Where are they now? October 21, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , View CommentsRecently, I decided to check in on those of my first-year colleagues who were affected negatively by the firm’s decision to reduce their attorney force.
I asked each if they found work, how long it took them if they did, what approach they used and how their new salary compared.
While, I was surprised to learn some had landed ably on their feet, many had either relocated far from where they wanted to be, taken positions offering insulting rates of compensation, had gone back to law school, or were still actively looking for work.
Here is a quick look at how the class fared based on my very unscientific and informal poll:
Law Job Ravine October 18, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , View CommentsThis print has many hidden details in its characters and colorful environment. The major theme depicted is the struggle of the young lawyer in today’s economic downturn. Click here for an explanation of the key features.
T’was the night before layoffs, and all through the firm… October 14, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , View CommentsAll of us at the firm saw the writing on the wall by the time February rolled around. Despite language any reasonable person would have interpreted as a “no-layoff” promise, coupled with discussions about how securely leveraged the firm was, it was still clear to all of us at the ground level that things were not going well. Whispers of impromptu partner meetings buzzed around the firm halls, cliques of young associates gathered together in offices to discuss the latest ATL gossip, chatter of suspiciously high rates of “counseled out” associates (i.e. stealth layoffs) spread like wildfire on the firm’s messaging system. It was the worst of times, and we all knew it.
The 5th Response (The School Desk Firm) October 12, 2009
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , View CommentsIn one of my recent posts I talked about how I had resorted to craigslist to offer my services as an attorney. I mentioned how four out of five of my responses were not fruitful but one actually seemed promising.
It was an offer for part time work, and it was real work. Not just document review, in fact as far as the initial e-mail went no document review was even mentioned. It seemed like a legitimate chance to do substantive work at a contract rate of $30-$50 an hour, which is a decent wage for legal work. Although it wasn’t full time and the firm was relatively new and had very little reputation, I still felt it was a great opportunity. In fact, one of the only opportunities I’d received in 7 months of being unemployed. It would be something to put on my resume as a gap saver and a chance to learn and work on substantive legal issues. I was certainly on board.
Attorneyresume.com STINKS!!!! (they charge ridiculous fees to provide generic advice from internal crib sheets and free web articles) October 5, 2009
Posted by admin in : Critique , View CommentsAttorneyResume.com provides stock advice from sources freely available on the internet for an exorbitant fee.
When I was first put in a tailspin about not having a job, I thought the most prudent thing to do was to spend some time (and money or payday loans if needed) polishing up my candidacy. Afterall as I explained in last week’s post not having interviewed since October 2006 created a nearly three year gap where my primary concern was on professional development and not resume and interviewing skills.