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Post by jagghagg on Nov 26, 2007 6:57:05 GMT -5
I am about to go on the road for 2 months of depositions around the country. Does anyone know whether - if I were lucky enough to get a telephone call about an interview - the fact that I either (a) missed the call or (b) was able to pick up the call in time but could not make the interview (because of this deposition schedule) - whether either of these two situations would "count" as a turn-down ?
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Post by judgegal on Nov 27, 2007 11:42:22 GMT -5
s
SSA will leave a message for you. When you call back, they will tell you their interview schedule, a period of about ten days, and ask when you are available. The sooner they call you, the more choices you wil have. If they reach you late in the process, you will have to fit yourself in. The interviews are in Falls Church VA, and take about an hour. SSA pays your expenses.
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Post by aljsouth on Nov 27, 2007 14:00:23 GMT -5
Surely they will understand the restraints placed upon trial lawyers - the lawyers whose experience is valued most - and make whatever accommodations are needed (up to a point). I sincerely doubt you will "miss" a call though - whomever calls will leave a message. At least that has been my experience. No, they surely won't. Best have a good voice mail and check it often. If he has such a busy deposition schedule and expects a call, then jagghagg had better be thinking ahead to how he will close his practice in 4 weeks. This is about the length of time people are often given. Also, I suspect the agency will wait until the budget is resolved before scheduling interviews. Budget Resolution ends December 14. If not extended we all go home. This happened when Gingrich/Clinton butted heads over the budget. |
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Post by wentwest on Nov 28, 2007 1:20:34 GMT -5
When I "got the call" they gave me less than 2 weeks to close up a private practice. Do not assume rational, considerate behavior.
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Post by jagghagg on Nov 28, 2007 6:05:08 GMT -5
I agree - "they surely won't." I'm not concerned about closing up a practice - if I get a call and if I get a position, I'm already in the federal government; I can go. I was/am more concerned about being on the road (as I will be over the next few months) when a call comes in and not being able to leave in the middle of a deposition to do an interview. PS: (The "hagg" part indicates female....) |
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Post by cincinnatus on Nov 28, 2007 11:03:49 GMT -5
Re those of you transitioning from private practice in miniscule time, you've just received your first installment in the continual harassment package of being an alj. Also, unless you're in a small minority, divorce yourself from the thought of no longer paying active bar dues as a "judge".
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Post by learnedhand on Nov 28, 2007 13:18:08 GMT -5
The rest of us pay active bar dues annually, although the job we do is also "performed" by nonattorneys who pay nothing. Get used to it and be grateful that you can pay it on a salary that is much higher than the rest of us have.
That also goes for high parking fees as well.
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Post by odarite on Nov 28, 2007 18:18:11 GMT -5
I had to close down my solo private practice in practically no time, so here is what I learned about how to handle this:
1. Before you are even called for an interview (a little late for the OMHA folks, but oh, well) consider who you believe would be good to take over your practice (pending cases) and who might be interested in doing so. Make your short list.
2. Decide what you want out of the transition. Are there cases where you feel you have done enough to share in the fee? What would be an appropriate basis? What do you want to receive for your hard goods? How long do you want them to promise thy will keep you staff on for the transition? 1 month? 3 months? 6? Read your state ethics rules and code of professional responsibility so you know what you need to do.
3. Then, if you are called for an interview, invite your short listees to lunch (one at a time, please). Tell them there is a possibility you may be moving on from private practice and if you do would they be interested in taking over your cases, hiring your staff, and buying your equipment/furnishings/whatever. Get an idea of what basis they would be interested in, but don’t bother trying to get anyone to commit to anything. There is many a slip….Make your even shorter list, and rank order them.
4. If you get the call, work your shorter list. Call the first person on your list and see if you can strike a deal. Give them only a short time to decide, as if you cannot reach a deal you need to move on to the next candidate. You may end up choosing to split things up. Attorney A wants to take over your cases and you can agree on the fee split on the cases that have progressed far enough to warrant that, attorney B will make an offer to your staff and Attorney C, it turns out has always coveted your reception desk. Who knew?
5. Write to each of your clients: I am leaving private practice, I have arranged for Attorney A to take over my cases as I feel s/he can handle my cases well. Of course, you are free to retain another attorney if you wish. I enclose a form for you to sign and return to me: Option 1 is please turn my file over to attorney A, option 2 is please have my file available for me to pick up within the next 7 days. [You may want to vet this with your bar ethics committee to be sure you are complying with local rules.]
6. Write to your former clients if you are storing any files from closed cases: I am withdrawing from private practice and will no longer be able to store your files. Please come to pick your file up, or pay the postage for me to ship it to you. Any files not collected within 20 from the date of this letter will be shredded.
7. Write letters or motions, as may be appropriate to the case withdrawing from all your cases, file with courts in compliance with local rules. For Social Security cases, either state you waive a fee or assign your right to collect a fee to attorney X if a deal has been done with your successor.
Good Luck!
