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: Wicked Words

With the Good...

J got his visa today. So he's officially allowed to come to the U.S. and stay with me for the duration of our engagement. After we're married, we can apply for permanent residency. It's the news we've been waiting for since he proposed, and I am so extremely happy about it. So, in just over two weeks, my partner in life will be here. At last, we can drift into that sort of normalcy that most couples have the luxury of experiencing from Day 1.

And yet, the disappointments keep piling up.

I got my official rejection letter from StateJob today. While I wasn't sure that I wanted the positon, I thought that my "connection" would at least warrant me a second interview. I guess the courtesy just extended to the initial interview. I didn't think it went that well, to be honest; the attorneys who were probably Class of '05 or '06 treated me with such disdain for 1) going to law school out-of-state, and 2) going to an Ivy League undergrad. I can't win. On on the firm end, I'm too "ghetto" and on the public service end of it, I'm too elite. Sheesh.

I went on an interview for an in-house counsel position (more immigration law) and was asked to sign a non-compete at the interview (!) I very nicely informed them that non-competes were unethical for legal practitioners though it might be standard for their other employees. Was also asked to sign a background check agreement that basically allowed them to talk to anyone and everyone I know (neighbors! friends!) and do a credit check (before offering me a salary?!), which I also politely declined. He shot questions at me and seemed dismayed that I answered them quite well, then asked me how much I was expecting in compensation. I quoted him the upper limit of the advertised pay rate, and he sneered, "Is that just because we said that was the rate?" It triggered Sweatshop LLP alarms.

He then told me that he was looking for someone with more experience, and I'm thinking to myself, why did he advertise for entry-level candidates? Why is the pay rate so low? Instead, I just reminded him that if he went to an experienced law firm, he'd be paying extremely high rates for the same services and it made sense to hire in-house.

So, I just sent a note:

Hello xx,

Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me today. Unfortunately, after meeting with Mr. xx, I don't believe that I would be a good match for the position. Therefore, I respectfully ask that you withdraw my application for employment with xx.

I appreciate your consideration and wish you the best of luck in your search.

Sincerely, Wicked Words

Meh.

Then my grandmother gives me a newspaper clipping from a couple of days ago. The article, titled, "These temp lawyers are top-notch, new firm in Boston promises," disparages me and my coworkers on temporary projects in Boston. It reads:

In the law firm world, "contract attorney" is often a disparaging term - a fancy name for recent law school graduates who are desperate for work or older lawyers lacking the credentials to land full-time positions.

Today, Boston becomes the first New England location for a company that aims to defy that stereotype.

That stereotype? We are now living in a world where entry-level attorneys are considered pariahs on society. Sure, we're the bad guys. We're just trying to eke out a living ("desperate") in a world that charges us a premium for a J.D. and instead a contract attorney is a "disparaging term," a "fancy name?" Fancy? Really? For what? Click Monkey?

The article then goes on to tout the services of Counsel On Call, which generally requires three years of experience, a top 50 law school, and 30% of their class credentials.

"The knock on this industry has always been that a contract attorney is someone who couldn't get a job anywhere, said Chad Schmidt, a spokesman for Counsel on Call.

No wonder I'm expected to feel ashamed for not finding a decent job in a horrible economy. The guys who are supposed to help job searchers do nothing but put them down!

So yeah, personal life, great. Professional life, not so much.

Full post as published by Wicked Words on May 07, 2008 (boomark / email).