DO'S AND DONT'S

Before starting a temporary attorney assignment it is important to understand the process of temporary attorney work and the expectations of each party involved.

There are three parties involved in each assignment - the placement agency, the law firm and YOU. Each party has its own interests at stake each time a temporary attorney is placed on an assignment.

Placement Agencies

Finding an Agency
Tempatty.com has a comprehensive list of New York City placement agencies. Go to Placement Agencies to find agencies and links to their websites. Many of the placement agencies have offices in other states such as, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, DC. To determine which agencies are most interested in signing up new temporary attorneys go to the Job Market section of the New York Times. There you will find agencies soliciting resumes for temporary attorneys. Placement agencies employ both admitted attorneys (any state) and attorneys that have not been admitted. Admitted attorneys may have an easier time finding work and sometimes are paid more than non-admitted attorneys.

Submit Your Resume
Once you have decided which agencies to sign up with submit your resume via the agency's website or on-line job posting. Then follow-up with a phone call. If the agency is interested in signing you up, they will invite you in for an interview.

The Agency Interview
Dress professionally for your interview (a suit never fails). Arrive a few minutes early to get a head start on the paperwork and bring any necessary documentation (the agency will tell you what documentation you need).

Getting an Assignment
If an agency accepts you for work, they will call you when an assignment suitable to your level of experience becomes available. If you do not hear from the agency in a week give them a gentle reminder via e-mail or phone that you are currently available for work. It is important for the agency to know you are not on another assignment and trying to line something up ahead of time before your current assignment ends. If you call once a week (always be cheerful and polite!) the agency will make every effort to call you first when a position becomes available. An agency will call you when an assignment becomes available and ask if they can submit your resume for the position. The agency should tell you the pay rate, duration and location of the assignment, but not necessarily the client name. If you are interested in the project the agency will submit your resume to the client. If the client accepts you for the project you will be given either a) a start date and all relevant information, or b) a time to interview with the firm. An agency should always request your permission before submitting your resume to a client.

The Law Firm Interview
In some cases a law firm will request to interview potential candidates. The interview may be conducted by the partner on the case, an assoicate or the coordinater for temporary attorneys (usually a paralegal supervisor). The purpose of the interview is to get a first hand account of a candidates experience and determine if a candidate is a good fit for the project. Law firm interviews usually last only 10 to 15 minutes so be sure to be on time. After the firm completes its interviewing process, it will inform the temporary agency which temporary attorneys it wishes to hire.

The Project
The usual business conduct applies. Dress professionally, arrive on time and be prepared to work! The terms of an assignment vary greatly. Hours can range from 40 hours per week to 80 hours per week and work days can range from Monday through Friday or include the weekends. Meals, car service and other perks also vary.

Pay rates
All contract attorneys are paid by the hour. Hourly rates for document review range from as low as $25/hour (low, non-admitted attorney rate) to $45/hour. Contract attorneys working on a privilege log usually get paid more. Anywhere from $50/hr flat to $50 plus time and a half. Sometimes contract attorneys are paid a flat rate for all hours worked and other times they are paid one rate for the first 40 hours per week worked and time and a half for any hours over 40 hours per week worked. It depends on what the placement agency negotiates.

Rates typically range from $25 to $45 dollars an hour. An agency that pays less than $35/hour may be under competitive pressure. By accepting low rates temporary attorneys perpetuate low rates being offered. Placement agencies will rarely negotiate their hourly payment to a temporary attorney. Under certain cicumstances an agency may concede an additional one dollar to an hourly rate.

Placement agencies bill law firms somewhere between $50 to $65 dollars an hour for each temporary attorney. Law firms bill their clients between $180 and $200 dollars an hour and up for each temporary attorney. Placement agencies make money off each temporary attorney placed on an assignment (and rightly so!), and so do the law firms!

In some cases a client will dictate to a law firm which placement agency to use. A temporary assignment paying $35 dollars an hour plus time and a half for a 60 hour work week equals nearly the same weekly pay as a temporary assignment paying a $40 dollars an hour flat rate for a 60 hour work week. The latter situation is better because you do not have to worry about completing your 40 hours in order to get into overtime hours or be concerned with your hours being reduced unexpectedly. In addition, if you're being paid at a rate of $40 dollars an hour you are paid relatively well even if your hours are reduced.

