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1. Posted by Bob Loblaw, Attorney at Blah - 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 day, 19 hours, 59 minutes ago

   I don’t think Greenwood meant to say you could do temp doc review work for $10/hr without a J.D. He probably meant that without a J.D., you could do temp work in some other field for $10/hr, but with a J.D. you can do doc review for $35/hr. But both types of temp work are “menial labor” and boring, and of course, overseen by ridiculously authoritative bosses.

2. Posted by Agree - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 8 hours, 41 minutes ago

   Yes Bob, they got it wrong.

3. Posted by John - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 7 hours, 5 minutes ago

   I don’t think 35.00 an hour translates to “enough to earn a comfortable six-figure annual salary” like the lead paragraph states.  The rest of the article details working for 40 hours a week.  That’s only 72.800 a year working 52 weeks a year at 40 hours a week.

4. Posted by Steve Perkins - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 6 hours, 52 minutes ago

   Yeah, but read the last sentence.  If you put in 15-hours days, even if you DO take weekends off you’d still be over $130K a year.  Of course, if you’re spending that much time at work, does it really even matter how much money you have but can’t enjoy?

5. Posted by Dave - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 6 hours, 2 minutes ago

   The author’s kidding right?  A comfortable six- figure annual salary?  I guess he never considered these doc reviews are not full time jobs, they’re on a limited contract base.  You’re dependent on getting 15 hour days, there are no benefits such as days off, vac, health plans, etc.  To make that kiind of money doing temp work is slave labor. 

   I can’t imagine anyone who went to law school would look forward to grabbing one of these temp positions. 

   The stereotype law job of earning over 100K is just nonsense today.  I know of no one in our graduating class who started at these levels in the Connecticut market.  In fact entry level attys are making only $50K, less than RN’s here.

6. Posted by Gilbert - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes ago

   Arin Greenwood’s well-written article is as entertaining as it is damning. The $10/hr doc review misquote is an ABA Journal editor’s error. Greenwood: “The temp life without a J.D.: menial labor, asshole bosses, $10 an hour. The temp life with a J.D.: menial labor, asshole bosses, $35 an hour.”

7. Posted by Rebecca - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 5 hours, 42 minutes ago

   Where is the author getting his figure from?  Most doc review positions that I know of (and have worked in) pay licensed attorneys
   $15-20/hr.  Please tell me where these $35 positions are???

8. Posted by Gilbert - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 5 hours, 41 minutes ago

   Arin Greenwood’s well-written article is as entertaining as it is damning. The $10/hr doc review misquote is an ABA Journal editor’s error. Greenwood: “The temp life without a J.D.: menial labor, [expletive] bosses, $10 an hour. The temp life with a J.D.: menial labor, [expletive] bosses, $35 an hour.”

9. Posted by Caroline - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 5 hours, 27 minutes ago

   When I first got out of law school I had one of these jobs waiting for my bar results. It was the most humiliating, degrading experiences of my life. Try to avoid them. I don’t know if the bosses are actually worse that the jackass recruiters who staff them. Both disgusting.

10. Posted by Mr clean - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 5 hours, 3 minutes ago

    Interesting!!. When some lawyer(assuming you all are) write with a language far less dignifying than that used by barbers, what do you expect? low intelligence, low prestige, low pay.

11. Posted by Ronnie - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes ago

    I’ve done temp work from $12/hour up to $35/hour.  I’ve had good and bad managers as well, and the job can be okay depending on the staff you work with.  I’m working full-time in a permanent position now, but I don’t regret the time I spent temping.  It taught me a lot about what I can and cannot tolerate in a work environment.  Oh, and to Steve, believe me, I know plenty of people who find ways to spend their money.  The internet (and online shopping) are a dangerous thing.  And to Dave, you may not receive benefits from the actual firms, but a lot of the agencies do provide benefits to contractors who’ve been with them for x amount of time.  I had a friend who worked long enough with one agency to take 2-weeks paid vacation, and the agency had her spot held while she was gone.  it all depends.  That said, I loved the article as well.

12. Posted by christian gabroy - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes ago

    I think the article was interesting but belies the true problem-too many lawyers.  The law schools ensure that graduates have 6 figure debts-paying a mortgage every month without a home- to what is at first very low salaries.  The law is a tough profession and I wish the ABA would step up and protect us lawyers better like the AMA does with doctors.

13. Posted by Law Student in Madison - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 2 hours, 54 minutes ago

    Dave,

    Slave labor? Really?  You obviously didn’t grow up in the North side of Houston.  Since when is $35/hr slave labor?

14. Posted by Sushi - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 2 hours, 54 minutes ago

    Yes, Mr Clean. Way to troll the ABA newsletter, because everyone knows that any lawyer who does not use the most professional terminology at all times deserves to treated like garbage and not be able to get a job with a living wage.  I’m so haapy there are guys like you to set us all straght. You are not a special snowflake either, watch your back, we will take your job for less, and do it without the high horse attitude.

15. Posted by Sushi - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 2 hours, 44 minutes ago

    Dear Law Student Madison,
    When $35 an hour lasts for only a 2 week project, with oppressive oversight and sweatshop like working conditions it seems like slave labor to people who have spent 200k on school, passed a bar exam and become licensed.  People doing this type of work can’t save a dime, have massive debt, no health insurance and would almost be better off if they never became lawyers. if you still don’t get it, just go out there and live it. Working for 35 dollars an hour is not that good if you only can find work 30 weeks out of the year.

