bye bye bye

I confess that....legal recruiting is really depressing right now.

A lot of really "good" firms are announcing layoffs. Several more today, including the firm that ate up my old firm in Atlanta. I'm seeing people in my office who either have already been on the chopping block or fear they are headed there soon.

Impact on my own bottom line as a recruiter aside, I find this all really depressing. A lot of these attorneys did everything "right". They worked hard in high school and got into a good college. Worked hard in college and got into a top law school. Worked hard in law school and got into a top level law firm. And then devoted way too many working hours to a stressful profession that saps a lot out of you. They played the game perfectly. They may not have been the VERY best lawyer at the firm (let's admit it...they don't lay off number one), but they did a good enough job to keep moving ahead...and that's nothing to sneeze at. And now they find themselves jobless. In a job market saturated with strong candidates and no job openings.

I'd always really thought of layoffs in the manufacturing world or like areas. They are terrible for whomever they hurt, but I guess I just never imagined it would hit this group. And I'm willing to bet they never imagined it either. They were waiting for the rewards of playing the game and got sidelined instead.

I sound pompous. At least to me. I feel bad for ANYONE who loses a job through no fault of their own. Absolutely. It is just that this group of victims caught me by surprise. There have been trickles for a bit now, but recently it just exploded. It is truly part of my job to know what's going on in the market and to monitor layoff news. And it is depressing.

My best to everyone.