Temps: A Temporary Solution to a Temporary Problem

Published May 19, 2015

When calamity strikes, it can be doubly disastrous, affecting your staffing situation in addition to the area immediately affected by the calamity. But this is one part of the disaster that you can control—by working with temporary employees to fulfill your staffing needs.

Temps from a temporary employment agency can be a viable solution to a small firm’s or solo practitioner’s personnel needs. However, if you need anything other than the most basic clerical assistance, it would be wise to consider employing a temporary on a long-term basis, in a strategy known as “temp to perm.” This option accommodates extended projects and protracted litigation; it is best pursued with a temporary agency that specializes in temporary legal personnel.

Another type of temporary service solution can come through the outsourcing process. Service outsourcing is a dramatic and high-profile development in which high-speech Internet technology connects U.S. law firms with the growing pool of educated talent in developing countries where the use of English is widespread, with India being the prime example. Such offshore legal service providers can reduce by up to 80 percent the cost of the following:

  • Transcription of voice files from depositions, trials, and hearings
  • Accounting support in the preparation of time sheets and billing materials
  • Paralegal and clerk support for research and file management
  • Data entry for marketing, conflict checks, and contact management
  • Litigation support graphics
  • Legal research, including case citation summaries
  • Review and due diligence of business documents
  • Patent review and searches

This is not the practice of law. It’s the provision of high-quality, low-cost legal support products under the supervision of licensed attorneys. And because the work is delivered electronically and produced under the firm’s supervision, it is transparent to the client.

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Audience type: Administrators, Associates, Large Law Firms, Small Law Firms, Sole Practitioners