My 3500 sq ft wife does not fit in my Lexis anymore = sign of impending Texas apocalypse

The words that come to mind when reading this sad piece of blogo journalism are sad, inaccurate, pathetic, useless, wrong headed, and un funny. Aside from that it's Pulitzer nominee material.

what are the contract attorney agencies? (sigh, my future is bleak as well)

The profession is grossly over-licensed.

Try plumbing.

Not funny, didn't read

Orrick is hiring (funny since it laid off so many attorneys and deferred 3Ls until next year) corporate staff attorneys in its West Virginia global operations office. I almost applied until I read the part where I would have to take another bar exam (I have already taken two states, so I'm not taking a third).

It's a shame that lawyers have limited mobility because of the bar exam. Otherwise, more people might be moving to these mythical cities in the middle of the country overflowing with law jobs.

- Unemployed Georgetown 08 grad

T50 in top 15-25% = Loyola 2L. HTH

Let's hope this thing turns around fast. There is a silver lining to the bailout: increased inflation will make my fixed-rate student loans worth less...

just awful

They might have all been taken by now, but try also looking to state district/circuit court clerkships. These can given you a year to find another job, while you learn real skills and make connections with the local judiciary and bar in the process.

Some positive ideas, for what they may or may not be worth. Consider taking the time you have to expand your skill set; many community colleges (and some communities) will sponsor evening classes for a few dollars in subjects such as Arabic or Chinese languages, computers, etc. -- the type of skill that is rare for a lawyer and might catch the eye of a potential employer in the legal profession. Second, take as many licensing tests as you can find: at the federal level, consider the Foreign Service test, which is given across the country in June, I believe, at no fee. If you pass, your law degree will magnify your value to the State Department as a potential employer. Also, think about the licensed customs broker test in October -- it requires more preparation but once you are granted the license, you don't have to requalify and it will not be taken away except in extraordinary circumstances. At the state and local level, consider taking the real estate broker license test; you never know when the market is coming back and you'll be able to market yourself as a broker/lawyer. Third, consider substitute teaching while you are job hunting for a legal position. This does two things: a) you get a source of income when you need it; b) you will be surprised just how your public speaking and organizational skills are honed. Plus, you meet people in school administration and parents who may guide you to a legal job. Fourth, don't listen to the naysayers on this board and elsewhere -- they are probably miserable themselves and want to share their misery (f they have a law job, they've probably been reviewing, summarizing and stamping stacks of documents in a warehouse for the past five years, which would make anyone angry and resentful)..

Above all, believe in yourself; you have the power to and will turn things around.

I actually enjoyed Marin's writing this time around. Not bad.

Some positive ideas, for what they may or may not be worth. Consider taking the time you have to expand your skill set; many community colleges (and some communities) will sponsor evening classes for a few dollars in subjects such as Arabic or Chinese languages, computers, etc. -- the type of skill that is rare for a lawyer and might catch the eye of a potential employer in the legal profession. Second, take as many licensing tests as you can find: at the federal level, consider the Foreign Service test, which is given across the country in June, I believe, at no fee. If you pass, your law degree will magnify your value to the State Department as a potential employer. Also, think about the licensed customs broker test in October -- it requires more preparation but once you are granted the license, you don't have to requalify and it will not be taken away except in extraordinary circumstances. At the state and local level, consider taking the real estate broker license test; you never know when the market is coming back and you'll be able to market yourself as a broker/lawyer. Third, consider substitute teaching while you are job hunting for a legal position. This does two things: a) you get a source of income when you need it; b) you will be surprised just how your public speaking and organizational skills are honed. Plus, you meet people in school administration and parents who may guide you to a legal job. Fourth, don't listen to the naysayers on this board and elsewhere -- they are probably miserable themselves and want to share their misery (f they have a law job, they've probably been reviewing, summarizing and stamping stacks of documents in a warehouse for the past five years, which would make anyone angry and resentful)..

Above all, believe in yourself; you have the power to and will turn things around.

Oh Elie, a package of Rames IS two servings already. No need to add peas.

Also, people in flyover states don't want to hire top 25% Fordham grads when they have unemployed kids from their state schools - just saying.

Pimp your wife, the wives of other grads that are out of work and any of the better looking female grads in your class. Hourly rate is better than big law and not as demeaning.
Best of luck.

Wow ok this is one of the best self expression and rather really weird.

Marin's writing is at least better than Bess Levin's dealbreaker bullshit.

66% of top 50 school (stupid curves and 35 question multiple choice exams (A BIG FU to people who think law school grades matter AT ALL)...

I have a job. It took me 13 months, but the feds are still hiring...

Biglaw = Fucked

I heard Uncle Barry is gonna need a lot of help when he seizes the banking system...

They all laughed when I took bankruptcy as a 3L instead of M&A.

Sad but true: ATL without Lat is drivel. Here's an example of a story that Lat would posted:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/24/badass-judge-tackles-suspect-in-court/

Instead, I had to scour the intertubes MYSELF to find this. How much do you guys get paid for this blogging gig? I think the House should hold hearings on how and why Marin and Elie have managed to turn ATL into so much suck.

