So you think it’s bad that either your law firm collapsed or that you got laid off? In the past four months, Silicon Valley corporate lawyer Inna Efimchik experienced both. She was at Heller Ehrman when the firm dissolved in September. Luckily, the fourth year associate landed with most of the rest of Heller’s Venture Law Group at Cooley Godward Kronish in October. But 3 ½ months later, she was among the 52 lawyers laid off by Cooley. Efimchik spoke with us at length about her experience and you can read about in our Going Public column over at Cal Law.
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BETWEEN JOBS An occasional look at how job hunting legal professionals cope with a crisis economy. |
Efimchik, who’s now on the rather difficult hunt for a job, told us she had a series of feelings, probably familiar to many, after getting laid off.
“Initially, it’s sort of a shock because I didn’t see it happening,” she told us. Then: “At first it was like ‘I’ll get a nice break and do all the things I’ve wanted to do,’ but as it started sinking in and I started looking at the job market, I started to feel a little different.”
With hundreds of out of work associates and few job openings for corporate associates, Efimchik noted the reversal of just a few years ago when law firms were tripping over themselves to hire young corporate lawyers. How the times have changed.
Previously: Job Hunting — How to Change Your Specialty
— Zusha Elinson
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