Benedict Arnold was a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is perhaps the most famous traitor in the history of the United States.
Meet Diane Barrasso. Diane Barasso, of Barasso Consulting, runs a notorious temporary sweatshop out in Westfield, New Jersey. Barrasso pays a benefitless wage well below market rate. Barrasso is able to offer such measly local wages by pitting heavily indebted recent American law graduates against cheap, overseas Indian labor.
At a time when our country is on the brink of a financial catastrophe, where health insurance costs are skyrocketing, and where American taxpayers will soon be on the hook for millions in defaulted student loans, Barrasso is getting rich by helping "McJob" yet another American industry.
24 comments:
I looked at her site. To me it is another strong warning that anything that can be outsourced out of the U.S. will be outsourced. Various legal duties other than document review are already sent to India.
I did find one item amusing: "Diane is the founder and president of Barrasso Consulting LLC. She has been engaged in litigation support since earning her Ph.D. in microbiology in 1989."
What b.s. They REQUIRE you to sit through three hellish, expensive years of law school. They then require you to sit for a grueling bar exam. You then have to pay out of pocket hundreds of dollars a year for expensive CLEs and registration. And now they are shifting jobs overseas to people that make less than a McDonald's wage?
Sounds suspicious. In order for privilege errors to be excused, doesn't the firm/client have to prove to a judge that a review was conducted in good faith? No offense to the Indian people, but I was just on the phone with a Sallie Mae representative from India and we could hardly understand each other. Paying people less than minimum wage in a third world country with varying English skills to conduct a sensitive document review hardly seems reasonable.
Maybe the New Jersey operation is just acting as a front to cover up the fact that they are using mass amounts of cheap, overseas labor? If a mistake is made in India, the errors could be imputed to the people in New Jersey. Opposing counsel and the bench should be made aware of this.
I had to ask Lily something the other day and thanks to this blog I almost called her Lily. I had to bite my tongue.
It seems like alot of sweatshops are popping up in New Jersey. I know Lily hides alot of slaves out there. Is New Jersey somehow exempt from the 13th amendment?
What B.S. I just got dinged for a project because I wasn't barred in DC - barred in Florida and Cal. (after paying for CLEs couldn't afford the expensive registration fee for DC). I am currently unemployed, yet they are giving work to unlicensed foreigners? Just goes to show you what a joke this whole profession is.
Remember, 'only the little people have to obey laws.' When there is money to be earned BIG corporations do not have any laws. Does anyone know what has happened to the blog Big Debt Small Law? Only the name is there.
Yeah, I hear it's 25 per hour for contract attorneys!
It is $25/hour and no overtime. The attorneys are called "CONSULTANTS." EP Dine can place you there.
Great. The agency that makes you sign an illegal employment contract is now working with a company that is illegally sending jobs overseas.
I work with an agency that pays $25 per hour plus time and a half for OT. The pay is low, though it's more worth it if you live in NJ; but the conditions are a lot worse at other sweatshops. EP Slime doesn't pay time and a half? If anyone is interested in working at Barrasso, I'll give you my agency's info. A document review assignment "is what it is." I don't know why agencies can't be honest and treat candidates with respect.
What other agencies are staffing other than E.P. Slime? Is there a way to actually avoid E.P. Slime? As bad as Lily, Piggy, and Anita actually are, at least those projects are being staffed with semi-reputable agencies.
On Monster, HireCounsel is staffing a project in Westfield, N.J. for $25 an hour. I imagine it's the same project. In my opinion, HireCounsel is much more ethical than E.P. Slime.
Frink-Hamlett Legal Solutions is staffing the project as well. They're small, but I have worked with them and can vouch for their ethics. If you're interested, you can forward your resume to JD-Staffing@hotmail.com. I know several people working at Barrasso through this agency and they have given me good feedback. Also, the agency does pay time and a half for OT.
