Laid-Off Biglaw Attorneys

[Anonymous]

Are any big firms allowing associates to work at nonprofits for a fraction of their regular salary, like in ‘09? That was great and I could use two good litigators right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are any big firms allowing associates to work at nonprofits for a fraction of their regular salary, like in ‘09? That was great and I could use two good litigators right now.

Not that I've heard. But you might be able to hire one or two on the cheap, assuming you've got some budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are laid off from big law during COVID 19, what would you ideally negotiate in terms of severance? I would start with:
1. 3-4 months of full pay severance
2. Staying on website for 6 months
3. Help from references with job search / no disparaging remarks about being “laid off” if firm is called as a reference

Am I missing anything else?

What leverage do you have to negotiate anything in severance? Do firms even offer severance?

Best leverage is to go to a client. They don't want to piss you off if you'll then be on the other side to block business coming their way.

Another thing you can definitely ask for is using the firm's network for in-house jobs. Can Partner X send my resume to Y Company? Does Partner X know about any openings at Y? In-house jobs are so word of mouth/network driven. Try to use the network as much as possible.

This is assuming that clients are hiring in-house attorneys right now.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Associate here. Firm gave me 3 months to find a new job. True layoff/not performance related. How do I negotiate more time?

Sorry that you're going through this. Just ask. Even though it's a true layoff, they should want you to land well. Also ask to use their executive coach and career counselor to help you with interviewing and resumes. And, no matter what, ask them to keep you on the website until you have a new job, even if it takes longer than 3 months. It's so hard to find a job if it looks like you are currently unemployed.

But then what do you do when the interviewer asks you what your current employment is, and when they check your references and find out that you were terminated even though you're still on the website? Won't that dishonesty be worse?

If it were business as usual then maybe. But right now because of the pandemic? I think any new employer will understand that someone doing a job search right now is doing it for a furlough or termination reason.

Nope. The legal field is uniquely oversaturated, unforgiving and prestige-driven. No one wants to hire an unemployed lawyer. They think if you were a star, you would never have been laid off. If you weren't a star, they don't want you.

Then go to a non- big law firm. Probably better for your overall health and happiness.

Oh, they don't want you either. No law firm wants to hire anyone not seen as top talent. And there are millions of law schools so there is a neverending supply of new lawyers.

I'm sorry but this is a load of shit. I bought it hook line & sinker as an associate but then I finally did leave for a well-regarded boutique full of big law cast offs and many are very honest about the fact they weren't stars at their prestigious former firms.

+1
Fancy big law castoffs are definitely not sought after for the most well regarded in-house and smaller firm jobs. Check out LinkedIn if you don’t believe me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are laid off from big law during COVID 19, what would you ideally negotiate in terms of severance? I would start with:
1. 3-4 months of full pay severance
2. Staying on website for 6 months
3. Help from references with job search / no disparaging remarks about being “laid off” if firm is called as a reference

Am I missing anything else?

What leverage do you have to negotiate anything in severance? Do firms even offer severance?

Best leverage is to go to a client. They don't want to piss you off if you'll then be on the other side to block business coming their way.

Another thing you can definitely ask for is using the firm's network for in-house jobs. Can Partner X send my resume to Y Company? Does Partner X know about any openings at Y? In-house jobs are so word of mouth/network driven. Try to use the network as much as possible.

This is assuming that clients are hiring in-house attorneys right now.

Some companies are and I'm sure they are getting a million applications. It's hard to find an in-house job in the DC area anyway. Using your network will be more important than ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are laid off from big law during COVID 19, what would you ideally negotiate in terms of severance? I would start with:
1. 3-4 months of full pay severance
2. Staying on website for 6 months
3. Help from references with job search / no disparaging remarks about being “laid off” if firm is called as a reference

Am I missing anything else?

What leverage do you have to negotiate anything in severance? Do firms even offer severance?

Best leverage is to go to a client. They don't want to piss you off if you'll then be on the other side to block business coming their way.

Another thing you can definitely ask for is using the firm's network for in-house jobs. Can Partner X send my resume to Y Company? Does Partner X know about any openings at Y? In-house jobs are so word of mouth/network driven. Try to use the network as much as possible.

This is assuming that clients are hiring in-house attorneys right now.

