From the Executive Director
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Pages | 0008 |
by Cliff Brashier
Bar Offers Assistance to Job-Seeking Lawyers
Anyone who believes the legal profession is a recession-proof business has been proven wrong in recent months. The most significant economic decline since the Great Depression has taken its toll on law firms across the nation —large, medium-sized and small—over the past year.
"The purpose of these programs is to provide guidance on job seeking and career development, as well as tips on dealing with the stresses and strains of unemployment."
Georgia lawyers have felt the impact of staff reductions, and the job market for new graduates has never been tighter. According to the Fulton County Daily Report, more than 300 lawyers made initial claims for unemployment benefits with the Georgia Department of Labor between October 2008 and April 2009.
When Executive Committee member Tom Stubbs saw an opportunity to help our members, the State Bar of Georgia responded by launching a series of monthly lunch-and-learn programs at the Bar Center for attorneys who are out of work. The inaugural session in April drew a full house.
Stubbs said he thought the Bar should step up to the plate after having numerous conversations in recent months with lawyers who were having trouble finding employment. Because of his familiarity with the services the Bar offers its members, he said it seemed only natural to connect these attorneys with the Law Practice Management and Lawyer Assistance programs.
The purpose of these monthly meetings is to provide guidance on job seeking and career development, as well as tips on dealing with the stresses and strains of unemployment.
Additionally, attorneys have the opportunity to network, share experiences and learn about navigating the legal employment landscape.
Many lawyers deal every day with clients whose personal emotions and family lives are crumbling under financial pressures exacerbated by joblessness. Our fellow attorneys are not immune from those same pressures. These lunch-and-learn sessions are a proactive means of delivering help where it is needed.
The Lawyer Assistance Program and the Law Practice Management Program are in charge of the sessions, which are continuing on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The luncheon is free but is limited to the first 40 lawyers who register in advance.
The April 22 program, sponsored by the General...
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