Anita Project: The Post-Mortem

a) It was totalitarian. Early on people were being fired for all kinds of random reasons. (eg. playing a game of minesweeper, not sitting up straight, for making a quick, random call on a cell-phone). The rules were strict and the scrutiny was intense. The only thing that was missing was a heavy-set German woman in a military uniform barking out orders.

b) It was a paranoid work environment. The random firings, lack of adequate communication, and distortions of truth created an atmosphere of paranoia and distrust that never went away. People would constantly comment on how they had to check their cell-phones every morning in order to make sure they hadn't been fired the night before.

c) Dishonesty.
--Hiring vast amounts of people, claiming that there was plenty of work, and then firing them only a week later.
--Publicly announcing a project end date, denying it, and then firing over a dozen people on that end date.
--Denying that a "watch-list" existed when, in fact, one very much did exist.

d) Moles and Weasals. While they may have been an effective tool for the agencies and firms to gather intelligence, it engendered an atmosphere of distrust and divisiveness that led to a break-down in good old-fashioned teamwork.

e) Inadequate infrastructre.

The End.

More Paul Weiss Horror Stories

Yes, it is true that Paul Weiss has roaches crawling all over the room where the temp attorneys work. If you are in the basement of the UBS building, which is where PW places the majority of temp attorneys, roaches are crawling day and night. Once, I actually found a dead roach in my wallet when I returned home for the evening. Needless to say, I never had to sign out to use the bathroom, but I heard that temp attorneys that are located within the PW main offices upstairs were required to sign in and out. There is a reason why it is called the Plantation! But, that is okay because I got my freedom papers over a year ago!

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A notoriously difficult place to work. Very low pay, strict hours, and a hierarchical environment where contract attorneys are expected to "know their place."

Source: www.tempatty.com

It Ain't Easy Finding The "Smoking Gun," When The Room You Are In Is Literally Smoking

Document Review involves the meticulous review of millions of highly complex and sensitive documents. Clients often pay top-dollar to ensure that their materials are being reviewed in a careful, diligent, and respectful manner. Unfortunately, in order to maximize profits, litigation profiteering middle-men often have cut back on infrastructure and other crucial essentials. In my opinion, conducting a responsible review under these conditions simply becomes counter-productive. Two examples from the "Anita" project are illustrative:

Every afternoon, thick, putrid, white smoke would emanate up from the deli downstairs. Scrambling to avoid the nauseating stench of decaying chicken-fat, people would work hand in hand to close several of the heavy, glass-paned 19th century windows.

The lack of adequate on-site bathroom facilities. Having two small, cramped air-plane sized restrooms for over 120 people is simply unsustainable. Many a time people have shot off the floor like rockets in an apparent mad-dash to relieve themselves. Some people have resorted to sneaking into the lobby of a hotel across the street in order to utilize their facilities. I started doing this myself when I found out that someone on the public internet terminal was researching on how to clear up a herpes and syphilis infection. Thankfully, after several weeks, project management saw the light and was kind enough to invest in paper toilet-seat covers.