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I received a summer clerkship offer from a V100 firm a week ago.

Problem: One of my former summer employers that I listed on my resume now hates me for something I did over christmas break. He is kindof a psycho and I know if anyone calls him regarding my employment he will either say I was a horrible worker or deny my ever having worked for him. I was his secretary/only employee so there is no one else I can use as a reference for the job.

I was wondering if anyone can comment on the background check their biglaw firm used after they were offered a clerkship offer. I would be fine if it was just a criminal/credit check, but if someone did a prior employment check and called this guy I am seriously screwed.

I've lost a lot of sleep over this so any help would be much appreciated.

OP here: Also FYI, I've read through all the other "background check" threads and came up empty as they're mostly geared toward C+F, criminal charges, or federal judicial clerkships

I have personally never heard of a firm calling past employers. If his recommendation was such a big deal, they would have contacted him before making you an offer.

Anonymous User wrote:I received a summer clerkship offer from a V100 firm a week ago.

Problem: One of my former summer employers that I listed on my resume now hates me for something I did over christmas break. He is kindof a psycho and I know if anyone calls him regarding my employment he will either say I was a horrible worker or deny my ever having worked for him. I was his secretary/only employee so there is no one else I can use as a reference for the job.

I was wondering if anyone can comment on the background check their biglaw firm used after they were offered a clerkship offer. I would be fine if it was just a criminal/credit check, but if someone did a prior employment check and called this guy I am seriously screwed.

I've lost a lot of sleep over this so any help would be much appreciated.

I'm told they usually check references before an offer, but maybe right after if they were rushed by the holiday. Is the thing that pissed him off work-related (blowing a deadline) or personal (sleeping with his adult daughter)? If it is work-related, you may be screwed, but if it's just personal, the V100 will probably just tell the summer coordinator to watch you more closely. You could also give them several more references and say not to call him as you are currently working there.

I'm NOT OP but I am in a similar situation. 1L summer employer accused me of misplacing a file I never even had. Kind of worried about 2L summer employer calling them up.

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I received a summer clerkship offer from a V100 firm a week ago.

Problem: One of my former summer employers that I listed on my resume now hates me for something I did over christmas break. He is kindof a psycho and I know if anyone calls him regarding my employment he will either say I was a horrible worker or deny my ever having worked for him. I was his secretary/only employee so there is no one else I can use as a reference for the job.

I was wondering if anyone can comment on the background check their biglaw firm used after they were offered a clerkship offer. I would be fine if it was just a criminal/credit check, but if someone did a prior employment check and called this guy I am seriously screwed.

I've lost a lot of sleep over this so any help would be much appreciated.

I'm told they usually check references before an offer, but maybe right after if they were rushed by the holiday. Is the thing that pissed him off work-related (blowing a deadline) or personal (sleeping with his adult daughter)? If it is work-related, you may be screwed, but if it's just personal, the V100 will probably just tell the summer coordinator to watch you more closely. You could also give them several more references and say not to call him as you are currently working there.

OP HERE:
The incident over the break was kindof business related (he thinks I shared business info with my dad, who is now one of his competitors-not making this up, i swear). Also, he now irrationally blames me for some of the bad reviews his company received online.

A couple days ago I got a friend of mine call him pretending to be Aurico Reports (a BG check company) to see what he'd say. He said he'd never even heard of me

Anonymous User wrote:

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I received a summer clerkship offer from a V100 firm a week ago.

Problem: One of my former summer employers that I listed on my resume now hates me for something I did over christmas break. He is kindof a psycho and I know if anyone calls him regarding my employment he will either say I was a horrible worker or deny my ever having worked for him. I was his secretary/only employee so there is no one else I can use as a reference for the job.

I was wondering if anyone can comment on the background check their biglaw firm used after they were offered a clerkship offer. I would be fine if it was just a criminal/credit check, but if someone did a prior employment check and called this guy I am seriously screwed.

I've lost a lot of sleep over this so any help would be much appreciated.

I'm told they usually check references before an offer, but maybe right after if they were rushed by the holiday. Is the thing that pissed him off work-related (blowing a deadline) or personal (sleeping with his adult daughter)? If it is work-related, you may be screwed, but if it's just personal, the V100 will probably just tell the summer coordinator to watch you more closely. You could also give them several more references and say not to call him as you are currently working there.

OP HERE:
The incident over the break was kindof business related (he thinks I shared business info with my dad, who is now one of his competitors-not making this up, i swear). Also, he now irrationally blames me for some of the bad reviews his company received online.

