Top Ten Reasons for Utilizing Temporary Attorneys

In This Issue:

Complex Litigation Matter
You have a tremendous number of documents which need to be collected, reviewed for substantive content, relevance and/or privilege and you do not want to tie up your most valuable resource – your in-house team of attorneys. Hire a group of temporary attorneys to handle this work while your existing staff concentrates on other work that requires intimate knowledge of your litigation matter. Temporary attorneys have experience reviewing documents both in hard copy as well as electronic form.
Merger, Acquisition or Joint Venture Transaction
Recognizing that timeliness and accuracy are key when closing a sophisticated transaction, hire a team of temporary attorneys to perform document-intensive due diligence and Hart-Scott-Rodino work.
Complex Commercial Real Estate Transaction
Whether you represent the buyer, seller or finance company, this is an ideal scenario for a temporary attorney to review pre-closing, finance, sale and post-closing documents, as well as assist at the closing.
Specialty Need
Your department has a “skills void” in a particular practice area and needs the expertise of a specialist to assist in a specific matter. Hire a seasoned temporary attorney to bridge the skills gap. Whether your particular need is in the area of ERISA, securities, technology, or other specialized area, a seasoned expert can assist in your handling of specialized matters.
Family or Medical Leave
One of your key attorneys will be taking a leave of absence from the firm/company due to a family, medical or other personal leave scenario. Rather than overload an already hardworking staff, bring on an experienced temporary attorney to cover the workload during your attorney’s absence.
Addition to Staff Question
If you are considering adding to your department’s headcount but unsure whether you have enough work to keep an additional attorney busy, hire a temporary attorney to handle current work overflow and evaluate that workflow once she is on board. If you determine that you do not need an additional attorney full-time, you will have avoided an unfortunate or costly hire in error. If you do decide that a new-hire is in order, you now have benefited from a "working interview" with a potential strong candidate to join your team on a direct hire basis.
Quasi-Legal Work
Temporary attorneys are prime candidates to handle compliance, human resources, contracts and regulatory work. These candidates provide exceptional assistance to legal and human resources departments, as well as related contracts and procurement departments.
Research and Writing
You have several novel issues which you need researched and no free time to handle this work thoroughly. Hire a temporary attorney to perform the research and writing function for you. A temporary attorney can prepare brief points for motions and appellate briefs, perform federal and state legislative or regulatory research on specialized issues and handle other types of related projects. If you don’t have office space available, the attorney can generally perform this function remotely.
In Lieu of First Year Attorneys
With the changing business climate over the last few years, law firms have reduced the number of first year attorneys which they have typically hired in the past. As a result, there is often a void in your staff as to who will be ready, willing and able to handle more junior level work. Hire a junior level temporary attorney to support these projects on an as-needed basis.
Part-time Assistance
Regardless of practice area, employers often have some additional work which needs to be handled, but not enough to justify hiring an additional attorney full-time. There are numerous temporary attorneys available on a part-time basis as your specific requirements dictate. These professionals have limited availability due to family commitments, dedication to other business ventures or careers. You benefit from their vast expertise simply on a flexible, as-needed basis.