegalstaff

By Bethany Clark

Did you think that your chance of seeing the inside of a courtroom had come and gone? Think again! There are other careers that can definitely utilize your unique set of skills and you still get to be a part of the judicial process.  A court administrator is an ideal path for attorneys who are still looking to maintain ties to the court system, but also help in the administration of justice.

So What Does a Court Administrator Do?

A court administrator is responsible for the day-to-day management of a local or federal court system’s administrative duties.  Some of these responsibilities include:

• Analyzing the court’s case docket and improving case flow management
• Managing other employees including paying other employees
• Development and implementation of policy and procedures
• Balancing the budget and allocating funds to different areas
• Managing the court’s information technology system(s) (ensures that the records are kept up-to-date)
• Responding to public inquiries including from attorneys (including organizing press conferences when necessary. The court administrator acts as liaison)

What Skills Do You Need?

Many court administrators have a Juris Doctor and may or may not have previous attorney experience.  They generally have experience with managing personnel.  This means if you have any prior experience managing employees or an administrative staff those leadership qualities would help you in this field.  Court administrators are generally responsible for many human resource operations within the system and frequently are responsible for hiring and training new employees or assessing performance.

Also, court administrators may need skills handling complex budget and financial concerns.  Attorneys who have had their own business most likely have experience in dealing with any financial concerns and budget issues that may arise in the course of business and, therefore, are more adept at handling any complex financial issues that may arise. Any analytical skills you have learned would help as well because court administrators analyze legal procedures to make sure that all employees of a courtroom are performing their jobs correctly and efficiently within the system.  Lastly, familiarity with the court system, communication skills, and computer proficiency are highly desired by most employers of court administrators.  These are skills that many attorneys possess.

How Do You Get Started?

The good part about this position is since most attorneys already have the basic knowledge that a court administrator needs then all they have to do is build upon that.  If you feel you need to know more about the way the court system works before diving in and applying, you can go to any courthouse and observe any of the proceedings open to the public.  Start applying to positions that are reflective of your work experience.  You can find available court administrator jobs under any local courthouse website underneath the employment section. Read the court clerk job description carefully and focus on the specific criteria that fit the experience you have already obtained.   As with all things government though, it is definitely a process that moves slowly.  But if you are patient and persistent and have the necessary skills, this could be the new career for you!

Follow Bethany on Twitter @beclark12

By Angie Robertson

Attention law students and recent law school graduates:  Did you recently get an unusual email from your law school’s Dean, begging you not to sue them for misleading employment statistics?

By this time, you’ve probably heard about lawsuits filed against a handful of law schools alleging that they misled prospective students in their portrayal of post-graduation employment statistics.  Last month, the plaintiffs in these cases got good news and bad news.  A motion to dismiss filed by Thomas Jefferson Law School was denied in California.  However, more recently, a similar motion to dismiss filed by New York Law School was granted.  Anziska & Strauss boldly promise to sue about twenty additional law schools and plan to appeal the NYLS decision.  A list of the names of twenty law schools was published on Above the Law after the Thomas Jefferson decision.  Law school deans reacted hastily by emailing student bodies and recent graduates.

As a Loyola University School of Law Chicago alum, I received one of these letters from my Dean.  It was short and to the point.  The letter told us we would be encouraged to join the lawsuits, but that it would be meritless.  The Dean explained that Loyola has been commended by the Law School Transparency Project for going above and beyond what is required of them by the ABA when they report employment statistics.  Noticeably missing from the letter was anything along the lines of, “We understand that now is an incredibly trying time for young attorneys seeking employment and we are open to ideas and suggestions on what we can do to assist you as you develop as a professional,” or even, “Please do not hesitate to contact me or our career service office…”

I think everyone who has struggled with finding a permanent legal job right now has seriously considered suing their law school.  The “there’s no problem here” attitude of the defendant law schools doesn’t help our collective angst.  Would you risk giving up the remote possibility of potential connections you could get from your law school’s alumni in your career search in exchange for a monetary settlement of full tuition-reimbursement?  I know a lot of you are fervently nodding your heads “yes!”

The reality is that the risk/benefit analysis is far more complicated.  What if the law graduates of the cases lose, or lose on appeal?  What about the added stress of waiting for years on a decision with such weight on your finances and livelihood?  Moreover, after just a year or less on the legal job market, wouldn’t joining this lawsuit nail the coffin shut on your legal career?

I won’t be suing my law school after all–mostly because I honestly don’t think the employment statistics I relied upon in 2006 when I was applying to school were inflated.  At least one person from my law school decided otherwise.  What do you think?  Would you sue your law school?

Follow Angie on Twitter @robertsonatlaw

By Bethany Clark

As contract attorneys it has been said many times how perilous our employment situation is in our field.  We need to make sure to plan financially for the future because at any time our cash flow could stop.  This includes any personal or professional responsibilities that we may have to fulfill.  One of the most routine professional obligations is our Continuing Legal Education credits.  The requirements come around like clockwork and for a lot of attorneys it is that time of year again.  Since we are frequently juggling many responsibilities, trying to keep your law license up-to-date should be the least of your worries.  Below are just a few of some great resources to help you achieve these requirements with the least hit to your pocketbook.

Blogs

Gina’s CLE Blog – This blog is a great source for CLE and accreditation information for attorneys admitted into any jurisdiction in the country.  Not only does it have different websites listed to obtain access to CLE classes/credits, but it also has CLE Compliance dates listed by state.  Moreover, the blog has up-to-date posts on CLE news around the country.  A well-organized and informative blog.

Organizations

Lawline.com  - This organization, established in 1999, describes itself as having quickly become a leading provider of Online Continuing Legal Education courses for attorneys across the country.  They routinely feature discount specials for CLE bundles for different states across the country.  Right now they are featuring all Illinois MCLE requirements with a 30 credit bundle (6 ethics) for $199.  It also has a subscription service and you can pay for unlimited CLE.

IL MCLE website – this website allows you to search by course title, area and even allows you to put a limit on how much you want to spend per course.  It also lets you filter by the method of CLE whether it be live, recorded or online.  If you find yourself a couple of credits short and don’t want to purchase in a bundle, this might be the perfect way to go.

UnitedCLE.com - This site is out of California, but is an Accredited CLE Provider. It has CLE for multiple states.  It also has a subscription service for unlimited CLE.  Right now it is featuring an IL MCLE bundle for $139. Most notable is that the company believes all attorneys should have access to quality CLE classes and has options for you if you are experiencing financial hardship.  If you find yourself in a bind, this might be the way to go.

Apexcle.com – This company was established in 2007 and is also an Accredited CLE Provider. What’s more they have free CLE!  They offer these free deals from time to time.  Right now there is a free CLE offered for IL on ethics in the Electronic Age.

Americanbar.org- The ABA has many CLE classes they offer.  Sometimes these are pricey, but other times they have been known to have some free classes on different selected topics.

The best advice regarding CLE is to browse your options and then pick what’s best for your financial situation!

Follow Bethany on Twitter @beclark12