Unemployment for First Year Incoming Forum

[nickofdime]

Incoming first year at NY biglaw. My firm has delayed indefinitely for now. I heard that we are eligible to collect unemployment but have no clue as to how. Any guidance would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[blair.waldorf]

Have you tried visiting your state's unemployment website? I would start there. Fill out the application honestly and see if you qualify. Under the CARES Act, it seems like any graduate who was scheduled to start a job and cannot as a result of COVID-19 does qualify for PUA (pandemic unemployment assistance).

[Access]

Which biglaw has delayed indefinitely?

[bbsexclusively]

Which biglaw has delayed indefinitely?

Many. Actually most of them haven't announced the start date yet.

[ChickenSalad]

Which biglaw has delayed indefinitely?

I’m sure OP isn’t willing to share. OP can you give a Vault or Amlaw range?

I may be an optimist but, without knowing the firm or other details, I’d think that this may amount to a delayed start and the firm isn’t sure/hasn’t set a date to start.

Just outright axing the first year class at a big law firm before the start date is extreme. Granted, that your eligible for unemployment benefits seems strange

The firm’s letter may give some indication. Did the letter say anything else about re-evaluating or following up in the coming weeks or months?

Anyway, to answer your question, there should be a lot of guides online from NY agencies or private groups about applying for and receiving benefits. I’m not familiar with NY specifically but that may be quicker than trying to reach out to the unemployment office or another gov agency directly since they’re probably inundated with calls and emails in light of COVID

[Anonymous User]

Which biglaw has delayed indefinitely?

I’m sure OP isn’t willing to share. OP can you give a Vault or Amlaw range?

I may be an optimist but, without knowing the firm or other details, I’d think that this may amount to a delayed start and the firm isn’t sure/hasn’t set a date to start.

Just outright axing the first year class at a big law firm before the start date is extreme. Granted, that your eligible for unemployment benefits seems strange

The firm’s letter may give some indication. Did the letter say anything else about re-evaluating or following up in the coming weeks or months?

Anyway, to answer your question, there should be a lot of guides online from NY agencies or private groups about applying for and receiving benefits. I’m not familiar with NY specifically but that may be quicker than trying to reach out to the unemployment office or another gov agency directly since they’re probably inundated with calls and emails in light of COVID

A few firms have delayed "to 2021" or "to January 2021 at the earliest." This might be what OP is referring to by "indefinitely."

I believe that this person is usually NOT eligible for regular unemployment benefits, but the CARES Act extended eligibility for PUA to recent graduates who were scheduled to start a job but could not (either because their offer was rescinded or their start date deferred) due to the pandemic.

Not legal advice, but this is what I've gathered from researching the issue.

[CHEESEISLYFE]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

[Sackboy]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

Can we please not start this shit again. There is no breach of contract.

[nixy]

Amen.

[2013]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

Can we please not start this shit again. There is no breach of contract.

This. So tired of all of these always ending up with this argument.

[kaiser]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

Employment lawyer chiming in here to say no, theres no claim and its not a breach of contract. Not sure why this forum keeps trying to make this a point of discussion.

[ChickenSalad]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

Employment lawyer chiming in here to say no, theres no claim and its not a breach of contract. Not sure why this forum keeps trying to make this a point of discussion.

Yeah this is a constant issue and I don’t know why. Let’s let it die

Why was the original post even anonymous?

[Wild Card]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

Can we please not start this shit again. There is no breach of contract.

This. So tired of all of these always ending up with this argument.

He should sue his law school for breach of contract, for effectively charging him $400,000 and yet failing to teach him what a contract is.

[sparty99]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

Out this fool for their stupidity.

[Sackboy]

Just musing here. But if you signed a contract and there is a unilateral involuntary deferral, my instinct is that there is a breach of contract. I am not saying you should or could sue now, but that later on down the line assuming you start and don't last that long (2-3 years etc.) then you may, I guess, have a cause of action. Food for thought and happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong.

Out this fool for their stupidity.

They should be outed because they abused anon. Nothing in OP's post is remotely identifiable.

[cavalier1138]

Folks, please remember that the anon feature is for protecting your personal information, not for protecting posts solely stating your opinion about a matter or relaying generic information that you learned from public sources.

[Spectator]

I'm gonna play devil's advocate.

Just kidding, I am the devil. So I ask, why would someone who is deferred from, say, September to January receive unemployment for the period prior to September (when they would not have been working and receiving money from the firm at that time anyway), instead of exclusively for September - January (where they did expect to be working)? Seems premature to me.

[woopig2017]

I'm gonna play devil's advocate.

Just kidding, I am the devil. So I ask, why would someone who is deferred from, say, September to January receive unemployment for the period prior to September (when they would not have been working and receiving money from the firm at that time anyway), instead of exclusively for September - January (where they did expect to be working)? Seems premature to me.

Same here, but there are already several stories on reddit of people being paid out now even though they were not supposed to start until the fall. Seems to me that anyone who has been deferred should just apply, and then let their state unemployment commission decide whether to pay