For the mothership today, I handed out my end of season awards to some of the Aeros, and I give just a glimpse into why it's going to be an eventful off-season. And note, these are just my picks. Andrew, Heather, and Fred had nothing to do with my picks, so don't take it out on them if you don't like what I decided on.
So go over and give it a look. Thanks.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
And The Phoenix Coyotes Go To...
Quick note: for those who are tired of this topic, hang on, the mothership should have an Aeros post later today that I will link to over here. Now on with, to me, the fun stuff...
The parties to the mess that is the Phoenix Coyotes will be convening inside a Phoenix courtroom today, and it's just possible that the bankruptcy judge will make some kind of decision that might determine the fate of the team. The Toronto Star says that the judge is faced with making a decision that has Jim Balsillie easing creditor debt versus his reluctance to buck the tradition of sports that has the leagues being the rulers regarding where franchises are located: "(If) Judge Baum is focused on helping creditors, (it) means Balsillie should win," says Penn State law professor Stephen Ross. "But many judges are reluctant to challenge the tradition of sports, which helps the NHL."
One of the mistakes I've been making is that I thought the focus of this case, and the one true precedent, was the one involving Al Davis and the NFL where Davis won the right to move the Raiders to Los Angeles without NFL approval. But it just so happens that there this is a case that is even more on point -- and one which I should know since I'm such a baseball fan. But in 1970, on the literal eve of the regular season, the Seattle Pilots of the American League were relocated to Milwaukee, WI where they became the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pilots were put into bankruptcy by their ownership group, and Bud Selig moved in and purchased the team while it was in bankruptcy.
The Pilots owners were losing money, and they struck up a deal to sell to Selig and his partners for $10.8 million. Local officials in Seattle objected to the deal, and they tried to stop it. The owners then put the team into bankruptcy protection and argued that the deal should be approved because it would pay off the creditors -- does that sound kind of familiar? The NHL argues that the one difference is that the American League supported the move, to which Balsillie has responded that the American League only approved of the deal after the bankruptcy court judge approved of the plan and had instead insisted the team had to remain in Seattle.
I'm not the judge, and what I say has absolutely no power. But I've thought from the get-go this is a loser for the NHL. I understand that they're trying to protect the integrity of the league constitution and by-laws, and that they're trying to prevent the chaos that could result in teams constantly relocating, but I've thought ever since this thing ended up in bankruptcy court that the league was going to lose because the judge's primary concern is the setting whole the creditors, not protecting league constitutions. And frankly, if bankruptcy court judges can go about voiding union contracts, then they can go about approving this deal. (I also feel good about this as it seems there are a lot of bankruptcy experts who agree with what I think.)
(A side note, for anyone interested in reading more about the Seattle Pilots, then allow me to recommend Jim Bouton's groundbreaking Ball Four, which was about the season he spent between the expansion Pilots and the Houston Astros.)
And Gary Bettman really needs to be careful regarding the arguments that he is pushing before the Court. For instance, over the weekend, the NHL filed papers in which they questioned Balsillie's integrity, noting that Balsillie recently settled with Canadian and American securities regulators regarding allegations that he and others backdated stock options at Research In Motion with Balsillie and his fellow company officials paying more than $70-million (Canadian) to settle the allegations.
Now the reason that Bettman might want to be careful with this argument can best be summed up by one name: William "Boots" Del Biaggo. Boots recently pled guilty to falsifying documents to obtain $100 million in fraudulent loans, and that he did so by way of a Ponzi scheme. Boots used these loans to purchase a $25 million stake in the Nashville Predators. Now the Predators were actually supposed to be purchased from Craig Leipold, current owner of the Minnesota Wild, by one Jim Balsillie. But when Balsillie started making plans to move the Predators to Hamilton, Bettman and the league stepped in to stop the deal and to broker the deal which allowed Boots to become one of the owners.
