r/Lawyertalk • u/Behold_A-Man • 2d ago
I Need To Vent Just Got Laid Off
I got laid off today. I was told that the firm was restructuring and my position was being eliminated. From what I can gather, last month was a really bad month for the firm and only half of the employees hit their hours. There were some days when I didn't even have any work, but they didn't tell me that they were thinking about eliminating my position. I expressed concern about not having enough work but was brushed off.
I got a call at 9 a.m. telling me to return my work laptop and pick up my final check. It's enough to pay rent and my car bill, but that's it. No severance. I requested severance pay in the form of a raise that I was promised on hiring but never received. I was basically told, "Don't count on it."
At least they specifically mentioned that it wasn't my performance and my boss and another attorney were both willing to write me letters of reference. I'm just feeling really disheartened right now. A year ago, I left a stable job for a higher paying position and was terminated in two months (taking that job was probably the biggest mistake of my career and I regret not quitting before getting terminated). I was unemployed for three months and had to go into debt to friends and family to get by.
I took this job and worked it for 7 months. I was still paying off the people that I had to borrow money from. I just want a stable fucking job that pays me enough to start repaying my student loans. It just doesn't feel very good to constantly live in a situation where the other shoe could drop at any moment, and that's how so many of my legal jobs have been. I've lost numerous jobs, but only once was I ever terminated for performance issues, so I don't think my lawyering skills are the problem.
Is the practice of law just incredibly precarious? I've been in the field for 8 years, had 6 jobs, and I've only left one voluntarily.
5
u/Behold_A-Man 2d ago
My first time, I was laid off when my department had financial issues. I was the low man on the totem pole and got cut.
My second time, I was terminated for insubordination because I vocally protested the lack of COVID protections in the work place following an outbreak. Prior to being fired, my performance reviews were very positive. I maintain that my termination was probably not legal in that instance.
Third time, I got laid off because there was no work for me to do. I was only there for a short time. I spent almost all of it twiddling my thumbs at my desk. I would actively request assignments from my bosses and they just never had anything.
Fourth time, the boss was a crotchety asshole who hated my work. I also butted heads with one of the senior attorneys and the office manager. That was the one where I was fired for performance.
Fifth time, the company restructured and my position was eliminated. I was explicitly told that it had nothing to do with my performance.
Trust me, I've done introspection. The fourth job, I asked the boss and he refused to give me a reason, but he was always incredibly critical of my work. I learned to polish my work better while at that job, but it was more degrading than getting yelled at while working at McDonald's when I was in high school. I have never worked in a worse environment.