Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Help Train Your Foreign Replacements

"Now Quislex, one of the first and largest Indian LPOs, has teamed up with Strategic Legal Solutions, a pioneer in the U.S. temporary lawyer marketplace, to form SQ Global Solutions. With offices in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Los Angeles and Hyderabad, India, SQ Global has a unique international outsourcing network of attorneys. All of your high volume, labor intensive legal tasks can now be outsourced to our state of the art Hyderabad facility where we employ over 150 full time permanent attorneys. You can also combine our Indian resources with our nationwide candidate pool of highly credentialed and experienced U.S. temporary attorneys to create a unique onshore/offshore legal project team."

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

The United States won't fare much better next year; the IMF projected the U.S. economy will grow by a feeble 0.6% in 2009.
India, which grew by a blistering 9.2% last year, is expected to grow by 7.9% this year and 8% next year.

Anonymous said...

Further proof that Marx was correct... capitalists will sell the rope to hang them with.

Anonymous said...

Maybe McCarter & English will replace the Hudson guys with this group located in India....afterall, wasn't it Strategic that sent some of its people to Newark's McCarter recently, prior to the Friday axe dropping for 500 attorneys?

Anonymous said...

Now that all of our jobs are overseas, I wonder how they expect to continue to grow our economy, when the credit markets are continuing to freeze up. What a dire situation. Thanks alot, Republicans!

Anonymous said...

Noted an announcement this week in NYLJ of former E.P. Dine Temp Division's Craig S. Brown having moved to Strategic Legal. That must be some cue that either Treadwell took over, or is no longer with Dine or that Dine's business for temps was failing e.g. doubt Mr. Brown would have stayed if business was poor.
Very interesting change herein..........wonder if any relevance to Newark's McCarter's firing the 500+ Hudson attorneys last Friday.

Anonymous said...

Everybody hates Dine. About freaking time.

Anonymous said...

Well if this doesnt stop the flow of people going to law school I dont know what will.

Anonymous said...

The system facilitated by Alan "Don't Blame Me" Greenspan is unsustainable: See, http://counterpunch.com/
"The Fading American Economy"
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS (an ex-Reaganite, btw).

Even Henry Ford knew he had to pay his workers enough to buy his cars if Ford Motor was to succeed.

Also look into economist Ravi Batra (and Chalmers Johnston, Kevin Phillips, Ha-Joon Chang, et al; one will lead to another and another and another).

The U.S. is bankrupt, going down & fast. The good news is it won't be able to launch the kind of aggressive wars condemned at Nuremberg.

As Bette Davis said in "All About Eve," "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

Anonymous said...

It is American businessmen who are killing the American worker and the American economy. The irony is that all these idiots shipping jobs overseas never truly contemplate what it ultimately means to this country. TREASON. HANG EM! And by the way SLR GO FUCK YOURSELF.

Anonymous said...

And I'm sure one of the attorneys in India will still bitch about living on a foam slab and going to a second-tier law school. People are the same all around, whether they're coding in Bangalore or lovely downtown Newark.

Anonymous said...

Hey 5:11 - where did you get the 500+ number from?!

The number was between 175 and 200. Looks like those mad math skillz of yours didn't save you from the axe.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know Chelsea Silverman works at Strategic now? Is Solomon Page a toilet?

Anonymous said...

10:30 pm,

The size of Newark site was definitely over 600, and about 75% were laid off. That is at least 450. Add to that the 100+ laid off in Philly and you are over 500.

Anonymous said...

why are you guys racist against india? doc review is not attorney work. plus they do it much cheaper and wont complain, they are grateful. it saves everyone money.

Anonymous said...

Craig Brown did not quit EPDine -- he was fired. He's trash and should have been fired long long ago. Those forms he had us filling out were crazy. I think we should refuse to work for Strategic -- oh, by the way, that fucking little troll Shawn Treadwell is now at Strategic too.

Anonymous said...

close the law schools !!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

the curry over here in bombay is good...

Anonymous said...

These recruiters hop from one agency to another like there is no tomorrow. Can anyone say anti-trust issues?

Anonymous said...

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1727726,00.html

Anonymous said...

Mark Alexander, a Dallas attorney, says he's ethically obligated to do what's best for his clients, "and that includes saving them money." So when one of them asks him to research a securities-fraud topic, for example, or breach of contract, he doesn't even think about applying his $395 hourly rate. Instead, he calls Atlas Legal Research, an outsourcing company based in Irving, Texas, that uses lawyers in India to provide the service for $60 per hr. "When a client pays me a $25,000 retainer and I can save them money, I will do so," says Alexander. Handing off the work to a $225-per-hr. junior associate is not an option. "They don't even know where to stand in the courtroom," he says

Anonymous said...

"At Integreon's facilities in Mumbai and Gurgaon, for example, guards search attorneys' belongings."

Wow, sounds like an Update or Hudson project. I guess the sweatshops are moving overseas.

Anonymous said...

in Mumbai right now... where is the document review room ?? do they have espressos here ???

