Reach out and touch…me

Dear Diary:

In an article back in March in the National Law Journal, a psychologist confronts the issue of laid off attorneys. The article begins with the following:

Situation wanted: High-performance type with dashed hopes, loads of law school debt and mortgage acquired at peak of housing boom seeking self-esteem and lost identity following recent layoff from law firm. Willing to adjust once-lofty career aspirations in exchange for doing anything remotely related to the practice of law.

Sound familiar?

But the worst of it is that “Laid-off attorneys also tend to remain isolated from others, which also can take its toll on their self-esteem…“

But why? I think it’s because we are proud (and in some cases, pompous with a meglomaniac complex) that we don’t know how to deal with the situation. We don’t want to admit to others we were laid off. We were the same people who pretended to have billed 200 hours a month when the market turned when in reality, everyone was billing about 150 or less. Also, based on the hate comments, we don’t find any comfort from our still-employed colleagues (dicks) or unsympathetic law students (posers).

The article continues: “Laid-off lawyers may believe that they will never find employment again or that they performed badly at their previous job, [Larry Richard, a psychologist and consultant with Hildebrandt International said], and he recommends that people make contact with other laid-off attorneys. “There’s safety in numbers,” he said.”

I’m surprised about the number of laid off lawyers, rather the lack of, who are speaking out or blogging or just reaching out to other laid off lawyers. In the article, one laid off attorney admits that he doesn’t talk to other laid off attorneys because he thinks it’s unhealthy? Why? yeah, we sit there and bitch, but at the same time, you won’t feel so isolated or alone.

If there is a group for overeaters anonymous or alcoholics anonymous, why the resistance to laid off attorneys at least talking to each other?

Maybe it’s because we are Type As and think we’re the smartest people that we know that we can’t possibly learn anything from someone else, especially a laid off lawyer. Maybe it’s because lawyers aren’t known to be warm and fuzzy–which is why even though we suffer from one of the highest depression rates, we don’t willingly talk to therapists or psychologists. Whatever the reason, suck it up and get over it.

Maybe it’s just my generation but I don’t see it as that big of a deal. Sure, in the past generations, you could have a high school degree, get a job, work your way up the ladder for 30 years, and be able to afford a house with a white picket fence, a wife, and 2.5 kids and a wiener dog or a lab. Guess what? Times have changed. Lawyers are lateraling more than ever, lawyers are leaving the law more than ever, and now lawyers are getting laid off more than ever. People change jobs like they change hats and change careers like the change the color of the paint on their walls.

Time to get your personal jesus and reach out and touch ME.

Related posts:

1. Meritocracy? Try Kakistocracy
2. Falling Forward

Tagged as: laid off diary