Husband just fired from large law firm after less 1 yr?! Forum

[20121109]

What's with the mod enforcement of this wipe? The legal employment forum is 99.9% worthless garbage and someone outs TTT employment practices for once and it all gets removed?

Apparently outing the firm could adversely affect her husband's employment prospects. If you want to know the name of the firm just PM either me or Alpha.

ETA: Remember, there is no way for the mods to confirm hearsay.

[sunynp]

What do you guys think is worse: (1) No SA offer or (2) Fire JA in less than a year?

With the internet being like it is, I don't see how firms will be able to no-offer SA's anymore, or continue doing what Firm X just did... it is not worth it.

See, now this is why law students are still naive about firms and how much they care about their reputations with students and associates. Exhibit A is Latham, which as I mentioned, was the basis for the term "lathaming." What is their reputation now? Aren't plenty of people bidding on them and hoping to get a job.

Firms care about offer rates and keeping them high, because no-offer rates make the firm look like it is failing. A high no-offer rate indicates that business is bad and they over filled their summer class. But if they hire people and then cut them through stealth lay-offs, it doesn't have the same effect at all. These stealth lay-offs of first years are much worse for the associate. A no offer is really bad too, but having a job and losing it after a few month can be the end of careers depending on timing (not for OP's husband, but for other people).

The firms are gearing up to make offers to SAs and to start their next class within a month or two after the bar ( unless more deferrals?) will they take on another current 1st year if their business is slow? Very tough spot for a firm to put an associate in. They should at least try to keep people for 2 years so they can possibly lateral.

But firms only care about PPP. (Although if they don't have the business and don't see business picking up, they do need to protect the partnership)

[sunynp]

What's with the mod enforcement of this wipe? The legal employment forum is 99.9% worthless garbage and someone outs TTT employment practices for once and it all gets removed?

Apparently outing the firm could adversely affect her husband's employment prospects. If you want to know the name of the firm just PM either me or Alpha.

I appreciate the mods doing this. There is no doubt the firm could identify who OPs husband is, just from the few details she posted. The firm will not be happy about airing their dirty linen in public. He needs a good reference from that firm if he hopes to find another job. I have seen firms suddenly lose interest in helping young associates find other jobs if they find out that associate has been talking shit about them just in conversation with other people, much less on the internet.

[rayiner]

There is an important point missing in the "firms just care about PPP angle." Firms aren't like corporations. A corporation can take a hit in a down year and keep going. Firms are just collections of partners. When profits dip too much, partners leave. Dewey ran a profit every year up to and including the year it collapsed. And I don't think firm partners necessarily want to leave just because the firm had a bad year. But they're in a prisoner's dilemma--whoever doesn't leave and is left holding the bag can be in a very bad spot.

Firms don't axe first year associates they've spent a ton of money recruiting just so they can spend more money recruiting next year's class of first year associates. But unfortunately that's the way the dynamics of the industry work out.

[sunynp]

What do you think, would you start a loan payment deferral as soon as you were let go? I guess it depends on how much cash you have, but if you have high loan payments, it might be better to save the cash and go for the unemployment deferral.

[target]

What's with the mod enforcement of this wipe? The legal employment forum is 99.9% worthless garbage and someone outs TTT employment practices for once and it all gets removed?

Apparently outing the firm could adversely affect her husband's employment prospects. If you want to know the name of the firm just PM either me or Alpha.

ETA: Remember, there is no way for the mods to confirm hearsay.

I am not sure what this would make a difference. Unless there are many firms out there fires <1yr associates, the firm(s) that does this would know its own recent firing, know who OP is, and still can adversely affect OP's husband.

[Myself]

You need to tell us which firm.

Who do you think you are? She doesn't need to tell you anything.

[09042014]

Tbh, if this happened to a bunch of people, ops husband would be better of the world knowing about it. Getting Lathamed ain't so bad if firms think it was a finance thing.

[Anonymous User]

Tbh, if this happened to a bunch of people, ops husband would be better of the world knowing about it. Getting Lathamed ain't so bad if firms think it was a finance thing.

Also if this happens all the time at that firm and others had named the firm back when OP's husband was considering whether to accept his summer offer or do 3L OCI, he might have never gotten laid off.

Who's really more selfish, people trying to increase their chances of survival upfront by learning which firms are risky, or people who have already been screwed over by a firm and pretty much have nothing left to lose? We're all in the same job market, so why shouldn't we help each other out instead of letting the partners and headhunters profit from our paranoia?

[wiseowl]

What's with the mod enforcement of this wipe? The legal employment forum is 99.9% worthless garbage and someone outs TTT employment practices for once and it all gets removed?

Apparently outing the firm could adversely affect her husband's employment prospects. If you want to know the name of the firm just PM either me or Alpha.

I appreciate the mods doing this. There is no doubt the firm could identify who OPs husband is, just from the few details she posted. The firm will not be happy about airing their dirty linen in public. He needs a good reference from that firm if he hopes to find another job. I have seen firms suddenly lose interest in helping young associates find other jobs if they find out that associate has been talking shit about them just in conversation with other people, much less on the internet.