If Bettman wants to keep pressing the integrity issue at Balsillie, then any attorney who knows what he's doing will certainly push back with Boots Del Baggio, and I can guarantee that that attorney, and the judge, are going to know what exactly Bettman and the league knew about Boots, and when they learned it.
It was also reported that the owners of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts are interested in purchasing the team, and that they would keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. But from what I've read, only an idiot would believe that -- so I guess that means Bettman has either fallen for it or else he's lying. In fact, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail, these guys want to move the team to Toronto.
So later today, maybe, hockey fans might have some idea of what is to become of the Phoenix Coyotes. I've been wrong, often, but I think the law is in favor of Balsillie.
The parties to the mess that is the Phoenix Coyotes will be convening inside a Phoenix courtroom today, and it's just possible that the bankruptcy judge will make some kind of decision that might determine the fate of the team. The Toronto Star says that the judge is faced with making a decision that has Jim Balsillie easing creditor debt versus his reluctance to buck the tradition of sports that has the leagues being the rulers regarding where franchises are located: "(If) Judge Baum is focused on helping creditors, (it) means Balsillie should win," says Penn State law professor Stephen Ross. "But many judges are reluctant to challenge the tradition of sports, which helps the NHL."
One of the mistakes I've been making is that I thought the focus of this case, and the one true precedent, was the one involving Al Davis and the NFL where Davis won the right to move the Raiders to Los Angeles without NFL approval. But it just so happens that there this is a case that is even more on point -- and one which I should know since I'm such a baseball fan. But in 1970, on the literal eve of the regular season, the Seattle Pilots of the American League were relocated to Milwaukee, WI where they became the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pilots were put into bankruptcy by their ownership group, and Bud Selig moved in and purchased the team while it was in bankruptcy.
The Pilots owners were losing money, and they struck up a deal to sell to Selig and his partners for $10.8 million. Local officials in Seattle objected to the deal, and they tried to stop it. The owners then put the team into bankruptcy protection and argued that the deal should be approved because it would pay off the creditors -- does that sound kind of familiar? The NHL argues that the one difference is that the American League supported the move, to which Balsillie has responded that the American League only approved of the deal after the bankruptcy court judge approved of the plan and had instead insisted the team had to remain in Seattle.I'm not the judge, and what I say has absolutely no power. But I've thought from the get-go this is a loser for the NHL. I understand that they're trying to protect the integrity of the league constitution and by-laws, and that they're trying to prevent the chaos that could result in teams constantly relocating, but I've thought ever since this thing ended up in bankruptcy court that the league was going to lose because the judge's primary concern is the setting whole the creditors, not protecting league constitutions. And frankly, if bankruptcy court judges can go about voiding union contracts, then they can go about approving this deal. (I also feel good about this as it seems there are a lot of bankruptcy experts who agree with what I think.)
(A side note, for anyone interested in reading more about the Seattle Pilots, then allow me to recommend Jim Bouton's groundbreaking Ball Four, which was about the season he spent between the expansion Pilots and the Houston Astros.)
And Gary Bettman really needs to be careful regarding the arguments that he is pushing before the Court. For instance, over the weekend, the NHL filed papers in which they questioned Balsillie's integrity, noting that Balsillie recently settled with Canadian and American securities regulators regarding allegations that he and others backdated stock options at Research In Motion with Balsillie and his fellow company officials paying more than $70-million (Canadian) to settle the allegations.
Now the reason that Bettman might want to be careful with this argument can best be summed up by one name: William "Boots" Del Biaggo. Boots recently pled guilty to falsifying documents to obtain $100 million in fraudulent loans, and that he did so by way of a Ponzi scheme. Boots used these loans to purchase a $25 million stake in the Nashville Predators. Now the Predators were actually supposed to be purchased from Craig Leipold, current owner of the Minnesota Wild, by one Jim Balsillie. But when Balsillie started making plans to move the Predators to Hamilton, Bettman and the league stepped in to stop the deal and to broker the deal which allowed Boots to become one of the owners.
