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The Silver Lining Behind Attorney Layoffs

By Karen Sosa

On Thursday, The National Law Journal published a piece by Ari Kaplan about three lawyers pursuing unusual career paths. His message to the huddled masses of displaced and would-be attorneys? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Among the former lawyers mentioned in Kaplan's article are a stand-up comedian and professional speaker, a television producer and novelist, and a Lego sculptor. Of course, non-law careers are no longer simply for the aspiring thespians and novelists who, having built a satisfactory nest egg with their private practice salaries, are now free to tread the boards or write the great American novel. Legal blogs and news outlets have reported at length on the career "alternative" becoming mandatory for an unprecedented number of unwilling lawyers. Kaplan's article could not have been more timely, then, to remind those JDs being compelled to pursue unexpected careers that the story is not all bad. In good economic times, many law students "default" into big firm jobs that they are desperate to leave within a handful of years. Since that default route is temporarily closed off, many recent law school grads and laid-off associates find themselves having to draft new life plans. With the promise of job...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on September 04, 2009 (boomark / email).