Preparing for Downsizing: A Career Guide for Lawyers by Kimberly Lerman
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any organizations today are facing hard decisions about what steps to take to increase the chances of remaining viable during a major economic downturn. One way companies cut costs is by downsizing. As a result, many workers have started to question their job security as the news of layoffs abounds. It can be very difficult for employees to keep going about business as usual when the signs of upcoming layoffs become more prevalent—for example, when new projects are put on hold; hiring, spending and salary freezes are implemented; nonessential budgets are cut; executives having more private calls than usual; or there have already been multiple rounds of layoffs. It can be easy to feel helpless at this time because regardless of how hard you work and how much you contribute, you may have no control over whether or not you are retained by your employer during tough economic times. There are, however, many things you can do to help prepare for the worst. Don’t underestimate the power of networking for lawyers—if you haven’t built a professional network, now is the time to get started.
Smart Lawyers Continue to Perform Highly First and foremost, it is important that you continue to work diligently and perform your job in a highly professional manner. Even though your current performance and behavior aren’t likely to be enough to change a decision that recently has been made based on economic factors, how you handle yourself during this difficult time contributes to your reputation. This is important not just in terms of securing references from your current employer, but also because your professional actions all contribute to your personal brand, or your personal reputation in your professional community, which may stay with you throughout your career.
Looking for a Legal Job Right Now? Brush up Your Legal Résumé Next, even though you will be hard at work in your current job, it’s best to also take the time to update your résumé and
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Attorney Journals San Diego | Volume 214, 2021
your LinkedIn profile, and put together some template language to use as a basis for cover letters to accompany job applications. That way if you do find yourself in the unfortunate position of being downsized, you will have your resume and cover letter templates ready to go, and your LinkedIn profile will already highlight your skills and legal experience for recruiters to see when they are searching for candidates for new roles.
Legal Careers Are More Flexible Than Ever: Take Time to Reflect Third, if you do find yourself a victim of downsizing, I recommend you immediately file for unemployment insurance, as it can take some time before you will start receiving those benefits. Once that administrative step is complete, then I recommend you take some time to reflect on what you want to do next in your career. Think about what you liked and disliked the most in your past jobs, and consider whether it’s time to explore the possibility of doing something different. Contract work can give you the opportunity to try out new roles that you may not have considered previously. I often speak with lawyers many years after they were laid off, and it’s not uncommon for them to tell me that in hindsight the layoff was a good thing—because it gave them time to focus on their career path. Many of these attorneys changed their professional focus and are much happier with their career trajectory now than they were with their former career track. If you do find yourself out of work involuntarily, one silver lining is that you will have the time available to reflect on your professional path and to redevelop your career plan.
Networking for Lawyers: Don’t Underestimate Relationships When you are looking for a new job, networking is more important than ever. If you’ve already built a professional network, now is the time to take advantage of the work you did to build it. It’s time to reach out to your contacts to let them know you’re looking for a new job, and make sure they have a current copy of your resume so that they can forward it