Some companies are and I'm sure they are getting a million applications. It's hard to find an in-house job in the DC area anyway. Using your network will be more important than ever.

Yes. This is what saved me as a laid-off Big Law lawyer in the last recession. It didn't matter how good my credentials were. But for personal contacts, I was damaged goods

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Associate here. Firm gave me 3 months to find a new job. True layoff/not performance related. How do I negotiate more time?

Sorry that you're going through this. Just ask. Even though it's a true layoff, they should want you to land well. Also ask to use their executive coach and career counselor to help you with interviewing and resumes. And, no matter what, ask them to keep you on the website until you have a new job, even if it takes longer than 3 months. It's so hard to find a job if it looks like you are currently unemployed.

But then what do you do when the interviewer asks you what your current employment is, and when they check your references and find out that you were terminated even though you're still on the website? Won't that dishonesty be worse?

If it were business as usual then maybe. But right now because of the pandemic? I think any new employer will understand that someone doing a job search right now is doing it for a furlough or termination reason.

Nope. The legal field is uniquely oversaturated, unforgiving and prestige-driven. No one wants to hire an unemployed lawyer. They think if you were a star, you would never have been laid off. If you weren't a star, they don't want you.

Then go to a non- big law firm. Probably better for your overall health and happiness.

Oh, they don't want you either. No law firm wants to hire anyone not seen as top talent. And there are millions of law schools so there is a neverending supply of new lawyers.

I'm sorry but this is a load of shit. I bought it hook line & sinker as an associate but then I finally did leave for a well-regarded boutique full of big law cast offs and many are very honest about the fact they weren't stars at their prestigious former firms.

+1
Fancy big law castoffs are definitely [b]not sought after for the most well regarded in-house and smaller firm jobs. Check out LinkedIn if you don’t believe me.

Then whom would those "well regarded in-house" hire? In-houses do not hire directly from law school.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but across the list of unemployed friends whom I care about, you guys are at the very bottom! If you didn't save your bloated salaries during the good times, it's unfortunately on you.

[Anonymous]

I saw a big-law attorney furtively picking through a garbage can, presumably looking for scraps of food. When I said hello, he was startled and tried to pretend he was merely glancing into the can. #compassion #tacos

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw a big-law attorney furtively picking through a garbage can, presumably looking for scraps of food. When I said hello, he was startled and tried to pretend he was merely glancing into the can. #compassion #tacos

troll

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but across the list of unemployed friends whom I care about, you guys are at the very bottom! If you didn't save your bloated salaries during the good times, it's unfortunately on you.

Yep. Y’all should have saved for rainy days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but across the list of unemployed friends whom I care about, you guys are at the very bottom! If you didn't save your bloated salaries during the good times, it's unfortunately on you.

Yep. Y’all should have saved for rainy days.

Indeed, but those who have only known good times always have a hard time adjusting to bad times. This happened in 2001 when the dot-coms went dot-bomb, and again in 2009 when the bottom fell out of the real estate market and the economy. Big law associates during those times felt the same pain associates are feeling today. Careers are very rarely straight trajectories, and it doesn't matter if you did everything right from high school to college to law school to big law. In the end, money overrides prestige. That said, big law firms will try to preserve those associates whose credentials they can sell to clients when the economy recovers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but across the list of unemployed friends whom I care about, you guys are at the very bottom! If you didn't save your bloated salaries during the good times, it's unfortunately on you.

Most BIGLAW associates have correspondingly big student loan balances, so there really isn’t the great savings opportunity you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but across the list of unemployed friends whom I care about, you guys are at the very bottom! If you didn't save your bloated salaries during the good times, it's unfortunately on you.

Yep. Y’all should have saved for rainy days.

So I shouldn’t have been piling money into reducing my student loans?

Not everyone had mommy and daddy paying for college and law school. Not everyone who doesn’t have big savings blew their money on frivolities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but across the list of unemployed friends whom I care about, you guys are at the very bottom! If you didn't save your bloated salaries during the good times, it's unfortunately on you.

Most BIGLAW associates have correspondingly big student loan balances, so there really isn’t the great savings opportunity you think.

Exactly, have some compassion. That might be true later, but at the start they are (or should be) just paying off loans. They are going to have fewer job opportunities the longer this goes on.