Contract Attorneys

5 Things The State of The Union Might Mean For Contract Attorneys

Let's make the State of the Union all about contract attorneys.

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Have you heard? The President apparently gave a speech last night, and thousands of Tweets were twat and Facebook newsfeeds blew up with half-baked political #hottakes while ATL readers got drunk during the 2015 State of the Union address.

In between throwing a wink and an ad-libbed sick burn President Obama actually made some concrete proposals designed to cement his legacy and steer America into the future… on Mars. But also stuff that can impact the lives of contract attorneys.

1 — Education

In advance of the State of the Union address the President’s educational proposals, specifically the plan to make two years of community college free, got a lot of attention. But the President’s plan is not just set up to help those young whippersnappers that have yet to sign their lives away to Sallie Mae. Though light on specifics, the SOTU at least pays lip service to reducing monthly student loan payments.

And I want to work with this Congress, to make sure Americans already burdened with student loans can reduce their monthly payments, so that student debt doesn’t derail anyone’s dreams.

2 — Childcare

Though “flexibility” is frequently thrown around when discussing the world of contract attorneys, document reviewers are employed at the whim of the project they’re on. Whether you’re expected to stay late, or are cut from a project after only four hours on the job, the nature of the business only makes the prospect of childcare more challenging. The President’s proposal is largely focused on tax refunds to ease the monetary burden of childcare, but given the difficult reality any help is welcomed.

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In today’s economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, we need affordable, high-quality childcare more than ever.  It’s not a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have.  It’s time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or a women’s issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us.  And that’s why my plan will make quality childcare more available, and more affordable, for every middle-class and low-income family with young children in America – by creating more slots and a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, per year.

3 — Sick Leave

President Obama proposed legislation that would give every American worker the ability to earn up to seven days of sick leave. Given the inherently transitory nature of contract review work, this could be a tremendous benefit for document reviewers. In this job you only get paid when you show up to code documents. This incentive to go to work sick can drag down the entire project as germs get passed around and can make for a miserable flu season. Anything that would change the incentive structure for coming to work as a vector of disease would be a great thing.

Today, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers.  Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave.  Forty-three million.  Think about that.  And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home.  So I’ll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own.  And since paid sick leave won where it was on the ballot last November, let’s put it to a vote right here in Washington.  Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave.  It’s the right thing to do.

4 — Infrastructure

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During the SOTU the President called for a comprehensive infrastructure bill:

21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure – modern ports, stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest internet.  Democrats and Republicans used to agree on this.  So let’s set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline.  Let’s pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could create more than thirty times as many jobs per year, and make this country stronger for decades to come.

This is one of the bigger ticket items that will get play on the morning news shows. But document review is increasingly a mobile business, and as projects get staffed in a variety of smaller markets reviewers are forced to go where the jobs are. A few weeks in Detroit for a project, then onto Columbus for a longer (hopefully) project. Like other mobile businesses in America, document reviewers will benefit from an investment in American infrastructure.

5 — Cyber Security

Oh, yeah, and then there was that giant Sony hack that got dealt with rather obliquely.

And tonight, I urge this Congress to finally pass the legislation we need to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our children’s information.  If we don’t act, we’ll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable.  If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe.

And though this isn’t on point related to the business of document review, I see potential. Or at least future regulations. Which generally translates into litigation, keeping people like me flush in documents.

Alex Rich is a T14 grad and Biglaw refugee who has worked as a contract attorney for the last 7 years… and counting. If you have a story about the underbelly of the legal world known as contract work, email Alex at alexrichesq@gmail.com and be sure to follow Alex on Twitter @AlexRichEsq

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