AttorneyMentoring.com Legal Temping Temp Lawyers

Temporary Legal Employment
by Jennifer McCarroll Copyright 2006.

Who Becomes a Temporary Attorney?

In the last 15 years, the availability of temporary legal positions has exploded. Temporary legal positions are available to everyone holding a Juris
Doctorate degree from recent law school graduates through senior attorneys, essentially retired, but interested in keeping busy. Temporary legal
employment provides either a stop-gap measure for those who are out of work, or a way of life for those seeking career flexibility.

What Types of Positions Are Available?

Temporary legal positions are available from a variety of different sources; temporary placement agencies; law firms; corporations; government
entities and more. Virtually every legal employer hires temporary staff in one form or another.

Generally the type of temporary work available falls into two categories. In the first category is substantive work. Substantive positions are loosely
defined in the temporary legal world as anything that is not document review. Temporary agencies typically work with corporations and financial
institutions and large, medium and a few select smaller firms who engage them to find attorneys to fill temporary needs created by a variety of
situations. Perhaps the firm is conducting a permanent search for a new attorney but in the meantime has an acute need. In other instances, the
firm may have an associate out on maternity or sick leave. Other firms find that they have an increase in workload but do not perceive that it will exist
for the duration and therefore, chose to fill this need with a temporary attorney. While many law firms choose to work through agencies to find
temporary attorneys, some hire directly.

Corporate legal departments also hire temporary attorneys to grapple with similar staffing dilemmas. Additionally, many corporate legal departments
consider temporary attorneys when they are faced with hiring freezes. It is not uncommon when the hiring freezes are lifted for those attorneys who
were placed in temporary positions to find those positions offered to them as permanent jobs.

The second category of temporary legal work is document review. Document review involves the examination of documents produced in litigation for
the purpose of identifying either responsive or privileged documents as well as corporate due diligence. For the most part, documents are generally
reviewed electronically utilizing various, sophisticated document management software applications.

Temporary legal work is available at all levels, from recent law school graduates to senior attorneys. Some clients may not even require valid bar
standing in order to be considered. Generally, document reviews are run in large group settings with a number of attorneys located in one room,
seated at individual workstations and reviewing the documents anywhere from eight to twelve hours per day. These positions last anywhere from
weeks to months to, in some cases, years.

The upside to these positions is that they are reliable, plentiful and pay a livable wage. Attorneys working on document reviews in large cities
commonly make six-figure salaries. The downside of these positions is the repetitiousness and the lack of recognition of individual ability.
Generally, document review positions do not lead to anything more than the next document review position.

How Do I Find a Temporary Position

When you start asking friends and colleagues you may be surprised to find how many have actually worked as a temporary attorney at one time, or
have friends or family members currently working in temporary positions.

Working Through An Agency
The best way to begin the process of looking for a temporary position through an agency is to ask around and find out which have good reputations.
Once you identify a few agencies, give them a call and begin to get a feel for them. Most likely the agency will ask you to send it a copy of your resume
so that it may evaluate whether your background fits its client’s needs. When you send your resume, make it clear that it should not be distributed
without your prior approval. Reputable agencies will always require a face-to-face interview with you and require you to provide professional
references. This process is called “registering.” You should treat the interview with the agency the same as you would a permanent job interview. In
the course of the registration process, you will be asked to provide information regarding your education, employment history, etc. You will also very
likely be asked to review and sign a variety of forms prepared by the agency. Commonly accepted forms include; insider trading and communication
policies; employee handbooks and a benefits acknowledgement. Some agencies may ask you to sign forms forfeiting certain rights, this practice is
questionable and you should carefully evaluate such forms before determining whether you will sign.

Once you become a registered candidate, you should keep in touch with the agency. Typically an email or a call once a week is sufficient for you to
express you interest and availability. Those candidates who stay in touch are the ones who are called first when a position becomes available.

Keep in mind that once you accept a position through an agency, that agency, not the organization where you report to work every day, is your
employer. Thus, you will be paid and perhaps, offered benefits through your employing agency.

Finding Independent Temporary Work
You may also find temporary positions directly through an organization, a friend, or a former colleague. Many employers advertise on the online job
boards and in newspapers. Sometimes these positions are available for a fixed duration and sometimes they are project-specific. Typically the
rates paid in these position are higher than those found through agencies. The trade-off is the lack of formal structure and the benefits and taxes you
must bear on your own. Another great way to find positions is through direct networking. Use your contacts to learn about opportunities to pick up a
research project on the side, to handle a real estate closing, or to draft an agreement. Smaller companies, nonprofits and individuals are frequently
looking for reasonably priced legal work. Let your circle of contacts know that you are willing and able!

How To Work Successfully in a Temporary Position

In order to succeed in a temporary position you must treat it the same as you would a permanent position. The basics: arrive on time every day; work
hard; follow through; when things are slow, ask if you can help in other areas; and at the end of the day, do not be the first one out the door.

Where most temporary attorneys fall into trouble is when they generally become too comfortable or familiar in the temporary work environment. When
working in a temporary position you should feel free to offer input but do not overstep and find yourself in a position where you are providing truly
unsolicited advice. This may prove slightly frustrating because there are times when you may have more experience than the person assigned to
oversee your work. However, you must keep in mind that you are there to compliment an existing structure and not to critique or improve (unless you
have been explicitly assigned that task).

You should also be careful to curtail your use of office equipment and company time for your own personal needs. Certainly most people have a
personal phone call or two throughout the work day. However, you should keep in mind that you are being paid by the hour. Keep a close eye on the
time you report as any misrepresentation is a serious issue.

Finally, many attorneys working in temporary position are hopeful that the position will become permanent. The person who walks in from day one,
however, overtly advancing that interest, is typically the last one who is extended an offer. Generally, hard work, excellent skills and a great attitude are
the best path to a permanent offer.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Temporary Legal Work

Perhaps the greatest advantage of temporary work is your ability to make money with a skill set you already possess. It will allow you to enhance
your network of contact and in some positions, keep your skills sharp. Temporary work allows you to take or reject work as you please in order to
accommodate your lifestyle.

The disadvantages of temporary work are that the availability of positions may be entirely unpredictable. Additionally, you may find yourself in
mundane positions with little room for developing additional skills and knowledge. If you are looking for a permanent position while trying to hold
down a temporary position, you may find the balance difficult.

On balance, however, if you conduct an accurate self-assessment with regard to your goals and interests and proceed accordingly, you will likely find
that there are temporary positions available that meet both your and your clients needs.