The New York Times City Room Blog covered an event run by the New York City Bar Association, where unemployed lawyers spent a day learning how to “jump start their career.” The story isn’t in the event, which I’m convinced could have been titled “Come Hear Things You Already Know” and felt the answer to everything was “networking.” The story is in the comments.
As a general rule, newspaper article comments are some of the most negative and cynical collections of the written word on Earth. Over the course of a week you’ll normally see a couple padded-wall level letters to the editor in print. Now imagine that without the filter of the editor. That’s newspaper web site comments. But I believe the comments aren’t far off and the overwhelming feeling of Americans toward laid-off lawyers can be summed up in two words: “Good riddance.”
Lawyers aren’t alone. I doubt many tears are shed for financial industry workers who are laid off. Those two groups are largely blamed for the voodoo economics that sparked the current economic situation. One group is accused of building a great deal of paper wealth, and the other is accused of moving that wealth around. Not to mention how much more litigious society seems.
But like it or not, lawyers are people too. And to the people who complaining lawyers and their “worthless” degrees, I would caution you against thinking you’ve had the last laugh. More and more law schools are opening. More and more people are applying to law school. And if there isn’t a legal industry to absorb them (and there might not be: “Legal services are almost like Miami condos. It’s going to take years years to work off the excess supply,” says David Lat), we’ll have more and more people applying to “real” jobs with a law degree that, rightly or wrongly, still causes lots of people to swoon.
You’ve been warned.
<
p style=”clear: both”>In this post: Unemployed and Struggling Lawyers Seek Solace [City Room Blog, NYT] (via The Shark)
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Lawyers are people? Can you cite any evidence to prove your theory?
We’ve had some local Denver Post articles with similar troubling comments. The power of a law degree to stir either awed reverence or near-violent contempt in people never fails to shock me. Neither is deserved on the basis of the degree alone.
Even if it’s not awe, I still wouldn’t want to be apply for some mid-level administrative position against someone with a J.D. for a position that requires an attention to detail and logical reasoning or analysis if I didn’t have one.
Many of the comments are likely based upon ignorance and blindly held inaccurate notions about lawyers. Without lawyers and law, society would collapse and the result would be complete anarchy. Those that left negative comments also probably didn’t even take into account the fact that more unemployed lawyers means more strain on the US economy and a longer recovery for everyone. There are plenty of other professions out that we can easily bash. (Insurance Industry, Medicine/Pharmaceutical, Marketing, etc.)
Hey Adam,
Ok cool, let’s just ban medicine. That way everyone will die as soon as they require any sort of previously available medical attention. Doctors are of course the sleaziest people on the planet, aside from the fact that their job is saving peoples’ lives. Oh geez, hope you don’t sue me now. That would truly add value to the economy.
…..and, owned
I’m gonna let this stand as an experiment, but knowing full well that this is just the first sign that the days of having comments on this site are numbered.
Unemployed lawyers should consider applying to BP Fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg for a job. Total attorneys’ fees to be paid from fund could be upwards of $5 billion. Make the argument to Mr. Feinberg that those could be greatly reduced, maybe by 80%, if he structured the program so that all legal work was done by lawyers who are compensated on a salary basis.