Pros
*The bulk of clients are lawyers and projects often entail cutting edge litigation. Being able to work on some of these projects long before the details surface to the public can be really exciting. *While some projects have overlap in the analyses used, often no two projects are exactly alike. This offers a lot of great opportunities to learn about the minutia of legal and statistical nuances. *Because turnover is so high, you will be thrown into new and challenging roles sooner and more often than expected. For those that embrace a good challenge, opportunities abound. *The office staff is very small and can be very tight knit among the RAs and admins. *Industry and legal experts sometimes visit the premises. While very few people ever get excited about meeting someone from NHTSA or somebody who wrote a landmark automotive safety article, it's still really neat to meet with some of the folks who tirelessly work so hard to promote and support public safety. *Meals are catered in every 1-2 weeks. *If you're lucky, you might get an office with a window. Doesn't sound like much, but having a distraction or two can be a much needed reprieve on many of the long days you will encounter.
Cons
*It can't be overstated enough that management is the epitome of unorganized, verbally abusive, and dysfunctional in communicating with office staff. *You get at best, a two month window to "learn on the job." Afterward, you're expected to be an expert on EVERYTHING. Don't know the details of a case? Expect all hell to break loose. Wasn't aware the circumstances surrounding a particular case suddenly and without notice changed? Doesn't matter, management will expect you to ask them for updates, but at the same time, will insult you to your face because "you expect to be spoon fed." Numerous examples such as these abound, but the bottom line remains the same: you will always be wrong, even when you are right. *Management can dish out the insults, but they cannot handle being called out for their behavior. If you're alright being a "yes man," you might survive. *The 9 to 5 working hours are just guidelines. Typical hours are often 9 to 8. Many times weekends as well. *This company operates its billing practices along the criminal. You may have honestly worked 50 hours on a project, but per management, only 20 of them are billable. The other 30, per management, "you're wasting time!" So guess what, you're working an extra 20-30 hours a week to make up the difference for "lost time." *Expect to be insulted to your face. Daily. *Management has many irrational--and factually incorrect--opinions about federal rules of civil procedure. At times, this can be incredibly comical. Most times, however, it's part of why office communication and project organization is such a mess. *Work/life balance: it doesn't exist. Ask around. Does anyone have kids? When I was there. No one. Plan to get married? Be prepared to postpone it when it's convenient for management. Personal appointment to deal with? That's nice, reschedule it. Oh, you want to take a night class? It better be online. It's your birthday? So what, working til 9pm helps to build character. Holidays? What are those? *Favoritism abounds. Part of this is based on perceived value of your contributions. The other part is simply a matter of whether management "likes you." If you say or do anything that suggests you won't enthusiastically take your abuse with a smile, your tenure with JPR will be a daily headache. *Weekly turnover. In an office that only has 15 people at any given time, someone is being hired or fired just about every week. *Promotions and pay increases: infrequently happens. If you decide to disregard everything I have included, take notice and ask yourself when in the office: "how many people have actually worked here for a year or longer?" Out of 15 people, 4. You do the math.