Associate Advice, Job Searches, Layoffs, pls hndle thx

Pls Hndle Thx: Full Catastrophe Living

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Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com.

ATL,

I’m a first year at a BigLaw firm. From the looks of things, I’m not going to make my minimum billable hours this year by a significant margin (>200 hours). It’s not for lack of trying; there’s just not enough work, and any work available is being hoarded.

My last performance review happened before the work drought, and it was excellent. My next performance review won’t happen for a few months. Assuming it is hopeless to bill more hours, (1) what will happen to me, (2) when will it happen, and (3) what should I do? Should I start looking for another job immediately? Should I bum around and wait until my performance review? Will I be fired or laid off with severance?

Celestine Prophecy

Dear Celestine Prophecy,
I don’t know what will happen to you, and your firm may not either, at this point. If your firm is a jerk hat, they’ll fire you for “performance,” following which you’ll tip off ATL, the firm will not respond to media inquiries, and we’ll write a story about stealth layoffs. If your firm is nice, they’ll either pardon your low hours or lay you off with some severance and send a duly mournful “personnel adjustment” announcement to ATL that reads like an obituary. Is your firm a good witch or a bad witch? You would know best.
Starting to look for jobs now definitely seems like a terrific and worthwhile endeavor. While you’re at it, keep your eyes peeled for Curly’s Gold and pieces of the True Cross.
To address your most fundamental “what should I do?” question, there’s not much you can do at this point to affect whatever fate has in store for you. Everyone deals with feelings of despair and helplessness differently, but I recommend Full Catastrophe Living, Peter Cetera, Nordic Naturals Fish Oil with Lemon and loitering at Bath & Body Works to smell the new soap flavors.
Keep a stiff upper lip, as my dad would say. Layoffs have been slowing down for a while now. I think you’ll be ok.
Your friend,
Marin
After the jump, something really strange happens. And not in a good way.

Over the last month, I’ve been speaking to a lot of law firm administrators. You know what? They seem cautiously optimistic. Maybe you should risk feeling cautiously optimistic. You’re not 200 hours off pace, you are only 200 hours away from making your hours. Yay.
It is entirely possible that you can make up around 200 hours with a busy end of year push. You said you’ve done all you can to make your hours to this point. I believe you. Don’t get discouraged now. Keep pushing and pushing, take advantage of work-hoarders going on vacation and pick up their slack. If you don’t make your hours, make sure everybody knows that it is not from lack of trying on your part.
I can’t tell you what will happen at your review, but I can tell you that some firms seem more concerned about slowing the pace of new hires than continuing to destroy the careers of current associates.
One of these days, firms are going to stop firing good people for no reason. Why can’t it start with you?
Ain’t nothing going to break your stride,
Matthew Wilder

Did we just give some serious, heartfelt advice? Ugh, I’m feeling sick. Just like last night, when someone who I thought was my friend invited me to see Julie & Julia. I will make sure this doesn’t happen again.

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