Comments on: Contract attorney work grows … but in onshore centers, not India

By: ILTA, trend lines in the e-discovery market, and document review: the “takeaways” for contract attorneys - The Posse List

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:12:01 +0000

[...] 5. A good portion of the subprime and credit crisis-related doc review work seems to be centered in the Atlanta area, the Carolinas and the Midwest — lower cost regions. As we have mentioned before, farmshoring has been gaining favor (click here). [...]

By: Law Firm Views of Legal Outsourcing — A Survey and Report - The Posse List

Law Firm Views of Legal Outsourcing — A Survey and Report - The Posse List — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:41:11 +0000

[...] vast majority let business requirements drive the location decision”. As TPL has reported (click here) we have seen a dramatic increase in [...]

By: The contract attorney market: status, trends and outlook (Part 1) - The Posse List

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:48:08 +0000

[...] In several earlier posts (here and here) we noted how the drive to cut costs has led corporations and law firms to seek other ways [...]

By: litigious dee

litigious dee — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:32:01 +0000

commercial rent has got to be coming down like crazy in NYC as the major banks vacate millions of square feet of space…I wonder if this will have a boomerang effect

By: Claire

Claire — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:47:22 +0000

Dilbert, many law firms in places such as NYC already have the space. They don’t need to pay additional rent. They already have the long-term leases (which they, for the most part, have not relinquished yet) or they own their spaces. So, there wouldn’t be any additional cost with regard to leasing space. I am perfectly aware of the cost of leasing space in New York City. Perhaps you’re thinking about the agencies that set up makeshift document review space. Most of the work I’ve done in NYC has been at a large law firm. Or are you insinuating that the law firm passes on the cost of using its space in the rates even if it already leases or owns the space?

By: docreviewer

docreviewer — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:41:52 +0000

The competitive pressure on solos is growing. If previously you could make a living on document review, this becomes more and more difficult, regardless of whether your Indian colleague or your learned friend from Ohio is driving down prices.

By: Dilbert

Dilbert — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:12:23 +0000

Certain smaller cities outside major metro centers are now becoming “mini meccas” for doc review calls. One notable venue is Wilmington, Delaware.

I wonder if some kind of house-sharing program between residents of nearby cities can be arranged. Attorneys with living quarters in DC, Philly, Wilmington and Richmond might put their houses or apartments on a regional list. If I live in DC, and have just finished a project here when another comes up in Wilmington, I could take that and use a shared residence in Delaware, while another doc reviewer uses my place in DC.

Bicoastal arrangements could also be worked out between NYC and LA, etc.

Of course, all involved would have to be comfortable putting their houses on the list. But it’s kind of like reciprocity — I’ll trust you if you trust me.

The shared living arrangements wouldn’t necessarily be directly reciprocal, though. I might have a place in the DC metro area (say, in Arlington, VA) and be doing a doc review project in Wilmington, while a lawyer from Philly might be using my place in Arlington, and a lawyer from NYC might be in his house.

If one participant’s project ended abruptly, he/she would have to be comfortable with living with that person temporarily while sh/she finishes the project they’re working on, or, if there are enough lawyers signed up in the network, a guest could easily be reassigned to a new place in the same city.

I think this idea could be set up pretty easily and would have huge benefits…

Ideas??

By: Dilbert

Dilbert — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:40:37 +0000

Claire – it’s not just the hourly rate that matters. A huge part of the agencies’ cost concern has to do with housing these projects. How do you think they are able to find short term or month-to-month commercial leases on such short notice? These agencies can’t own all the real estate in big cities like DC and New York. And projects may only last a few weeks to a few months. The cost savings of leasing a center in a small city cannot be overestimated as a driving factor here. The wage differential between NYC and Tennessee may only be $5-8/hour. The REAL savings is on the office space!

By: Claire

Claire — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:17:57 +0000

This is interesting, however I would like to know what the going rates for document review work are in those other states where the cost of living is less. I am not so sure that the rationale espoused in your article is sound. Rates have come down in New York City. I’m sure they are going down in other states too. So, I’m not so sure the fact there is less work here (in NYC) has to do with the fact that legal staffing agencies couldn’t find attorneys to work at $30/hour as opposed to the $35-40/hour which had become the norm only in the past year or so. If the rates in those states were in the teens or low 20s, then perhaps your rationale would hold up. Why don’t you tell us what the rates are?

By: Contract Attorney, Texas Style » Blog Archive » Document Review On-Shoring

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:33:31 +0000

[...] I had been thinking about how many document review centers had sprung up in Houston lately when the Posse List came up with this post about on-shore document reviews. [...]