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lee
Full Member
Posts: 102
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Post by lee on Nov 28, 2007 18:51:14 GMT -5
As a veteran of closing a private practice with only 2 weeks' notice (fortunately I had partners I could hand things off to), I have only one thing to add to Odarite's comprehensive list. Be sure that your legal malpractice insurance has "tail" coverage. One of my colleagues was sued for legal malpractice about 1 1/2 years after accepting an appointment as an ALJ with a state agency, and then discovered that having dropped his malpractice insurance when he left private practice, he had no coverage for that claim. Another colleague continued to pay for malpractice coverage, because she did not know that it had "tail" coverage, and thus wasted a significant amount of money.
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Post by workdrone on Nov 28, 2007 19:41:51 GMT -5
don't just shred files if clients don't respond. Amen to that. Double check your state bar rules for client file retention requirements. I had a friend that got in trouble because he shredded too quickly. |
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cybear
Full Member
sic semper ursi
Posts: 57 
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Post by cybear on Nov 28, 2007 20:18:24 GMT -5
Lee,
I'm on board with your timely admonitions as well as with Odarite's excellent suggestions. I teach twice annually at my State Bar's Ethics School and usually get surprised looks when I remind my audience of our five year file retention requirement. Thank God I'm paperless. That's at least one problem over which I won't have to lose sleep.
Wish me luck in my interview with OMHA. I'll post again once I know something definitive.
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Post by odarite on Nov 28, 2007 20:29:31 GMT -5
On file retention: if you are leaving your jurisdiction, this may be a serious issue for you. Your local bar may have a solution for those files that cannot be destroyed. Again, this is something you should investigate now that you have made the register, just in case you need the information. Scrambling for this once you have received an offer is unlikely to work out well for you.
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Post by workdrone on Nov 28, 2007 20:39:52 GMT -5
On file retention: if you are leaving your jurisdiction, this may be a serious issue for you. Your local bar may have a solution for those files that cannot be destroyed. Cybear's post about being paperless reminded me that there are litigation prep services out there that will digitialize documents for a fee (usually scanned into PDF or a format of your choice). It might be better to pay the money upfront and travel with a couple DVD discs in tow then to find long term storage for a large number of boxes. |
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Post by aljsouth on Nov 28, 2007 21:37:32 GMT -5
I agree - "they surely won't." I'm not concerned about closing up a practice - if I get a call and if I get a position, I'm already in the federal government; I can go. I was/am more concerned about being on the road (as I will be over the next few months) when a call comes in and not being able to leave in the middle of a deposition to do an interview. PS: (The "hagg" part indicates female....) I thought the JAG might mean Judge advocate general, and honestly had no idea of the hagg. I am told in parts of Scotland it means witch  I was state alj when I got the call and had to go the next week to Falls Church for the interview. I was prepared to postpone cases but he calendar favored me for once. Seriously, do whatever you can to get to the interview. For all its problems (all agency driven) this is a great job. |
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Post by jagghagg on Nov 29, 2007 5:30:49 GMT -5
I was state alj when I got the call and had to go the next week to Falls Church for the interview. I was prepared to postpone cases but he calendar favored me for once. Seriously, do whatever you can to get to the interview. For all its problems (all agency driven) this is a great job. Yup - female retired JAG; you have that correct. "Jagghagg" as a CRUD callsign. ANYWAY - thanks for the insight. That is what I expect; and feeling rather "eeyore-ish," I just KNOW I will get a call to do an interview when I am on the other side of the country doing depositions. <<sigh>> Perhaps the delay in SSA beginning its foray into hiring will work in my favor and I can get done with this spate of travel and be around. Thanks again. ....witches aren't so bad..... |
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Post by odarite on Nov 29, 2007 16:47:57 GMT -5
Yup - female retired JAG; you have that correct. "Jagghagg" as a CRUD callsign. OK, since you are in an explaining mood, I had guessed the significance of your name (female JAG) but what is a CRUD sign? |
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Post by privateatty on Nov 29, 2007 17:13:18 GMT -5
Please let us know who the large companies are that digitize. I have boxes going back ten years and the storage fees are killing me....
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Post by workdrone on Nov 29, 2007 17:34:13 GMT -5
Please let us know who the large companies are that digitize. I have boxes going back ten years and the storage fees are killing me.... I'm in the public sector now so I don't have any company I can recommend from personal knowledge. But I'd suggest checking your state bar magazine/referral services or calling some friends who are in private practice that use litigation document management firms. Just google "reprographics" or "document imagining & scanning" and you'll probably find a bunch of firms. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell the quality without checking some references first. Good luck! |
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Post by emphyrio on Nov 29, 2007 18:36:08 GMT -5
Please let us know who the large companies are that digitize. I have boxes going back ten years and the storage fees are killing me.... When I was with the government, I generally had a good experience with Ikon, and I'm pretty sure they're nation-wide. Their website is www.ikon.com. |
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float
Full Member
Posts: 82
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Post by float on May 16, 2009 11:35:31 GMT -5
Bump.
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