Laid-Off Lawyer Seeks Columnist’s Advice After Firm Claims Misconduct

A lawyer laid off from his small law firm took another hit from the employer when he visited the unemployment office. Now he is asking an advice columnist how to proceed.

Here is the lawyer’s complaint, published by the Washington Post: “I was recently laid off from a small law firm where I had worked for 11 months. I was told billables were low and that they ‘had to let me go.’ I was also told that they did not think I had the skill set for the firm's needs. This was a new area for me. When I filed for unemployment, I received a notice stating that the employer said I was ‘suspended for misconduct.’ I do not know how to prepare for this or what to expect since I was never told there was a problem with my work or counseled or evaluated during that time.”

The advice columnist, job expert Lily Garcia, advises the lawyer to ask for a hearing and to explain that the layoff was not due to misconduct. Garcia also says it can’t hurt to call the law firm’s human resources department to ask officials there not to oppose the claim.