Temporary legal employment allows law firms and legal departments to ramp up their work efforts as needed. Lawyers, paralegals, secretaries, and even document runners are among the various types of temporary legal positions available. During different times of the year or when large legal cases arise, the flow of work through a law firm or a company’s in-house legal department may ebb and flow. Law firms and businesses can keep their operating costs low by limiting the number of permanent legal staff members.
There are numerous temporary legal job opportunities available. Attorneys may be hired on a temporary basis to assist with litigation or depositions, providing valuable experience for those who have recently graduated from law school and are preparing to take the bar exam. Paralegals may be hired on a temporary basis to assist with legal research, document preparation, due diligence, or the review of large legal documents.
Temporary legal secretaries assist with clerical tasks such as word processing. Receptionists may answer phones, schedule and confirm appointments, and perform other administrative support tasks. Temporary legal document runners may be hired by law firms and legal departments to deliver and pick up documents at courthouses and other legal offices.
Workers can register with a variety of staffing agencies that offer temporary legal employment in specific areas. A temporary legal staffing agency can help law firms and other businesses find legal workers on a temporary basis. Law firms or businesses can specify the types of workers they require, as well as the length of time they require them and the amount of money they are willing to pay.
When the work that needs to be done exceeds their capacity, law firms or legal departments use temporary legal employment to bring on additional help. Temporary legal assistance frequently works on specific cases or projects, filling in as needed and lowering the firm’s or department’s operating costs compared to hiring additional permanent employees. Temporary employees may only be employed until the backlog of work is cleared. Because of seasonal increases in workload, some law firms or legal departments require temporary employees on a regular basis.
Temporary workers are sometimes hired by law firms and legal departments to fill unexpected vacancies. Temporary workers could be hired until a permanent employee can be found to fill the position. If the temporary legal employee does well enough in his or her job, the firm’s or legal department’s managers may decide to hire him or her on a permanent basis.