If Bettman wants to keep pressing the integrity issue at Balsillie, then any attorney who knows what he's doing will certainly push back with Boots Del Baggio, and I can guarantee that that attorney, and the judge, are going to know what exactly Bettman and the league knew about Boots, and when they learned it.
It was also reported that the owners of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts are interested in purchasing the team, and that they would keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. But from what I've read, only an idiot would believe that -- so I guess that means Bettman has either fallen for it or else he's lying. In fact, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail, these guys want to move the team to Toronto.
So later today, maybe, hockey fans might have some idea of what is to become of the Phoenix Coyotes. I've been wrong, often, but I think the law is in favor of Balsillie.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Meanwhile...An Update on the Phoenix Coyotes
Actually, there's not much to update as we're still waiting on the court date, but...some of the Canadian papers have been digging through all of the documents and papers filed by the NHL in support of their effort to take control of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Among those documents is the NHL Constitution. And the constitution has what has been dubbed the Doomsday Clause which says that upon the unanimous consent of all of the league members, the NHL can be dissolved. So while I haven't read the briefs that have been filed, I'm taking the filing of this document to mean that Gary Bettman is threatening to destroy the NHL if he doesn't get to keep a badly failing team in Phoenix.
And in other papers filed by the NHL, Gary Bettman argues that he has four ownership groups that are prepared to purchase the Coyotes, including the owners of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts, Jerry Reinsdorf, the minority owner of the Coyotes, and a Phoenix businessman who prefers to remain anonymous. And all of these groups want to keep the team in Phoenix.
Bettman argues that the bankruptcy shouldn't be approved because Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes didn't try hard enough to find a legit buyer for the franchise. This of course, contradicts what Bettman said in an e-mail to Moyes back in April in which he said it was proving difficult to find a new owner for the team.
But how about that Doomsday Clause? Seriously, it just seems like the NHL just keeps attempting to commit suicide. There's Gary Bettman, who has got to be the worst commissioner in the history of sports yet has a firm grip on his job. There's bad TV contract after bad TV contract. There's the glowing puck. There's the fact that Los Angeles and New York City have two teams, but Toronto has only one, and don't forget that lockout that shut down the entire sport for a year, but which seems to have failed in its goal of providing economic certainty for all teams.
My first love is baseball. And baseball will always be my number one sport. But I've always liked hockey, since I was a mere kid at the time of the original Houston Aeros, and since I've been covering this version of the Houston Aeros I've become a huge fan as I've gotten to know what great guys the players are and just been around. And it almost kills me to watch the NHL go on constant self-destruct mode.
I might not feel this way if it weren't for what Houston went through with losing the Houston Oilers despite supporting what was often an awful product, but it just seems to me that the Canadians, the people who love this sport more than anyway, have to suffer with a lack of big league franchises in their national game while teams fail year after year in Atlanta and Phoenix and Tampa and Miami, but Winnipeg and Quebec City and Hamilton deserve the teams more than the States do.
So perhaps it would be best for the NHL to exercise that Doomsday Clause. Then maybe some competent people could come and run things. Though I somehow suspect that, like the cockroach surviving the nuclear war, Gary Bettman will survive everything.
Among those documents is the NHL Constitution. And the constitution has what has been dubbed the Doomsday Clause which says that upon the unanimous consent of all of the league members, the NHL can be dissolved. So while I haven't read the briefs that have been filed, I'm taking the filing of this document to mean that Gary Bettman is threatening to destroy the NHL if he doesn't get to keep a badly failing team in Phoenix.
And in other papers filed by the NHL, Gary Bettman argues that he has four ownership groups that are prepared to purchase the Coyotes, including the owners of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts, Jerry Reinsdorf, the minority owner of the Coyotes, and a Phoenix businessman who prefers to remain anonymous. And all of these groups want to keep the team in Phoenix.
Bettman argues that the bankruptcy shouldn't be approved because Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes didn't try hard enough to find a legit buyer for the franchise. This of course, contradicts what Bettman said in an e-mail to Moyes back in April in which he said it was proving difficult to find a new owner for the team.