A couple days ago I got a friend of mine call him pretending to be Aurico Reports (a BG check company) to see what he'd say. He said he'd never even heard of me

Having been in a similar situation in the past, this is the sort of thing employers care about. Another thread on here talks about how firms have entire classes on how not to end up on ATL and at firms, trade secrets are what keeps them ticking. Preemptive disclosure would be stupid here because you don't know if they are going to call him, but if they ask for references, I would give them a list of 3 people not including him. If they ask for his data, pretend like you forgot to update because he was your last job. Then, well, I don't know; pray?

[/quote]
Having been in a similar situation in the past, this is the sort of thing employers care about. Another thread on here talks about how firms have entire classes on how not to end up on ATL and at firms, trade secrets are what keeps them ticking. Preemptive disclosure would be stupid here because you don't know if they are going to call him, but if they ask for references, I would give them a list of 3 people not including him. If they ask for his data, pretend like you forgot to update because he was your last job. Then, well, I don't know; pray?[/quote]




OP here: This is what I am curious about. The firm has not asked me for any references yet. Do they just use your resume and google the contact information?

Anonymous User wrote:

Having been in a similar situation in the past, this is the sort of thing employers care about. Another thread on here talks about how firms have entire classes on how not to end up on ATL and at firms, trade secrets are what keeps them ticking. Preemptive disclosure would be stupid here because you don't know if they are going to call him, but if they ask for references, I would give them a list of 3 people not including him. If they ask for his data, pretend like you forgot to update because he was your last job. Then, well, I don't know; pray?[/quote]




OP here: This is what I am curious about. The firm has not asked me for any references yet. Do they just use your resume and google the contact information?[/quote]
I gather they don't do that for two reasons: 1. You may still be working for a reference and if they call they could get you in trouble; 2. You may have left a job for a good reason where you wouldn't want them to call a reference, like if you were sexually harassed. Every example I've seen has them either ask for a list of references or ask for your bosses' contact infos or ask for permission to call your boss.

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Having been in a similar situation in the past, this is the sort of thing employers care about. Another thread on here talks about how firms have entire classes on how not to end up on ATL and at firms, trade secrets are what keeps them ticking. Preemptive disclosure would be stupid here because you don't know if they are going to call him, but if they ask for references, I would give them a list of 3 people not including him. If they ask for his data, pretend like you forgot to update because he was your last job. Then, well, I don't know; pray?

I'm hoping that is the case and they give me a chance to explain. I think the worst case scenario for me is if they just send off my resume to a 3rd party BG check company.

Has anyone had an experience where their former employers were contacted without being given notice?

Anonymous User wrote:

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Having been in a similar situation in the past, this is the sort of thing employers care about. Another thread on here talks about how firms have entire classes on how not to end up on ATL and at firms, trade secrets are what keeps them ticking. Preemptive disclosure would be stupid here because you don't know if they are going to call him, but if they ask for references, I would give them a list of 3 people not including him. If they ask for his data, pretend like you forgot to update because he was your last job. Then, well, I don't know; pray?

I'm hoping that is the case and they give me a chance to explain. I think the worst case scenario for me is if they just send off my resume to a 3rd party BG check company.

Has anyone had an experience where their former employers were contacted without being given notice?

No, but if you do get a chance to explain, the worst possible explanations are "He's a psycho" and "He's lying". He's not there and you are the one looking suspicious now accusing your former employer of being the bad guy. They're your future employer and will be scared that you are actually a screw-up who will bad-mouth them after.

Anonymous User wrote:OP here: Also FYI, I've read through all the other "background check" threads and came up empty as they're mostly geared toward C+F, criminal charges, or federal judicial clerkships

Also, you do need to worry about C+F. In many states you have to send a form to every former legal employer where they note any C+F issues they saw during your employment.

Anonymous User wrote:I received a summer clerkship offer from a V100 firm a week ago.

Problem: One of my former summer employers that I listed on my resume now hates me for something I did over christmas break. He is kindof a psycho and I know if anyone calls him regarding my employment he will either say I was a horrible worker or deny my ever having worked for him. I was his secretary/only employee so there is no one else I can use as a reference for the job.

I was wondering if anyone can comment on the background check their biglaw firm used after they were offered a clerkship offer. I would be fine if it was just a criminal/credit check, but if someone did a prior employment check and called this guy I am seriously screwed.

I've lost a lot of sleep over this so any help would be much appreciated.

Sounds like you need to consult an attorney. /thread

Okay, someone here has to have experience with this.

If you've had a summer firm clerkship, what kind of background check, if any, did they make you sign off for?

Anonymous User wrote:

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I received a summer clerkship offer from a V100 firm a week ago.

