Law Firm Holds Auditions for 'Top Associate,' But Prospective Applicants Are Not Impressed

If you were searching for employment and you saw an ad proposing that you audition for the job — much like you would if you were a contestant on Top Chef, Project Runway, or ATL Idol — would you still apply?

If you were searching for employment and you saw an ad proposing that you audition for the job — much like you would if you were a contestant on Top Chef, Project Runway, or ATL Idol — would you still apply? What if the firm was offering $20 per hour for each assignment completed during the audition process?

Those are the questions that we’ve been tasked with today by many of our loyal readers who emailed us about a Craigslist job out in California. This is what the legal job market has come to….

The ad is available here, but we’ll provide it in full on the following page. Here’s the most relevant part:

At least those hiring at the Mellen Law Firm are paying their “contestants” during the audition process. Since they’re getting others to complete their work for them, it’s the least they could do, right?

It’s too bad that some of the prospective applicants actually researched the Mellen Law Firm, because they were able to find out that its principal, Matthew Mellen, has been suspended from practice not once, but twice, by the State Bar of California. The first suspension came in July 2011, when Mellen failed to pay his bar fees.

Mellen was quickly reinstated, but he was actually disciplined along with his next suspension in February 2012. What for, you ask? Check out this discipline summary from the California Bar Journal (click to enlarge):

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Ahh, the old “my wife was driving” trick. We see what you were trying to do there, Mellen! Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Now the poor woman who we presume to be his wife is the go-to gal for “contestants” on Top Associate. Sigh. The things we women are willing to do for our men; it’s really kind of crazy, don’t you think?

Anyway, best of luck to you if you’ve decided to audition to be the Mellen Law Firm’s “Top Associate.” If you don’t make it, don’t worry — you could still earn up to $160 for each day you’re in the running!

(If you’re interested in seeing the full ad for this position, click through to the next page.)

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