09/08/2022
FROM OUR CEO, IN LAW.COM'S DAILY REPORT
Your ALSP partner should communicate openly and frequently with you, pay you the lion’s share of the hourly fee charged to the employer and support your career advancement at every turn, even if you opt to leave contract lawyering for a permanent position.
Our Founder and C.E.O. Leslie A. Firtell Esq. discusses further in the below article reprinted from law.com. We invite you to continue reading here, and you can also find the article in print at law.com with this link.
WHAT CONTRACT ATTORNEYS SHOULD LOOK FOR IN AN ALSP PARTNER
When you’re a contract attorney, your ALSP (Alternative Legal Services Provider) partner can make a huge difference in your career success and quality of life. The ideal partner not only has great connections to law firms and corporate legal departments, but also fully understands your credentials, expertise, personality and goals so they can connect you with the right opportunities.
Your ALSP partner should communicate openly and frequently with you, pay you the lion’s share of the hourly fee charged to the employer and support your career advancement at every turn, even if you opt to leave contract lawyering for a permanent position.
They should provide you with the information and insights you need to succeed in any engagement,
and be accessible when an issue or concern crops up. In short, your ALSP should work tirelessly on your behalf and always have your best interests at heart.
If you are going through the process of vetting ALSPs to determine which would be the right fit, here are some important factors to consider:
Transparency Across All Communications
Open communication is the foundation of any successful contract attorney/ALSP relationship. Good ALSPs establish a pattern of ongoing communication with both the attorneys they represent and the employers who hire them, so they can make good matches and help ensure smooth engagements.
Your ALSP should provide you with full transparency into available opportunities, including a rundown of expected hours, workplace culture, the potential for an assignment to become a full-time position, etc., and follow up regularly with you once you’ve accepted a position. It’s up to them to provide you with any updates related to the assignment and to be available to you when you have questions or concerns.
Ask the ALSPs you are considering about their communication style and frequency to make sure their practices align with your expectations. Also note how genuinely they are listening to you as you discuss a potential relationship with them. If they are not good listeners or don’t place the same value on communication you do, you may want to keep looking.
A High-Touch Approach to Supporting Your Success
Steady rapport is just one aspect of the experience you should expect from your ALSP. This partner firm should become your home base—the team that provides you with information, 24/7 tech support and tools for success. They should bring a high-touch approach to their relationship with you, from your initial conversation to hiring, onboarding and continuing support.
Your ALSP should reach out to you often—daily or weekly, depending on the circumstances of your assignment—to see if everything is going well and if you need additional support from them. For example, if you have heard rumblings within the law firm you’re working with that the attorney you are filling in for is coming back from medical leave early, before your engagement is set to expire, your ALSP should be ready to check into that for you. Likewise, they should share any relevant backstory or history they may have with a particular employer to help prepare you to succeed with that firm.
Flexibility in Temp-to Perm Conversion
Reputable ALSPs want to contribute to the success of their clients—law firms and corporations — as well as the contract attorneys they represent. So although it may not be in their own best interest, your ALSP should be supportive of your conversion to full-time status if you have been particularly successful and pleased with a certain engagement. In fact, your ALSP should negotiate on your behalf once the employer has extended the opportunity.
Ask the ALSPs you vet about their policies related to temp-to-perm conversions. Listen for a flexible mindset that puts your interests first. Building a solid relationship with an ALSP you trust begins with a thorough analysis of your choices. You will be relying on this partner to connect you with your next career move, as well as subsequent moves, so think carefully about what you want and need. Make sure that the ALSP you choose is positioned to help you achieve your short-term career objectives as well as your long-term career goals.
Reprinted with permission from August 29, 2022, online edition of Daily Report located on law.com at this link.
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