Bar convention offers free help for pink-slipped legal eagles 

Lawyers have not been spared the pain of job loss in a moribund economy.

Million-dollar partners have been let go by big New York City law firms. In Arizona, law firms have downsized by shedding associates, says Maria Bahr, director of lawyer assistance at the State Bar of Arizona.

Once-reliable government jobs are disappearing.

“The Attorney General’s Office is laying off people,” she says.

Bahr had no unemployment figures on lawyers, but she offered anecdotal evidence. Many laid-off lawyers decide to strike out on their own and set up a solo practice. The Bar offers advice on how to do that, including a packet that provides dos and don’ts of going solo.

“The number of requests we’ve had for those packets has skyrocketed,” Bahr says.

This year, however, the State Bar has decided do more for lawyers than send out packets. It is setting up a small pavilion for “Lawyers in Transition” (LIT) at this year’s State Bar Convention, June 24-26 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. The program will offer tips for lawyers who want a change in direction or who have been in tossed into the job market by layoffs.

In a series of brief presentations, speakers will touch on a number of topics, including crafting a résumé, how to conduct a job interview, networking, careers outside law and going solo.

Bahr and Susan Traylor — who works with Bahr — say starting your own practice means more than just hanging out a shingle. There are the simple nuts and bolts of setting up an office, whether it’s a traditional walk-in with a secretary or a “virtual office” operated out of the home.

As employees, most lawyers don’t have to manage client trust funds. Solo practitioners often do. The LIT program will highlight the pitfalls of managing a trust fund. The Bar’s lawyer assistance section offers advice on that as well.

“I would say billing is another thing,” says Traylor, the section’s practice management adviser.
That’s a big deal because lawyers working for themselves no longer get automatic payroll deposits. They don’t get paid unless they bill the client. So they have to keep track of their work and send out the bills on time, Bahr says.

But perhaps the biggest pitfall for new solo practitioners lies in their inability to say “no.”

“You don’t have to take every client that comes through the door,” Bahr says.

The newly minted solo lawyer ends trying to juggle too many areas of law. Bahr quotes the old saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Over time, however, lawyers hone their strengths and find something of a niche for themselves.
In this economy, though, some niches are proving better than others.

“Bankruptcy-law lawyers are going gangbusters,” Bahr says.

But real-estate lawyers are experiencing a downturn commiserate with the real estate market itself. Family law lawyers are having a tough go of it, as couples can’t afford to get a divorce, Bahr says. Criminal attorneys are getting less work because their clients have fallen on hard times and end up qualifying for a public defender.

“I know lawyers who are just treading water,” Bahr says.

Scottsdale City Judge Wendy Morton has seen hints of that in her own courtroom. One lawyer who had appeared before her said he was working out of his car. She’s heard from other lawyers that their firms are downsizing and colleagues are being thrown out of work. The lawyers left standing often get the leftover workload.

“They may be the only lawyer in the firm who’s covering trials, because there’s nobody else,” Morton says. “They’re managing huge caseloads.”

They have difficulty arranging time for court appearances, she added.

“We have to share those lawyers with all the other courts, and I’m trying to get them in — get trials tried — it impacts everything,” Morton adds.

Morton is helping to set up the Lawyers in Transition Program. Though part of the Bar convention, there will be a big difference. The LIT pavilion will be free. For paying lawyers, a three-day pass good for most seminars runs $460 at the door.

“We felt at the Bar we needed to be responsive,” Morton says. “Many people were telling us they simply can’t afford to go to the Bar convention.”

Some LIT presentations are expected to echo advice given by Sue Morton, president and owner of The Morton Group, a legal placement agency. Lawyers recently laid off cannot expect new offers to come rolling in, says Morton, no relation to Judge Morton.

“They need to know that finding a job is a job,” Morton says. “They can’t just blast out their résumé and wait.”

One key step is networking. That means calling and meeting people you know and following their leads to others who might, in turn, know somebody who’s hiring. What a lawyer can bring to a new job is important as well, Morton says. Law firms in a down cycle are looking for lawyers who can bring in clients from their former practice.

Some attorneys might want to get out of law altogether, either by choice or as way to expand their chances for employment.

Whatever the reason, they need not toss their legal experience out the door, says Mary Birmingham, assistant dean for career and professional development at the University of Arizona College of Law.
“Sometimes it’s difficult for an employer to understand what a lawyer’s skill can do for them,” Birmingham says. “They think of lawyers of pretty much being in the courtroom.”

But lawyers can bring analytical thinking into a new job, as well as the ability to look at both sides of an issue and assessing risk. Birmingham advises lawyers to match the job to their particular talents and interests. Having an undergraduate degree in accounting might lead to a job with a big tax agency, for example.

Even in good times, Birmingham adds, lawyers often move from one job to another — especially early in their careers.

“Seventy-five to 80 percent of the lawyers leave their first job between three-to-five years,” she says.

But these are not good times. And many lawyers are losing their jobs without another one waiting for them. If they want help getting back into the job market, however, they can stop by the LIT pavilion for a series of 15-minute presentations. Topics include:

• Application Materials for Experienced Lawyers: A fresh look at cover letters and resumes.
• The Realities of Being a Solo.
• And Now for Something Completely Different: Alternative careers for lawyers.
• How to Use Sites Such as Jobing.com and Monster.com.

A complete list is available at http://lit.myazbar.org. Go to “Member Resources,” then “Lawyers in Transition pavilion.” During each day of the convention, LIT presentations will run from 8:30 a.m. until 9 a.m., 10 a.m. until 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. until 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. until 4 p.m.