But how about that Doomsday Clause? Seriously, it just seems like the NHL just keeps attempting to commit suicide. There's Gary Bettman, who has got to be the worst commissioner in the history of sports yet has a firm grip on his job. There's bad TV contract after bad TV contract. There's the glowing puck. There's the fact that Los Angeles and New York City have two teams, but Toronto has only one, and don't forget that lockout that shut down the entire sport for a year, but which seems to have failed in its goal of providing economic certainty for all teams.
My first love is baseball. And baseball will always be my number one sport. But I've always liked hockey, since I was a mere kid at the time of the original Houston Aeros, and since I've been covering this version of the Houston Aeros I've become a huge fan as I've gotten to know what great guys the players are and just been around. And it almost kills me to watch the NHL go on constant self-destruct mode.
I might not feel this way if it weren't for what Houston went through with losing the Houston Oilers despite supporting what was often an awful product, but it just seems to me that the Canadians, the people who love this sport more than anyway, have to suffer with a lack of big league franchises in their national game while teams fail year after year in Atlanta and Phoenix and Tampa and Miami, but Winnipeg and Quebec City and Hamilton deserve the teams more than the States do.
So perhaps it would be best for the NHL to exercise that Doomsday Clause. Then maybe some competent people could come and run things. Though I somehow suspect that, like the cockroach surviving the nuclear war, Gary Bettman will survive everything.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
A Few Quick Notes From Minnesota Way
Just a few notes for those of you who don't read the links to Russo...
But according to Russo's sources, Kevin Constantine is still in contention for the Minnesota Wild's head coaching job. Of course, new GM Chuck Fletcher is waiting for the Penguins/Red Wings to finish up so he can check with their assistants, but I wasn't expecting Constantine to still be one of the finalists.
Russo also reports that the Wild shopped Benoit Pouliot around the league last off-season, but that they couldn't find any takers.
But according to Russo's sources, Kevin Constantine is still in contention for the Minnesota Wild's head coaching job. Of course, new GM Chuck Fletcher is waiting for the Penguins/Red Wings to finish up so he can check with their assistants, but I wasn't expecting Constantine to still be one of the finalists.
Russo also reports that the Wild shopped Benoit Pouliot around the league last off-season, but that they couldn't find any takers.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Playfair named Abbotsford Heat coach; Marlies coach not renewed
Here's the goods from theAHL.com on the assignment of Flames associate coach Jim Playfair as the head coach of the Abbotsford Heat.
The quote that amused me was:
------
In related-but-opposite news, Toronto Maple Leafs Overlord Brian Burke announced that he's not renewing the contract of Marlies head coach Greg Gilbert.
The quote that amused me was:
“I am looking forward to stepping back behind the bench as the head coach,” noted Playfair. “My goal is to create an identity both on and off of the ice for our players, the fans and for the City of Abbotsford. Abbotsford will be a difficult place for our opponents to play.”Uh, yeah because it's two time zones away and way out in BFE.
------
In related-but-opposite news, Toronto Maple Leafs Overlord Brian Burke announced that he's not renewing the contract of Marlies head coach Greg Gilbert.
2009-2010 Aeros Roster
We'll keep this page updated through the summer as guys are signed or sign elsewhere, so by season's start (which is earlier than last year, apparently) we'll have fairly accurate picture of the core of the team.
UNDER CONTRACT (aka Your 2009-2010 Houston Aeros)
Forwards
Defensemen
Unrestricted Free Agents
These guys can go and do whatever the hell they want. Unless they have a particular affinity for Houston or this coaching staff and/or don't get any better offers, I would wave goodbye as they'll be looking to go where they think they have the best chance at earning an NHL spot.
