The competition for top-notch law students is as hot as ever, and the debt students owe upon graduation is as high as ever. Hiring partner Greg Taylor says the firm hopes to get a leg up on other firms jockeying for the same students by keeping up relationships with them throughout the school year with the new program. If students are working and being evaluated during the school year, then the firm has more time to sell them on Dallas during the summer, Taylor says. It's a novel idea for a law firm.
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They can review a list of available tasks, largely research-oriented, and the fee for each task, then choose one to work on. Back at the firm, the partners who post the projects decide if the student is qualified to perform the task, then assign it. The student completes the task within the time period allotted, sends it electronically to the firm, then receives payment once the work is reviewed and accepted. Projects include initial drafting of contracts and simple discovery documents and background research for articles firm lawyers write. She says the program sounds like a lot of organization work, but is a good idea for both students and firms.