23 December 2003

Martha Inc:

Six days to screen jurors? Typically, I get about 15 minutes. I'm not even sure exactly what I could do with six days.

Day one, hour one: Read the available information.

Hours two thru three: Meet with my overpaid jury consultants (good gracious how I'd love to have overpaid jury consultants).

Hour four: Shoo the overpaid jury consultants out of my office - or better yet, go to lunch with the head jury consultant so that lunch at Chez Expensive gets charged to Martha Inc.

Hour five: Talk with co-counsel (or if desperate associates) about the jurors and recommendations from overpaid jury consultants.

Hour six: Mark all the people off the jury that I don't want on it (probably the same ones I would have done in 15 minutes).

Hour seven: review to make sure I didn't make any mistakes.

I can almost stretch it out to a whole day if I try real hard. Of course, I come from the realm of flat fees so I've not perfected the skill of hourly billing. If I worked at mega-downtown firm maybe I could stretch over a few days so that I could increase my billable hours.

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