In fairness, perhaps she should have thought of that before bringing this story to a large public forum entitled "Legal Employment"

I for one agree that this sort of thread is exactly what this forum and this site are for.

There's a crop of folk entering OCI in three weeks. Many of them may have bid on this firm. They deserve to know.

[fatduck]

it's called tips@abovethelaw.com

[Anonymous User]

OP you have done all of us rising 2Ls a huge favor. I just wanted to say thanks.

[kwais]

I don't think there would've been a backlash against "hey OP, sorry to hear about that. I am doing OCI in a few weeks and I'm very worried about this, would you mind PMing me the firm?"

It's the "OUT THE FIRM OR FLAME" bullshit that is unnecessary.

[Anonymous User]

I don't think there would've been a backlash against "hey OP, sorry to hear about that. I am doing OCI in a few weeks and I'm very worried about this, would you mind PMing me the firm?"

It's the "OUT THE FIRM OR FLAME" bullshit that is unnecessary.

There was only one person who said that.

[kwais]

I don't think there would've been a backlash against "hey OP, sorry to hear about that. I am doing OCI in a few weeks and I'm very worried about this, would you mind PMing me the firm?"

It's the "OUT THE FIRM OR FLAME" bullshit that is unnecessary.

There was only one person who said that.

no

[Anonymous User]

Well, she was looking for advice, and if not bullshit, she's in a bad place. I think we should be a little more sympathetic and offer any advice we have. I've already done so earlier. I guess "call a recruiter" isn't ground breaking, but it's better than what has happened here with the "oh no, I'm a self-centered 2L who could give a damn about the plight of others, cuz I gota fix my bidlist." Also, PSA - your bidlist didn't change based on this post. If your only offer is from these guys, you're going to go and hope for the best. If you have an offer from another market paying firm, you almost certainly would have taken that over the firm at issue anyways, just based on their actions 2-3 years ago.

[ajaxconstructions]

Well, she was looking for advice, and if not bullshit, she's in a bad place. I think we should be a little more sympathetic and offer any advice we have. I've already done so earlier. I guess "call a recruiter" isn't ground breaking, but it's better than what has happened here with the "oh no, I'm a self-centered 2L who could give a damn about the plight of others, cuz I gota fix my bidlist." Also, PSA - your bidlist didn't change based on this post. If your only offer is from these guys, you're going to go and hope for the best. If you have an offer from another market paying firm, you almost certainly would have taken that over the firm at issue anyways, just based on their actions 2-3 years ago.

Not really, the firm in question doesn't have as bad a rep as you make them out to have. Not everyone knew this kind of shit was happening.

[rayiner]

Well, she was looking for advice, and if not bullshit, she's in a bad place. I think we should be a little more sympathetic and offer any advice we have. I've already done so earlier. I guess "call a recruiter" isn't ground breaking, but it's better than what has happened here with the "oh no, I'm a self-centered 2L who could give a damn about the plight of others, cuz I gota fix my bidlist." Also, PSA - your bidlist didn't change based on this post. If your only offer is from these guys, you're going to go and hope for the best. If you have an offer from another market paying firm, you almost certainly would have taken that over the firm at issue anyways, just based on their actions 2-3 years ago.

Not really, the firm in question doesn't have as bad a rep as you make them out to have. Not everyone knew this kind of shit was happening.

http://lawshucks.com/layoff-tracker/#topten

[socraticmethodman]

Wait, can someone PM me the name of the firm?

[Myself]

I don't think there would've been a backlash against "hey OP, sorry to hear about that. I am doing OCI in a few weeks and I'm very worried about this, would you mind PMing me the firm?"

It's the "OUT THE FIRM OR FLAME" bullshit that is unnecessary.

There was only one person who said that.

Nope.

[20121109]

I literally have 50 messages in my inbox asking about the firm. WOW.

I'm at work and about to go to lunch with an associate but I will respond when I get back.

[Anonymous User]

I don't think there would've been a backlash against "hey OP, sorry to hear about that. I am doing OCI in a few weeks and I'm very worried about this, would you mind PMing me the firm?"

It's the "OUT THE FIRM OR FLAME" bullshit that is unnecessary.

[wiseowl]

I don't think there would've been a backlash against "hey OP, sorry to hear about that. I am doing OCI in a few weeks and I'm very worried about this, would you mind PMing me the firm?"

It's the "OUT THE FIRM OR FLAME" bullshit that is unnecessary.

Definitely needed to be anon.

[Anonymous User]

The name of the firm can't be posted, but it can be disclosed to every single person who asks about it via private message? I know I'm just a 0L, but that's really !@#$%^& confusing to me.

[kaiser]

The name of the firm can't be posted, but it can be disclosed to every single person who asks about it via private message? I know I'm just a 0L, but that's really !@#$%^& confusing to me.

Yes, and understandably so. If the firm name is in this thread, you can easily connect OPs description of her husband with the firm name in the same thread. So if the firm catches wind of this thread via some google search or something, they immediately see OPs description and will know full well who the fired employee is.

If we all learn it via PM, there is a buffer of separation. We may make future references in other threads saying that firm X is a crappy place that isn't loyal to associates, but no direct connection that leads right back to OPs husband.