I’ve been at my firm for about six months. After the first week, I had a sinking feeling. Lots of yelling and doors slamming while I sat there waiting for work. I was hired for my personal injury litigation experience by the senior partner in that practice. He told me that I was part of his succession plan. Two months ago, he moved to another firm and I got transferred to the family law group. I‘ve tried to stick it out but this is not what I signed up for. I feel trapped. How will it look if I move again after six months? – Got Burned
GB, you hit the nail on the head. This is not what you signed up for. I am a big believer in course correction. It’s not a mistake unless you sit there and marinate in it. Better to plan your exit and move on, than languish in a position that does little to advance your career. Your situation is particularly egregious. Yep, these people totally burned you. You need to start planning your next move now.
Remember that it’s easier to find a job when you are already employed. Frankly, you could not have a better story to tell an interviewer if you had made it up. For the sake of your career, the only logical choice is to carefully plan a transition and get back on the right course.
Consider the alternative if you stay. How do you turn things around when you have been completely misled? Do you even want to? Say you were inclined to stick it out; the deck is probably stacked against you.
A friend of mine recently went through something similar. When she informed her firm that she would not be returning after mat leave, they promised that they would accommodate her and agreed to a flex-time arrangement at a reduced salary. Not a month after she was back, she was working 80-hour weeks and weekends at a flex time salary. The firm’s response was that flexibility depends on the circumstances. Nice. A few harrowing months later, she successfully transitioned to a cushy 9 to 5 position at a bank.
How many of us languish in jobs that don’t meet our needs and expectations because we fear reprisals? We fear the unknown. We convince ourselves that we have no choice, that we’re stuck, that we probably wouldn’t find anything better “out there.” That’s fear talking, not logic. It’s only been six months. I get it, GB. But will six more months in the wrong position help your career? You have a choice here. You are at a crossroads: become a family law practitioner or stay just long enough to make a soft landing in a position that makes sense for you.
GB, do your due diligence to minimize the chance that this happens again. When you are interviewing, ask probing questions about the practice group’s long-term strategy, whether headcount has been stable in past years, what their expectations are and whether you will be dedicated to the personal injury practice.
To all you firms who lure unsuspecting associates to your lair under false pretences, shame on you and may the ninth plague of Mordor be visited upon your practice. Chin up, GB!
Sandra Rosier is a former Supreme Court of Canada clerk who has worked at large firms in Toronto and Boston. Having come to her senses, Sandra currently works as a tax advisor at a Toronto-based organization. Her etiquette column for lawyers appears every other Monday at lawandstyle.ca. Have a question for Sandra? Email us.
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