The Wall Street Journal
Laid-off Attorneys Search for Work Far Outside Traditional Law Firms
Alex Barnett, who works as a contract lawyer by day, is also a stand-up comedian. He organized an open-mic night at Cafe Addis in New York.
Alex Barnett spent 14 years as an attorney handling several high-profile class-action lawsuits involving consumer fraud and product defects. But after getting laid off by two firms in the spring of 2008, he began prepping for a different kind of spotlight: He launched a career in stand-up comedy.
Facing a tough job market, many lawyers struggling to find work like Mr. Barnett are re-examining their roles and testing the waters in other fields. Some are attempting to stay in the industry by taking temporary work as contract lawyers—low-profile, lower-paying positions that often involve more routine work, according to consultants and industry experts. Others are becoming accountants, consultants or teachers.
"Quite frankly a significant number of lawyers are simply moving out of the profession, just looking to do completely different things," says Jerry Kowalski, a law-firm consultant based in New York and Washington, D.C. "The overall picture is the huge oversupply of lawyers."
The portion of law-school graduates who held jobs that required a law degree and passing the bar exam shrunk to 71% for the class of 2009, from 75% for the class of 2008, according to a survey by the National Association for Law Placement. The survey also found that nearly 25% of employed graduates said their work was temporary. And almost 22% said they were still looking for work even though they were employed, up from 16% in 2008.
Many large law firms let go of lawyers in the recession and adjusted to working with slimmer staffs, says Deborah Epstein Henry, founder of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a consulting firm based in Philadelphia that advises law firms, corporations and law students on work-life balance and new models for legal practice. At the same time, more corporations learned to rely more on their internal lawyers and cut back on hiring external counsel, she says. And some firms are now outsourcing the work they used to give to junior associates, meaning newer lawyers are seeing fewer positions where they would traditionally receive training and launch their careers after they find top law firms, she says.
"The law firm model is really changing," she says, adding that many lawyers are changing their specialties or pursuing nonlegal jobs in legal venues, such as professional development roles at law firms or jobs with career services at law schools, while they wait out the job market.
Bar associations say more lawyers are asking for tips on ways to apply their skills in other fields.
When the New York State Bar Association originally created the Committee on Lawyers in Transition, it was meant to help attorneys re-join the profession after an absence. But when the economy declined in 2008, the committee changed its focus to help attorneys who were laid off and exploring other industries.
"All of a sudden people weren't coming into the profession all gung ho, people were being laid off and fired," says Lauren Wachtler, chairwoman of the committee.
The group began holding seminars in person and online to address issues faced by attorneys looking for creative approaches to finding work, offering tips for starting their own practice, addressing a layoff during a job search, speaking to headhunters and beefing up resumes. In September 2009, the association launched a pro bono clerkship program for lawyers who wanted to stay productive while they looked for jobs. Several participants said the clerkship led to full-time work, says Ms. Wachtler.
"If people are laid off it gives them an opportunity to reassess where they are or where they're going," she says.
Last summer, Mr. Barnett was one of several attorneys who spoke at a panel organized by the New York State Bar Association for lawyers seeking advice on ways to apply their skills in other industries.
Mr. Barnett hasn't exited law completely. He has a day job as a contract lawyer for the city of New York, a behind-the-scenes job that often involves reviewing documents and preparing deposition outlines. After clocking out of the office, he spends most of his evenings writing jokes and performing them wherever he can—at comedy clubs, open-mike nights, fundraising dinners or church events.
Not all of his comedy gigs are paid, but he says the paid opportunities are growing. Mr. Barnett makes about half of his previous salary as a plaintiffs' lawyer between his comedian work and his day job. He declines to specify what he previously earned as a lawyer.
Mr. Barnett says he tries to be on stage about six nights a week, where he cracks jokes about his personal life—the transition of moving in with his girlfriend, the gentrification he sees in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He rarely talks about being a lawyer.
Facing a tough job market, many lawyers struggling to find work like Mr. Barnett are re-examining their roles and testing the waters in other fields. Some are attempting to stay in the industry by taking temporary work as contract lawyers—low-profile, lower-paying positions that often involve more routine work, according to consultants and industry experts. Others are becoming accountants, consultants or teachers.
"Quite frankly a significant number of lawyers are simply moving out of the profession, just looking to do completely different things," says Jerry Kowalski, a law-firm consultant based in New York and Washington, D.C. "The overall picture is the huge oversupply of lawyers."
The portion of law-school graduates who held jobs that required a law degree and passing the bar exam shrunk to 71% for the class of 2009, from 75% for the class of 2008, according to a survey by the National Association for Law Placement. The survey also found that nearly 25% of employed graduates said their work was temporary. And almost 22% said they were still looking for work even though they were employed, up from 16% in 2008.
Many large law firms let go of lawyers in the recession and adjusted to working with slimmer staffs, says Deborah Epstein Henry, founder of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a consulting firm based in Philadelphia that advises law firms, corporations and law students on work-life balance and new models for legal practice. At the same time, more corporations learned to rely more on their internal lawyers and cut back on hiring external counsel, she says. And some firms are now outsourcing the work they used to give to junior associates, meaning newer lawyers are seeing fewer positions where they would traditionally receive training and launch their careers after they find top law firms, she says.
"The law firm model is really changing," she says, adding that many lawyers are changing their specialties or pursuing nonlegal jobs in legal venues, such as professional development roles at law firms or jobs with career services at law schools, while they wait out the job market.
Bar associations say more lawyers are asking for tips on ways to apply their skills in other fields.
When the New York State Bar Association originally created the Committee on Lawyers in Transition, it was meant to help attorneys re-join the profession after an absence. But when the economy declined in 2008, the committee changed its focus to help attorneys who were laid off and exploring other industries.
"All of a sudden people weren't coming into the profession all gung ho, people were being laid off and fired," says Lauren Wachtler, chairwoman of the committee.
The group began holding seminars in person and online to address issues faced by attorneys looking for creative approaches to finding work, offering tips for starting their own practice, addressing a layoff during a job search, speaking to headhunters and beefing up resumes. In September 2009, the association launched a pro bono clerkship program for lawyers who wanted to stay productive while they looked for jobs. Several participants said the clerkship led to full-time work, says Ms. Wachtler.
"If people are laid off it gives them an opportunity to reassess where they are or where they're going," she says.
Last summer, Mr. Barnett was one of several attorneys who spoke at a panel organized by the New York State Bar Association for lawyers seeking advice on ways to apply their skills in other industries.
Mr. Barnett hasn't exited law completely. He has a day job as a contract lawyer for the city of New York, a behind-the-scenes job that often involves reviewing documents and preparing deposition outlines. After clocking out of the office, he spends most of his evenings writing jokes and performing them wherever he can—at comedy clubs, open-mike nights, fundraising dinners or church events.
Not all of his comedy gigs are paid, but he says the paid opportunities are growing. Mr. Barnett makes about half of his previous salary as a plaintiffs' lawyer between his comedian work and his day job. He declines to specify what he previously earned as a lawyer.
Mr. Barnett says he tries to be on stage about six nights a week, where he cracks jokes about his personal life—the transition of moving in with his girlfriend, the gentrification he sees in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He rarely talks about being a lawyer.
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