Nolan Schaefer - Signed with CSKA in Russia
Thomas Mojzis - Has signed with a club in Europe
Corey Locke - Has signed with the NY Rangers organization
Krys Kolanos - Has signed with Philadelphia Flyers organization
Jesse Schultz
Bryan Lundbohm
Marco Rosa - Has signed with Manitoba Moose
Peter Olvecky - Signed with Nashville Preds organization
Mitch Love - Signed with Peoria Rivermen
Matt Beaudoin - Signed with Texas Stars
UNDER CONTRACT (aka Your 2009-2010 Houston Aeros)
Forwards
- Morten Madsen - One more year on his deal with the Wild before he's a RFA (restricted free agent, which means essentially that his current team--the Minnesota Wild--will have right of first refusal at the end of next season).
- Matt Kassian - One year on his deal before he's an RFA.
- Cody Almond - As he just signed a few weeks ago, he's got all three years of his entry level contract to play out. It's doubtful that he makes the big club, so expect to see him as an Aero.
- Carson McMillan - Like Almond, is just getting done with his Major Junior career and has his full entry level contract remaining. Again, expect him to be an Aero.
- Brian Kaufman - One year AHL deal with the Aeros.
- Colton Gillies - Some mention has been made that now that he's AHL-aged, they might start him in Houston this season to get him more playing time and more seasoning. I think it would be a great thing for him, if a bit of an ego hit... Anyway, he's got two years left on his entry deal.
- Petr Kalus - According to Mike Russo, Kalus is coming back this season, presumably in hopes of making a Minnesota team that promises a system more suited to his "offensive" style. He's got one year left on his contract with the Wild.
- Benoit Pouliot - Could stick with the big club out of camp but will have to earn it this time.
- Danny Irmen - Expect to see him in Houston when the season starts
- Robbie Earl - See above ... lightning speed.
- Jon DiSalvatore - Free agent, signed July 17
- Pete Zingoni - Free agent, signed July 17
- Duncan Milroy - Free agent, signed July 17
- Nathan Smith - Free agent, signed July 22
- Brandon Buck - AHL, Free agent, signed July 22
- JP Testwuide
Defensemen
- Justin Falk - Two years left on his contract, so we'll see him. I don't think he'll be ready to make the big club next season, so expect him to be a critical piece of the Aeros blue line next season.
- Max Noreau - Two years left on his contract and similar to Falker, I don't see him making the big club yet. He had an amazing year not just by Aeros standards, but league-wide he was one of the best offensive defensemen, but another year to build confidence and improve his defensive play in the minors is probably in the offing.
- Brandon Rogers - One year left on his contract before he's a UFA (unrestricted free agent). UFA contract years are a big thing for these guys as they're playing for their next contract, either with this team or, more likely, with other teams.
- Jamie Fraser - 2009 free agent signing
- Jamie Sifers - 2009 free agent signing
- Clayton Stoner
- Ryan Lannon - Free agent signed July 22
- Ryan Gunderson - AHL contract
- Wade Dubielewicz - Has a 2 way deal and if Harding gets traded without a goalie in return, he'll be #2 in Minnesota
- Barry Brust - Brusty has a year on his contract and then he's a UFA. As with Rogers, this is a big year for him to stay healthy and be consistent.
- Anton Khudobin - Dimples is in the final year of his entry level contract before he becomes an RFA.
Unrestricted Free Agents
These guys can go and do whatever the hell they want. Unless they have a particular affinity for Houston or this coaching staff and/or don't get any better offers, I would wave goodbye as they'll be looking to go where they think they have the best chance at earning an NHL spot.
Nolan Schaefer - Signed with CSKA in Russia
Thomas Mojzis - Has signed with a club in Europe
Corey Locke - Has signed with the NY Rangers organization
Krys Kolanos - Has signed with Philadelphia Flyers organization
Jesse Schultz
Bryan Lundbohm
Marco Rosa - Has signed with Manitoba Moose
Peter Olvecky - Signed with Nashville Preds organization
Mitch Love - Signed with Peoria Rivermen
Matt Beaudoin - Signed with Texas Stars
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Climie signed by Dallas
Late season hero for the Aeros, goalie Matt Climie was signed to a one-year, two-way contract today by the Stars. Dallas now has 3 minor league goalies (Climie, Brent Krahn, who was also signed today, and Richard Bachman) so presumably one will end up in Idaho in the ECHL while the other two battle for the #1 spot in Cedar Park with the Texas Stars, similar to the Aeros goalie situation this past season.