16. Posted by Ronnie - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 2 hours, 17 minutes ago

    Aarrrrggghhh!!!!  I get so sick and tired of people complaining about “slave labor,” not being able to save, too much debt, blah blah blah.  Quit complaining! Grow up!  I’m not old-school, I’m only 28.  I went to a top tier school and have the $200k in debt; I’ve worked the jobs that end after 2 weeks when they were supposed to be for five months.  I still never missed a loan payment, I still saved money, and I didn’t have my hand out to my parents.  If you’re working a temp job, make it work for you!  Complaining about it tends to lead to the same result, time and time again.  And after a point, that’s no one’s fault but your own.

17. Posted by lawdomains-us.com - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 1 hour, 39 minutes ago

    Mr. Clean - Yes, my former Jack*** senior partner would take every opportunity to arrogate himself apropos of nothing, just as you have.  It must be that extremely high intelligence that compels someone like yourself to comment on the use of language by writing gramatically disjunctive phrases.  (Oh, I get it, you were purposely writing like a fifth grader to underscore your point, right?  Brilliant, indeed, brilliant!  I confess, we of low intelligence and low prestige are usually rather slow on the uptake when it comes to such subtelties.) Linguistic precision may be a requisite of the trade, but dignity certainly is not, nor ever was a distinguishing characteristic of the practice of law. Pompous affect of dignity and self-importance, perhaps, but dignity, never.

18. Posted by Mark - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes ago

    Temp rates vary geographically and seasonally, but in Washington, DC they’re typically $35/hour.  Often these jobs require overtime, paid at a rate of time-and-a-half.  Assuming a 60 hour work week (a convervative estimate), one would make $2450/week and only need to work 40 weeks in a year to make $100K.  Sure pay rates vary and the market can be down for months, but based on the contract attorneys I know, they typically make $100K+ per year.  Whether they actually enjoy their jobs is of course another issue.

19. Posted by Gilbert - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 1 hour, 12 minutes ago

    Many thanks to ABA Journal’s Martha Neil for posting A. Greenwood’s article.
    I worked as a legal temp in DC right out of law school, and I have always been grateful for the work. Work always carries dignity, and it sure beats debt. 
    AG worked for people she apparently found abusive; however, this was not my experience. On the contrary, I found the attorneys whom I served grateful for my assistance. I treated my work with respect, and I was treated accordingly.  I was paid well for the 60-70 hours I worked per week.  I lucked out and usually had contracts lined up. My foreign languages helped, but I think my attitude made the biggest difference. I never took the work for granted.
    While I appreciate AG’s article, I think she omits a few things. First, law firms do their best to be smart about whom they keep on; if quality and/or quantity in a contract attorney drops, then the attorney gets dropped. Second, law firms need a specific needle-in-haystack job done, and they need it done well.  Lawyers are trained to find needles in haystacks.  Consequently, lawyers very well suited to review documents. I maintained a good attitude about my job search. When I moved on, I had an even greater respect for reliable assistance. 
    To anyone considering engaging in temporary legal work, I join Ronnie in saying, “make it work for you!” If you produce good work and honest timesheets, and if you carve out time to create or hunt down the job you want most, then the insecure Associate (who fears that yours will be his or her next job) and all the noise about slave labor won’t matter.  You won’t care.

20. Posted by Dwayne W. - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 38 minutes ago

    For me, doc review beats the alternative.  That is, either sitting at home watching TV in fear of journeying outside where I might inadvertently spend a few bucks or going back to waiting tables, where I might end up serving some of my classmates during their welcome-to-the-firm dinner.
    Moreover, the work is easy enough that I can download a lecture, the news, or a book to my mp3 player and engage my mind in something more interesting.

21. Posted by What me worry - 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 33 minutes ago

    I don’t know what everyone is whining about, I have about $70K in law school debt, am in my second year at biglaw, and make $240K a year.  Life is good.

22. Posted by math anyone - 9 months, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 47 minutes ago

    At $35/hr, you’d have to work at least 55 hours per week to even break six figures.  That’s not very comfortable in my book!

23. Posted by temp to associate - 9 months, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 44 minutes ago

    I agree with those who have said that you have to make temp work work for you.  I started temping right after taking the bar exam, because I had bills to pay.  Even though I was temping as a secretary in a law firm, I treated my job like I would treat any other, and I used the environment to my advantage.  Attorneys knew I was a lawyer, and asked for my help on projects.  Now, a year later, I’m an associate at the firm where I started out as a temporary secretary, and I went from making $12/hr to $125K.  You’ve just gotta work with what you’re dealt.

24. Posted by usedtotemp - 9 months, 2 weeks, 5 days, 19 hours, 25 minutes ago

    I worked on a long-term project in Washington D.C. for over 1 year and earned over six figures.  What no one has mentioned is that it is not uncommon to get O/T for temping.  So if your base is anywhere from $35 to $40+ per hour, anything after 40 hours you’re getting well over $50 per hour.

25. Posted by still temping - 9 months, 2 weeks, 4 days, 15 hours, 19 minutes ago

    I agreew itht eh comments of making the job work for you. Any job you do treat it as a step closer to the next step.  Don’t give up.  Network and opportunities will open.  With that said, I work contract jobs and I do from time to time think I’m doomed and think: ‘is this what I went to law school for?’ But, I just hang on and my time will come.  As for the pay, the work is tedious but not very hard, I think you can easily make six figures.  In comparisson, big law associates get paid big figures, but how many hours do you think they work?  The more a company pays you the more they expect of you.

26. Posted by K. Marijohn - 9 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 17 hours, 10 minutes ago

    Temp work can be a lifesaver (feeds the kids, keeps a roof over your head), but it can indeed also be hell depending on which idiot with a napoleon complex oversees the work. I have have experiences running the spectrum and met some very talented attorneys who choose to do temp work because they are don’t want the abuse or responsibility of being an Associate at a law firm.  I actually got a position as an Associate through a temp position and I am very happy at my firm.  However, I had to survive an autocratic megolmaniac in the process --- So I guess there is hope afterall.