Getting Something Going
I’m trying to get a little conversation going among the contract/temporary/document review attorneys in Houston Texas. Maybe we can share some info on reviews coming up, where to work, where not to work…where you can go to the bathroom without checking in with someone first…Where you can see out the windows.
Or, maybe we can talk about what’s going to be happening with document review in the next few years. Will lawyers be able to make a living doing this in the US? Will all the jobs go to India? Will just some of the jobs leave? Will first pass review be off-shored leaving only higher level review to be done here?
How about the impact changes in electronic discovery have had on the process of document review? Can you succeed at this without understanding what’s going on with the technological changes in collecting, filtering and processing electronically stored information?
Give me your thoughts…what are the biggest issues facing contract attorneys in Houston?
February 11th, 2008 at 10:40
I think finding a project is the biggest issue! It seems to me the Houston market is just not very good for finding work as a contract attorney. i interviewed with a temp agency and heard back from them 2 YEARS LATER about a project they had in New York! I was also told Chevron had a big project going on but i think the agencies just tell us this to keep us hanging on.
February 11th, 2008 at 10:47
That can definitely happen with a lot of attorneys chasing just a few jobs. I think the contract attorneys can get a little protective, and not want to share the info about jobs that are there…I have heard from several recruiters in the past that there are more contract attorneys available in Houston than there are review jobs. It’s, unfortunately, a buyer’s market.
February 11th, 2008 at 15:27
I’m glad I found your site. I’ve practiced in CT for 8.5 years and have started considering relocating to Houston. The CT legal market is horrible and temp work is spotty. I was hoping Houston would be more promising with the bigger economy but it looks like that may not be the case.
February 12th, 2008 at 09:02
I don’t want to sound too negative about Houston. I haven’t worked in other parts of the country, and it may be that so called “problems” in this market would pale in comparison to the issues in other markets.
There ARE temp jobs to be had, but with the market the way it is, employers can usually go back to the temp attorneys they are used to and/or comfortable with. It sometimes takes more work to find temp jobs here than just relying on a recruiter to call you.
February 13th, 2008 at 07:14
I have been looking for a site like this about Houston. I am so glad I found this one. I, too, have been applying to temp agencies but have not had any luck. I have big firm experience and even some document review experience, so I just don’t understand where anyone is finding these jobs. I went to Update Legal and to Providus, but it seems like it was a waste of time–they place ads that they have “big doc reviews with big firm that will last 6 months” but I think they just do that to get resumes. Does anyone else have an opinion on this? And, Admin, how are you finding contract jobs outside of recruiting agencies? From friends? And does anyone know of the “better” agencies?
February 13th, 2008 at 09:39
I wouldn’t say it’s a waste of time, I’d just say it’s a matter of timing. When I was in charge of putting together document reviews, I would get a set of resumes from one agency, then on a later project, I would get some of the same resumes from a different agency. The point is that if you’re trying to get on ANY project at all, it doesn’t necessarily hurt to have your name with several agencies. If you’re looking for more specialized work, then having your name with additional agencies can be a problem because it does take some time to market you as a specialist, and if you spread yourself too thin, they won’t want to do the work for you.
The good agencies will submit candidates that actually have some sort of experience relevant to the review. Some newer agencies, and some struggling agencies, will throw resumes at a project with no real idea about who the people are or how they’ll do on that review.
Most of the projects that I’m hearing about out there now are at or under 15 reviewers. Many under 10. When that’s the case, it helps for your agency to have your name in mind when it’s time to submit resumes. The best way to make that happen is to stay in touch with your agency and keep asking them what’s going on in the market.
As far as finding contract jobs outside of the recruiting agencies, that’s easy(NOT). All you have to do is have a connection with the hiring partner on that particular case ;-). Honestly, that only comes from a long time in the business, a good relationship with your agency (ie: a mutual understanding that you’ve made them money on the placements they’ve helped you with, and you’ve found this one on your own and it’s time for you to move on) and a good relationship with the firm you’re working with such that you can get to the point where it’s worth their time to take on the headaches that the agencies usually take care of.
February 13th, 2008 at 12:23
Thanks for the advice. It probably just is timing and luck. I tried to keep in touch with Providus and emailed my contact there once every two weeks or so and she just kept telling me “let ya know when i hear something about a new project coming up!” It made me feel uncomfortable–I just stopped emailing after a while because I didn’t know if she wanted me to stop emailing her.
February 14th, 2008 at 19:55
My one thought on that is that you can’t substitute for actual contact. Drop in from time to time to check on things, and check in by phone rather than email. You’ll have to leave messages, but it’s harder to just brush you off when you actually get them on the phone and can follow up with questions like, are there really no new projects? Have you heard of anything coming up? What kind of projects are you getting? Have you heard of any permanent positions that fit my skills?
All of these are questions that can come up quite easily in a phone call, but don’t present so well on an email.
February 14th, 2008 at 22:03
Just a word of advice to Franny– Update isn’t always the best place for experienced attys to find contract work. Update seems to have more contract paralegal type jobs. The people there are really nice - some of the nicest around. But if you have big firm and doc review experience, you might find more success at a firm like Ad Hoc, Prescott, or Pye. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to attend a HYLA (Houston Young Lawyer Assn) meeting, if you qualify. You might meet some contract attorneys. They are wonderful referral sources.
February 15th, 2008 at 07:01
Thanks to Vivaldi for naming names. With so many bad agencies out there it is always good to hear of some good ones.
Question to the visitors of this site - do you make a living exclusively off of the contract work or do you use it as a supplement to your own practice?
What is the lowest pay you’ve seen for a doc review project in the last year? I’ll go first, CT has actually dipped down to $25/hr.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:47
Thanks for the advice vivaldi. I agree they were nice people, but just didn’t have the work. Has anyone applied for permanent jobs with mid-sized firms after doing contract work? I have heard so many stories about temp jobs being a “black mark”. I have about 1.5 years of contract work on my resume.
attyshea the lowest I have been offered is $25 an hour for a doc review.