Read more about it here.
Read more about it here.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Aeros To Be Honored By City On Tuesday
Sure, it's not a parade or a gathering at Toyota Center, and it's doubtful that any of the players or staff will be attending, but...the City of Houston and the Anti-Defamation League will be honoring the Houston Aeros along with 39 other Houston-area organizations for participating in the Anti-Defamation League's Community of Respect Initiative.
The Aeros are the lone Houston-area sports team being honored.
To become part of the initiative, the Aeros had to submit a form of intent, create a diversity coalition and/or appoint a person to oversee the implementation of the initiative, sign the Resolution of Respect pledge or create one of their own, implement at least three anti-bias/diversity activities, and document completion of those activities and send that documentation to the Anti-Defamation League for approval.
I know this isn't really sports related. And it's not really honoring the Aeros for their on-ice play. But I just thought I would note a sports team that is actually being honored for performing a good service, and unlike some of Houston's other sports teams (I'm talking to you Astros) doesn't go out of its way to point out what a great citizen or trumpet what a great charitable organization it is.
The Aeros are the lone Houston-area sports team being honored.
To become part of the initiative, the Aeros had to submit a form of intent, create a diversity coalition and/or appoint a person to oversee the implementation of the initiative, sign the Resolution of Respect pledge or create one of their own, implement at least three anti-bias/diversity activities, and document completion of those activities and send that documentation to the Anti-Defamation League for approval.
I know this isn't really sports related. And it's not really honoring the Aeros for their on-ice play. But I just thought I would note a sports team that is actually being honored for performing a good service, and unlike some of Houston's other sports teams (I'm talking to you Astros) doesn't go out of its way to point out what a great citizen or trumpet what a great charitable organization it is.
Going Back To The Start
I stumbled across this video while surfing the web today. It's CBC's "Hockey Night In Canada" opening intro for the Stanley Cup Finals. And I know it's not cool to like Coldplay, which means I'm not cool. But the use of Coldplay's "The Scientist" as the song, then employing the same technique as the video of going in reverse to get back to the start, very nice -- there are some very cool images in this. So enjoy.
Announcing My New Venture
Before I go further, I would like to thank Andrew, Fred, and Heather for letting me hi-jack this blog for a personal, non-hockey post.
For awhile now, I've been talking about a business venture I'm planning, as well as some of the pitfalls with which I've been dealing. But now it's time to make the official announcement.
I'm starting my own legal-based company, called Royal Document Review. The premise is simple. Most civil lawsuits have what's called the discovery phase where each side gets to look at evidence and documents possessed by the other side that are relevant to the lawsuit. This process can be long, and it can be expensive. Especially for smaller law firms or companies.
Big firms use their associates for this purpose, or they bring in attorneys from temporary attorney agencies who have only one purpose, to review those documents on the basis of a criteria set by the attorneys at the firm. The temp attorneys will make about $35-40 an hour, but the agency will charge from $70-90 an hour. Small firms or companies can't always justify this cost, but they don't always have the in-house staff to handle the document review side, or else they can't justify taking the time from their other clients to concentrate solely on this one case.
My business is for the purpose of helping these small firms and companies. I come in and do the document review -- that's what I've been doing for the last decade. I know how to read documents and find the useful information. I've done this by hand, and I've done it using the various electronic sources that are available for this process. I've gone on to location to un-air conditioned warehouses in the desert in the summer. I've done the unheated warehouse in winter bit. I've sat in an isolated office going through moldy boxes.
