Should You Pause Your Law Firm Job Search If You Are Not Getting [Enough] Interviews? By Harrison Barnes from Los Angeles Office Managing Director Summary: When is the right time to put your law firm job search on hold? Find out in this article. A pause in your legal career can result in dire consequences, particularly if you want to pick up practicing later in life. In many instances, law firms are distrustful of attorneys who completely bow out of law practice. An attorney needs to stay in the game in order for something good to happen, especially in their job search.
Several years ago, I hired an attorney to work as an editor in our company. He had not practiced law in over five years, and had formerly spent about four years as an associate in a large AmLaw 100 law firm. The work he did for our company involved editing tabloid articles for one of our sites, JD Journal. He made about $25.00 an hour and lived in an apartment with his brother to save money. He was depressed, had gained a lot of weight, and had been "shell shocked" by his inability to find a new position after having had the experience of working 2,500+ hours a year at his prior firm. He left the practice of law because--after working three all-nighters in a row--blood started leaking out of one of his eyes and the same eye began to protrude from the eye socket. He took a taxi to the hospital and was immediately admitted and scheduled for surgery. A few hours later, while he was still undergoing surgery, the partner he worked for called his emergency contacts (who happened to be his parents) and told them that if he did not come back to the office and finish what he was working on that he would lose his job. Even his parents did not know where he was.
Realizing this firm was not for him, he quit. Then he proceeded to work with scores of legal recruiters to find a new position, but without success. SeeLegal Career Suicide: Quitting a Job without Having another One Lined Upfor more information. He had been out of work too long and law firms did not trust him. The recruiters would send him to a few "openings" or "contacts" and he would never hear from them again--just silence. He became distrustful of recruiters and lost faith that anyone could help him get a position with a good law firm again. After a few years of travelling, experimenting with meditation, working in a bar, and living with his parents, he decided he would respond to a job our company posted on Craigslist seeking an editor. He was a talented writer and thought that falling back on this skill was his best choice. I respected this attorney, and the quality of his work caught my attention. Although he was making an hourly rate far below his potential, he was throwing himself into his job. He had been working for me for six months and was over-delivering. He was doing the best he could, and I respected this. His problem was not his attitude towards work; it was that he had used recruiters in the past and had completely given up on the legal recruiting process. "You should let me try to find you a job with a law firm," I told him. He delayed for some time. He explained that he had tried hard before and had given up--not believing he would ever get anything. Finally, a few
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