7 Signs You've Been Doing Document Review Too Long

If you're interested in the life of a contract attorney, this sums up the psychological toll the job takes.

I recently started a new project (yay money). It was accompanied by all the usual strum und drang — the seating chart, the log-ins, the deadline — typical but annoying stuff. I noticed that a buddy of mine was there. Well, at least it was someone I’d been on reviews with before who was distinctly not weird. When you’ve been on multiple projects with the same agency or vendor you start assembling a cast of “regulars,” and these people can be your lifeline during arduous projects. We start to reminisce about past projects like old war buddies and it strikes me.

I’ve been doing this too long.

Not just in a “what am I doing with my life” existential crisis kind of a way, but for at least the foreseeable future this IS my life. Like anyone in any position for a bunch of years I’ve amassed tips and tricks to get through the day, and can predict the general course of a project. So in celebration of the stalled nature of what I, laughingly, call my career, I present the 7 signs you’ve been doing document review too long…

1. You remember the good old days when junk email was included in reviews.

Back in the day, document reviews included everything in a custodian’s email for any given responsive period. You’d see chain emails, find extramarital affairs, and be able to track how far along they were in their Christmas list. You could code 200 wedding planning emails in a half hour, take an extended lunch and still make your document quota for the day. Now technology has advanced well beyond those halcyon days. Litigants negotiate sophisticated culling terms and technology is able to sift out all the penis enlargement ads. And we are left with reviews that include only the most relevant documents. So, yes. Pay has gone down just as the job has gotten harder. Awesome.

2. You start studying Japanese.

Sponsored

I have actually sat in review rooms next to people reading Japanese For Dummies (affiliate link). While not my preferred studying method, I can’t say I’m surprised. We’ve talked a little about foreign language reviews before, but the number of Japanese-language document review projects is truly stunning. And, it is not unusual for those projects to pay $90 an hour.

3. “Responsive” is how you respond to stuff in conversation.

Responsive can be such an awkward word, but do this long enough and you’ll find yourself in a good-natured argument in a bar somewhere complaining that your compatriot’s counter isn’t responsive.

4. You live in fear of carpal tunnel.

For all the fancy degrees hanging in your parent’s basement, the truth is a contract attorney’s livelihood is based on the rote task of clicking a mouse. Each document can require 5 or 6 different clicks and most projects have a firm expectation of how many documents you should be able to code in a day. These factors can cause pressure in the median nerve in your wrist, in other words, carpal tunnel syndrome. There are products you can invest in to minimize the pain associated with the issue. This job is psychologically painful enough without adding on physical pain.

Sponsored

5. You get excited to hear a project is run on Relativity.

For those corporate attorneys still inexplicably reading this list, Relativity is review software that is increasingly common. It’s a pretty solid tool with an intuitive user interface, and, according to one survey, is the favorite among contract attorneys. While I agree there are some nice features in Relativity, I like knowing a project is on Relativity because of familiarity. The work of a contract attorney is fundamentally nomadic, and Relativity often seems like the most stable part of my job. Also, knowing you don’t also have to learn a review software (on top of all the changes new projects bring) is nice.

6. You know the difference between the “right” call and the call that won’t get you fired.

There is a difference between coding a document correctly and coding a document how the project manager or associate wants it done. Insistence on the former will get you cut from a project quicker than you can say “but I’m right.” Do I think a Read-Receipt is Hot? No. But if the project manager wants it coded that way, I can certainly do that. It’s your world, I am just coding in it.

7. You are reading this list.

Moving from job to job can tough, so we need to take the humor and solidarity where we can.


This week’s worst job is from Tampa, that hotbed of Floridian culture, and according to our tipster, it doesn’t provide much in the way of salary. Perhaps this is why Tampa is the most stressful city in America.

a job that was advertised that has offered as low as $14 to candidates.

But the good news is that for that king’s ransom you also get to help a plaintiff’s attorney with trial prep. So all the stress and angst of preparing for trial with none of the monetary benefits. Win.

If you have information about a bad contract attorney job, send an email to tips@abovethelaw.com?subject=Worst Job with the subject line “Worst Job.” As for this week’s winner, send us an email with your mailing information and t-shirt size and you will be the proud owner of ATL swag.

Click on the next page for the full advertisement….

CRM Banner