Associate Hiring Part II

Following right on the heels of last week's post is a timely first-person account of a recent law school graduate who was not offered a position.

With the backlog of legal hiring, it's not a surprise that the ranks of the no-offers are swelling.

But when those left frustrated and unemployed are coming out of Harvard Law, it puts the difficult situation in a different, more desperate light.

The author offers advice to other Harvard Law no-offers, while confirming the underlying fundamentals that are squeezing all recent grads, summer associates, and laid-off associates:

"1. It’s not our fault. The economy changed unexpectedly, and things are tough all over.

2. In fact, as Harvard graduates, we have more opportunities. Most people encountering employment challenges in this economy are in worse positions than we are.

3. The loss of Biglaw opportunities means we may find something else from which we derive immense satisfaction, and which we may never have otherwise pursued.

4. People with offers but no start dates are in a poor position as well. Even those with deferrals of specified duration face the possibility of an unexpected deferral extension, or even an outright retraction of their offer. In fact, with things as bad as they are, there’s really no guarantee that even those who manage to start work won’t find themselves laid off somewhat soon. Biglaw right now simply doesn’t offer the degree of security it used to offer. Everybody is in the same boat."

It seems safe to assume that five years ago the author of this article would have been offered exactly the job he/she trained for and expected.

Instead, he/she is both a participant in -- and a victim of -- the log jam of future lawyers feeling the reverberations from the Fall of 2008.