Less is more

A JD Junkyard moderator recently posted a Craigslist ad with the title, JD's, LLM's or Masters Of Law Need Not Apply! Because many things eventually disappear, I've reposted the listing for posterity. The flashing text is my own emphasis, a nice touch the agency should incorporate in future ads. [EDIT: I mistakenly thought IE supported BLINK and couldn't test it] Think of it as the warning beacon from Alien.

The ad is still up as I type this.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/lgl/3601269548.html

JOBS GALORE (Midtown)

JOBS GALORE" - N.Y.'S # LEGAL SPECIALISTS (MANHATTAN)


A PARTIAL LISTING OF OUR CURRENT JOB OPENINGS
CURRENTLY INTERVIEWING!!

**If you have a J.D., LLM or Masters of Law, please DO NOT respond to these ads.

Robert Hadley Associates NY'S #1 "Legal Recruiting Resource" is currently inundated with Job openings - The list below only represents a sample of the current market and positions that are available. The firm's are currently interviewing selected candidates and hopefully their choices and hires will be within your reaches. Please feel free to respond in confidence with your current and updated resume.

LEGAL BILLING SPECIALIST -- $70K - INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is seeking a seasoned ELITE Legal Billing Specialist for our client a Major international law firm.

The Billing Specialist chosen for this position must be exceptional and well versed in all aspects of ELITE Legal Billing. Duties will include: generate and distribute pre-bill drafts monthly and as requested, process final invoices, generate LEDES files for electronic billing, generate monthly WIP reports, etc. The ideal candidate must possess strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work in a highly professional, fast paced environment. Applicant identified must have current law firm billing experience as well 2-5 years experience with Elite Program. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience

JUNIOR PLAINTIFF'S LITIGATION PARALEGAL - $45K -BILINGUAL SPANISH A PLUS!
Robert Hadley Associates, NY's #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is seeking an experienced Junior Plaintiff's Litigation Paralegal for one of our law firm clients. Our client a well know boutique plaintiff's law firm, is conveniently located in downtown Manhattan.

The Junior Paralegal chosen for this position must well versed with the litigation process and have exceptional writing and proofreading skills. The ideal candidate will be a team player with excellent organizational skills. Bilingual Spanish a plus! Candidate identified must have 2+ years of Plaintiff's Litigation experience. Excellent opportunity to grow your litigation knowledge in a reputable plaintiff's firm. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

LEGAL SECRETARY CORPORATE SECURITIES PARTNER - $60-65K
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is seeking an experienced Corporate Legal Secretary for our client, a diverse multipractice midtown law firm. This position will support a very busy Corporate Securities Partner and Corporate Counsel.

The applicant chosen for this position must be well versed with corporate work and able to handle all general administrative duties including heavy phones, filing, travel arrangements, billing, calendaring, etc.

The ideal candidate will be a team player with excellent communication and organizational skills. Candidate identified should have 3-5 years of Corporate experience, Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

LITIGATION LEGAL SECRETARY/BI-LINGUAL SPANISH
International law firm client is seeking an experienced Bi-Lingual Spanish Litigation Legal Secretary. Candidate must be fluent bilingual in Spanish (read, write, and speak).

The Legal Secretary chosen for this position must be well versed with the Litigation process. Range of work will include managing of all business travel, producing detailed itineraries, gathering and reviewing materials for presentations and various projects, creating electronic files, as well as other administrative duties including answering busy phone line, filing, billing, calendaring, etc.

The ideal candidate must be extremely detail oriented with superior organizational skills and able to exercise a high degree of discretion and judgment, especially when speaking with clients on the phone. Applicant identified must have advanced knowledge of all Microsoft Office programs (Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

CORPORATE PARALEGAL - INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency is currently interviewing for an experienced Corporate Paralegal for our international law firm client.
The Corporate Paralegal chosen for this position must have 2-5 years of corporate paralegal experience including UCC'S, Certificates of Incorporation, Registrations and general corporate governance/housekeeping. The ideal candidate will be a team player with excellent communication (both verbal and written), interpersonal and organizational skills. Candidate indentified will have experience with general corporate paralegal work either from a large law firms or In-House Counsel's office. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

SEASONED LEGAL SECRETARY - $70K -- SENIOR PARTNER/O.T.
Our client, one of the nation's premier law firms, is seeking an experienced Legal Secretary to provide administrative and secretarial support to a very busy Senior High Profile Partner.
The Legal Secretary identified for this position must have solid administrative experience form a professional corporate or legal environment. Range of work will include formatting, and generating of documents, client billing, travel arrangements, filing, as well as being able to organize a heavy calendar. Advanced technical skills are a must!

