Being let go from BigLaw twice! What to do? Forum

[Tls2016]

Thanks for all the honest advice.

The question is where to go from here. They give a 3 month severance and we are having a very hard time finding another position. No hits so far and time is running out. He is working with a few recruiters and has a few biglaw interviews. It has come up why he has had to switch and I'm wondering if that is a redflag and what to do.

I think you should assume that 3 months isn't enough time to find another job. Maybe he can negotiate more time?

[rpupkin]

What is the best way to find new law job opportunities?
Through a recruiter? Websites??

This is getting a little weird. Do you not understand that your husband has more years of legal experience than most (and maybe all) of the people posting in this thread?

In any event, if your husband just doesn't know how to go about finding a new law job, then, yes, of course he should work with a recruiter.

[Anonymous User]

If an important partner doesn't like you there isn't much you can do to save yourself.

It's possible to be a good student and not be able to hack biglaw. If you aren't organized or detail oriented or you can't function on little sleep, you can fail in biglaw. Law school does almost nothing to prepare you for practice.

Biglaw HR isn't like a company that counsels people on how to improve. You get more immediate feedback about your errors. Or maybe you get no feedback but you get taken off a deal. There is little to no substantive training.

There are usually a couple of 1st years that don't work out.

This is me. At my 2nd biglaw firm in 2 years and I can't stop making "careless" errors no matter what I do. I make typos, I forget things, I think I'm just not cut out for this.

So what do I do? I'm lost and anxious that I'll be let go and fucked.

[Anonymous User]

Since this is an old thread, I figured I'd ask: what happens if you're asked to leave a biglaw firm and given a few months of website time - do you have to state that you were fired on a background check after that? Or would the firm say that you left and are re-hireable?

This hasn't happened to me I've just always been curious about this nuance of the biglaw culling process.

[Pokemon]

You do not have to state you were fired and you were actually not fired. You were basically told to voluntarily find another job so that specifically they do not have to say they fired you and you do not have to say you were fired.

[Anonymous User]

.

You do not have to state you were fired and you were actually not fired. You were basically told to voluntarily find another job so that specifically they do not have to say they fired you and you do not have to say you were fired.

I was "Fired" from V50. I did not have to say I was fired and the firm wouldn't tell anyone I was fired. they told me their practice was only ever to confirm start and end dates for employees or former employees, and will not comment further. they "terminated my employment" told me that in person and sent me a follow-up email later to have it in writing. I also did not need to sign anything. I got 3 month severance and website time. some law firms have different HR practices

[Anonymous User]

.

You do not have to state you were fired and you were actually not fired. You were basically told to voluntarily find another job so that specifically they do not have to say they fired you and you do not have to say you were fired.

I was "Fired" from V50. I did not have to say I was fired and the firm wouldn't tell anyone I was fired. they told me their practice was only ever to confirm start and end dates for employees or former employees, and will not comment further. they "terminated my employment" told me that in person and sent me a follow-up email later to have it in writing. I also did not need to sign anything. I got 3 month severance and website time. some law firms have different HR practices

So they have written proof you were terminated but you never say that you were terminated? That's interesting. I guess that's in case you ever try to reapply at the same firm, not that you ever would.

[Anonymous User]

.

You do not have to state you were fired and you were actually not fired. You were basically told to voluntarily find another job so that specifically they do not have to say they fired you and you do not have to say you were fired.

I was "Fired" from V50. I did not have to say I was fired and the firm wouldn't tell anyone I was fired. they told me their practice was only ever to confirm start and end dates for employees or former employees, and will not comment further. they "terminated my employment" told me that in person and sent me a follow-up email later to have it in writing. I also did not need to sign anything. I got 3 month severance and website time. some law firms have different HR practices

So they have written proof you were terminated but you never say that you were terminated? That's interesting. I guess that's in case you ever try to reapply at the same firm, not that you ever would.

I'm the poster above. I think it's because HR practices in general are to keep formal records of things. I'm sure They already had plenty of data or shit in their records about me, like probably that a partner complained about my work or other shit feedback. It's prob also HR practice to present you what they discussed with u, in writing just so u can't claim that convo never happened and that they fired you without notice for no reason and never told u about it and your paychecks just stopped coming in.

[Anonymous User]

If an important partner doesn't like you there isn't much you can do to save yourself.

It's possible to be a good student and not be able to hack biglaw. If you aren't organized or detail oriented or you can't function on little sleep, you can fail in biglaw. Law school does almost nothing to prepare you for practice.

Biglaw HR isn't like a company that counsels people on how to improve. You get more immediate feedback about your errors. Or maybe you get no feedback but you get taken off a deal. There is little to no substantive training.

There are usually a couple of 1st years that don't work out.

This is me. At my 2nd biglaw firm in 2 years and I can't stop making "careless" errors no matter what I do. I make typos, I forget things, I think I'm just not cut out for this.

So what do I do? I'm lost and anxious that I'll be let go and fucked.

A year in and I feel the same way. I make a lot of errors that aren't excusable by inexperience. The best I can do is save up and hope if/when I get shitcanned it won't be crippling.

[Anonymous User]

If an important partner doesn't like you there isn't much you can do to save yourself.

It's possible to be a good student and not be able to hack biglaw. If you aren't organized or detail oriented or you can't function on little sleep, you can fail in biglaw. Law school does almost nothing to prepare you for practice.

Biglaw HR isn't like a company that counsels people on how to improve. You get more immediate feedback about your errors. Or maybe you get no feedback but you get taken off a deal. There is little to no substantive training.

There are usually a couple of 1st years that don't work out.

This is me. At my 2nd biglaw firm in 2 years and I can't stop making "careless" errors no matter what I do. I make typos, I forget things, I think I'm just not cut out for this.

So what do I do? I'm lost and anxious that I'll be let go and fucked.

A year in and I feel the same way. I make a lot of errors that aren't excusable by inexperience. The best I can do is save up and hope if/when I get shitcanned it won't be crippling.

In the same boat

[OutCold]

If an important partner doesn't like you there isn't much you can do to save yourself.

It's possible to be a good student and not be able to hack biglaw. If you aren't organized or detail oriented or you can't function on little sleep, you can fail in biglaw. Law school does almost nothing to prepare you for practice.

Biglaw HR isn't like a company that counsels people on how to improve. You get more immediate feedback about your errors. Or maybe you get no feedback but you get taken off a deal. There is little to no substantive training.

There are usually a couple of 1st years that don't work out.

This is me. At my 2nd biglaw firm in 2 years and I can't stop making "careless" errors no matter what I do. I make typos, I forget things, I think I'm just not cut out for this.

So what do I do? I'm lost and anxious that I'll be let go and fucked.

A year in and I feel the same way. I make a lot of errors that aren't excusable by inexperience. The best I can do is save up and hope if/when I get shitcanned it won't be crippling.

In the same boat

I think you all underestimate how common these types of errors are among juniors.