Is Working From Home Right for You?

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

As more and more people work from home in modern society, the virtual office is quickly becoming a staple of our lives. While some companies like Yahoo have nixed the option and publicly condemned working from home, many are adapting to the demands of a 24-7 workweek by offering the virtual office as a viable solution.

The legal field is no different. In fact, a recent study found that 39 percent of attorneys surveyed said the number of employees at their firms who work remotely increased from 2014 to 2015, and 16 percent said their firms planned to redesign office space to accommodate the increasingly mobile work force.

Those numbers are only likely to grow exponentially year over year. With tools like e-discovery, sharing apps like DropBox, and services such as Docusign, the logistics of the virtual legal office are now more feasible than ever. Further, the bolstering of Google Scholar in recent years has made case research increasingly easier and more affordable (read: free) than ever before. (If you haven’t used Google Scholar in a while, it’s definitely worth checking out again.)

The upshot is that lawyers, now more than at any point in history, have all the resources at their fingertips to carry out their jobs almost exclusively from home. This is great news for new lawyers.

But is a work-from-home situation right for you?

U.S. JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S CORPS (JAG): How Can You Join?

by Michelle Queirolo 
Grad Fellow 
Law Career Services

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a Judge Advocate? JAG Corps is appealing to many law students, and attorneys alike, because it offers a diverse practice - a combination of criminal prosecution, criminal defense, and client counseling - plus the opportunity for national and international travel. In addition, Judge Advocates are officers in the military, so these attorneys not only serve their clients, they serve and represent our country as well. To become a Judge Advocate, an applicant does not need prior military experience. Rather, a prospective applicant must first decide on which of the branches s/he would like to practice and serve in: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.

Contract Attorney: A Great Position for Recent Graduates!

by Victoria Capinpin
LCS Graduate Fellow

GGU 3Ls and alumni often ask us whether they should consider applying for a contract attorney position. Contract attorney positions are becoming more and more common (see all of the job postings offered on LCS Online!), and may be the perfect fit for some people. For example, if you are afraid you will not find long term employment right after graduation and after passing the bar exam, then being a contract attorney might be a great option--you get a paycheck, you won't have a gap on your resume, and you are getting legal experience that will translate well to later legal jobs. Below is some information to help you determine whether being a contract attorney is for you.

What is a Contract Attorney?
"Contract attorneys are usually hired to perform specific tasks or to work on specific cases. When the work is completed, the contract attorney’s services are terminated or the parties enter into a new contract for other services needed by the firm."

Pros of being a Contract Attorney:

• Recent graduates can earn income while establishing a law practice or looking for an attorney position.
• Contract services usually includes basic skills that every new attorney needs to master, such as doing legal research, drafting motions, making special court appearances, and attending depositions.

Cons of being a Contract Attorney:

• Frequent turnover
• Lack of familiarity with the law office or the client matter involved
• Possible disagreement over the contract's terms

How to mitigate potential problems associated with the temporary nature of the contract attorney position:

Make sure the written contract:

1. sets out the roles and responsibilities involved in performing the work, and
2. makes clear that payment to the contract attorney isn’t contingent on the client obtaining a recovery in the underlying case.

Read more about the pros and cons of the contact attorney position from GGU Alumna Julie Brook, editor of the CEB Blog!