The Delayed Project

Business is brisk here at the 49th street Starbucks.  People were buried in the inauguration and I managed to make some progress on some of my non-work projects.  Today is the second day I’ve waited for the new project to materialize.

Last week, things were quite rushed.  A firm I’d worked with in the past was using a new agency, but they still wanted me to come back and help.  Having been unemployed for the past month, I jumped on the work.  It’s a one or two-week, minimal overtime large-scale review paying the standard $35 rate.  Not knowing how I would pay my rent and student loans at the end of the month, I rushed to the new agency to sign on.

Now, they have delayed twice.  In theory, I will be working tomorrow, but even if they let us work reasonable hours, it will be rather difficult to reach overtime.  Some of my more cynical friends think the agency intentionally moved the start from Monday to Wednesday in order to get seven ten to twelve hour days from us with a minimum of overtime pay.  I am not as cynical, but do find the timing inconvenient.

I have been doing document review for about six months.  I actually came to NYC to take a project, with the bright idea that I could plow all the money I would be making into knocking down my loans.  After being somewhat wasteful with my funds, I now find myself in the same debt situation as when I arrived, but have made no tangible progress to eliminating my $135,000 in debt.

There is a lot of pessimism in the temporary attorney market right now.  The projects many expected to materialize after the New Year have not yet arrived.  Many of the firms are running reviews internally with overpriced associates.  To top it off, many of the firms are pushing for a lower base rate.  Those who push back are not finding new projects.  I can almost guarantee that none of the clients are seeing sudden savings with their outsourced reviews.

I am not certain what eventual form this blog will take.  I spent last evening reading old posts at Temporary Attorney and Above The Law.  I even branched out to MyShingle, and some other sites.  I think there is part of the Temporary Attorney story that is not being told.  

I’m not an entitled graduate from a top twenty school.  I went to a law school that simply shows up alphabetically under the Tier 4 section.  My grades were mediocre, though I did do a respectable job of pulling up some very poor grades during first year.  I worked full time in law school, and gained valuable practical experience at a small firm. I am admitted to a number of bars. But, I haven’t discovered how to translate that into a long-term position with a firm able to pay me enough to cover my loans, housing, and to provide for a family.  Until that time, I am happy to work twelve or more hours a day, seven days a week, in an overcrowded room with too little air conditioning, doing the legal work that others think below them.  Just keep the work coming and pay me as agreed; I am not one to complain.

So, here’s to work tomorrow.

 

Edit at 6PM: I just got word.  The twice-delayed project has now been put off for a full week.

I turned down a project starting at the end of the week for this one, slated to begin last Monday.  The recruiter handling the second project has since filled all the slots for the new group.  Great.