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Cogburn87

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Posts: 467
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 11:26 pm

Re: Lean Staffing

Post by Cogburn87 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:12 pm

englawyer wrote:
Contract Attorneys If the firm uses them, contract attorneys will usually handle basic doc review, which pushes juniors into more interesting work (e.g. finding the important docs for an upcoming deposition rather than doing bare relevant/non-relevant review).
lol @ this profession if doing a second round review or putting together a witness kit is "interesting work."
lol @ clients who pay an associate's rate for this shit.

09042014

Diamond
Posts: 18203
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:47 pm

Re: Lean Staffing

Post by 09042014 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:26 pm

Cogburn87 wrote:
englawyer wrote:
Contract Attorneys If the firm uses them, contract attorneys will usually handle basic doc review, which pushes juniors into more interesting work (e.g. finding the important docs for an upcoming deposition rather than doing bare relevant/non-relevant review).
lol @ this profession if doing a second round review or putting together a witness kit is "interesting work."
lol @ clients who pay an associate's rate for this shit.
I wouldn't let doc review turds do both levels of review.

ruski

Bronze
Posts: 425
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009 10:45 am

Re: Lean Staffing

Post by ruski » Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:32 pm

im speaking from corp side, but most firms actually don't want to staff you leanly. thats just a lie they tell potential candidiates. the secret is they really want to put as many associates/counsel/partners on a matter as the client will pay for. of coruse within reason, but theres not a big advantage to purposefully staffing leanly. if a matter could use another pair of hands, and there are pple available to be staffed, they will be. this usually doesn't transalte into multiple juniors (so don't get too excited about splitting up your work), but moreso into more heirarchy. so instead of a junior -> senior -> partner, maybe theyll throw in a counsel into the mix as well or a midlevel or soemthing, or 2 partners.

dixiecupdrinking

Gold
Posts: 3436
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:39 pm

Re: Lean Staffing

Post by dixiecupdrinking » Tue Sep 02, 2014 2:55 am

TooOld4This wrote:I get the sense that law students think lean staffing means working closely with a parter who will take an interest in you. What it actually means is that you are thrown work that you have no business doing, with very little instruction and the terror of committing malpractice haunts your every waking moment (and many of your few sleeping ones as well). Some people thrive on being one document from ruining their careers. Some are unaware of how close they are to really f*cking up. Some pray to be returned to doc review/diligence.
This too.

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Johann

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Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:25 pm

Re: Lean Staffing

Post by Johann » Tue Sep 02, 2014 6:20 am

I'm at a very thinly staffed firm and it's a double edged sword for sure. No steady billables without doc review is not really accurate. There is always work to be done because thinly staffed so people are swamped. Also, in the couple of times work does dry up you do nonbillable client development - articles newsletters prep presentations. It's good in the one sense that immediately you get the experience you need to be self sufficient. It's the fastest way to develop as a lawyer. After 2 years here I'd have no concerns about finding another job based on my experience or opening up my own firm. Even after 1 year, I'd think I could get by. So, highly reccomended thin staffed firms as far as individual development.
That said, it can be scary. I pulled an all nighter to produce something for a client and i was tired and it was not my best work product. I sent to partner to review thinking it was not my best work but for the sake of time, partner could review and I would revise. Partner made 0 changes and only did a read through. Partner sent to client. So yes that is terrifying. The work was not perfect, but the partner was just so swamped and this was something minor in the scheme of things so partner did not care to make revisions. Knowing that something like that can go straight to a client is scary, but at the same time - that's how you get good at being a lawyer.
One big caveat though - just because a firm says they are leanly staffed doesn't make it true. Our team is half the size of what it should be. As far as vacation goes - not a big deal here. People get a few weeks a year and take two weeks at a time without a problem.
Also - I still get plenty of mindlessly dumb tasks to do that aren't doc review but don't require anything more than high school brain. The change of pace is nice.
If it's easier to get canned at a thin staffed firm(which I don't really buy) it's def easier to land on your feet if you can point to substantive things you've done.

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