The ideal candidate will detail-oriented, highly organized with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. Candidate must be able to work a heavy overtime schedule. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

RESIDENTAL REAL ESTATE PARALEGAL - $50K
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is currently interviewing for an experienced Residential Real Estate Paralegal for our client, a sole practitioner.
The applicant chosen for this position must be well versed in the full scope of Residential Real Estate work. Range of work will include: document production and review, legal research, closings, mortgages, loans etc. The ideal candidate will be a team player with excellent communication and organizational skills and have 3+ years of Residential Real Estate experience.

TRADEMARK DOCKET CLERK -- INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is currently interviewing for an experienced Trademark Docket Clerk to join our client, a large international law firm, in their busy Intellectual Property department.

The Trademark Docket Clerk chosen for this position must be exceptionally well versed in all aspects of Trademark docketing, and must have a strong understanding of USPTO rules and procedures for filings and docketing deadlines.

Candidate identified must have 2-5 years of Trademark Docketing experience. The ideal candidate must be extremely detail-oriented, highly organized and must have an in depth understanding of the Trademark process from start to finish. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

SENIOR BILLING SPECIALIST - $80K
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is currently interviewing for an experienced Senior Billing Specialist for our client, one of New York's most prestigious International Litigation Law Firms.
The Billing Specialist chosen for this position must be exceptional and well versed in all aspects of Legal Billing. Duties will include: oversee all of the billing for the Litigation practice area, including working closely with partners. The ideal candidate must possess strong organizational and communication skills and the ability to work in a highly professional, fast paced environment. Candidate identified must have 8 years of current law firm billing experience. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

TRANSACTIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PARALEGAL - DOE
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is currently interviewing for an experienced Intellectual Property Transactional Paralegal for our client, one of the world's most prestigious full service international law firms, with over 2000 attorneys globally. Candidate identified must have 5+ years minimum of Intellectual Property prosecution and transactional work. Strong familiarity with the USPTO required. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

SENIOR PATENT PROSECUTION PARALEGAL -- PRESTIGIOUS MIDTOWN FIRM - $DOE
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is currently interviewing for an experienced Senior Level Patent Prosecution Paralegal for our client, one of the world's most prestigious full service international law firms, with over 2000 attorneys globally. Candidate identified must have 8 years minimum of patent prosecution and transactional work. Strong familiarity with the USPTO. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience

EXECUTIVE ADMIN ASSISTANT -- EXECUTIVE LEGAL SEARCH FIRM - $DOE
CURRENTLY INTERVIEWING. . ..
Our client, a Boutique Executive Legal Search Firm seeks an experienced Executive Administrative Assistant to support the CEO and founder of the firm. This position requires someone who understands time driven details!!! The applicant chosen for this position must have solid administrative experience in a professional corporate or legal environment as well as excellent technical skills. Duties will include: handling of all administrative functions including phones, filing, travel arrangements, billing, calendar, etc.
The position requires an extremely proactive professional with excellent communication and organizational skills. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

BANKRUPTCY LITIGATION LEGAL SECRETARY -- $55-60K -- LONG ISLAND
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is seeking an experienced Bankruptcy Litigation Legal Secretary for our client, a prestigious
multipractice mid-sized law firm.
Candidate indentified must have 5-7 years of Bankruptcy/Litigation experience from a mid to large sized law firm, as well as exceptional technical skills. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

ADMIN ASSISTANT/LEGAL SECRETARY - $55-65K -- DOE --TOP TIER FIRM!
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency is seeking an experienced Admin Assistant/Legal Secretary for our client a multi-office law firm with a conveniently located midtown Manhattan office. This administrative position will support a busy Health Care Group.
Applicant identified must have solid administrative experience in a professional corporate or legal environment. This position requires an extremely proactive and articulate candidate. Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills are required. Ideal candidate must be detail oriented, and have the ability to multi-task and prioritize. Flexibility and a willingness to be part of a team is a must! Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