All will be well.

The Market will provide.

@2 --You must not have the "Texas Edition" Lexis. Everything is bigger here, even Lexi.

(Lexi, of course, is the plural for Lexis in TX).

Ripe opportunity for Dow is Up Guy...where have you gone, a website turns its lonely eyes to you?

A&B pushed start dates back to Jan. 2010, at least in Atl. Give us the scoop and the memo!

All the lonely people 26

Those suggesting prostitution, etc. are closer than they realize to the truth--

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/23/in-need-of-cash-more-wome_n_177985.html

During tough economic times, people do what they have to. The only problem is, the economy is tough enough that demand is also limited

this is why people need to stop going to law school unless they are sure they reeeeeeeaaaaaaaallly want to be lawyers and reeeeeaaaaaallllly have the chops. As I read those sad stories and some of the comments, I get the sense that practical skills are lacking and it would be rickdiculous to expect law school to give one practical skills for a mere $150K. The key to the whole thing is self confidence--not letting big law fucks get you down because you KNOW you can make it happen for yourself. But how can you if you have no real practical legal skills? Ahhhh, a conundrum. Makes that high-falutin edumakashun seem dumb unless you know it was right for you, doesn't it?

13's advice is actually solid. You won't be the only people without legal experience, so you need to distinguish yourselves. Those were all good suggestions. Also, consider teaching a night course at a local community college. If you know the locale where you want to practice, get involved in the community - volunteer or join organizations and get your name out there, show that you have energy...will improve your resume, connections, and provide a benefit when you may be feeling a bit worthless otherwise. Best of luck.

To # 30, very true about needing practical legal skills. BUT if you can't find anything else, consider Legal Aid or volunteering your legal skills for an organization. Often times, this will provide you with more hands-on legal experience and developed skills than five years as a junior associate with virtually no responsiblity at a top corporate law firm.

I hate it when people spell "education" wrong on purpose. I doubt anyone has ever unknowingly misspelled education wrong by extolling its virtues, so STFU.

Sell the wife's diamond and replace it with a CZ. Whether you tell her about it or not is up to you.

Breaking news: the majority of practicing lawyers did not go to a T50 school. Scary, isn't it. The majority of lawyers also do not go to work or work at a big firm. Seriously! So what does that mean for our little snowflakes whose dreams of being 26 years old and raking in almost $200K despite the lack of appreciable skills (or redeeming social qualities?)? It means that you're going to have to do what the majority of TTT grads and other people lacking in the prestige that you so desperately covet do: HUSTLE FOR WORK. And, yes, that means doing insurance defense/coverage work for firms that charge less than $150/hour for PARTNER time. They're slammed with work right now. Or take the patent bar.

Concerning the issue of a "top" school: I went to a Top 10 school and would rather work with lawyers who did not, they have better practical legal and people skills. I'm reminded of interviewing in law school with some clown from a lesser Manhattan firm who airily informed me at the beginning of the interview that his firm tried to hire only lawyers, like him, who got their undergraduate degree from "Dot moth". I asked him two questions: 1) why did he choose to interview me in the first place since I didn't go to "Dot Moth" and didn't regret it; and, 2) why it was that Dot Moth grads have this uncontrollable urge to tell everyone they went to a second tier Ivy League school. Needless to say, I didnt' get hired and wouldn't have lasted at that firm if I had been.

The student who wrote this is truly pathetic. I have similar stats at a similarly ranked school. I am lucky enough to have a BigLaw offer for this summer. But I realize that in this economy, nothing is guaranteed. The point is, the decision to go to law school was a decision to make a career for myself in law. Obviously, law firm jobs are hard to come by right now. But this is your career - pick yourself up by your bootstraps and find some substantive work to do (even if it's volunteer work) to make something of yourself. Get SOME kind of experience. Do something that will allow you to build yourself up in some way relevant to the practice of law, so that when the market picks back up you will be an attractive candidate. Or if you don't want to practice law after all, get out now and stop your whining. But my whole point is that your career is much more than whatever job may or may not be available because of the vicissitudes of the market. You made a decision to be a lawyer, so find a way to be one, in whatever context.

Lat:

Please either come back to ATL or get an Equity Private or Bess L. caliber writer to blog for this site. I am a litigator but consistently read Dealbreaker instead of ATL. You know why? Because Dealbreaker is about 1000 times funnier, more insightful and all-around better than this site has become. With so many readers, it's a shame that this site is so amateurish now. Peace out amigo.

QUINN REMAINS unhelpful in terms of advice

"Peace out amigo"=tool

That comment about telling your wife to leave you? Absolutely pathetic. The fact that you even asked that, even tongue-in-cheek, means that the answer is probably YES

Do people actually think you can routinely shop at Bergdorf's on a BIGLAW salary?

33, what does stfu stand for??? In the meantime, I'd suggest that you shut the f**k up yourself and get off your fat biglaw job having ass and go get some practical skills yourself--edumakashun, edumakashun, edumakashun dooosh.

It's not like booze ever killed anyone.

