Where are they now? October 21, 2009
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Recently, 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:
- One of my colleagues is doing public interest immigration work at the U.S. Mexico border.
- One of my colleagues is now an investment banker.
- One of my colleagues after not getting a single interview in New York or D.C. tried to expand their search to the South and Midwest, and although had better luck there, is still trying to find the right position.
- Two of my colleagues found small to medium sized firms in the New England area. One is doing primarily medical malpractice and personal injury law making what he described as a salary that was more than unemployment but close to “disgraceful.” The other does civil litigation at a boutique.
- One worked as a part-time intern, and at the 6 month mark was offered an in-house position making “significantly less” than they had previously earned.
- Three of my colleagues have gone to work for the government.
- One colleague found work for a medium sized firm paying a Big Law comparable salary.
- Four of my colleagues were actually welcomed back to Big Law and Big Law salaries; two at east coast firms one at a west coast firm. Proving there is a glimmer of hope to climb back to the top, however slim it might appear to be.
- One of my colleagues traveled to Luxemburg and was able to find legal employment there.
- Nine of us have been keeping busy on freelance projects, temp work, taking various bar exams, or have gone back to school but have not been offered full-time legal employment of value.
Those who had found positions explained they had found their positions without fail through contacts and networking and on average it was at the 6 month mark that a position was found if a full-time job was at all found. Many of those who found positions were also willing to relocate away from the New York legal market. This may indicate that things just could be beginning to turn around? (The glass is half full right?)
The other 8-12 associates I was either not able to get in contact with or they were not interested in participating in the survey. I suspect however, that many of these attorneys fall into the last bullet point.
If you were a first year at the firm and would like to be included in these statistics please e-mail me.
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PDzorro