Anonymous said...

Transunion? I am tired of these credit agencies and banks shipping our jobs overseas, and then when they screw up as in the latest sub-prime crisis, expecting to be bailed out by the feds and American taxpayers. I say no federal bailouts to businesses that ship American jobs overseas. It's the privatization of profits and socialization of losses!

Anonymous said...

I am confused, how come most of the doc review projects require NY bar license if they can outsource to non-barred attorneys in India?

Anonymous said...

I've said it before but a document reviewer is probably the best spy a foreign government can ask for. We read corporate emails all day. We have access to every fucking trade practice. We know who is getting divorced and who is buying a house. We can know it all. If they want people with no loyalty to the US and nothing to lose (no serious threat of disbarment) they are in for a royal screwing one of these days when their trade secrets make their way into the hands of a foreign intelligence service and their foreign competitors. Even the stuff you think isnt sensitive can be exploited. There is lots of personal email that falls into these reviews. It can be used to approach people who are very disgruntled or in need of money. Outsourcing legal work makes corporate espionage much easier.

Anonymous said...

I can easily see a foreign Chinese spy getting a hold of American trade secrets. All this to save a few bucks. Call Lou Dobbs.

Anonymous said...

I can easily see a foreign Chinese spy getting a hold of American trade secrets. All this to save a few bucks. Call Lou Dobbs.

Anonymous said...

If both Craig Brown and Shawn Treadwell now have moved to Strategic, who, if anyone, is running Dine's temp division.....is there a consolidation or merger downstream here between Strategic and Dine? Looks to me like there is more to come in this industry. These two guys, Brown and Treadwell, move together like part of a roden colony..heading towards the next piece of dropped cake......working as parasites and roaches off of the droppings of others.....cleary, Dine did't have anything for them to feed of off anymore, or maybe U.S. Legal just got tired of all of the lawsuits filed against the, and their insurer demanded the two(2) get the boot....as a franchise, they obviously were blowing it for to whom ever they had to answer. Expect the same from Strategic if this is where they are working together again......

Anonymous said...

From Craiglist today:

Reply to: smehta@multitechsol.com
Date: 2008-04-10, 5:25PM EDT

Our Direct Client is a global legal support services company providing high quality, cost-effective legal support services through integrated international operations in Washington DC, New York, Chicago and Bangalore. The company serves over 50 Fortune 500 corporate and global law firm clients, including 40 of the AmLaw 100.

The Client's Advisory Board members include a former CEO of McKinsey & Co.; a former CEO of Standard Chartered Bank; a former Chairman & CEO of US Trust, former Vice Chairman of Aetna and former Chairman of Citibank International; a former General Counsel of Citibank and Partner at Shearman & Sterling; a former Executive Committee member of EDS and former Chair of the Operating Committee of Perot Systems; and the Research Director & Faculty Chair at Harvard Law School among others.

Our Direct Client is looking for a highly qualified attorney to to manage projects from our international office in Bangalore, India. The ideal candidate is someone with two to six years of relevant US legal experience, with a desire to move to India and be based in Bangalore.

Detailed responsibilities for the position are as follows -

* Reports directly to the VP, Legal Services
* Instrumental in building the India-based legal delivery team
* Recruitment and training of India-based associates
* Quality control management
* Client relationship management
* Team management responsibilities

Key Qualifications:

* Two to six years of US law firm/corporate experience
* Relevant subject matter/legal process expertise (e.g., e-discovery, contracts drafting/review, finance/banking)
* JD/LLM from a top US law school
* Project management experience
* Demonstrated leadership ability
* Superior communication and interpersonal skills
* Passion, interest and understanding of Indian business environment

Anticipated Appointment: Immediate
Job Location: Bangalore, India

Please send your latest resume and a cover letter (including salary requirements). Please email both to smehta@multitechsol.com

* Location: Bangalore, India
* Compensation: Open

Anonymous said...

...And before someone flames me, I know, it's *Craigslist*.

Anonymous said...

I feel bad for the original Elaine P. Dine. In the old days, she was revered for her professionalism and her integrity. With this whole temp fiasco, these rats really smeared and defecated on her image. The woman must be rolling over in her grave.

Anonymous said...

here is my cover letter for the Banglore, India job....

dear temp people:

i am qualified for this gig. can drink espresso. won't mind people playing on internet for many hours. can stare at computer screen for days. can click into the next century. hates real associates with real jobs.

thanks,
temp 2

Anonymous said...

Document Review Contract Attorney (Chicago)
Reply to: job-636377000@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-04-09, 3:19PM CDT


De Novo Legal is a resource solutions partner to law firms and corporate legal departments. Please visit our Web site at www.denovolegal.com.

We will be in the process of staffing projects in Chicago, IL in the near future (May/June) and are looking for experienced document reviewers. If you are interested in working as a Document Review Contract Attorney and would like to register with De Novo Legal, please send us your resume. Previous document review experience and IL bar admission is preferred, but not required. Candidates must be available to work at least 40 hours per week.

