Sept. 2006: American Lawyer Cover Story

"But if temp attorneys jump ship for other, better-paying or for longer-term jobs, they risk being blacklisted. "There are agencies and firms that have a database for attendance, for loyalty,"

-- legal staffing recruitment executive.


Joseph McCarthy would be so proud.

http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/PubArticleTAL.jsp?hubtype=Inside&id=1156943792694

From the "Anita Project" Trenches: "Ernie" and "Colonel Supertemp"

"Update does not run a tight ship; it is more like the Titanic. On Anita's project, Update's onsite monitor, Ernie, sits in his office all day doing crosswords trying to avoid any interaction with the temp attorneys. God forbid you ask him to adjust the air conditioning; he will bark at you like a dog. He sets it at one temperature regardless of whether it is 60 or 95 degrees outside. With over 100 people using a cramped toilet, Update used to provide toilet seat covers, but they stopped doing that. Ernie got offended because somebody damaged the cover holder, so no more seat covers for the temps. Ernie is the laziest good for nothing person on the project and that is saying a lot given the number of slackers here. He does not want to be bothered period. When he has to address the group, he does so with such derision and contempt. He and the rest of Update should realize and appreciate that without temp attorneys billing all these hours, there would be no Update.

How about the female Stepford Update staffers stopping giving preferential treatment and the cushiest well paying assignments to certain male temps who flatter them? How about they stop making wankers like "Supertemp" project leaders? How about Update contributing a few bucks to a health plan and a 401 (k) plan? A little quid pro quo might rehabilitate your image."

--"Anita Project" Worker

Dating The Help

Is Exposing A Fellow Co-Worker's Relationship With The Boss A Legitimate Labor Issue?
	Yes, It is Fair Game, Creates An Obvious Conflict Of Interest
	No, Everyone Should Mind Their Own Business
Free polls from Pollhost.com

(Only 1 vote per I.S.P. address will register)

From the "Anita Project" Trenches: Fran's Live Report

Super Temp is back -- he's on another project, and he's got his eye on a Privilege QC Captain.

The associate is dating a girl who never spoke to anyone. She used to dress in cheap K-Mart low-cut tank tops until she started dating him - the best-dressed associate. Now she's getting preferential treatment, special projects; she comes in whenever she pleases, and she takes excessive breaks.

The associate was also flirting with another temp heavily, and there is speculation they were dating as well - I believe it's the same girl the Super Temp likes.

Crazy Temp, who allegedly slashed her bf's tires, is back to her antics again. It is widely known that she does not like black people and will go out of her way to get them all fired from the project. She's being courted by a tall and way-too-skinny guy that no one likes. They're perfect together.

Other romances keep popping up, but all the lovesick lovers are in denial.

"Galanzo," commented on in previous posts, is on the Anita project.

Do you remember "Ronald McDonald"? He replaced "Supertemp" when Supertemp left for the summer. He bosses everyone around like he's the coach of a football team. He even gets people to huddle.

Summer on the Anita Project

"Tons of gossip on the Anita project. One of the associates is dating a temp.

Tons of people axed.

Super Temp is gone.

Crops of other Super Temps popped up.

The A/C blew out."

-- Anonymous Source, "Fran": (Fed up - Really - Anonymous -Newssource)

Through No Fault of Mine - On Hiatus

In case you have not noticed, we're on hiatus for a while for the summer slow down. There have been some developments that we hope to cover in the coming weeks.

A pressing project must take precedence for the next week or so, but after that look back here for fresh posts.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ann Israel: The Propaganda Queen

This may in fact, be one way of understanding propaganda: a discursive promotion of the interests and agenda of an overarching or specific power regime.

--Michel Foucault, philosopher

Every exploitative system needs propaganda. The legal profession is no exception. A profession that viciously fires its young workers for talking to the media about work conditions in cock-roach infested basements clearly needs a steady stream of "blame the victim" propaganda to sustain itself.

Ann Israel is the legal profession's very own propaganda queen. Week in, week out the propaganda queen's hate-filled writings are published nationally in American Lawyer Media Publications. Under the guise of providing unbiased and balanced career advice to law students and young attorneys, Ann Israel's column is, in actuality, nothing more than a pipeline of biglaw partner propaganda.

Last week, the propaganda queen actually had the audacity to claim that she never blames victims. Perusing some of her past columns (which isn't an easy thing to do given her blatantly condescending and child-like writing style), I quickly learned that ALL the propaganda queen seems to do is blame the employee. In her own words:

"Ouch! Very few people are going to believe that answer. You are unemployed and that big U is your scarlet letter."

"Once you start your new firm, hunker down and plan on doing things right. Instead of all-night partying, you need to spend your free time studying the law."

"But even more egregious than your excuses is what you have to say about your current job. How dare you speak in such a manner about a decent and honest profession."

"Stop thinking that you are better than your job. Were you able to get out of bed this morning and get dressed by yourself? Then you are a lucky man."

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She's the Dr. Laura of legal advice. People write to her because they know she will shit all over them. -- random autoadmit poster

http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=530457&mc=42&forum_id=2