Top Law Schools

My midsize litigation law firm terminated me. I am in shock; while my most recent review was not great as I had lower hours (it's been slow for the whole firm since courts aren't fully open), I did not expect to be fired so soon after. Associates have been fleeing like crazy, and I suspect they fired me because they assumed I was looking for another job. They already took down my webpage and sent me a severance letter that said next to nothing. I don't think most of the partners I work for even know this happened because they are still emailing me to do work. What steps do I need to take to protect myself and ensure I can get another job? Will it damage my job chances that my web page is down? Will prospective employers inquire with the firm about what's going on?

OP, I am very sorry to hear that. If I were in your shoes, I would take some time to breathe and just give yourself a break, then do the following:

1. Email back the folks sending you work (if they haven't cut off your email access) and let them know what happened and thank your mentors, etc.

2. Reach out to the partners who supported you the most, notify them of your termination and ask if you can count on their support for applications at other firms if you need a reference and ask if they have any contacts they would put you in touch with. If you don't have anyone in this category that you're confident is a supporter, then skip this step.

3. Clean up, beef up, and polish off your resume and start applying like crazy. With courts opening up, there will be some hiring going on I believe.

4. File for unemployment benefits and/or rent moratorium, extend your COBRA or make sure healthcare coverage is OK.

5. Network and reach out to old contacts and let them know you're looking for a new firm and ask for intros.

6. Think of a coherent story for your termination - don't say reviews were bad or hours were low. It can be something vague like "I was looking for experiences on different matters and there was limited opportunities and we decided it was best for me to part ways to find what I'm looking for career-wise, which I believe your firm has and I would love to pursue it here." and so on.

7. Think about OTHER opportunities or potential alternatives to law firm life. This may be a really positive thing and give you the opportunity to pursue a job or role where you may not have considered one.

This is what I would do to give you some security and help get you moving. You've got this!!

I'd ask for more website time. Other firms probably won't call your former firm, but they'll definitely google you and notice your page is down.

12YrsAnAssociate wrote: ↑

Wed May 19, 2021 5:48 pm

I'd ask for more website time. Other firms probably won't call your former firm, but they'll definitely google you and notice your page is down.

How would you ask for more time?

Sorry to read of this sudden termination.

How long were you employed with this firm ?

Any prior post law school employment ?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed May 19, 2021 6:11 pm

12YrsAnAssociate wrote: ↑

Wed May 19, 2021 5:48 pm

I'd ask for more website time. Other firms probably won't call your former firm, but they'll definitely google you and notice your page is down.

How would you ask for more time?

Is there a partner you're close to? Preferably one that's high-ranking and involved with firm administrative issues? If so, I'd call that person. If not, I would call the person that fired you and ask. Just say you're working hard to find another job to stay afloat, and that it would really help your job search if you could stay on the website for 6 more months, or whatever. Tell them that you've heard from others in a similar situation that this is something firms do to help with the transition elsewhere.

The original post shares: "...while my recent review was not great...I did not expect to be fired so soon after."

Reads as if you were expecting to be let go even though your thread title suggests otherwise.

Was this your first employment at a law firm since completing law school ?

If not, consider contacting your prior employer.

Since "associates have been leaving like crazy", you should be able to explain what appears to have been a poor or dysfunctional work environment.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed May 19, 2021 5:47 pm

OP, I am very sorry to hear that. If I were in your shoes, I would take some time to breathe and just give yourself a break, then do the following:

1. Email back the folks sending you work (if they haven't cut off your email access) and let them know what happened and thank your mentors, etc.

2. Reach out to the partners who supported you the most, notify them of your termination and ask if you can count on their support for applications at other firms if you need a reference and ask if they have any contacts they would put you in touch with. If you don't have anyone in this category that you're confident is a supporter, then skip this step.

3. Clean up, beef up, and polish off your resume and start applying like crazy. With courts opening up, there will be some hiring going on I believe.

4. File for unemployment benefits and/or rent moratorium, extend your COBRA or make sure healthcare coverage is OK.

5. Network and reach out to old contacts and let them know you're looking for a new firm and ask for intros.

6. Think of a coherent story for your termination - don't say reviews were bad or hours were low. It can be something vague like "I was looking for experiences on different matters and there was limited opportunities and we decided it was best for me to part ways to find what I'm looking for career-wise, which I believe your firm has and I would love to pursue it here." and so on.

7. Think about OTHER opportunities or potential alternatives to law firm life. This may be a really positive thing and give you the opportunity to pursue a job or role where you may not have considered one.

This is what I would do to give you some security and help get you moving. You've got this!!

On this point, note that employers are required to cover the COBRA premiums for individuals involuntarily terminated until September 30, 2021 (though there are events that can cut this short).

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed May 19, 2021 5:22 pm

My midsize litigation law firm terminated me. I am in shock; while my most recent review was not great as I had lower hours (it's been slow for the whole firm since courts aren't fully open), I did not expect to be fired so soon after. Associates have been fleeing like crazy, and I suspect they fired me because they assumed I was looking for another job. They already took down my webpage and sent me a severance letter that said next to nothing. I don't think most of the partners I work for even know this happened because they are still emailing me to do work. What steps do I need to take to protect myself and ensure I can get another job? Will it damage my job chances that my web page is down? Will prospective employers inquire with the firm about what's going on?

Not sure how this will affect your unemployment/COBRA, but firms often agree to give you a softer landing pad by keeping you on the website, reporting you as being employed in good standing when asked, etc., for a period of time (30 days - 6 months). It may be worthwhile just to ask your old firm if they would be willing to consider such an arrangement to allow you to seek a new job. That way you can have a more coherent story that does not require you to attempt to explain why you are no longer employed.

Very sorry to hear what happened OP. Don't worry a lot of lawyers go through this, especially at bigger firms. It's not a reflection on you. The nature of the job just really sucks there's no sugar coating it.

Get on unemployment first. Those could take some time before your first payment kicks in. But most importantly, try to get that website time if you can. It speaks volume of your former employer to just kick someone out and shut the door immediately when there was no foul play here. Low hours/performance is not a misconduct issue.

Even if you do not get website time, it's not the end of the world. Many people do this or were forced into this position. You can blame COVID and health. Say that you were looking for other opportunities before COVID (in whatever industry you are now applying for) and that a lot of people in your firm left/laid off during COVID, work picked up, and your plans were frustrated. Say there was no way for you to find another job and you were burning out and that's why you took the steps to resign to take time off to apply with no strings attached. This works better if you are switching to inhouse or government, but less so lateraling to other firms.