Another One Bites the Dust

"Another one bites the dust. Another one bites the dust. And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust. Hey, I'm gonna get you too. Another one bites the dust. " - Queen


The chorus from Queen's immortal song "Another One Bites the Dust" seems to be the anthem for our current economy. First it was Bear Stearns. Then it was Lehmann Brothers and Wachovia. Other companies like Bank of America and Citigroup are on the brink of total collapse or nationalization. Stockholders have seen their hopes of vast wealth or even a comfortable retirement vanish quicker than A-Rods credibility. Worst of all, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people have lost their jobs.

While some have been left unscathed by this dramatic economic downturn, I have become one of its most recent victims. On Wednesday, Feb. 18th, I found out that I was one of the 13 attorneys from my firm to be laid off effective Friday, Feb. 20th. I can't say that it was a total shock. I had been working their for about 6 months and I never had a steady stream of work. Just a few weeks ago larger laws firms began laying off attorneys. Needless to say, thoughts of being laid off were never far from my mind. Being told was a surreal experience. I had never imagined that I would be in that situation. Sure, I could see my self getting fired for poor performance or something like that, I never imagined that I would be laid off. Everyone at the firm felt so bad for me and offered as much advice and help as they possibly could. Unfortunately, we all knew that I had to go. All I could think was "another one bites the dust".


Although our world has been turned upside-down, and an potential for a huge adventure has been placed in front of us, the last few days have revealed many blessings. The kindness of my co-workers was clearly one of the silver linings of this whole experience. My co-workers (or should I say "former co-workers") were very helpful in offering numerous contacts and letters of recommendation. Darbie and I have enough money to allow me to look for jobs for a couple of months. Our lease ends in May, allowing us to move anywhere I find a job without being strapped by any unnecessary financial burdens. Darbie is not pregnant and all of us are in good health (knock on wood!). Finally, we have a lot of friends and family that are pulling for us and are willing to go above and beyond that call of duty to help me find a job.


While the silver linings are great and I love spending time with my family, eventually I'm going to need a job. That's where you come in Blogger Nation! Please talk with all of your friends, family, associates, contacts, or employers and tell them that you have a very capable friend who is looking for a job. I am willing to venture into and practice any type of law and would even be willing to clerk for a judge. I am also open to other jobs where I can use my knowledge of law and business but not actually be a practicing attorney. If you know of any job openings or have any contacts I can pursue, please comment on this post, e-mail or call me.


Thanks for enduring my marathon post. Don't worry, we'll try to make more happy, pictures-of-kids-filled posts in the coming days. Having time to do that is probably the best silver lining of all!