With Glut of Laid-Off Lawyers, Temp Jobs are Harder to Find—and Pay Less
Despite an increase jobs for temporary attorneys as cost-cutting corporation clients seek to get the same work done for less than they would have to pay a law firm associate or partner, a glut of laid-off lawyers is making it harder to get this kind of work, too.
A year ago, a lawyer who needed a document review job or another temporary assignment could generally find one. But now there is an oversupply, reports the San Fernando Valley Business Journal (sub. req.).
Hourly pay ranges from $30 to $37—less than what contract attorneys made earlier this year—because of the increased supply of available lawyers, Cameron Peterson of the Los Angeles regional office of Compliance Staffing told the business publication.
“I met a recent grad who went to Duke and Harvard Law School, and had done impressive law clerking,” recounts Peterson, who serves as director of recruiting and staffing for the business. “She can’t find a full-time job in this economy.”
Related earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Contract Lawyers Get Paid Less, But May See More Job Opportunities”
ABAJournal.com: “As Laid-Off Lawyers Look for Work, How to Find It Isn’t Clear”