WP CENTER OPERATOR, (3 Day Week) -- 7:00 p.m. -- 7:00 a.m. - $60-70K DOE
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency is seeking an experienced Word Processing Center Operator to work the hours of 7:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. for our client, a
Large major midtown law firm. Applicant identified must have law firm Word Processing experience as well as highly proficient technical skills (Microsoft Word, advanced TOA, TOC, Excel, and PowerPoint etc.) The ideal candidate must also have excellent communication and organizational skills and have a keen attention to details, as they will be working directly with attorneys, in addition to working in the WP Center. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE PARALEGAL - $75K
Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'S #1 Legal Staffing Agency, is currently interviewing for an experienced Commercial Real Estate Paralegal for our client, a multi-faceted law firm conveniently located in midtown Manhattan.
The applicant chosen for this position must be exceptionally and well versed in Commercial Real Estate work. Range of work will include: document review, production research, file maintenance, assist in closings, etc. The ideal candidate will be a team player with excellent communication and organizational skills. Candidate identified must have 2-5 years of Commercial Real Estate experience. Please contact Robert Hadley Associates, N.Y.'s #1 Legal Staffing Agency, if you have the qualifications and experience.

You know how law school deans claim a JD is a versatile degree and you can do anything with it? THEY LIE! Sorry, TLS lemmings, the JDJ comments are accurate and no, none of us posted that ad ourselves (I've been accused of that in the past). I don't remember when agencies started doing this, only that I eventually learned I needed to keep my JD off my résumé to be employable.

Putting my presTTTigious legal training to use, I replied to the ad and inquired about the verbiage and was there anything else they could tell me? You know, like "[T]heir clients wouldn't be caught dead hiring a lawyer?" I never got a response, if you can believe that, though I did get an out-of-office reply from Donna M. Buro, whose name will be forever enmeshed with this post in Google search results. Hell hath no fury like a scamblogger scorned.

Less is truly more when it comes to legal education. You are forever precluded from decent, if unspectacular jobs that can pay as well as an attorney, particularly if the position is non-exempt. All this and little or no education requirement, bar exam, bar dues, CPE, mandatory pro bono, malpractice insurance, etc. If schools wanted to do their graduates a favor, they'd help create phony references to explain the three-year employment gap and be willing to verify them.

In passing, I'd like to mention that the JDJ post trods familiar ground. Scott Bullock commented on similar listings back in 2010 (and likely earlier).

JD v. GED: The "Joke Degree" vs. the "Good Enuff" Diploma!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 10:20:28 PM | lawis4losers

You've really gotta love the craigslist ad posted here:

http://cnj.craigslist.org/lgl/1842214993.html

This law firm is advertising a position for a data-entry monkey to load/scan documents into Concordance (a doc review software platform) that the temp attorneys (aka doc reviewers/"coders") will later review for litigation & e-discovery.

What's especially hilarious is that the posted job doesn't even require a college degree (much less a JD), yet pays the same hourly rate that LICENSED ATTORNEYS commonly receive to actually perform a substantive review of this corporate, make-work garbage. Furthermore, the ad alludes to a RAISE in salary after a small trial period. Imagine a document review attorney ever getting a raise mid-project! The only "raise" a doc review JD ever gets is when they lift their right arm to ask permission to use the restroom!

For the lawschool defenders, a question: Show me the ship's captain who receives the same rate as the steerage coal stokers. Show me the MD who receives the same pay as the bedpan dumper. Show me the auto mechanic who makes the same salary as the gas pump jockey. Show me the executive chef who makes the same sheckle as the dishwasher.

Think I'm kidding? Read this ad:

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/lgl/1797573583.html

Yes, you nitpicking pricks, the JD position above pays a WHOPPING $4 an hour more than the data-entry job. Now go ahead and subtract student loans, bar dues, CLE fees, madatory pro-bono assignments (compulsory for all NJ attorneys), and 7 years of lost earnings while you were being "educated" from the equation.

Enough said.

Only in law kids, only in law.

L4L

RuTTTgers-Newark dean trolls scambloggers

The New York Times must feel badly about continually bashing law schools, for it allowed a local sewer to infest its op-ed page, yesterday. Rutgers-Newark Dean John Farmer published To Practice Law, Apprentice First. Though chock full of ivory tower disconnect, at least he didn't try to sell law school as a sound investment like most of his peers.

Let me get this out of the way: As a New Jersey taxpayer, I believe both Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden should close and the public resources currently expended be diverted to more productive use. I would have had a less visceral reaction if this op-ed issued from Hofstra, but I'm sure less geographically-challenged writers will remain more objective. Actually, I look forward to Campos ripping Farmer a new asshole from Colorado. This link has everything you need to know about lawyer supply and demand in the NJ legal market. Class dismissed.

Farmer has had a charmed life, unlike most Rutgers-Newark alumni. His bio is here. To his credit, he has considerable experience in private practice, so he is not just talking from you-know-where. I also know him as one of the "go-to" guys when the fit hits the shan. On the other hand, he is dean of a perpetual also-ran in the nation's biggest legal market and should tend to his own house rather than venture out to pontificate. After all, rankings come out next month.