Hire Counsel, Update, EP DINE, Hudson...all can place you at Barasso. Barasso is only 40/week. There is hardly ever any OT.
I wonder if you get to train the Indians who are going to replace you there?
"I did find one item amusing: "Diane is the founder and president of Barrasso Consulting LLC. She has been engaged in litigation support since earning her Ph.D. in microbiology in 1989." "
Yep. She's been at this a while. I worked for her through a firm before she opened her own shop. I've known people who've worked for her directly as well. She's helped J&J manage some of their litigation projects for years. Remember that the next time you reach for a Band-Aid.(TM) She may have other clients as well.
I wouldn't quibble with what she said though. She's acting as a very (VERY!!!) cost conscious client, explaining the rules of the game to her employees/attorneys. It's not really "legal advice." It's more akin to a experience paralegal or legal secretary walking a new associate through his/her first month of doing real litigation tedium.
But it's only a matter of time before doc review gets outsourced. But I don't think that it will happen a fast as people are afraid of. India is a good place for outsourcing legal work from the US. It shares the English C/L system. But document reviews will take a while - you need reliable electricity to do electronic reviews, and shipping the paper docs makes the cost advantage vanish instantly.
Barasso is not the only one:
Job Description
Our Direct Client is a global legal support services company with world-class legal talent, globally-trained professional management, and deep expertise inprocess outsourcing.Our Direct Client is looking for a highly qualified attorney to head their Legal Services Delivery. The ideal candidate is someone with 4-6 years of US legal experience, with a desire to move to India and be based in Bangalore. The role involves heading our entire legal team and being responsible for high quality delivery of legal services. The Client will award stock options in addition to cash compensation.Detailed responsibilities for the position are as follows -* Reports directly to the COO. Builds the India-based legal deliveryteam.* Recruits and trains India-based associates involved in servicedelivery.* Coordinates with Marketing and Operations teams to develop highquality legal service offerings and to implement offshore solutions forclients.* Leads and coordinates legal delivery activities in India.* May travel outside India and to the US on occasion.Key Qualifications:* Four to six years of US Law Firm experience, preferably with litigation and e-discovery experience/knowledge.* JD from a top US Law School.* Project management experience related to document review.* Demonstrated leadership experience and the desire to work in an exciting start-up environment.* Articulate, well spoken with demonstrated communication and interpersonal skills.* Passion, interest and understanding of Indian business environment* Desire to relocate to India-Bangalore.Anticipated Appointment: ImmediateJob Location: Bangalore, IndiaPlease send your latest resume and a cover letter (including salary requirements).
'The number of U.S. "pentamillionaires" has quadrupled in the past 10 years'
And the cost-savings of all this outsourcing goes right to the top! The death of the American Middle Class!
I worked there. $19 an hour. No benefits. Poorly run. Bad management. What a dump.
I worked there. $19 an hour. No benefits. Poorly run. Bad management. What a dump.
Diane Barrasso and any other Diane Barrasso out there did exactly what the law and the bar associations allow. She provided a very inexpensive way to handle large class action discovery nightmares. Now before you say anything about me defending Barrasso Consulting, I can tell you that your effort is entirely wasted. I too worked there for some time in 2003 at $19 per hour and hated every minute of it until I basically quit. The fact that law firms can bill their clients associate hourly rates for work conducted by individuals earning $19 per hour who owe hundreds of dollars in school loans and bar associations allowing for licensed professionals to be staffed and handled worst than laborers in this country is an absolute abomination. The problem starts at the top...
Benedict Arnold is right...being someone who worked hard to get good grades and a degree and also ending up deeply in debt..I know the sting you feel when you end up in job jeopardy because you don't understand what some Indian lady said on the phone...people like Diane Barrasso are only in it for self-vindication and upward mobility not to establish a better American economy
curious that no one mentioned the fact that although you might be earning "only" $19 per hour your job still remains here in the USA. Or perhaps you would rather wait in the unemployment line like everyone else.
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