Problem: One of my former summer employers that I listed on my resume now hates me for something I did over christmas break. He is kindof a psycho and I know if anyone calls him regarding my employment he will either say I was a horrible worker or deny my ever having worked for him. I was his secretary/only employee so there is no one else I can use as a reference for the job.

I was wondering if anyone can comment on the background check their biglaw firm used after they were offered a clerkship offer. I would be fine if it was just a criminal/credit check, but if someone did a prior employment check and called this guy I am seriously screwed.

I've lost a lot of sleep over this so any help would be much appreciated.

I'm told they usually check references before an offer, but maybe right after if they were rushed by the holiday. Is the thing that pissed him off work-related (blowing a deadline) or personal (sleeping with his adult daughter)? If it is work-related, you may be screwed, but if it's just personal, the V100 will probably just tell the summer coordinator to watch you more closely. You could also give them several more references and say not to call him as you are currently working there.

OP HERE:
The incident over the break was kindof business related (he thinks I shared business info with my dad, who is now one of his competitors-not making this up, i swear). Also, he now irrationally blames me for some of the bad reviews his company received online.

A couple days ago I got a friend of mine call him pretending to be Aurico Reports (a BG check company) to see what he'd say. He said he'd never even heard of me

Sometime around this March, your firm's legal recruiter will send you a lot of forms, including the background check/conflicts check. There, you have to put in all your previous employers. Then, the background check service will call all your previous employers and verify that you worked for them.

My background check report only showed that my previous employers "confirmed" that I worked for them. Nothing more.

In your case, it probably would raise a red flag that your boss said he did not know of you and that he never hired you. This red flag would probably trigger further investigation.

In addition, the same scenario will happen again when you apply for C&F determination.

.

Curious about this. Do all firms allow you to make a list of your previous employers info? Do you list unpaid positions as well?

Unless your law firm hires a high-end background check firm, all they do is call HR or use an automated employment verification service to check your dates and position. It is quite expensive to hire a firm to do reference calls and it doesn't make sense either for lower-level employees.

AndreeaP wrote:Unless your law firm hires a high-end background check firm, all they do is call HR or use an automated employment verification service to check your dates and position. It is quite expensive to hire a firm to do reference calls and it doesn't make sense either for lower-level employees.

Interesting, but what do people do when there is no HR (small 2-man operation) or when the position is unpaid or qualifies as "self-employment" (no W-2s)? Do you even have to list those jerbs?

OP: Were you a paid employee? If so, there ought to be a record of your employment there. If this guy claims he's never heard of you, paystubs/W2s etc. should prove he's being "forgetful."

dixiecupdrinking wrote:OP: Were you a paid employee? If so, there ought to be a record of your employment there. If this guy claims he's never heard of you, paystubs/W2s etc. should prove he's being "forgetful."

Since the company was so small he paid me under the table with his own personalized checks. That's how most of my jobs were during high school/early undergrad summers. As that was 4.5 years ago, and since I've moved several times, I have no evidence of payment either

Anonymous User wrote:

dixiecupdrinking wrote:OP: Were you a paid employee? If so, there ought to be a record of your employment there. If this guy claims he's never heard of you, paystubs/W2s etc. should prove he's being "forgetful."

Since the company was so small he paid me under the table with his own personalized checks. That's how most of my jobs were during high school/early undergrad summers. As that was 4.5 years ago, and since I've moved several times, I have no evidence of payment either

Ah. It's too bad you even listed this job. Sounds like you created a paper trail for a position that involved your own tax evasion, also.

Edit: That could be why your boss is denying your existence, actually. The guy probably owes all kinds of back payroll taxes.

crap, this just keeps getting worse. I only made like $950 that summer too. I listed it because it seemed to have some transferrable skills to the legal industry

Anyways, has anyone ever got a biglaw job that didnt verify past employment/references after an offer was received?

Anonymous User wrote:crap, this just keeps getting worse. I only made like $950 that summer too. I listed it because it seemed to have some transferrable skills to the legal industry

Anyways, has anyone ever got a biglaw job that didnt verify past employment/references after an offer was received?

You could call him up, offer to pay him back that $950 if he would please just say you worked for him if anyone calls. That /might/ eliminate your tax violations (and his) and help him remember you worked there.

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:crap, this just keeps getting worse. I only made like $950 that summer too. I listed it because it seemed to have some transferrable skills to the legal industry

Anyways, has anyone ever got a biglaw job that didnt verify past employment/references after an offer was received?

You could call him up, offer to pay him back that $950 if he would please just say you worked for him if anyone calls. That /might/ eliminate your tax violations (and his) and help him remember you worked there.

or get a friend to answer and save $950 bucks