UPDATE 4/23/21:
Recently, I saw a mention of Lawclerk Legal after first hearing about it three or so years ago. It’s a website where attorneys can go to hire other attorneys to handle some legal writing on their behalf. This isn’t a sales pitch at all (I’m not endorsed by them nor have I ever even used their service), but I do want to briefly explain how it works so I can make a point about it. An attorney posts a project saying they will pay $X for this task. Attorneys on the website can then apply for the job. The posting attorney will then select one of the applicants, share the necessary documents, and receive back a time card they can then bill to the client who hired them. This sounds a bit slimy, right? Well, it’s really just the reality of what goes on at many large law firms.
I’ll leave the names out of it, especially since I don’t know if this is 100% true, but there seem to be a number of law firms that bill their clients partner-level hourly rates for time an associate attorney spent on the matter. In fact, the entire paralegal position is just this. Paralegals perform tons of prelitigation work that many attorneys don’t even know how to do, but this doesn’t seem to be reflected in the hourly invoice the client ends up getting.
Even in the courthouses, law clerks are writing opinions all the time only to have a judge “review” it and then sign off on the bottom and even read it out as if they have been the ones to write it. Some of these law clerks may still be first-year law students. It’s really just not even law though. I remember a website called EduBirdie coming under fire years ago because they were offering essay writing services to college students. The founder of Lawclerk has mentioned that he’s noticed people using his site for other work like writing journal articles for Bar journals, written materials for CLEs, and blog posts. It sounds shocking to have someone else write your journal article for you. An article that is probably going to be on your CV for the rest of your life with you as the author. I can’t fathom it.
I know this seems like a bit of an unorganized rant, but it’s mindboggling to think something like this is such a prominent open secret in the legal community. Yet, plagiarism is (rightfully) punished in school. It’s an unusual juxtaposition.
When you come to The Law Offices of Suraj A. Vyas, LLC™ you get my work. I’ve sent countless emails and had hundreds of phone calls with potential clients telling them that my law firm is all about transparency. I don’t have any paralegals, associates, or partners. I will use a contract attorney if I need to and I’ll serve as a co-counsel if I need to, but you will always be in the know. My invoices are absurdly transparent where you can see detailed descriptions of tasks performed rather than general words that could mean anything. We’ve had clients tell us to feel free to cut down on the description (which we do, if requested) because it tends to be too much text on screen. If you have a question about billing, you can reach out directly to me because I’m the one that prepared the invoice and did the work so I’ll know what’s going on in a given scenario. Thank you for entrusting your work to us and choosing to Shop Small
ORIGINAL POST (4/8/21):
By Suraj A. Vyas | 2 min read
As a small business, we’re thrilled to be a part of the Shop Small Movement, proudly backed by American Express. This movement is a nationwide effort to support and celebrate small businesses every day and everywhere. The Law Offices of Suraj A. Vyas, LLC™ has always been a strong supporter of other small businesses. We’ve been a proud member of your community since 2018, and it’s been exciting to watch other small businesses in the area flourish as well. From the way we handle service of process all the way to the suits worn in court, we stand by small businesses.
In the wake of COVID-19, communities are struggling now more than ever. It’s important to stand with those you trust and share your support whenever you can (even online). We urge you to lift your community’s small business out of the ashes of this last year.
A quick medical note: The virus people are being exposed to is SARS-CoV-2. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 is called COVID-19. I’m going to use COVID-19 throughout this blog post just because that’s what most people know it as and this is meant to be an easy-to-digest legal blog post for the masses more than a medically-sound post. For the most up to date information, visit the CDC and WHO websites. Back to the blog post:
When you Shop Small, you make a big difference in the community and promote thriving communities across the country. In fact, for every dollar you spend when you Shop Small, approximately 67 cents stays in the local community.* That’s something we can all get behind. So go ahead and visit the small businesses around you. Not only to boost the local economy, but to help our community continue to big things.
We’re here for the legal services you need. Plus, we offer the ability to pay via check, cash, money order, credit/debit cards, and ACH/e-checks. Use whatever you’re comfortable with and whatever is convenient for you. When you Shop Small with us, you can get help with your business needs and help small businesses thrive as well. Thanks for shopping small with us and helping to make our community more vibrant! We appreciate your continued support and can’t wait to hear from you soon.
*The statistic cited is an estimate based on calculations using data on small businesses with under 100 employees from the U.S. Small Business Administration, as reported in the 2018 Small Business Economic Impact Study conducted by Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) on behalf of American Express.
