Special Counsel – “Contract work is what it is. For me, it is perfect.”

Pros

After reading some of the reviews here, I must say that contract work isn't for everyone. The project based work isn't particularly challenging, and because you are working on a paid hourly basis you do have to 'punch a clock', so to speak. But on the flip side, contract work has given me tremendous flexibility and work / life balance. My husband and I are both white collar professionals and have two small children. With two ambitious careers to manage (he's an accountant and also slave to the billable hour), something had to give and unfortunately, it was our children's care. Simply put, the sacrifices my children were making in the name of our careers became too much for me.

Contract work is beautifully simple. I am able to earn an income and stay 'out there' profesionally, while having the flexibility to dictate my hours and turn down assignments during the most hectic times of the year (can you say TAX season?!). It has really eased the stress in our household.

In the last ~year, I've had two assignments that were not project based, both related to asbestos litigation which is in line with my experience. Those were obviously more challenging, but the project work doesn't bother me too badly, really. In fact, there are many days when I am thankful NOT to be that lead attorney in the case, with full responsibility on his/her shoulders.

As far as Special Counsel goes, for legal contract work they are THE source in South Florida. I've been pretty pleased working with them. They are professional and generally respectful of my personal work/ life balance issues. Re: the poster who said they were dictating lunch breaks, frankly, I like the fact that they communicate the client's expectations very clearly. Moreover, I can appreciate that they have to represent their client's interests as well as mine.

I'd like to get back into practice some day, but not right now. For me, this is a good fit.

Cons

As mentioned above and in other posts, project work can be extremely tedious. For those who are looking for a career that challenges or even flexes the 'law school muscle', this is not the right type of work. There are other assignments available, depending on your level of expertise, but as mentioned they can be few and far between if related to a niche area of the law.

I would recommend that if contract work is not your cup of tea, work with the recruiters to get your foot in the door in a permanent position. An old friend of mine referred me to Special Counsel. He was recruited by them for an in-house IP position in Chicago, and loves it there.

Advice to Senior Management

I haven't really had any exposure to senior management while working as a consultant.