They looked like caged animals as they sat in front of rows of flat-screen computer monitors in a dark, glass-enclosed conference room. None of the 20 people in the room was speaking. They were just staring at their screens, which were the only source of light in the room.
My friend, who works at a large D.C. law firm, explained that these people were staff attorneys who were reviewing electronic documents for a major case. She said a staff attorney is basically an associate who had fallen off the partnership track. They appeared to be living in legal purgatory.
