Some Languages Aren't Too Romantic Anymore

Growing up it seems that we all are taught how precious the languages of Western Europe are. Everyone dreams of flying to Florence and having the special stranger whisper sweet Italian to us while we share a bottle of Barolo Bussia Soprana. Or how about that sweet dream love flowing Spanish on the sands of the Caribbean? And let's not forget that chance encounter on the Eiffel Tower- qui, qui.





That is what I call romantic- but Biglaw doesn't think these languages are so attractive. I mean, why else would you pay $85/hr for Japanese, Russian, or Norwegian fluent document review attorney and on the same case matter pay those romantic languages less than half of that? It's just not fair.





Now some will make the case that finding reviewers with Japanese, Russian or Norwegian skills is much more difficult than finding the run of the mill " I took French in high school" attorney who is more than happy to jump on your review. The laws of supply and demand, blah blah, blah. (Slept through it in economics). I say yes, it's true that more legal professionals speak Spanish than Dutch, but lets not act like they all speak it well- or read it no less. This is a legal matter people. Why would you treat the material in one language more precious than the same issue that happens to be written in a second?









That's what many of the Romantic reviewers are asking when considering whether or not to accept assignments for reviews. " Why would I take a Spanish review for $35/hr when I can get an English for the same price on some projects. They want us to do double the work for basically the same price." I understand your pain. The problem is if one person doesn't accept the assignment for the price, there always will be someone who will accept for $35, $34 or maybe even $32. People are desperate to work in this market.









"Well, what is your solution" you ask? I'm not here for solution, I'm just here to bring up a point. As long as there are people out there that accept low rates for the languages of romance, firms will keep paying lower rates. The only problem with this is the old adage "You get what you pay for." Someone highly skilled in one of those languages may consider it an insult to work a project for under $40/hr. What does that leave you with? I tell you what it leaves you with. Someone who was pretty good at Italian in high school or college, but never really used it except at resorts while on vacation. Someone who can't understand the nuances of specific dialects and may interpret a key passage the wrong way. What would that mean to a multimillion dollar dispute? Ask your clients. That's nothing to fall in love with.