Law School Discussion

As many of you know, times are tough for newly minted attorneys and laid off attorneys.  With unemployment at a 20-year high, and in the midst of a recession, there are many who are very discouraged at what the job market has to offer, but still have hope for the future.  After all, we all did put ourselves through three years in law school, invested thousands of dollars of debt and many hours studying for the bar to reach our goal of becoming a licensed attorney.  

But the reality is that we have mounting debt, families, and other financial obligations weighing down on our shoulders without many prospects for jobs.  We have done everything humanely possible to find a job -- e.g. networking, job postings, career services, recruiters, all with little or no luck.  Simply put, many of us (myself included) sometimes feel completely lost.

Just curious, for those in NYC, is there an existing group of people that meet to talk about their experiences looking for stable, permanent legal employment?  If not, would anyone be interested in something like this?  I feel like that a group like this would help empower each other to continue pressing forward despite our lack of success; not to make each other more depressed than we already are.  I also feel that actually hearing other people going through the same thing and finding solutions together would be mutually beneficial to all; there is safety in numbers.  Any thoughts?

Chevelle - congrats on getting published - I'm sure that will help out with your employment outlook.  I'm thinking about publishing as well; Where do you go to publish? 

I really don't mind going back to school, as long as it's worth it (e.g. increases job prospects, etc).  If there are any LLM grads out there, has the degree helped you out?  (Tax LLMs need not respond, I'm looking for a traditional or corporate LLM).

For those recent grads who are still waiting to hear back from the bar on whether they passed the bar - what are you guys doing in the meantime? 

If you're looking for jobs, how so?  I've mass mailed small to large firms, looked through job searches on the internet, and have been networking with my alums and professional associations since taking the bar - with absolutely no luck.  I've invested a lot of time and energy in doing these things as best as I can, and it doesn't seem like my best is enough. 

I was thinking maybe if I wait to do all of these things until AFTER I get my bar results (and pass hopefully), then I'll get the responses I'm looking for.  I dunno.  For now, I'll settle for a shot of whiskey and a hug.

This job market sucks, especially for recent law grads (Class of 2009).  Who is with me on this?  Rant away!!!!