Laid off attorney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, may I suggest a different way of looking at things. I am the OP on the "I don't want my daughter to have my life style".
I know that your post is about finding work in a bad market, but try to think of this as time to look at other options like caring for your child. Perhaps consider having another child. This may be the right time to slow down. I have never had that chance, and my husband's income will not support us. I am the hardest working woman in my family. There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about not working. Since age 17 I have been at it. Went to work three days after being in a car accident (while pregnant with son) and returned to work 2 weeks after having daughter. It has been a complete drain.

This opportunity to be a mom might never come up again in this way.

Wow, you are certainly a buzz kill aren't you. You have made it clear that you life sucks and that you have regrets but stop please projecting on others. The OP is a grown woman who can make he own decisions.

OP doesn't exactly seem like she's got her act together either. She got canned and can't get another job.

And if she can make her own decisions about being unemployed, then why is she posting on this board?

[Anonymous]

To OP: What type of law/legal work are you interested in?

I'm not a lawyer, but I work part-time for a federal agency. My work requires a lot of interaction with our attorneys in our solicitor's office. I'm meeting a lawyer friend for lunch today; she was recently hired as an attorney for my agency from the outside. I'll ask about her experience with the hiring process. If she has any advice to offer, I will re-post tomorrow. The attorney job she accepted is not her ideal position, but she felt it would nonetheless provide interesting work, be a good complement to her experience, and a point of entry to federal government service. Please be positive and try not to be discouraged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, may I suggest a different way of looking at things. I am the OP on the "I don't want my daughter to have my life style".
I know that your post is about finding work in a bad market, but try to think of this as time to look at other options like caring for your child. Perhaps consider having another child. This may be the right time to slow down. I have never had that chance, and my husband's income will not support us. I am the hardest working woman in my family. There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about not working. Since age 17 I have been at it. Went to work three days after being in a car accident (while pregnant with son) and returned to work 2 weeks after having daughter. It has been a complete drain.

This opportunity to be a mom might never come up again in this way.

Wow, you are certainly a buzz kill aren't you. You have made it clear that you life sucks and that you have regrets but stop please projecting on others. The OP is a grown woman who can make he own decisions.

OP doesn't exactly seem like she's got her act together either. She got canned and can't get another job.

And if she can make her own decisions about being unemployed, then why is she posting on this board?

OP here: I will try to ignore the unhelpful posts because so many people on this thread have posted such useful feedback. I certainly don't expect to find a job from these message boards but I do find it informative to read about different people's experiences. Of course, I have spoken to my friends and former colleagues about my situation but there is certainly no harm in broadening the circle of people I speak to. And for those who asked, my experience is primarily with litigation. I have taken the first step and I'm signing up for some all day training sessions sponsored by the DC Bar in a substantive area that I have been interested in for some time (I did some pro bono work in this area as well). This way, if I do happen to get an interview with the agency that specializes in this area then I can point to both my previous pro bono work and my current training sessions as evidence of my genuine interest in this field of law.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of government workers do routinely get away with doing a few hours of work each day tops. Sure, they spread the work around so they look fairly moderately busy, but they are not. Going from private practice to working for the govt (most agencies - not talking political pressure-backed jobs like negotiating TARP for DOT last year or in the White House or on the Hill) is pretty much like retiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of government workers do routinely get away with doing a few hours of work each day tops. Sure, they spread the work around so they look fairly moderately busy, but they are not. Going from private practice to working for the govt (most agencies - not talking political pressure-backed jobs like negotiating TARP for DOT last year or in the White House or on the Hill) is pretty much like retiring.

Actually, it depends enormously. If you're a litigator, no way. I have litigator friends across government. Litigation does not stop for the civil service rules. Sure, there are deadwood positions, but they are very rarely attorney jobs. And let's face it-- in today's job market, they can hire the go getters.