@43 You ask what stfu means and yet you use it

Stop with the whining law students! RETIRED PARTNERS AT WOLF BLOCK ARE LOSING THEIR PENSIONS SINCE THEY ARE FUNDED OUT OF CURRENT REVENUES.

46, a partner has a share in the law firm. When the law firm does well, the partner makes money, when it does crappy, the partnership takes a hit. That shouldn't come as a big shock to anyone. Partners acting like they are "entitled" to make money every year regardless of the firm's performance is akin to the AIG execs who feel they are entitled to large bonuses regardless of the fact that the company has tanked (and that their decisions may have had a role in that).

45, really?????? anyway, i'm totally with 44, but i'd add in a dash (or perhaps an ounce or two) of the sensimilla

45, really?????? anyway, i'm totally with 44, but i'd add in a dash (or perhaps an ounce or two) of the sensimilla

40+38=Poopysandwiches

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202429366832

What is a Bess Levin? Is it code for something?

Now the real world hits. Defer your loans, pass the bar, and look for a job that seems interesting (in law or not). The firm jobs are over hyped. You can make it happen it just takes longer then you might like.

PS - if you don't know and can't figure out what Contract agency's are out there you are in big trouble. They have postings all over the internet...

52 -- it's code for a much better writer than any of the toolbags blogging here.

"there are a bunch of law job websites (both firm and government employers) that you should monitor"

Care to list them?

37 - It will be sad for you when you're one of the suckers cut this summer from your second-tier biglaw firm so that they can push down the offer rates while keeping their class of incoming lawyers "prestigious." Here's a hint: it won't be the T10 kids you're summering with. I promise I won't make fun of you when you come crying to "Pls Hndle Thx."

37, At the risk of causing a metaphor explosion, the high horse you are riding is made of glass. Trust me, you are not hot shit. You wouldn't know it yet if you were. Your impatience and faux wisdom reveals only insecurity., which, given your position in life, is completely appropriate.

I was in the same boat 3 years ago in Chicago. Look for a clerking gig in govt or a small firm and plan on not making any money for at least the next year. In Chicago, mid law prefers to hire laterals and small firms will only hire new grads that they know( which is the reason you will wait up to a year before they offer you a real salary). Clerking also keeps you employed and connected. Forbear your loans and don't worry about it. Things will get better quicker than you think.

I was in the same boat 3 years ago in Chicago. Look for a clerking gig in govt or a small firm and plan on not making any money for at least the next year. In Chicago, mid law prefers to hire laterals and small firms will only hire new grads that they know( which is the reason you will wait up to a year before they offer you a real salary). Clerking also keeps you employed and connected. Forbear your loans and don't worry about it. Things will get better quicker than you think.

# 46 those pudgy partner pigs will be the last to drop their paycheck

to # 59, good advice. I would add that, from a psychological standpoint, one of the best (and easiest) things to do is to get control of as much of your life as possible. Think of it -- when you were an associate at a major corporate law firm, especially a first or second year -- you were more like a baby than having the slightest degree of control over your professional, and to a large degree, personal life. First, get control of your finances; even if you're getting a Latham-like stipend; start cooking more at home, buy in bulk, cut down every non-essential expenditure. Prioritize your expenses - with health insurance, rent and other essentials at the top. Second, control your acquaintances -- ditch the "friends" who either mock you or constantly want to wallow in your misfortune; this gets you nowhere but depressed. Third, list those experiences, academic, work and otherwise, and skills that distinguish you from the other young lawyers looking for work; what can you bring to a small or mid-size firm or corporaton that your competitors (and there are a lot of them) cannot. Fourth, regularize your schedule -- get up in the morning and run or work out, then set from 8-12 on the job search; use the afternoons to volunteer or otherwise get invovled; set up the evenings to attend skills classes (language, computer, other) at a local community college or community center. CNBC hosted a job market the other nite; and the most impressive thing I heard was that while there are perhaps five people for every job opening; only three will be qualified. And of those three, only 1.5 will be ready, willing and able to go after the job. Get control of as much of your life as you can; and the "showing up" part that Woody Allen used to talk about will take care of itself.

The mafia and other organized crime is doing quite well in the recession (more crime and all the feds do is work on white collar crime these days). I suggest getting a start defending small time hoods and dealers and work your way up to the big leagues.

I am assuming you have no soul, if you do, you'll need to go a different direction.

42 - quite true. This makes me sad.

Forget contract attorney work. The ABA passed a rule last year allowing the outsourcing of this work to India. Contract attorney work used to provide a good safety net for graduating JD's, but no more.

@19- yeah, ok.

36 -

People from those second-tier schools have to have better "people skills"; it helps them in their future careers as used car salesmen after they flunk out of BigLaw.

65

Keep telling yourself that ... jackass.

34--Not all insurance defense firms are bursting at the seams with work (I should know, I do a substantial amount of it). The slowdown hasn't been as big as with the M&A and real estate types, for example, but even in many areas of litigation there has been a noticeabe slowdown.

Unless you do bankruptcy, collection or mortgage foreclosure work, you are screwed in this economy. And the latter two areas of law are high-volume, high-pressure, very tedious and pay like shit.