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 in my last year of law school. I have a solid resume of work experience in corporate human resources, and I want to enter the field of labor and employment law. I am not on law review or any journals and was not able to secure a summer associate position in a major firm. I have average grades now with a 3.0 gpa, but my grades were terrible during my first year of law school, due to the deaths of two close family members and overall stress and confusion in my life.

Is it still possible for me to obtain a first year associate position in a large New York City firm or should I just give up on that dream?

Dear Giving Up: I hate to think about anyone giving up on their dreams. It just doesn't seem to be a good way to live one's life.

However, one has to be realistic as well. And with the way things are looking with the law firm job market right now, I do think that with your background, expecting to land a job in the labor and employment department of a New York BigLaw firm after your law school graduation might really just be a dream that won't come true, at this time.

You need to look at the reality of the job market as well as your competition right now. If there are any labor & employment departments still looking to hire 1st year associates for the fall of 2009 (that hiring was done last summer), I suspect they are conducting OCIs among students who are at the top of their class and for one reason or another, don't have jobs lined up.

Even more realistically, the firms might just move junior associates into departments where workers are needed and retool them into those practice areas, instead of letting them go altogether. There are many firms that are deferring their first year associates' starting date until the fall of 2010; that means there are no jobs available for first year associates whatsoever in those firms.

It is painful for me to have to burst your bubble like this. As I have told my friends, for so many years I have made a living by answering my phone and being so happy to hear that someone on the other end is interested in finding a new job.

It is so different today -- I almost don't like to hear my phone ring, afraid that it might be another individual with a story similar to yours. This is awful for me to have to tell you that you must give up your dream.

But it doesn't mean forever and it doesn't mean that you can't practice law.

As I have written in previous columns, there are so many other avenues besides BigLaw, and you need to explore those other places. If your dream is in the practice area of labor and employment, forget about BigLaw for right now, and find other outlets where L&E attorneys are needed. Check with associations, colleges, unions, the Armed Services (I am big on this right now -- they are hiring lawyers), your law school career services office, etc.

I would think there might be opportunities for L&E attorneys out there, especially with your human resources background, if only you are willing to be flexible with location and opportunity.

These times will change and pass. But for now, we all must do whatever it takes to get through these times.

To be realistic, you are not going to get a job in a BigLaw firm as a first year associate; not in a labor and employment department or any other practice group. Now move on and do what it takes to get a job somewhere else. Best wishes!

Sincerely,
Ann Israel
President, Ann Israel & Associates