Canadian Lawyer 4Students

22 s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 C A N A D I A N L a w y e r 4 s t u d e n t s Aer finishing her articles in June 2012 at Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, University of Toronto law school graduate Bishu Gir- ma found out she wouldn't be hired back. A mentor at the firm put her in touch with ATD Legal Services PC, which in January was acquired by Deloitte. It takes care of document review for firms that outsource the time-consuming yet key step in the litigation process. "It seemed like an easy transition and something to keep me busy and have income coming in while I looked for a job," she says. She joined the company in June 2012. Now, Girma, who combined her JD with an MBA, has been promoted to project managing document reviews — a position she says she enjoys. Legal support companies that hire law- yers for specific projects on contract basis offer e-discovery, document review, and due diligence services. According to ATD founder and Deloitte partner Shelby Aus- tin, it's had "huge success" with first-year lawyers. "We think there's a certain level of energy and earnestness and eagerness that comes with starting out that can be great to work around," she says. Document review may be for a lease, litigation, or a supplementary information request from the Competition Bureau. A typical day involves receiving instructions from clients, understanding the require- ments, and siing through information to identify what is and what's not relevant to the case, Girma explains. "e skills that you learn here is really legal analysis, be- ing able to read a document and under- stand its principles," she says. "You also gain experience understanding how the litigation process works because we as re- viewers are part of it. Whether it's a firm or business, you're reading through their le- gal brief and the court filings. You're read- ing through legal issues and understand- ing privilege and confidentiality." When it comes to hiring decisions, seniority isn't a priority, Austin notes. "What we've found is that it's the attention to detail that matters more than the year of call for our particular work. We really think it's how careful they are with the work rather than how senior they are that affects the outcome." What about the money? Austin says the company pays young lawyers rates com- parable to what they would earn in a law firm although the hours are much friend- lier. "If you break down the number of hours a first year works [in a law firm], if they work 2,000 hours and make however much per year, our rates are very competi- tive to that except they're not working a zillion hours," she says. e environment is also attractive. Austin's team works out of an airy lo on Soho Street in Toronto where staffers wear jeans. ere is much to learn for young lawyers working alongside senior colleagues who have practised law for many years, Austin says. "It's a fantastic training ground." According to a 2012 report by U.S.- based RAND Corp., titled "Where the Money Goes: Understanding Litigant Expenditures for Producing Electronic Discovery," the document review process could eat up to 73 per cent of budgets allo- cated for producing electronic documents. There is no more exciting area of law than IP, and no better place to learn and practice it than at Smart & Biggar. We lead the way in the field — as demonstrated by our consistent top rankings — and we're committed to helping our students learn and achieve at the highest levels. BE APPRECIATED, CHALLENGED, AND PREPARED TO ACHIEVE. Become a valued member of the Smart & Biggar team. Learn more at smart-biggar.ca O T T A W A / T O R O N T O / M O N T R E A L / V A N C O U V E R U N P A R A L L E L E D I P Untitled-2 1 14-01-27 7:50 PM

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