Comments on: Waiting For A Change of Scenery http://www.myattorneyblog.com/waiting-for-a-change-of-scenery/ The Life of a Contract Attorney in Temp Town, Washington D.C. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:23:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Temp Partner http://www.myattorneyblog.com/waiting-for-a-change-of-scenery/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Temp Partner Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:18:53 +0000 http://www.myattorneyblog.com/enjoying-the-regular-change-of-scenery/#comment-88 M, I will post more thoughts about this soon, but here are basic answers to your questions: 1. I would say the age of contract attorneys tend to be on the older side. Many have worked years in private practice and have now chosen to perform temp work. Law tends to be populated by relatively older people, quite different from computer science, which is an area more dominated by younger workers. 2. Usually contract attorneys only interview once with each agency. After registering and letting the agency know what you are looking for, you wait until they have a project for you. There is no real haggling - you can either take a pass or accept. Most agencies would prefer to roll you over onto another project if possible but if they have no additional work available at the moment, there isn't much they can do for you. I think they prefer rolling over regulars because it's less riskier them "trying out" new temps. 3. I have been paid a different rate from other contract attorneys on the same project before. When I discovered this I began very upset and raised this problem with the agency. The agency feigned innocence, but I think they became embarrassed and ultimately raised my rate to that of my peers. The majority of agencies have official no-talk policies, but despite a few of the agencies' Gestapo attempts, contract attorneys do discuss/gossip among themselves about wage rates and agency politics. Blacklisting is a remote possibility, but at the same time, this is not an area that agencies focus their blacklisting activities on. Ditching a project is. M,
I will post more thoughts about this soon, but here are basic answers to your questions:

1. I would say the age of contract attorneys tend to be on the older side. Many have worked years in private practice and have now chosen to perform temp work. Law tends to be populated by relatively older people, quite different from computer science, which is an area more dominated by younger workers.

2. Usually contract attorneys only interview once with each agency. After registering and letting the agency know what you are looking for, you wait until they have a project for you. There is no real haggling – you can either take a pass or accept. Most agencies would prefer to roll you over onto another project if possible but if they have no additional work available at the moment, there isn’t much they can do for you. I think they prefer rolling over regulars because it’s less riskier them “trying out” new temps.

3. I have been paid a different rate from other contract attorneys on the same project before. When I discovered this I began very upset and raised this problem with the agency. The agency feigned innocence, but I think they became embarrassed and ultimately raised my rate to that of my peers.

The majority of agencies have official no-talk policies, but despite a few of the agencies’ Gestapo attempts, contract attorneys do discuss/gossip among themselves about wage rates and agency politics. Blacklisting is a remote possibility, but at the same time, this is not an area that agencies focus their blacklisting activities on. Ditching a project is.

]]> By: M http://www.myattorneyblog.com/waiting-for-a-change-of-scenery/comment-page-1/#comment-87 M Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:51:45 +0000 http://www.myattorneyblog.com/enjoying-the-regular-change-of-scenery/#comment-87 Right now, I am working as an Associate. I haven't yet worked in the contract attorney field. I am still the unofficial PC/LAN support guy at the office. I am curious about two things for those of you who are working in the Contract Attorney field: 1) Most Contractors in Computers are young. They refer to our area as the Campus, very few older people stay and do Contract work. Is it the same in Attorney Contract field? 2) Most Recruiters "headhunters" in Computers will not voluntarily try to extend you a new contract. So, each new job it the same process: techn interview, regular interview, employer interview, wait, wait somemore, haggle a contract. Is it the same with Attorney contracts? 3) It 's a big one. The Computer Recruiter can have 4 employees at the same site make differenct amounts doing similar or the same job. One person may get per diem + rate A, other rate B, or straight salary. They are fanatical about kepping your rate hush hush to the point of blacklisting. Is it the same in contract attorney field? Right now, I am working as an Associate. I haven’t yet worked in the contract attorney field. I am still the unofficial PC/LAN support guy at the office. I am curious about two things for those of you who are working in the Contract Attorney field:
1) Most Contractors in Computers are young. They refer to our area as the Campus, very few older people stay and do Contract work. Is it the same in Attorney Contract field?
2) Most Recruiters “headhunters” in Computers will not voluntarily try to extend you a new contract. So, each new job it the same process: techn interview, regular interview, employer interview, wait, wait somemore, haggle a contract. Is it the same with Attorney contracts?
3) It ‘s a big one. The Computer Recruiter can have 4 employees at the same site make differenct amounts doing similar or the same job. One person may get per diem + rate A, other rate B, or straight salary. They are fanatical about kepping your rate hush hush to the point of blacklisting. Is it the same in contract attorney field?

