Full-Time Work As A Document Reviewer?

There's a way out of the contract attorney life... but is it worth it?

So here is an absolute gem of a question — really one for the ages: What’s the worst part of being a contract attorney reviewing documents?

There are so many really good answers to that question. There’s the boredom, the carpal tunnel, the sinking feeling that comes from knowing you’ve made a wrong turn somewhere in your life and all the money you’ve borrowed and sacrifices you’ve made to get through law school were wasted.

Now YMMV, but for me, the absolute worst part of being a contract attorney is the uncertainty. No matter how big or stable a project you seem to be on there’s always the niggling feeling in the back of your head that reminds you that the plug could be pulled tomorrow. After all, it’s the nature of the business. And then it’s back to stalking the Posse List and trying to get a new gig. This uncertainty has led me to turn down travel opportunities and other things that would require me to miss work trying to squeeze the last few dollars out of a project I was certain was winding down. It’s like the most lame version of FOMO I can imagine.

All of which is why I must truly consider the option of full-time document review work, and not just engage in idle speculation on the subject. In the ediscovery space, there are vendors and law firms large enough to bring on full-time, salaried employees to form the core of their document review team. On the one hand, benefits! and stability!seem to call out like a Siren’s song, but I know there is a downside.

First of all there’s the money issue (everything really does come back around to this doesn’t it). These corporate entities are not offering full-time work out of the goodness of their hearts, they believe they’re getting the better of this Faustian deal. Locking up someone they consider a good document reviewer definitely has its upside, but whatever the yearly salary they offer, they know a full-timer will work enough hours that it lowers their net costs. As a contract attorney one of the upsides of working crazy hours is knowing you’ll get a big, fat check as a reward, once you’re full-time… you’re getting the exact same check you get every other week.

Instead of the excitement of perusing job listings and seeing a great paying project, there is now a sense of loss. Followed by a quick calculation of the number of hours you’ve worked this month and your effective hourly rate, which will inevitably be a number much lower than you’d accept on the open market.

There’s also acknowledging that you really have cast your lot in with the ediscovery world. Now, the reality may well be that your chances of getting into any other type of legal work were infinitesimal, but full time document review work feels like a neon sign garishly blinking to all the world that you’ll never argue another (any?) motion or negotiate some million dollar contract.

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But full-time work means you might just get paid to do more than code documents. At a law firm you may get involved in actual witness prep or other, more substantive discovery tasks. If you work for a vendor there may be project management roles you can have a crack at. And if you have a modicum of technical savvy, perhaps there are more opportunities in ediscovery. The landscape of discovery is rapidly changing and if you can somehow get in on the ground floor, then you may be charting an actual career for yourself. It may not be quite as much Atticus Finch as you envisioned on day one of 1L year, but it’s still a real career.

As with most things, it comes down to personal choice. I, like so many people who went to law school, am fundamentally risk adverse and stability weighs heavily on the side of full-time employment.


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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