In addition to being the Boy Scout motto, being prepared is incredibly important to any attorney who may, unknowingly, find themselves in the job market. Even if you are not looking for a job, having an updated resume is incredibly important.
Just this past week, a sizable firm in the Twin Cities let a few attorneys go after a large client left the firm. Some of the pink slips were given to partners; some were given to associates. Several of the attorneys had very similar practices and experience. None of the attorneys knew on Sunday night that Monday they would be let go. It appears that only a few of these attorneys had resumes prepared and those that were ready of this “unexpected event” have been job searching and networking all week. The other attorneys are spending the week updating their resume, reviewing their historical billing information and trying to think about how to position themselves in the legal market.
I’d argue that the attorneys who had resumes ready to go and have been meeting with firms and contacts have a distinct leg up on their colleagues.
While we don’t know how this story ends up, it highlights the importance of being prepared. So this weekend, why not do all of those things you know you should do “jut in case” that you have been putting off: review your estate plan, change the batteries in your smoke detectors and, importantly, polish up your resume.