While most firms have come out the other side of the little-recession-that-never-did, some continue to lay off attorneys and staff. We used to think the cruelest layoff was the stealth layoff, where attorneys are told they’re really being fired for “performance” despite no history of negative feedback. It forces the lawyers back into the job market with the scarlet letter of being “fired” when they’re really just a layoff from a company trying to put lipstick on its own financial issues.
But we were wrong… it can get way worse.
Rob Freund highlighted this gem over on the artist formerly known as Twitter:
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Was the pre-announcement just so the attorneys could compete for their own jobs? Because that “second prize is a set of steak knives… third prize is you’re fired” nonsense doesn’t work as well in law as it might for sales. What does an associate do over the course of 24 hours to save their job?
As for advice on how to approach this… consider finding a new job regardless is the answer.
In the meantime… may the odds be ever in your favor or whatever.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.