Mathematics
I wish I had paid more attention in math classes. If I had, I might be able to explain why nothing makes sense. As it is, I am struggling. Suppose, arguensis, that A≠0 and that B≠0. Further suppose that A+B=0. It seems to me that A and B must always be opposites (e.g., 1+(-1)). As I remember it, A and B , or one and negative one, are both considered to be “real” numbers. So, we are faced with the problem that two real, substantial things that each has quantifiable value actually turn into nothing, or zero, when added together. That’s a good trick. Everybody loses. Not even the dealer wins.
As I said, I was not the best math student in the world, but I think that my equation applies to all of us unemployed lawyers and all the unemploying law firms. I’ve been thinking about this since (talk about a twist of fate) I decided to take down my Wall of Shame for large layoff law firms. I said layoffs were now the norm instead of the exception. Then McDermott laid off close to 150 people, 60 of them lawyers. For some reason, that one hit me hard. I have been trying all week to figure out why, and what I think and feel about it. I have only one answer for all three questions: grief.
I mourn the lost and the losers; both the lawyers with nowhere to go and the firms whose offices feel more and more empty and full of fear. I mourn so many opportunities lost on both sides. I mourn because no one could come up with a different equation; one that added up to more than zero.
Let us start with A, a Large Law Firm (“LLF”). LLF is peopled both by Hearts of Stone and softer people, who care and try and help and mentor and encourage. I can’t see any direction from which mass layoffs look good to either party. Bad publicity, a degree of public exposure of firm financial condition, and loss of worker bees for the Hearts of Stone. Anxiety, sorrow, guilt, loneliness for the others. Many of them will continue constantly to worry about the fate of at least one lost employee, the “B” of my equation.
Let us now take B. B is my very good friend. B is intelligent, amiable, diligent, enthusiastic—in short, he is a good lawyer who is very easy to like. B did everything right; he graduated from a good college, took a year off and then went to a good law school. Following that, he clerked for a time; then he accepted a job with a BigLaw firm. Then he got married. Then they bought a house. Then they had a baby. She felt that they needed a bigger house in the suburbs and so they bought one, as well as an extra car. He began to commute more than an hour each way to get to work. He never complained. Then they had another baby. Then he decided that he really needed to find a new job and accepted one with a slightly smaller firm. After that he got divorced, and being a wonderful father, bought a small townhouse in the suburbs to be handy for his kids at all times.
The divorce decree awarded the big house to his ex-wife, on condition that she sells it, but ordering B to pay the mortgage until a sale closed. In addition, B pays the mortgage on his own house. B’s ex-wife continually takes him back to court so she can ask the judge to give her more money, so B has to pay his attorney as well.
B gets laid off. B gets laid off with no severance package. B has been looking and looking and cannot find a job. The big house is still for sale. B still needs someplace to live. B’s ex-wife has just taken him to court again; she wants a percentage of his income! I can tell that B feels lost and sad. I can tell that he is struggling to keep up hope. He tells me that every day he feels less intelligent. He’s a fighter, but we both wonder if he’ll ever get another job. He doesn't want to leave the state because his kids are here. A solo practice is not really possible with his specialty area of practice. He would have to start all over again. I can tell that he hates the firm that laid him off. I hate the firm that laid him off.
Over the years, B made several solid friendships at A. B was a loss to A, but A was seeking a merger and wanted stronger books. B’s department was fairly easy for A to cut, and so B was set adrift with nothing but his problems. A has to live with that. A and its individuals have to remember what they have done to a living, breathing person who served it well for many years. A has to engage in the business and practice of law without B’s assistance. It is a sore loss for both of them.
I may hate the LLF that fired my friend, but I do not have a standing hatred for all LLFs. As I have tried to convey, I believe they suffer deeply in this mess, if not as personally as all the unemployed lawyers they have created. One thing I am sure I remember form math class is that equations cannot lie and that each equation has only one possible answer. There is comfort in the certainty of numbers, but I can’t stop thinking that there must be a better equation than A+B=0. If we could only think of a way to change one of the variables, we might get A+B=100, rather than ending up with everyone a loser.
I need help.... Please I need an attorney to help me with a case.... It will need to be Pro Bono but the experience will be tremendous. Please help me.
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Dear Ms. Medley:
I have posted your comment requesting legal assistance, but I do not think that this site is the best place to look for what you want. I will try to point you in better directions to seek the help you need.
First, you must consider the place you live and where you are suing or being sued. You are more likely to receive effective legal help if you can work with an attorney from one place or the other.
As far as I know, every state has at least one legal aid agency that may be able to help you if you ake contact in the proper state. Legal aid agencies should be able to help with issues such as eviction, domestic abuse, and elder law, to name a few. Some agencies are devoted to specific issues and others offer more general assistance. You will have to ask questions of the agency you contact.
You may also request pro bono assistance from a lawyer or law firm in private practice. Pro bono, however, means more than “free”. Each state has a specific definition of what may be classified as pro bono work, and not everyone with a problem, but who can’t pay a lawyer, fits that definition.
If you are suffering from a personal injury (a car accident, for example), most PI attorneys will work on a contingent fee, if they like your case. In that case, you and your attorney agree beforehand that the attorney will take a specific percentage of any award you may receive if you win, but that you will not pay if you lose.
In the area of civil law, you will find it most difficult to find a free attorney if you are the defendant. In that case, you will have to seek a lawyer through legal aid or through a pro bono program.
A possible variation on legal aid may be available if your troubles arise from a civil rights violation. If, somehow, your problems are connected to your race, gender, state of health, religion, or any category or condition protected by statute or the Constitution, you may be able to find an organization dedicated to the interests of your protected group. That organization might be willing and able to help you.
If you have been charged with a criminal offense, you always have the right to an attorney. You have access to a public defender in any state. You may also ask the court to appoint an attorney for you, but such appointment is at the court’s discretion. You may also request pro bono assistance, but you have no right to it, and no guarantee that you will get it.
Again, consider the possibility of civil rights organizations and legal aid. You may not get any help, but there is no harm in asking.
I am sorry that you are in trouble. As I said in the beginning, I believe that mostly unemployed Lawyers use this site. That means uninsured lawyers, with very few legal or financial resources that would likely be needed to take on a case. I don’t think you will find much help here.
Nobody likes to see others suffer. I hope something I have written helps you. If not, please ask again and I will do what I can within my very strict limitations to think of something else. But please go to work on these suggestions first.
The Unemployed Lawyer
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