Laid-Off Associates Seek to Reinvent Themselves
Laid-off big-firm associates facing a difficult job market are recasting their resumés and seeking work they once would have shunned.
The National Law Journal spoke to several associates, all but one of whom refused to allow their real names to be used.
The associate who was identified, Brett Middendorf, was a third-year associate when he was laid off last September from Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon. He told the publication he had to change his interviewing technique to land a job. Now he works at a small insurance defense firm where he earns less money but could see an increase in pay if he brings in more business through his insurance contacts.
“I changed the focus of my interview to talk almost exclusively about my ability to bring in business,” he told the National Law Journal. “That is definitely the most important thing to any law firm now.”
Other associates told the publication they were changing their resumés to emphasize experience in practice areas not as hard hit by the downturn, and considering jobs in different areas of the country and for different employers, such as the government and corporations. Some were even considering jobs outside the legal field.
A lawyer identified as Matthew said he even considered a job as a high school teacher and a nonlegal job with a new restaurant chain. “I’ve done everything right my whole life and now there are zero opportunities,” he told the NLJ.