To the person who said that OP was "canned" and not "together," it's clear to anyone who's actually in the profession that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. There were layoffs everywhere-- hundreds of them. Most were not merit-based, but related to where you were on the totem pole. Firms are rescinding their offers to recent graduates, even from top schools and with law review and clerkship experience. It's the market. Second, getting back in from parental leave in the worst economy ever is a nightmare. Third, if you are SAT and LSAT Girl, you'd be the first attorney I've ever encountered who still talks about test scores. If you care to pose in the future, try to imagine yourself as someone with real accomplishments since high school.

OP, keep on trucking. Yes, it's difficult, but it's doable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, one additional suggestion, focus on networking, find someone who can get your resume in front of a decision maker at the agency that you are interested in or at least put in a good word for you. Get back in touch with your alumni network (you did not state the name of your law school, but it is likely that most powerful network that you have) and see if you can get any leads there.


If possible, talk to people at your old firm to see if they have any connections at the agency. You may also want to consider talking to a career counsellor they not only give tips but can provide contacts.

Good luck

P.S. I moved to a federal agency back in June and love it.

I agree with this advice about networking -- especially the point about talking with people at your old firm. In my experience THAT's your most powerful network, especially if your firm maintains an on-line database of alums. I know my former firm has an alumni portal right on the website, and you can search by city. (To truly search my firm's network well -- sorting by current employer/agency -- you need to be a current employee, so I've had my friends who are still there run some searches.) Anyway, if you haven't done so already, check with your firm about their alumni networking resources. Each firm has things set up differently. And above all else, don't be shy about contacting firm alumns in various agencies, even if you don't know them and never overlapped with them at the firm. In my experience, people are very generous with their time and help.

Finally, I agree that a career counselor could be useful. There are even coaches in the DC area who specialize in working with lawyers and understand the unique quirks of the profession. It's pricey but even a few hours of consulting help can be very helpful. Try Google for names.

Good luck!

OP, if you are interested I can privide a reccomendation for a counsellor. I am the poster who switch to a govt agency a few months ago.

13:55 here - could you post?

Kate Neville @ Neville Career Consulting. Her number is 202 997 9854. There is also a website but I do not have the exact URL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of government workers do routinely get away with doing a few hours of work each day tops. Sure, they spread the work around so they look fairly moderately busy, but they are not. Going from private practice to working for the govt (most agencies - not talking political pressure-backed jobs like negotiating TARP for DOT last year or in the White House or on the Hill) is pretty much like retiring.

Oh really, I encourage you to come work as a lawyer in enforcement or trading and markets at the SEC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, one additional suggestion, focus on networking, find someone who can get your resume in front of a decision maker at the agency that you are interested in or at least put in a good word for you. Get back in touch with your alumni network (you did not state the name of your law school, but it is likely that most powerful network that you have) and see if you can get any leads there.


If possible, talk to people at your old firm to see if they have any connections at the agency. You may also want to consider talking to a career counsellor they not only give tips but can provide contacts.

Good luck

P.S. I moved to a federal agency back in June and love it.

I agree with this advice about networking -- especially the point about talking with people at your old firm. In my experience THAT's your most powerful network, especially if your firm maintains an on-line database of alums. I know my former firm has an alumni portal right on the website, and you can search by city. (To truly search my firm's network well -- sorting by current employer/agency -- you need to be a current employee, so I've had my friends who are still there run some searches.) Anyway, if you haven't done so already, check with your firm about their alumni networking resources. Each firm has things set up differently. And above all else, don't be shy about contacting firm alumns in various agencies, even if you don't know them and never overlapped with them at the firm. In my experience, people are very generous with their time and help.

Finally, I agree that a career counselor could be useful. There are even coaches in the DC area who specialize in working with lawyers and understand the unique quirks of the profession. It's pricey but even a few hours of consulting help can be very helpful. Try Google for names.

Good luck!

OP, if you are interested I can privide a reccomendation for a counsellor. I am the poster who switch to a govt agency a few months ago.

13:55 here - could you post?

Kate Neville @ Neville Career Consulting. Her number is 202 997 9854. There is also a website but I do not have the exact URL.

Or try Deb Solomon at Acuity Legal Consulting. www.acuitylegal.com