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| Frequently Asked Question - Employees |
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Frequently Asked Questions – Employers  ANSWERS – Employers Q. When is it a good option to use contract/project attorneys? A. Contract attorneys have become a permanent fixture in the legal recruiting industry. While contract attorneys are often used to staff large scale legal matters, including massive document review and corporate due diligence projects, the possibilities for using contract attorneys are truly endless. Contract attorneys can, and increasingly are, used for more substantive, high-level legal work, including research and writing, contract and lease drafting and review, corporate governance, and securities and other regulatory compliance. Contract attorneys can provide real solutions to law firm and corporate staffing dilemmas. For instance, staffing a large litigation matter that may settle at any point can be an unnerving proposition for law firms. The availability of experienced attorneys on a contract basis gives the law firm the coverage of attorneys without the long-term commitment and expense. Similarly, staffing for attorney leaves of absence and during corporate hiring freezes can be an impossible issue for corporate legal departments. Again, an attorney on a contract basis can provide an ideal solution. The key to understanding the efficacy of the contract attorney model is in recognizing the major shift that has occurred in the legal industry in recent years. As law firm partnerships have become more elusive and corporate stability has become more volatile, highly credentialed and qualified attorneys are often available in the market for longer periods of time between positions and some attorneys choose contract or project work as a long term career choice. In addition, attorneys who have left the traditional practice of law for a period of time to care for family are regularly seeking to return to practice. Many of these attorneys are well-suited for and interested in the quality of life and potential flexibility offered in temporary or longer term contract positions. The opportunity to capture high-level experience on a temporary basis is now more readily available than ever. back to top Q. Would McCormack Schreiber be able to assist with the placement of paralegals, patent agents and other legal support professionals? A. Yes. McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions Inc. provides contract, permanent and temporary to permanent paralegals, patent agents and other legal support professionals, including legal secretaries and legal administrative assistants. Our extensive database of pre-screened candidates includes candidates with varying degrees of experience in a range of practice areas, including litigation, bankruptcy, real estate, intellectual property, corporate and labor and employment. back to top Q. Why should we use McCormack Schreiber over other contract agencies? A. McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions is unique in this industry. Unlike virtually all of our competitors, our founders started in the search business as high-level permanent attorney recruiters. Our affiliated permanent search firm, McCormack Schreiber Legal Search Inc., has been a leader in the permanent search industry for nearly a decade. As such, we have developed and designed McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions’ policies and procedures, including philosophy, goals, screening, and client service with the model of a highly regarded permanent search business. To assist our clients in achieving their supplier diversity goals, we are certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as a Women's Business Enterprise. At McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions, we are determined to provide the highest level of professional service in screening, client presentation, and facilitation of the staffing process, while at the same time dedicating our business to providing a more rewarding career experience for our contract attorney and other legal professional employees. When meeting with each candidate for a thorough screening interview, we also assist with the presentation of the candidate’s resume and provide short and long term guidance and career advice. Every candidate who is employed by McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions may become eligible for our long term benefits, including insurance, 401(k), flexible spending accounts, transit benefits and continuing legal education courses. McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions also carries professional liability (malpractice) insurance on its contract attorney employees. back to top Q. What is the process for starting a project with contract/project attorneys from McCormack Schreiber? A. It is our goal to make this process as simple as possible for our clients. In short, the process for our employer clients merely involves contacting us and asking for our assistance. We then take care of screening, presenting, hiring, and otherwise facilitating the process. We have developed an extensive database of potential candidates for a wide range of projects. Our roster of attorneys is particularly impressive in that we have been able to attract a high caliber of candidate, who may have initially contacted us for permanent positions. Many of these candidates are interested in working on projects for the short or long term, while concurrently having access to our permanent opportunities. Our competitors simply can not provide this range of opportunity for attorney candidates, and many candidates who approach us for assistance would not consider working with companies that do not have an established permanent business. back to top Q. How does McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions attract and retain strong attorneys and other legal professionals for contract positions and temporary to permanent hire opportunities? A. As an affiliated company of McCormack Schreiber Legal Search, a long time leader in the permanent attorney recruiting industry, we have been able to attract strong contract candidates by offering a full range of employment counseling and services. Many of our candidates are interested in pursuing contract work while at the same time having access to potential permanent opportunities offered through McCormack Schreiber Legal Search. Our competitors simply do not have the same track record in permanent attorney search and can not provide the benefit of a full service recruiting experience. At McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions, we also believe that the only way to retain the highest quality candidates is to treat them as true professionals. As such, we offer the most competitive benefits package currently available in this industry. Our benefits include a 401(k) with a 4% match, a flexible spending account and a commuter/transit benefit plan. We also provide our contract attorneys with a generous paid holiday and vacation schedule. Because we are determined to staff projects with the highest caliber of contract attorneys, we also provide the opportunity to participate in some fully paid MCLE courses once our attorneys have accrued eighty hours of service with us. back to top Q. What if we ultimately would like to permanently hire a McCormack Schreiber contract attorney or other legal professional? A. Great. At McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions, we will absolutely facilitate and support the permanent placement of a contract attorney, paralegal, patent agent or legal administrative assistant with our clients. While this works against the model of many of the competing “high-end” contract attorney businesses (sometimes described as “virtual law firms”), our belief is that what is good for our clients and the overall careers of our candidates is also good for our business. Although there will be a conversion fee for a permanent placement, it will be offset to a degree by the fees already paid for use of the candidate in a contract capacity. back to top Q. How does the administrative payroll and invoicing process work at McCormack Schreiber? A. At McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions we use state of the art technology to streamline the time approval process. Our system integrates payroll data with our invoicing function in order to ensure the most accurate accounting for our clients. Our system allows contract attorneys to log into our website on a daily or weekly basis to submit for approval the time worked for that pay period. Our clients then receive email notification that contract attorney time is ready for review. The client then logs into our website and can quickly and easily approve time via the internet. Once time data is approved, payroll and invoicing are seamlessly combined to ensure precise reporting. All of these functions are integrated, providing real-time visibility into the time card submission process. Old-fashioned data entry is eliminated, creating a smooth, reliable process for our clients. back to top |
We welcome you to send us your resume, in confidence, to info@mslegalsolutions.com, or by facsimile to 312.284.6301. All inquiries to McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions Inc. will be kept striclty confidential. We do not submit resumes to prospective employers without a candidate's express permission. Please note that McCormack Schreiber Legal Search Inc. has assisted law firms and companies for the past decade in the permanent placement of attorneys of all levels and in all areas of practice. Please visit our website at www.thelawrecruiters.com to learn more about McCormack Schreiber Legal Search and our current opportunities. |
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