Sunday, February 22, 2009

Doc Review, a Family Affair

On Friday late afternoon two big boxes of documents arrived from one of the many parties involved in this case, and guess who got the honor of reviewing them over the weekend? Landon!



Lilly volunteered to keep the box warm while the documents were being reviewed.



I'm lucky to have so many helpers. It's odd to review documents the old fashioned way- actual hard copies in a cardboard box rather than scans in virtual document containers on a secure website. I think there's advantages and disadvantages to both- I miss the easy flagging and searching by date and keyword, but enjoy the quick thumbing through a 1,000 page financial analysis to decide it's irrelevant rather than having to wait for each individual page to load as I click through.

I can tell that I made the right career move because I have billed far more this past week than I ever have before and yet I've never been this happy at work. I love the new group, like the work, and love feeling competent when I get a new assignment. The learning curve is so sharp in corporate, especially if you've never taken a business class like me, and while that's ultimately no barrier to success, it takes a thirst for corporate knowledge that I apparently don't have. I love corporate and securities law- I have two "model" exam answers on file with the library in those classes, but I found I didn't care much about learning how to read financial statements or understanding the tax implications of a specific type of employee benefit plan. When I had downtime I'd use it to catch up on news, internet browsing, office organizing, etc., and the first-year next to me would read M&A treatises- I think that was a sign that I wasn't in the right area. But now I'm thriving- I know I am doing good work and it turns out, that matters as much or more to me than the kind of work I'm doing.

It's a gorgeous, chilly day here (58 degrees- that's our winter weather) and we spent the morning walking around the block with Landon and his wagon, pointing out all the cars and trucks and bicycles we passed by. He gently and patiently corrected our every identification with a little head shake and whisper of "Busss." We're slow learners.

He's been in an excellent mood all morning and we've shared lots of family hugs, tickle wars (it is completely unfair that I feel like I'm going to die when being tickled and JP isn't ticklish At All), and a big pot of mac & cheese. Now JP is swimming (another difference between us- I finished off the mac & cheese with a big slice of cookie cake and he went to work out for two hours) and I need to take advantage of Landon's nap time and get through at least one more stack of documents without his assistance. Skilled as he is at finding his nose, Landon is not very detailed-oriented, and I think he missed flagging a few important documents. I'll have to dock his pay.



(Oh, and you can see our study is nearly finished- I just need to find the perfect big brushed silver clock to hang behind the desk, between the two bookcases. It's hard to see in these pics, but there is another corner bookcase unit on the other side, it's all coming together.)

9 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to see a picture of Lilly after all the attention the dogs have been getting! Poor little thing, she was your first baby.

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  2. what kind of assignments have you been getting besides doc review?

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  3. To Hanah- don't worry, Lilly still has it pretty good. We trade off who sleeps in our room at night, Lilly or the dogs and Landon showers her with affection (possibly more than she wants, but she isn't picky).

    To Anonymous- most of my time is doc review right now because this is a huge case and we have to get through all these docs before much else can happen. I've also done case research, drafted an affidavit for a motion for summary judgment, and searched for docs to prep a partner for a deposition. Because I've started with this case on Day 1 I know I'll have an increasingly substantive role going forward, but for now, doc review it is! I know everyone complains about it, but I don't mind- it's kind of fascinating to fill in the story with actual facts and I like watching the case take shape. And because of my ever growing knowledge base I'm always the first phone call from any partner when they're filling in a motion or deposition script.

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  4. Your office looks so professionally chic! I love it!

    Also, I'm so glad to hear you're really happy at work... I used to be especially interested in what you wrote about work at the big firm because I want to do corporate law too. Now that the market will likely still be slow when I start and I will likely be doing a wider variety of work just to keep busy, I like knowing that you so quickly found another practice area that you liked and are good at.

    Keep up the good work, LL!

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  5. that's your home office? i assumed it was the work office- looks great! You are lucky to have helpers! I find corporate law really interesting- I'm taking a class now focused on theory mostly and LOVE it!! But I dont get the business side of it all- the audits and the stockmarket stuff...yikes!

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  6. i think doc review is fascinating too- of course i only did it for a month this summer but I love learning more about people and you're right- it's like a story unfolding... you get to play detective! i think my love for alll things stalkerish helps...

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  7. So happy to hear that you're loving your new role! It sounds like the change has been fantastic for you.

    Hey -- where did you find such fabulous bookcases?

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  8. I'm jealous of your home office. And your 58-degree winter.

    I have an occasionally-flooded, freezing basement that I suppose I could turn into some sort of study if I really tried. I probably should.

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  9. The bookcases are from the magical land of Ikea- the Billy collection in black/brown. My design aesthetic doesn't quite match up with Ikea's, but for something as simple and functional as bookcases it worked perfectly.

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