Comments on: Contract Attorney Perks

By: DC Contract Attorney

DC Contract Attorney — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:37:06 +0000

NoVa attorney, you must be a newbie to contract work if you no idea what law firm bars earphones.

Maybe someone will just Jot Or Note, Even Scribble the name of the law firm for you one of these DAYs!

By: NoVaAtty

NoVaAtty — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:58:41 +0000

Can you publically name the firm the bars headphones? That would be an absolute deal-killer for me, yet I would feel somewhat silly about asking my placement agency about the rules regarding earphones (since I already ask lots of questions before permitting my resume to be submitted).

By: Jill M.

Jill M. — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:16:48 +0000

Some additional perks I’ve come across/heard about:

1) Free cookies/ unlimited cold beverages (juice, coke, water, etc.)/ weekly breakfast
2) Ergonomics
3) Subsidized metro cards
4) Access to a gym (we all know it’s easy to overeat during these projects, especially when they pay us a daily per diem for meals)
5) Having friendly associates and co-workers are definite perks too! =)

Joe – I agree with all your suggestions – Subsidizing pro bono services would allow us to do something great for those in need while doing contract work on the side. Having our bar dues and CLE courses paid for would be great too! Especially for folks like me who like to stay in active status for more than one jurisdiction and have CLE deadlines coming up soon.

By: Temp Partner

Temp Partner — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:07:18 +0000

Many agencies provide bonuses after a certain number of hours worked as working incentives. I think offering a CLE or bar fee reimbursement bonus wouldn’t be too far off for agencies to provide. I can see it happening one day when the market picks up again.

By: Joe Miller

Joe Miller — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 01:17:57 +0000

The contract lawyers of the future will be the ones who can bring more to the table than an ability to review documents. As doc. review projects are offshored and automated, the staffing agencies of the future will be the ones that provide:

1) CLE reimbursements for CLE programs of the contract attorney’s choice (whether the cost is $25 or $1,250).
2) subsidies for pro bono service.
3) reimbursements for bar and association fees.
4) formal mentoring programs.

That’s just good business, which would help contract attorneys advance beyond the shop floor (which will increasingly be in Bangalore and Mumbai), keep staffing agencies in business, and provide the poor with much wider access to pro bono services.