The op-ed isn't that long; please read it. Farmer ties the legal market's woes to big firms overpaying for newbie lawyers. Briefly, because Cravath pays $160K, Dorita can't afford to fight her eviction. Further, because Cravath's clients aren't willing to pay to train new lawyers, Cravath hires fewer of them (and the remainder compete with Rutgers-Newark grads).

Farmer's prescription is the lawyer's version of a medical residency. I could write an essay on the difference between law and medicine, starting with one being an actual, well-respected profession and the other being a presTTTigious "profession" and textbook case of regulatory capture. Side note: medical students now face the "jaws of death." Oh, and the public pays to train new doctors, presumably because the investment is worth it. Can you say the same about lawyers? And keep a straight face?

I'm getting lazy, so let me respond to Farmer with some bullet points.

• The reason the middle-class can't afford lawyers is because it has no money. Fix that and some other intractable problems will fix themselves. Education debt, anyone? How about reducing housing prices in the NYC area? A more progressive tax structure coupled with federal, state, and local government pruning?
• Good lawyers are expensive because they are worth it; you get what you pay for. This is the case with everything in life. Farmer implicitly recognizes that low-end legal work can and should be done cheaply, meaning the value isn't there. Big firms realized this years ago, at which point they began hiring staff attorneys; shipping work to India and flyover country; and, employing automation. The problem remains that the academy wants seven years of higher education, a bar exam, bar dues, and CLEs for the chance to do scut work. Farmer's answer to this is to add two years low-paid residency under questionable supervision.
• One way to reduce the cost of legal education, but not legal services, is to make law an undergraduate degree, either four or five years. THEN, you require one or two years working for an admitted lawyer. This is how accountants regulate themselves and we don't hear about a glut of CPAs, though a lot of this is self-selection. Again, it won't reduce prices because the cost of training does not affect the perceived value of the service rendered. This is why my accountant charges a high hourly rate for estate accounting and estate tax preparation and the lawyer who does my estate planning works for a flat fee somewhat higher than LegalZoom's.
• Did I forget to mention the middle-class has no money?

Anyhow, nice try, Dean Farmer. You clearly understand both structural changes facing the legal industry and macroeconomics. If I may quote Upton Sinclair, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"

Law applicants are VERY special snowflakes

From the National Law Journal article headed Future law school applicants are wealthier, more self-confident:

The aspiring lawyers rated themselves more highly than the typical college student regarding academic ability, public speaking, drive to achieve and tendency to socialize with students outside their own race. Of the eventual law school applicants, 87 percent reported that they had "above average" academic abilities, compared to 69 percent of all college freshman.

One of the sad things about incompetent people, besides having them as coworkers, is they don't realize they're incompetent. After the spate of bad news last week, law school administrators can relax knowing there IS a sucker born every minute, a sucker receptive to sophisticated marketing programs and who can shut out everything contrary; they're unreachable.

Granted, *successful* law applicants have better credentials than an average college graduate, but we are not dealing with future investment bankers, here. Or engineers. Or medical doctors.

These individuals are the same aimless idiots who majored in liberal arts and groupthink, took gut courses, and intend to "do" International Law. They rack up posts on TLS and patronize Scott Bullock. Armed with their 155 LSAT, they and their like-minded cohort head to some TTR sh*thole and are never heard from again unless they screw up. Some even succeed for a while, but when reality kicks them in the head, as it almost always does, the grasshopper has pissed away everything he made in biglaw and is too proud to pick himself up off the floor (see the lawyer).

Granted, if you're either connected or won the genetic lottery then you can hold your head up high. Otherwise, know that fools rush in where wise men fear to tread.

January 2013

I'm debating whether to continue posting BLS monthly reports, at least in the current format. See the 1,128,000 for December 2012? Now, look at December 2012, which had 1,123,400, a restatement of 4,600. Pinning down the change for the current month is an exercise in wishful thinking. Maybe round to the nearest 10,000?

Interestingly, the restated December 2012 figure is an increase of 12,400 over December 2011. Pretty damn impressive — huge raises for everyone!

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm

Not seasonally adjusted	January	2012	1,112,100
	November	2012	1,127,900
	December	2012	1,131,700
	January	2013	1,118,600	6,500
Seasonally adjusted	January	2012	1,119,100
	November	2012	1,126,100
	December	2012	1,128,000
	January	2013	1,125,600	6,500
Change from Dec-12 to Jan-13				-2,400