LPI Hires Angela Nunez, Esquire

Legal Placements, Inc. welcomes a new staff member to the team. Angela M. Nunez, Esquire recently joined Legal Placements, Inc. as the Operations Manager for the contract attorney division. Angela brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to LPI and the clients we serve.

What is your background?

I am barred in three states and have ten years of active law practice prior to entering into the legal staffing industry. I began my career as a prosecutor in Massachusetts where I had a heavy trial practice and caseload. I tried over 80 cases to verdict which included jury and bench trials. My family and I then moved to D.C. where I worked for a couple of big firms on pharmaceutical and tobacco litigation with a focus on document production, witness preparation and privilege defense. During this time, I managed teams of associates, contract attorneys and paralegals focused on document production from collection to production.

How did you make the transition from the practice of law to the staffing industry?

Since my practice focused on the discovery phases in litigation, it was a natural transition to focus on staffing for large document productions. Given my experience, I knew the type of candidates that firms seek for their reviews and I thought I would have some valuable insights which would be beneficial in assisting them with their search.

Has the pricing model for document reviews changed in the last 12 months? If so, how?

We are starting to see the bill rates creep back up to where they were pre-recession. This year has been busy thus far, and experienced contract attorneys continue to be in demand.

With the change in the unemployment rate, has there been a change in the direction of your recruiting plan?

We have seen an increased need in corporate law departments for attorneys with contracts and licensing experience, as well as attorneys with regulatory experience. As a result, we are always seeking attorneys and paralegals with this specialized experience.

What type of skills can contract attorneys bring to a project?

Washington, D.C. has a vast number of highly qualified attorneys who are looking for contract work while they search for a permanent position. D.C. is a great example of what the attorney market has to offer. This allows firms and corporations to hire, on a contract or permanent basis, barred attorneys with foreign language skills, specialized practice experience and even government clearances. This can be done on a day’s notice without paying the rates that big-law demands for associates.

What current trends do you see in the market place?

I notice that large firms have started to seek contract attorneys for associate level work. The current candidate market offers attorneys with extensive practice specific experience. In addition, there are a number of former partners and associates that, due to firm lay offs, have entered into contract work. Law firms and their clients benefit from this, allowing top talent at cost-effective savings. I think this trend may continue as the economy slowly rebuilds itself.