Pros
Great place to work. Worked hard to get document review placements.
Cons
Sometimes didn't have document review assignments.
Pros
I have been very satisfied with the work environment at Lumen Legal. We tend to get interesting cases from across the country to work on in different areas of law. The work isn't just document review. There are opportunities to do other taks such as legal research and analysis, deposition preparation, and privilege logs depending on the client. There is also an opportunity to interact with and ask questions of the clients and their outside counsel. The staff has always been very professional with me. They make an effort to keep you informed about the progress of the project and will try to put you on another project when your current assignment ends. The work hours are flexible within reason. Sometimes is overtime is offered. It just depends on the client and whether a deadline is approaching. You can go to lunch at any time unless there is a conference call scheduled with the client. Phones and other mobile devices are allowed as long as you don't disturb your fellow reviewers. Collaboration with other reviewers is encouraged. If you have your own practice, the staff is flexible about absences as long as there is at least some prior notice. Most of the work areas in the building have windows and are set up as cubicles. The chairs are comfortable, which is a big plus in the document review world. It is important to recognize that the document review attorney positions at Lumen Legal are temporary contract positions. The length of any assignment is naturally going to correspond to how long that project lasts. This depends far more on the client than Lumen Legal. It is important to understand that even though this is a temporary contract job, the basic norms of professionalism still apply. This is not a bad thing. Advance notice is expected if you plan to leave on a vacation in the middle of a project or take another job. Lumen Legal is very flexible about this if you make the effort to keep them informed. They understand that things happen in life.
Cons
Southeastern Michigan is a competitive market for legal document review in that Lumen Legal has several competitors in the area. The payrates on projects reflect that competition. The pay is currently set at the going market rate for the Metro Detroit area. In other words it is comparable to what Lumen Legal's competitors pay. Overtime pay is dependent on whether the client is willing to pay it or not. That is not Lumen Legal's decision. The reality of working in document review in 2013 is that there is an oversupply of unemployed or underemployed lawyers and fierce competition between staffing agencies. Automation in the form of predictive coding is also becoming a factor. These factors have an effect on pay rates everywhere. Although different geographic markets have different payrates, competition is a fact of life in the legal document review marketplace.
Pros
I have been working on document review projects for lumen legal and other temp agencies since 2008. In that time, I have been very satisfied with my assignments through lumen legal at their review center as well as ones that are on site at a client’s location. The review center location is very convenient for people who are located in the metro Detroit area. The training sessions from clients for the review center projects are complete and you have a chance to ask questions. There are also follow up meetings by phone or in person with the clients throughout the duration of the project. The windows and individual cubicles in the review center make it a very pleasant work environment. I have worked on projects with other companies where you are in a room with no windows and that can make an 8 hour work day seem much longer. The Lumen Legal staff is friendly and helpful. The recruiters are honest and upfront about the duration and expectations for projects. The technical staff is always available to help with any computer issues that you may encounter. You are able to take time off for family issues and vacations. You are also able to take court appointments or attend legal related training sessions. Hard work is rewarded by being able to work on additional assignments. I would recommend this job to attorneys who are just starting out or ones who are not looking to work at a traditional law firm.
Cons
You may go weeks or months without their being any projects available.
Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.