C&F--How Screwed am I for Getting Fired from Paralegal Job at BigLaw? Forum

[Public-Interest-588]

How screwed am I for HYSCC, if I was laid off as a paralegal at a V10 law firm after spending 2 years there for work performance issues? There was no misconduct that I committed (i.e. embezzlement, sexual harassment, etc.). It boiled down to poor work performance in my last 6 months prior to being terminated, which was caused, unbeknownst to my employers, by health issues necessitating hospitalizations. That was my first full-time job out of college. I would like to believe that I have an otherwise strong resume, but you can be the judge of that. Since getting terminated from the V10, I have spent two years working for as a public school teacher, followed by another 2 years for a large nationally recognized mental health nonprofit doing research. I also have under my belt various well-known internships throughout undergrad at Barnard, a nonprofit I cofounded, academic research and subsequent publications, and various other undergrad extracurricular leadership positions, such as student government. Stats wise, I am on target for the schools I'm shooting for (HYSCC), but I'm not going to disclose the specifics here.

I'm just bothered because I was previewing the C&F. One of the questions include "Have you ever been subject to disciplinary action or discharge by a professional organization, e.g. an employer, certifying agency, or accreditation board?" Do I need to disclose my termination at the V10, and if so, how would you recommend framing that? How much would disclosing drag down my candidacy? Thank you!

[nealric]

I doubt it will be an issue given that you were not terminated for misconduct or malfeasance.

I think It's a judgment call as to whether you need to disclose something like that. Depends on how you parse the question. The literal reading is that you are supposed to disclose if you've ever been involuntarily terminated by an employer. But since it also refers to "disciplinary action" it could also be interpreted as asking if you've been terminated due to misconduct.

The purpose of these sorts of questions is to make sure they don't admit someone who can't get admitted to the bar. Being fired for poor performance would not by itself be an obstacle. They are primarily worried about acts of malfeasance or dishonesty.

[Access]

Reach out to the firm and ask how they classify it. They may agree to make it a mutual parting retroactively. They're not trying to ruin your life.

[CanadianWolf]

Based on the specific wording of the question, you need to disclose if, in fact, you were "discharged" rather than--as you wrote--"laid off".

Since the separation was predicated on poor work performance, and not due to any act of dishonesty or moral turpitude, any further problems with respect to law school admissions will or will not arise based on the wording of your response. However, I am a bit uncomfortable about your hospitalizations which affected your work product, yet--apparently--were not disclosed to your employer in an appropriate manner. The reason for the hospitalizations might lead to further inquiry by a jurisdiction's character & fitness background check for it's state bar if based on mental illness or substance abuse.

A simple statement such as: "After two years of employment, I was terminated for poor work performance due to illness which required hospitalization" might suffice. Be aware that bar C&F background checks can include a review of your law school application.

Seems a bit odd that you would not disclose hospitalizations to your law firm employer--especially since you had pending work upon which other members of the firm were trusting you to handle. In short, I suspect that there is more to the story then has been disclosed. Nevertheless, my thoughts are not relevant; only the thoughts of law school admissions officers and, thereafter, the thoughts of state bar C&F researchers are relevant.

In conclusion, the termination could be a minor concern or it could lead to further questions. Regardless, you do need to disclose the fact that you were terminated.

[Dcc617]

Based on the specific wording of the question, you need to disclose if, in fact, you were "discharged" rather than--as you wrote--"laid off".

Since the separation was predicated on poor work performance, and not due to any act of dishonesty or moral turpitude, any further problems with respect to law school admissions will or will not arise based on the wording of your response. However, I am a bit uncomfortable about your hospitalizations which affected your work product, yet--apparently--were not disclosed to your employer in an appropriate manner. The reason for the hospitalizations might lead to further inquiry by a jurisdiction's character & fitness background check for it's state bar if based on mental illness or substance abuse.

A simple statement such as: "After two years of employment, I was terminated for poor work performance due to illness which required hospitalization" might suffice. Be aware that bar C&F background checks can include a review of your law school application.

Seems a bit odd that you would not disclose hospitalizations to your law firm employer--especially since you had pending work upon which other members of the firm were trusting you to handle. In short, I suspect that there is more to the story then has been disclosed. Nevertheless, my thoughts are not relevant; only the thoughts of law school admissions officers and, thereafter, the thoughts of state bar C&F researchers are relevant.

In conclusion, the termination could be a minor concern or it could lead to further questions. Regardless, you do need to disclose the fact that you were terminated.

You sound like a dick.

OP, I think you’re fine. You were let go, not disciplined or fired for disciplinary reasons. I don’t think getting fired under your circumstances requires disclosure under the language in the OP, it’s pretty clear they’re asking about getting doing something actually bad. Law firms are at will and can let people go for any reason, this question is getting at if you let go for a bad reason.

[CanadianWolf]

Based on the specific wording of the question, you need to disclose if, in fact, you were "discharged" rather than--as you wrote--"laid off".

Since the separation was predicated on poor work performance, and not due to any act of dishonesty or moral turpitude, any further problems with respect to law school admissions will or will not arise based on the wording of your response. However, I am a bit uncomfortable about your hospitalizations which affected your work product, yet--apparently--were not disclosed to your employer in an appropriate manner. The reason for the hospitalizations might lead to further inquiry by a jurisdiction's character & fitness background check for it's state bar if based on mental illness or substance abuse.

A simple statement such as: "After two years of employment, I was terminated for poor work performance due to illness which required hospitalization" might suffice. Be aware that bar C&F background checks can include a review of your law school application.

Seems a bit odd that you would not disclose hospitalizations to your law firm employer--especially since you had pending work upon which other members of the firm were trusting you to handle. In short, I suspect that there is more to the story then has been disclosed. Nevertheless, my thoughts are not relevant; only the thoughts of law school admissions officers and, thereafter, the thoughts of state bar C&F researchers are relevant.

In conclusion, the termination could be a minor concern or it could lead to further questions. Regardless, you do need to disclose the fact that you were terminated.

You sound like a dick.

OP, I think you’re fine. You were let go, not disciplined or fired for disciplinary reasons. I don’t think getting fired under your circumstances requires disclosure under the language in the OP, it’s pretty clear they’re asking about getting doing something actually bad. Law firms are at will and can let people go for any reason, this question is getting at if you let go for a bad reason.

Regardless of how you view my advice, it was and is intended for the OP. Hopefully, things will go smoothly for OP, but my advice is intended to be cautionary & to prepare OP for the real possibility of further questions.

[topgun342]

You do have to disclose it but your job performance is not a character and fitness issue. If you think you can do so in good faith, you could dispute it too. You could say something like I was terminated because my performance was allegedly poor. However, I stand by my performance. I followed my training but expectations were unreasonable.