Reneging on a Job Acceptance Forum

[Anonymous User]

Who has done this?

Have you had repercussions from your career services?

What did you say to your original offer?

[Sup Kid]

It is not a good thing to do, but it's hard to give you more help without more information regarding the circumstances.

[Anonymous User]

Original position: unpaid non-judicial position

New position: Paid non-firm position.

[prezidentv8]

Original position: unpaid non-judicial position

New position: Paid non-firm position.

This would be way more fun if these were not jobs, but sexual positions instead. Just saying.

Other than that, I have nothing productive to add.

[A'nold]

Original position: unpaid non-judicial position

New position: Paid non-firm position.

This would be way more fun if these were not jobs, but sexual positions instead. Just saying.

Other than that, I have nothing productive to add.

Prez = best sense of humor on TLS.

[Cupidity]

Is the paid position something that might turn into a career?

Is the unpaid position something anyone is likely to be connected to? Ex: AG/DA Office, you'll be blackballed. Legal Aid Office in the Suburbs, whose gonna know?

[NotMyRealName09]

The legal community is smaller than you realize, and everyone remembers. A girl accepted an OCI offer for a summer position at my firm, then reneged to go to another firm. Now we all know she is a total bitch, and we talk about her lack of character and integrity. You never know who you're going to run into down the line.

[Anonymous User]

Paid position probably won't turn into a career, but has significant biglaw connections.

unpaid position is very close to legal services - very small. My school also doesn't have funding for such work.

truthfully, my financial situation is pretty precarious right now. My mother is my major financial supporter, and she might be losing her job due to budget cutbacks...

I mostly feel bad 1. for obvious, "i don't want to be a douchebag" reasons, and 2. selfishly, i feel bad that the school might get wind of this. Although I don't see why, and because it is for financial reasons, I feel like I have some valid reasons.

[A'nold]

I would think that since it is b/w paid and unpaid that it would be less douchey, but that's just my opinion.

[rose711]

Is there ever a good enough reason to turn down a job? I think that reneging on an unpaid job for a paying job-- if you can explain that your main financial support is losing their job and you will have to cover more of your expenses--might at least be worth trying to explain.

I think that if you need the money you have to take the job that pays you. Everyone has to pay rent and eat. I think the unpaid job should understand this - as long as it is true. If you lie and they find out, then you're screwed.

I think this situation differs from the one above where the person just went to a different firm.

IDK - but ITE I think most employers who expect you to work for free have to understand if you need money.

And I think you should talk to the school about it before you do it, so that you don't have to worry about it "getting back to them."

Whatever you do, just be upfront about it.

[drdolittle]

Unless it's a highly selective unpaid opportunity and/or it's an ideal fit for your career goals, I wouldn't think twice about taking the paid job. Just briefly explain that a better opportunity materialized and apologize for withdrawing. It's not an ideal situation, but a random "employer" not paying you likely would and should not expect you to turn down a better opportunity for what I'm assuming is only a 1L summer job anyway.

[prezidentv8]

Whatever you do, just be upfront about it.

In all seriousness, you have to do what you have to do, but in any and all situations like this, this is probably close to always TCR.

[JazzOne]

Whatever you do, just be upfront about it.

In all seriousness, you have to do what you have to do, but in any and all situations like this, this is probably close to always TCR.

Yup. I think it's fine to renege on the unpaid position. I was in a similar situation, and I asked my career services counselor about it. She told me to make it quick and be upfront.

[Anonymous User]

Ok here's my 2 cents:

I just talked with career services at my school about a similar situation. My situation, however, involves possibly leaving one DA's office for another in a different state. Both are unpaid. However, the one I am considering going to is in my home state. Career services just told me to play it off correctly. In other words, I need to give the first office I a good reason why I am choosing the other office. She suggested that I use a cost argument with the other being in my home state. She said the local office shouldn't mind too much in this market, because they can easily find somebody else.

Not to hijack the thread, but what do you guys think of passing off an internship at an office that employs 120 assistant state attorneys for an office that employs 14 ADA's? Is this a dumb career move? My goal is to be a prosecutor, btw.