Ann Israel is the legal profession's Dear Abby. A New York legal recruiter since 1979, Ann is a past president of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants. Advice for the Lawlorn is updated every week.

Q: I am an associate in a small, family-run law firm where I have worked for several years. I have been wanting to head to another firm for several years. People in my firm regularly tell minor lies to clients, and recently one supervisor of mine told a major lie to an outside party, and is very open about having lied and about the need not to let the lie be known to others.

I am very uncomfortable working in such at atmosphere, and the lack of honesty among people at my firm is, I think, a sufficient reason to leave.

Should I bring up this reason for leaving during interviews and, if so, how should I phrase it?

Thank you.

Dear Phrased: The very worst thing you could do on an interview is talk negatively about your current employer. In fact, it is commonly known in interviewing circles as the Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not speak badly about one's current employer.

Sitting in an interview and bad-mouthing your current employer only reflects poorly on you -- it makes you look like a complainer, and we all know that no one wants to hire a complainer.

From personal experience, I know that I have interviewed potential recruiters from competing search firms and listened to their tales of woe. It's fun for a moment to hear the gossip and then it isn't fun at all. I really don't want to hear it. It only makes the person telling the tales look bad.

There is, of course, a way for you to get your point across to potential employers without being a complete "open book." In your particular situation, when you are asked the inevitable question about why you are thinking about leaving your current firm, you might simply answer that you've heard the interviewer's firm would be a better fit for you, that you think it is a better firm than the one you are currently practicing at, and that it offers the opportunities to better use your legal skills and to learn more than where you currently work.

If you are smart, you will have done a good deal of due diligence prior to going on an interview, and at that point will be able to talk about the firm's expertise and reputation in your particular practice area. The interviewer will be impressed, and instead of looking at you as a malcontent of your old firm, will see you as someone who is trying to better him/herself.

Of course you are uncomfortable working in such a dishonest atmosphere as the one where you currently find yourself. I hope you are able to find a new home as soon as possible.

Just make sure that you are positive and enthusiastic on your interviews. No one wants to hire someone who appears to be chronically discontented. Make your glass half full instead of half empty when asked why you want to leave; it is always the best way to look at things. Good luck!

Sincerely,
Ann M. Israel
President, Ann Israel & Associates