I like this job. Not everybody can do it. Not everybody has the temperament. Sure, the temp agencies will send along attorneys for this, but lots of time, these people see this job as a temp thing, and they don't care. It's just a paycheck. They get bored. They do just enough work to keep employed. They see this type of work as beneath them. I don't. I like this work.
I like the searching for clues. I've known of no better way to learn absolutely everything that needs to be known about a case. In many ways, document review is the equivalent of not seeing the forest because you're concentrating on an individual leaf. But I see it differently. I see the forest. I see the trees. I see the leaf. I see the roots.
And more important than my liking this job is this: I'm good at it. And more important than that, most important of all, is that I'm charging less for billable hour than the temp agencies. Substantially less. I've got no overhead. I'm not paying staff. I'm not paying for an office. It's just me and my laptop.
So there you have it. That's my new venture. All of the details can be found by clicking on the link. I know most of you reading don't care. And I apologize for that. But who knows, maybe some of you are interested, or know someone who might be. So I'm taking my free web access and making my pitch.
I just ask for wishes of good luck because I need them. My attorney friends think my idea is genius. As do other friends. But this is a tough economy. And there are lot of us suddenly unemployed attorneys out there, and we're all starting up firms or business ventures. So it's going to be tough. I realize that. But there's just something out there telling me to do this. So I am.
Thanks for reading.
And thanks again to Andrew, Fred, and Heather for letting me borrow the blog for a personal reason.
For awhile now, I've been talking about a business venture I'm planning, as well as some of the pitfalls with which I've been dealing. But now it's time to make the official announcement.
I'm starting my own legal-based company, called Royal Document Review. The premise is simple. Most civil lawsuits have what's called the discovery phase where each side gets to look at evidence and documents possessed by the other side that are relevant to the lawsuit. This process can be long, and it can be expensive. Especially for smaller law firms or companies.
Big firms use their associates for this purpose, or they bring in attorneys from temporary attorney agencies who have only one purpose, to review those documents on the basis of a criteria set by the attorneys at the firm. The temp attorneys will make about $35-40 an hour, but the agency will charge from $70-90 an hour. Small firms or companies can't always justify this cost, but they don't always have the in-house staff to handle the document review side, or else they can't justify taking the time from their other clients to concentrate solely on this one case.
My business is for the purpose of helping these small firms and companies. I come in and do the document review -- that's what I've been doing for the last decade. I know how to read documents and find the useful information. I've done this by hand, and I've done it using the various electronic sources that are available for this process. I've gone on to location to un-air conditioned warehouses in the desert in the summer. I've done the unheated warehouse in winter bit. I've sat in an isolated office going through moldy boxes.
I like this job. Not everybody can do it. Not everybody has the temperament. Sure, the temp agencies will send along attorneys for this, but lots of time, these people see this job as a temp thing, and they don't care. It's just a paycheck. They get bored. They do just enough work to keep employed. They see this type of work as beneath them. I don't. I like this work.
I like the searching for clues. I've known of no better way to learn absolutely everything that needs to be known about a case. In many ways, document review is the equivalent of not seeing the forest because you're concentrating on an individual leaf. But I see it differently. I see the forest. I see the trees. I see the leaf. I see the roots.
And more important than my liking this job is this: I'm good at it. And more important than that, most important of all, is that I'm charging less for billable hour than the temp agencies. Substantially less. I've got no overhead. I'm not paying staff. I'm not paying for an office. It's just me and my laptop.
So there you have it. That's my new venture. All of the details can be found by clicking on the link. I know most of you reading don't care. And I apologize for that. But who knows, maybe some of you are interested, or know someone who might be. So I'm taking my free web access and making my pitch.
I just ask for wishes of good luck because I need them. My attorney friends think my idea is genius. As do other friends. But this is a tough economy. And there are lot of us suddenly unemployed attorneys out there, and we're all starting up firms or business ventures. So it's going to be tough. I realize that. But there's just something out there telling me to do this. So I am.
Thanks for reading.
And thanks again to Andrew, Fred, and Heather for letting me borrow the blog for a personal reason.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
