MinnLawyer Blog

There’s an interesting debate going on JDs Rising, Minnesota Lawyer’s new lawyer blog, on what effect, if any, taking on document-review assignments on a contract basis has on a new lawyer’s job prospects.

Back in the day, there was something of a stigma in doing this, among big firm recruiters anyway. It never made any sense to me. (Not quite sure why it was supposed to be better to spend your down time on a couch in your sweats watching Oprah and munching on chips during a job search than deigning to roll up your sleeves and do some actual work, but there was no doubt that sort of “snobbery” was there about being a contract lawyer.)

These days, many younger attorneys are risking this “stigma” because job searches take much longer and they have the crazy idea it’s better to pay the bills than not. (And if you don’t, you’ll likely be weeded out by that pre-employment credit check anyway. …)

I suspect the economy has erased much of the past “taint” effect of being a contract document reviewer. In any event, many the big firms foolish enough to take this view on contract work likely also will bypass the generation of unemployed young lawyers, regardless of their qualifications, and recruit directly out of the law schools when things pick up. While there are many smart lawyers out there without permanent jobs, why break with precedent and do something you have not done before? Fortunately, there are plenty of more forward-thinking small and mid-sized firms out there.

In any event, if you have any thoughts of the impact of contract work on a job applicant’s prospects, you can let the new lawyers know by checking out the document review post here.