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 a junior associate and I just got laid off from my firm due to low volume of work in my department. I've been offered a severance package and an assurance that the firm will assist in helping me find a job, including the use of my office for three months, and that most people at the firm will not know that I did not leave voluntarily.

I have begun to work on my resume and have started to talk to some headhunters. Should I tell any headhunters that I end up using that I have been laid off and should I reveal the real reason for my departure from my firm to the other firms?

To tell the truth, I have been thinking of lateraling anyway, as I have felt that this was not the right place for me anyway. This is what I've been thinking of telling the other firms and headhunters, but wonder if I am ethically obliged to tell the entire story.

Wondering

Dear Wondering:

Wonder no more. Not only are you ethically obliged to tell the entire story, you would be crazy not to tell the truth because if you don't think that everyone knows that you have been laid off then you are only fooling yourself.

In this economic climate, there is no shame in being laid off. As Cole Porter might have said, first-years do it, senior counsel do it, even partners past their prime do it. Everyone does it lately. So, when you go to meet with those headhunters and they ask you, as they inevitably will, why you are thinking about leaving your firm in your first year of practice, it would seem quite disingenuous should you tell them that you have decided to lateral at this early point in your career.

However, please know that you are definitely ethically obliged to tell the entire story no matter what. Making up a story is never a good idea and the truth is going to come out sooner or later (and probably sooner that you think). I suspect it may take far longer than three months to find a new employer, which means you will be out of the use of your office but still looking for a new job. You will no longer be able to have people reach you at the law firm nor will you have the law firm as cover. Better to get the truth out now and come clean than to have to admit that you were less than honest three months from now.

The good news is that you have been thinking that your current firm is not the right place for you so at least you have now been given a reason to get off your butt and start looking for a new place to work. The not-so-good-news is that this isn't the best job market you could hope for right now. Nevertheless, it does sound as if your firm is sorry to let you go since they are giving you a nice severance and a decent amount of time before you have to walk out the door.

Please use this time wisely. Contact all of the headhunters your friends have used successfully but don't stop here. You need to be very proactive about your job search. Have you contacted your law school's career services office yet? If not, you had better get on the phone or computer with them immediately. Next, scour every job board and legal classified section out there and start responding to every appropriate ad. Network with everyone you know and get yourself out to bar events and let everybody know that you are looking for a job (this is another reason why you need to be honest about the fact that you are looking for employment).

Do anything and everything you can to contact anything related to legal jobs that would be suitable for someone with your background and practice experience. Follow up as often as possible. Be aggressive and proactive. And don't be ashamed because you are yet another victim of this economy -- there is nothing to be embarrassed about unless you don't do anything about your situation. Just remember, this isn't going to be easy and it may take a long time until you are able to find the right job -- hang in there and don't give up. Best wishes!

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