Tips
A placement agency's client is the law firm. Placement agencies work extremely hard developing and maintaining relationships with law firms. Placement agencies value their relationships with law firms above all else.

If you’re called into an assignment and it ends the same day, the agency should pay you for 4 hours of work regardless of whether you worked for four hours.

Law Firms

Dress Code
Most law firms have a business casual dress code but some law firms still have a business formal dress code. In either case, law firms expect temporary attorneys to adhere to their dress code. It is very important to follow a law firm's dress code. Although there may be some leeway it is best to observe the dress of your fellow temporary attorneys the first few days. Also keep in mind that some agency employees visit projects on the law firm site to see how things are going and/or dispense pay checks.

I have heard of temporary attorneys being sent home from assignments for improper dress, but this may be an exaggeration.

On the weekends the dress code is usually street clothes such as jeans and t-shirts. Avoid dressing too casually as there may be associates and partners in the office over the weekend.


Meals
Under certain circumstances a law form will pay for your meals (lunch and dinner or only dinner). If a law firm is paying for lunch it is usually a catered lunch of sandwiches etc. This can occur on particularly demanding assignments with extensive hours. A law firm will usually pay for dinner if the temporary attorney works until 8pm. The law firm will accomplish this one of three ways: a meal voucher for the law firm's cafeteria, access to the SeamlessWeb (an on-line meal delivery service), or meal reimbursement. In the case of reimbursement you pay out of pocket and submit your receipts with your weekly time sheet. The reimbursement will be added to your paycheck. The dinner allowance varies from $15.00 to $20.00 including the tip. Dinner is usually consumed at one's desk.

Transportation

What
A car (usually a Ford Crown Victoria) and driver.

Where
Car service is provided from the law firm only to the temporary attorney's "home." Once a home address is selected it generally can not be changed. There may be additional guidelines regarding car service to the five boroughs and to other states (i.e. Connecticut and New Jersey). Check with your agency or law firm.

When
Law firms normally provide car service if a temporary attorney works past 8pm or 9pm. Some law firms will end work hours at exactly 8pm (or 9pm) to avoid providing car service. When car service is provided the law firm will give a car service voucher to the temporary attorney which is then given to the driver.

Vouchers
Some law firms have on-site car service coordinators. The coordinators will call the car service and provide the car service with the pick-up and drop-off destination. They will also complete the necessary voucher for each attorney and call the attorney when the car is about to arrive. Other law firms require the temporary attorney to call the car service and complete the voucher. The car service voucher is normally given to the driver at the drop off destination. This is a prudent idea for two reasons, 1) because drivers have been known to put down false pick-up and/or drop off times, and if you give them the voucher at the drop off point and collect a receipt you can check the information, and 2) drivers often attempt to complete the voucher while driving which can be unnerving.

Tips
Expect car service delays anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour when it is raining. Also expect less severe delays on Thursday evenings. The driver should accomodate any request to turn down or turn off the radio and to not speak loudly on their cell phone. A driver usually knows how to get to the drop off destination but may ask for directions. A driver can also be advised on a preferred route. Finally, it can be helpful to check the New York City traffic cameras at the New York City Traveler Information System website before your car is due to arrive to determine any traffic tie-ups.

The Temporary Attorney

Internet Access
Most document reviews are done on-line. In some cases computers will have internet access, in other cases internet access will be blocked, and there may be a designated computer for temporary attorneys to access the internet. Law firms usually forbid internet access or suggest that it be kept to a bare minimum (i.e. checking your e-mail).

Cell Phone Use
Most law firms forbid cell phone use in the case room and prefer that cell phones only be used during breaks. This can be difficult to enforce. Cell phone use can disturb your co-workers (unless you are great at whispering!). When temporary attorneys continuously use cell phones in the case room, eventually an associate will take notice and reiterate the ban on cell phones. Be discrete while using your phone, keep the ringer on VIBRATE, and prevent a cell phone lockdown! Leaving the case room and going into a hallway works depending on where the case room is located.

Case Room Location
When a case room is on a floor with associates and the general law firm population it is best to keep a low profile. This means blending in and not making your presence noticable. For example, don't hang out in the pantry or in the hallways talking; don't use empty conference rooms to eat or make phone calls; don't use telephone booths meant for clients. When a case room is in the basement it is OK to talk in the hallways and pantry, or to find a private corner or empty room to use a cell phone or eat.