Law Practice Management
Luce Forward Pink-Slips 2Ls and 3Ls
Posted Feb 12, 2009 6:58 PM CST
By Martha Neil
In addition to laying off 12 attorneys and 15 staff members, Luce Forward has also rescinded offers to incoming 3Ls and canceled the upcoming summer program.
The 200-attorney California-based law firm has confirmed to Above the Law that it is rescinding all offers to third-year law students who worked at Luce Forward in the summer of 2008, and has canceled the 2009 summer program. That, of course, will leave a number of second-year law students scrambling to find other summer jobs.
Luce Forward is among at least seven well-known law firms in the news today over layoffs and other cost-cutting measures that are impacting attorneys.
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Comments
B. McLeod
Feb 12, 2009 7:08 PM CST
Comment removed by moderator.
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Jason
Feb 13, 2009 7:24 AM CST
2L and 3L’s whose offers gets canned.
Call them and volunteer to take the job and work for free. You don’t want to go a summer without working in today’s legal fields. The experience at Big Law will be worth more when you graduate than the 2 grand a week ur giving up.
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B. McLeod
Feb 13, 2009 7:29 AM CST
That’s right, students. Work for Big Law for free!! (They need the help).
Thanks, Jason. That will be the funniest comment anyone posts today.
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Peter
Feb 13, 2009 9:01 AM CST
McLeod…it happened to me when i was a 3L. I also did what Jason suggested and now I am working my dream job. Working a summer for free is not the end of the world.
If I had worked at some little firm for a few bucks I doubt I would be where I am at today.
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B. McLeod
Feb 13, 2009 9:34 AM CST
Peter, I don’t discount the possibility that on rare, past occasions, the tactic has worked for a few 3Ls. Currently, however, I see no real prospect that the hiring picture will be better by the end of the summer. Indeed, I foresee it will be worse. What then? Free service as a first-year attorney? Followed by free service as a second-year attorney?
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Jason
Feb 13, 2009 9:47 AM CST
McLeod. A 3L who graduates with summer associate at Big Law, even if it is for free, will have an easier time getting a job when he graduates then someone who worked for john doe associates.
It is all about positioning yourself for a Big Law job when you graduate.
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B. McLeod
Feb 13, 2009 10:46 AM CST
Unless, of course, there are attorney jobs available at John Doe Associates, but (as things are looking now) none at Big Law (in which case, you have positioned yourself for unemployment).
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Susie
Feb 13, 2009 1:51 PM CST
Working for free one summer at Big Law or $12 an hour at John Doe. I would recommend working for free. John Doe is not going to get you a job at Big Law. No one will know that you worked for free. You don’t write that on the resume.
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Deyseeme T. Rollin
Feb 16, 2009 3:15 PM CST
@Susie, 8: You’re totally missing B’s point. A summer with JD Assc. may not get you a job with BigLaw, but in the current job climate, neither will a probono clerkship with BigLaw.
Shoot, the way things are going, even three years with Big Law doesn’t do much for job security.
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