A large government agency was facing a growing backlog of due-process hearings that required timely resolution. The work was essential but project-driven, and leadership was reluctant to bring on permanent attorneys for fear of being overstaffed once the backlog eased. As filings continued to increase, the department lacked the flexible legal support needed to keep pace, creating delays in case processing and putting pressure on existing staff.
In 2014, the Agency partnered with On Call Counsel to provide project-based attorneys at scale, and that partnership has continued to this day. Over the years, OCC has built a program that not only delivers attorneys when needed but also ensures those attorneys are prepared, supported, and able to succeed in the Agency’s environment.
While it may seem straightforward, simply supplying more attorneys, the reality required a tailored approach. OCC designed custom recruitment, screening, and support systems to meet the Agency’s unique requirements and to keep attorneys engaged through a lengthy hiring process.
The first challenge to address was the size of the talent pool. Limiting recruitment to one city wasn’t sustainable, so OCC expanded its search nationally. This allowed them to attract attorneys from regions where public sector compensation was more competitive, ensuring a steady pipeline of qualified candidates.
From there, OCC focused on building the right systems to make the program work. They introduced technology-driven tools such as a chatbot-based pre-screening system that validates bar admission, availability, remote readiness, and compliance with hiring policies, filtering out unqualified applicants early. To prepare candidates for the Agency’s virtual systems, OCC created a PC Literacy Tech Check with real-world scenarios, reducing onboarding delays and ensuring productivity from day one.
Because the hiring process could stretch for months, OCC kept candidates engaged through ongoing communication and regular updates, ensuring strong attorneys remained interested until placement. At the same time, OCC’s recruitment engine ran continuously so the Agency always had qualified candidates ready to move forward as soon as new openings were approved.
550+
Attorneys Placed
370k+
Hours of Legal Support
11+
Years of Service
Operationally, OCC integrated its systems with the Agency’s approval workflows and trained every attorney on time-entry procedures before starting. Their recruiters, many of them JDs and attorneys themselves, continued coaching during the first weeks of assignments to prevent errors and keep the program running smoothly.
As the partnership grew, OCC scaled its team by adding recruiters dedicated to the program and drawing on more than 70 in-house developers to adapt our systems for evolving needs such as credential validation, data privacy, and billing.
Since the program began, OCC has collectively delivered over 370,000 hours of legal support.
If your agency needs legal support without the risk of adding permanent headcount, On Call Counsel can help. Their model delivers legal support on a project basis, giving you the flexibility to scale up or down as caseloads change. Alongside that, they’ve built processes that ensure new hires are ready to contribute from day one and remain effective for the life of the assignment.
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