Associate Advice
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Associate Advice, Gay, Job Searches, Layoffs
Staying Competitive During an Economic Downturn
Last night we tuned into a very interesting (albeit somewhat depressing) conference call, Staying Competitive During an Economic Downturn, sponsored by the National LGBT Bar Association. Three experts provided their thoughts on the current legal job market and advice for navigating it: Robert Depew. A Managing Director in Major, Lindsey & Africa’s San Francisco office, […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Negotiating with Terrorists
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. Dear Above The Law, I am currently clerking and the term ends Sept. ’09, and I’ve applied to a bunch of firms for an associate job, but none have responded to my resume. I routinely field calls from whiny associates and partners […] - Sponsored
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Associate Advice, Cars, pls hndle thx, Summer Associates
Pls Hndle Thx: Pimp My Ride
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL- I’m a summer associate in Texas (3,500 sq. ft., wife, etc) and I drive to work where I park my car in the office’s parking lot. My car is a 2005 BMW. Should I be concerned about looking like a jackass? […]
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Associate Advice, Biglaw, Job Searches, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Kill The Beast
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. Dear ATL — I’ve been unemployed for almost a year. I have good academic credentials, but lost my job as a junior-associate in Biglaw before I could develop a highly valuable set of skills. At first, finding interviews for available positions was […] -
Associate Advice, Biglaw
Open Thread: How to Handle An 'Ornery' Partner?
The ABA Journal addressed a question that is near and dear to the hearts of many associates: How do you deal with a partner that is a big, bad meanie? The story comes from a weekend Wall Street Journal article on handling interoffice bullies. Apparently, a Jones Day associate had the perfect tonic for her […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx, Romance and Dating
Pls Hndle Thx: Don't Stand So Close to Me
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. This week, we’re changing things up a bit here at Pls Hndle Thx. Does this have anything to do with the fact that the usual problem-response-counter response-response format is getting a bit tiresome? No! It has everything to do with this week’s […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: There's No Place Like Home
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL – My friends and I are in bar trip discussions right now. We all have deferred start dates (some with stipends), but at least one of us is convinced that her start date will be pushed back further. I’ve been looking […] -
Associate Advice, Job Searches, Layoffs, Notes from the Breadline
Notes from the Breadline: You've Got a Friend
Ed. note: Welcome to the latest installment of “Notes from the Breadline,” a column by a laid-off lawyer in New York. Prior columns are collected here. You can reach Roxana St. Thomas by email (at roxanastthomas@gmail.com), follow her on Twitter, or find her on Facebook. One day after work — or, in my case, after […] - Sponsored
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Associate Advice, Job Searches, Layoffs, Notes from the Breadline
Notes from the Breadline: Let My Inspiration Flow
Ed. note: Welcome to the latest installment of “Notes from the Breadline,” a column by a laid-off lawyer in New York. Prior columns are collected here. You can reach Roxana St. Thomas by email (at roxanastthomas@gmail.com), follow her on Twitter, or find her on Facebook. In last week’s installment of Notes from the Breadline, I […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Not Fade Away
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL – Last summer as 1L I tried out one of those quaint “secondary-markets” that I felt I’d be better suited for down the line. I really loved my work last summer in the boonies, but I’m not spending anytime this summer […] -
Associate Advice
'Middle Manager' Complains of Firing 2 out of every 3 Associates
I wanted to circle back to a column that appeared in yesterday’s Washington Post and ABA Journal. A small firm “middle manager” wrote into the WaPo complaining that he kept hiring terrible associates: I’m in middle management at a small law firm. Of every three associates we hire, we inevitably part with two within a […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL – What, the hell, am I supposed to do [as a recently laid off associate] when I am NOT looking for a job? Bottom line, getting rejected only takes up so much of my day. What kinds of things should I […] -
Associate Advice, Layoffs, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: No Country for Old Associates
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL — I’m a third year associate (in M&A) at one of the firms that is offering a voluntary severance package to those associates willing to take it. As you guys reported, there are layoffs in store anyway, but the firm will […]
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Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Get Rich or Die Tryin'
ATL – I was an associate at Morgan & Finnegan and got laid off. It looks like I will not be getting my WARN Act payments, and I don’t know if I want to join a suit trying to claim those payments. I was thinking about suing the firm, but my concern is hurting my […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Get Back to Where You Once Belonged
[Ed Note: Do you have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com] ATL – I’m a corporate attorney, dealing with an unhappy circumstance. I’ve worked in corporate law for ~2 yrs. Due to the slowdown in corporate, I was shifted to do banking litigation. It keeps me busy, a little more job […] -
Associate Advice, Biglaw, Book Club, Books
John Grisham: The AssociateAn ATL Exclusive Interview With John Grisham About His Latest Book
John Grisham sat down with us this morning for an exclusive blog interview to discuss his new book, The Associate. The book’s main character, Kyle McAvoy, is a Biglaw associate with a mysterious past and intriguing future. In his previous books, Grisham has explored emotional and ethical costs of practicing the law in various forms. […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: World Wide Web of Addiction
[Ed Note: Do you have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com] Dear ATL, I have a soft addiction to Facebook, Gmail and online dating sites. My firm doesn’t block the sites and I can’t help spending hours a day procrastinating on them. I wanted to ask the IT department to block […] -
Associate Advice
The Depression Is So Freaking Depressing (Part II)
[Ed Note: Yesterday, Hope showed us what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real. Today, she offers some solutions. Check out yesterday’s column here] Here is what I am going to do to pass the time while we weather this storm: 1) Meditate – My anxiety-ridden friend Pablo is going to start […] -
Associate Advice, Biglaw, Layoffs, Wall Street
The Depression Is So Freaking Depressing (Part I)
So…. Here’s The Thing…. It’s kind of like what Collective Soul said a decade ago, when things were just fantastic: Are these times contagious? I’m never been this bored before. Is this the prize I’ve waited for? These days, it seems like all my friends are depressed on account of the Depression. (Or the “recession,” […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: She's Trying to Destroy Me
[Ed Note: Do you have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com] ATL – I’ve just been staffed on a relatively long term project with another associate. She and I went on one date a few months ago and hooked up, but that was it because she is batsh*t crazy. Since then […]