]]> By: Temp Partner http://www.myattorneyblog.com/waiting-for-a-change-of-scenery/comment-page-1/#comment-86 Temp Partner Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:55:45 +0000 http://www.myattorneyblog.com/enjoying-the-regular-change-of-scenery/#comment-86 M, You have a very interesting diverse set of skills. So does this mean you can qualify for computer contract work during periods when the contract attorney job market is slow? M,
You have a very interesting diverse set of skills. So does this mean you can qualify for computer contract work during periods when the contract attorney job market is slow?

]]> By: M http://www.myattorneyblog.com/waiting-for-a-change-of-scenery/comment-page-1/#comment-85 M Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:20:59 +0000 http://www.myattorneyblog.com/enjoying-the-regular-change-of-scenery/#comment-85 Before becoming a Lawyer, I worked as a Contract Computer Programmer/Systems Anayst. Similar to Doc Review, I went from project to project. It paid anywhere from $25 to $50 hr + Per Diem + Perks. Sometime the project would last one month. Sometime the project would just run on and on. When the System was installed and tested the work was done, -so was your project. Most people would never made it to the end of the project. Fortunately, most people left voluntarily before the project was done. One of the most unfair comments I would get from people was about stability of work. "At Will Employment" means no stability! I did have an advantage over Non-Contract employees in that I knew my job was not going to last. Rarely, would a headhunter roll you over to a new project. So, as soon as we started testing I was looking for a new job. I have heard Entertainment Jobs, Computer Jobs, and now Doc Review described a "feast and famine" employment. When times are good you can feast at $35 hr + OT. But, if you don't roll over to another position and don't have 21 weeks necessary for unemployment expect famine.. Before becoming a Lawyer, I worked as a Contract Computer Programmer/Systems Anayst. Similar to Doc Review, I went from project to project. It paid anywhere from $25 to $50 hr + Per Diem + Perks. Sometime the project would last one month. Sometime the project would just run on and on. When the System was installed and tested the work was done, -so was your project. Most people would never made it to the end of the project. Fortunately, most people left voluntarily before the project was done.

One of the most unfair comments I would get from people was about stability of work. “At Will Employment” means no stability! I did have an advantage over Non-Contract employees in that I knew my job was not going to last. Rarely, would a headhunter roll you over to a new project. So, as soon as we started testing I was looking for a new job. I have heard Entertainment Jobs, Computer Jobs, and now Doc Review described a “feast and famine” employment. When times are good you can feast at $35 hr + OT. But, if you don’t roll over to another position and don’t have 21 weeks necessary for unemployment expect famine..

]]> By: Temp Partner http://www.myattorneyblog.com/waiting-for-a-change-of-scenery/comment-page-1/#comment-83 Temp Partner Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:20:31 +0000 http://www.myattorneyblog.com/enjoying-the-regular-change-of-scenery/#comment-83 Patience my young Padewan, the job market gods, aka Posse List will smile upon you soon enough. Patience my young Padewan, the job market gods, aka Posse List will smile upon you soon enough.

]]> By: Joe Miller http://www.myattorneyblog.com/waiting-for-a-change-of-scenery/comment-page-1/#comment-80 Joe Miller Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:06:58 +0000 http://www.myattorneyblog.com/enjoying-the-regular-change-of-scenery/#comment-80 Temp Partner, I am between projects. You think I could borrow a few dollars? You know I'm good for it. Temp Partner,

I am between projects. You think I could borrow a few dollars? You know I’m good for it.

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