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Caroline Shively

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On the Job Hunt: Loaner Lawyers

November 20, 2009 - 1:15 PM | by: Caroline Shively

New law school graduates who were hired to work at hundreds of white-shoe law firms are now finding themselves in nonprofits and government offices instead. The reason: firms around the country hired their new crop of associates before the economy really tanked and now they have no place to put them and in some cases, not enough money to pay them.

That's led those firms to cut the new associate's salaries in half and loan them out for free to nonprofits who can no longer afford all their own attorneys.

Albinas Prizgintas is a deferred associate for Wilmer Hale Law Firm making half-salary for the year of $75,000. Instead of working on corporate law research, he's handling everything from domestic abuse to denied food stamps at the Legal Aid Society of DC.

"You get to ideally help people with problems that can really affect where they're living the next day or whether they're getting their next check for food -- all things that are really critical in their lives."

Jonathan Smith, Prizgintas' boss at the Legal Aid Society, says because of the ailing economy, the need at non-profits is huge. "We've seen a shrinkage of the legal services network, and a decreased ability of government services to meet the need and a decreased ability of charitable services to meet the need. It's a perfect storm."

Smith also predicts that 2010 will be even tougher for legal aid services and possibly for new law school grads.

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Richard Frick

I have practiced for 38 years. What is going on is not surprising. We talked about it over 20 years ago. The underlying forces will cause an acceleration of the demise of most of the large law firms. The structure does not work, for either the lawyers or the clients. Paying young lawyers to not work makes as much sense as paying magazines (through advertising) to rate the Best this and that lawyer so other lawyers can read about them (ever met a non-lawyer who read those things?) The good news is that there will be a regeneration here. The single best defense to all the sniping about lawyers is two words: Abraham Lincoln. If you have never read his trial briefs, the man who wrote the Gettysburg Address will stun you with his simplicity. A generation of lawyers never learned to pull out a blank yellow pad, think through the issues, and create an all new simple brief or transactional document. Now they will, but unfortunately in most cases they will not have a mentor who will spend the time to read, and critique, every word and every thought. But that too will come again. Just as in the rest of America the forced regeneration means that it will be small entrepreneurial firms that will hire most of the lawyers in the future. Firms without large amounts of massively overpriced real estate. Firms without lots of non-entrepreneurial lawyers. Firms without silo practices: lawyers who only know how to do one or two things. Welcome to the Renaissance!

November 22, 2009 at 7:10 PM
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Julie

The debt incurred to get through law school is very high. The hours worked in a corporate law firm by a new lawyer are much longer than a 8 to 5 job. The generalization of corporate lawyers (as well as private practicing)as the villains (ambulance chasing parasite or money extortionist) is an example of the demonization of a profession that provides a broad scope of necessary services. The cost of overhead for practicing law, corporate or private is high. Lawyers have to be covered for liability issues. These firms provide jobs for people other than lawyers. A lawyer in a government agency is not necessarily more altruistic than a corporate lawyer or private lawyer, they too are well compensated. Look to the government leaders that are lawyers for an example. As for non-profit working lawyers, non-profit does not mean unpaid positions. Non-profit organizations pay high salary rates to many of their staff positions, some of which are lawyers. Some non-profit agencies provide services for low income and disadvantaged people, but that does not mean the staff of the agencies do not get paid. There are volunteers in some non-profit legal agencies. Many of those volunteers are corporate lawyers who donate time to non-profit organizations providing services to those in need and do not take pay for it. Pro Bono is not a new thing. I look at this article regarding legal corporations continuing to pay the salaraies of new hires and then the new hires working for organizations that are in need, as an example of positive corporate behavior. There is no requirement for corporations to do this.

November 21, 2009 at 11:21 PM
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joe

most law school grads cannot find jobs and it has been that way for years now. The media only reports on elite school grads and what happens to them. Most law school grads have to go into a field other than law.

November 21, 2009 at 4:44 AM
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Jonnymax

Um if fewer people go to law school then legal services will become even more expensive than they already are...thus leading to more complaints about us blood suckers. The biggest problem with this country is that whiny, self-serving people who don't understand how markets work are voting.

November 20, 2009 at 9:18 PM
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Thomas B.

This is terrible news for those who go to law school to work for non-profits and government agencies. It means that non-profits and government agencies are getting lawyers for free while those who are not the corporate money chasers are left unemployed. I hope these corporate lawyers understand how lucky they are and are willing to help other lawyers who they displaced. But I doubt they will remember once they are making six figures again.

November 20, 2009 at 8:32 PM
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Mark Crank, Esq.

Yeah, all lawyers are ambulance chasing, parasitic, extortionists. That is, of course, until you need one. Then again, I'm sure each and everyone of you are part of such a noble profession wherein there are no "bad apples".

November 20, 2009 at 7:03 PM
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Legal Aid Atty

Well I am one of those "ambulance chasing parasites." Oops sorry that is not me. In fact, I went to law school to help people. I love my job and provide a very necessary part in assisting those people who are usually ignored because they do not have money or education. And yes the lack of jobs and salary is a huge deal when you consider that leaving law school, I have over a 100K in student loans that I can barely pay on my salary which is almost half of the "deferred associate" in this story. Sure, there are some bad attorneys. But then again, see how things go when you file and defend your own lawsuits. Let me know how it works out for you.

November 20, 2009 at 6:50 PM
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Tim Allen, Attorney at Law

If it weren't for us lawyers all of you would be working in sweatshops run by big corporations, living in rodent infested run down apartments, getting medical care from a doctor that doesn't know the difference between the common cold and the Ebola virus, and taking "miracle drugs" that would kill you faster than your ailment......oh and by the way, you're welcome!!!

November 20, 2009 at 6:44 PM
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Tom McConnell

If you think I'm going to feel sorry for these ambulance chasing parasites, think again......

November 20, 2009 at 4:27 PM
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Steve Lyons

Though I feel some pity for these new grads, it isn't a whole lot, because in today's society we have too many lawyers already. If any good will come of this, it might be to deter new students from entering law. But hey as long as there's money to extort the lawyers will be all over it.

November 20, 2009 at 4:24 PM
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