Please note that in-person interviews are required. Interviews will be conducted in downtown Chicago the week of April 28th.

For immediate consideration, please email your resume to the above address.




Oh sure DeNovo.....like we believe you. you've been saying you have projects for months.

Anonymous said...

They just tell *YOU* they have no projects... that's what we tell all the losers.

Anonymous said...

vlad has a puppy

Anonymous said...

Now the Hudson laid off hundreds of attorneys, NY rates have dropped from $35 to $28 an hour:

Long Term Document Review (Midtown)
Reply to: job-638641716@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-04-11, 1:39PM EDT


Attorneys needed for long term document review project starting next week. Candidates waiting to be sworn in welcome to apply. Exceptions may be made for qualified law grads with financial backgrounds. Compensation will be $28/hr. All candidates will be hired as independent contractors and will be responsible for paying their own taxes. Please send resume and include status (new grad, waiting to be sworn in, or attorney) in subject line. Rate will increase to $40 after probationary period.

* Compensation: $28
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Anonymous said...

This sucks and I deserve better. Guess it's time to get high and do some blind coding. That'll show the assholes!

Anonymous said...

Is there collusion among the temp agencies? Do they share information about candidates & workers?

If so this would be a serious violation of privacy laws...

Anonymous said...

Although it is mundane, doc review is certainly lawyers work. just because someone else can do it, does not mean a qualified attorney should not be doing it. My idiot inbred cousin can use turbotax, but I won't let him do my taxes. I can't wait for whichever firm gets slammed for outsourcing doc review to India when they screw up. I work for the govt now, and I can tell you, every agency is getting pressure to clean house and make sure nobody bends the rules, from the FAA to the SEC, the heat is on.

Anonymous said...

After looking at the Craig's List job description as mentioned above, I am not convinced that this is the McCarter position - unless Hudson now has a site for doc reviewers midtown. There was no mention of the job being the McCarter position. Moreover, that job description seemed to also seek non-JDs.........the only point I did cleraly understand is that the price is coming down and someone no longer wants the liability period at any level - hence independent contractors (1099s) not the usual paycheck from the agency, the latter being responsible for taking FICA etc.

Anonymous said...

Interesting job ad. I will see what the IRS has to say about this.

Anonymous said...

"I will see what the IRS has to say"

HAHAHAHA. Like the IRS gives a shit about a loser temp attorney that can't get a job to save his life. Good luck with that.

Anonymous said...

These employers think they can get away without having to pay FICA? Nice try.

Anonymous said...

Go ahead and file that "threat" under your sue the law schools plan, the strike plan, and the temp union. All a bunch of shitspeak from a powerless bunch of nasty people. Oh, sorry. "Attorneys".

Anonymous said...

People are suing law schools in record numbers so the lawsuit thing was hardly an idle threat. Students and alums all over this country are in fact taking their problems with their schools to court. The Union thing will come to fruition at some point because there is little other choice available to the profession if it wants to stay a profession.

Anonymous said...

Trust me, the india outsourcing bandwagon is screeching to a halt. Every company I know who went to india is scaling back their operations there because wage inflation is rising up big time as the pool of remotely qualified candidates dries up.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Hudson may I have another?
Thank you Hudson may I have another?
Thank you Hudson may I have another?

Anonymous said...

See article at page "Global 1" in the April 14 issue of Time, "Call My Lawyer - In India."

Anonymous said...

Wasn't Andy Goodman involved in setting up operations in Bangalore for Strategic?
I was a reviewer with him on a project years ago. If it is true that he has been instrumental in selling out his former colleagues in the trenches, I don't know how this swine can sleep at night. If this is not correct, then I apologize profusely.

Anonymous said...

Maybe if you all stopped whining a real employer would hire you.

Anonymous said...

I can not wait until one of the overseas projects blow up in some firms face. I am sorry, if you are not native speaker or truly fluent, then you should NOT be reviewing english legal documents. I mean damn, have of the foreign call center workers can barely get through their Sprint script let alone answer a question that was not covered int their class. Assholes. Start your own practice and run from your temp site! Everyone wins.

Anonymous said...

outsourcing

Please....

If they relly wanted to save money they'd have temp attorneys in Alabama or Florida doing this stuff for 20 an hour. The differece between an Indian attorney and a barred attorney working in the midwest is practically negligable. Why is a big law firm going to hassle with the transactional cost of outsourcing to India when they could just as easily outsorce to the midwest (where attorney would be happy to work for 20 an hour)? It's not as simple as just sending work to some guy in India who says he'll do it. Moreover, the guy over there isn't barred. If you wanted to do the doc reviews cheaply, why no hire non-barred paralegals or whatever to do it? It's not exactly that hard to do, right?

Don't worry about outsourcing, and if you are, just work hard on the next temp project and get a job in litigation support.

Half of the reason firms use NYC for temps is that they want to recruit 1/3 of them. Otherwise, they'd use Alabama, Mississipi, upstate NYC, etc. Somewhere where the cost of living is lower.

Anonymous said...

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