Lawyers and electronic communication

[Rebecca 0]

I just think this is hilarious!


(2/20/06) - Dianna Abdala, a 24-year-old Boston-area attorney, had apparently agreed to work for William Korman.

Then things went sour in a series of last minute e-mails (see related story).
Following is their e-mail correspondence, obtained by ABC News' "Nightline," that degenerated into a spat that got e-mailed to various attorneys, publications and "Nightline."

-----Original Message-----
From: Dianna Abdala
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 9:23 PM
To: William A. Korman
Subject: Thank you

Dear Attorney Korman,

At this time, I am writing to inform you that I will not be accepting your offer.

After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the pay you are offering would neither fulfill me nor support the lifestyle I am living in light of the work I would be doing for you. I have decided instead to work for myself, and reap 100% of the benefits that I sow.

Thank you for the interviews.

Dianna L. Abdala, Esq.

-----Original Message-----
From: William A. Korman
To: Dianna Abdala
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 12:15 PM
Subject: RE: Thank you

Dianna --

Given that you had two interviews, were offered and accepted the job (indeed, you had a definite start date), I am surprised that you chose an e-mail and a 9:30 PM voicemail message to convey this information to me. It smacks of immaturity and is quite unprofessional. Indeed, I did rely upon your acceptance by ordering stationary and business cards with your name, reformatting a computer and setting up both internal and external e-mails for you here at the office. While I do not quarrel with your reasoning, I am extremely disappointed in the way this played out. I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Will Korman

-----Original Message-----
From: Dianna Abdala
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:01 PM
To: William A. Korman
Subject: Re: Thank you

A real lawyer would have put the contract into writing and not exercised any such reliance until he did so.

Again, thank you.

-----Original Message-----
From: William A. Korman
To: Dianna Abdala
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:18 PM
Subject: RE: Thank you

Thank you for the refresher course on contracts. This is not a bar exam question. You need to realize that this is a very small legal community, especially the criminal defense bar. Do you really want to start pissing off more experienced lawyers at this early stage of your career?

-----Original Message-----
From: Dianna Abdala
To: William A. Korman
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: Thank you

bla bla bla

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[NWFlyer 2]

She'll do well in the real world.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[RhondaLea 4]

It is hilarious, but it won't be hilarious for her.

I can't believe this young woman doesn't comprehend the bridge burning she did in that first email.

The truth is that baby lawyers are worthless. Utterly. They've been to law school, but in terms of real world practice, a paralegal with five years of experience is more valuable.

They have to be taught everything. I once had a judge's clerk ask me to complete one of the required skills and methods courses for him.

Two employers for whom I worked both paid me a higher salary in those years than the two new associates they hired, one of whom was actually an English solicitor who was not in a position to take the bar exam. She, at least, understood a little more than the other guy did, but if you don't know the local practice--or any practice--you must be led by the hand, or all your work will be for naught.

Attorneys learn a lot in law school, but they do not learn to practice law.

One hopes she will find a suitable corporate job, or her expected lifestyle is going to change very rapidly.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[Andy9o8 2]

The first e-mail could and should have been done a lot better; but the real bridge-burner was her second one. ("A real lawyer would have....") Whew!

[wildcard451 0]

Quote

It is hilarious, but it won't be hilarious for her.

I can't believe this young woman doesn't comprehend the bridge burning she did in that first email.

The truth is that baby lawyers are worthless. Utterly. They've been to law school, but in terms of real world practice, a paralegal with five years of experience is more valuable.

They have to be taught everything. I once had a judge's clerk ask me to complete one of the required skills and methods courses for him.

Two employers for whom I worked both paid me a higher salary in those years than the two new associates they hired, one of whom was actually an English solicitor who was not in a position to take the bar exam. She, at least, understood a little more than the other guy did, but if you don't know the local practice--or any practice--you must be led by the hand, or all your work will be for naught.

Attorneys learn a lot in law school, but they do not learn to practice law.

One hopes she will find a suitable corporate job, or her expected lifestyle is going to change very rapidly.

rl

Much like medical residents.

[NWFlyer 2]

This one intrigued me enough to google it. This article contains some gems (italics are mine)...

Quote

Abdala, who described herself as a "trust fund baby," (shocker) was admitted to the Massachusetts bar last year and said that since then she has "just been taking it easy" because "I worked hard in school." (poor thing!) She responded to Korman's job posting because "I wanted to establish somewhat of a career for myself that is, till someone picks me up as a trophy wife," she said. "No one wants to be living off daddy, though living off a husband is okay." Abdala's father, George Abdala, is a lawyer in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Quote

Abdala said she had no regrets about the e-mail exchange, adding that she had reported Korman to the Board of Bar Overseers for "unprofessional and unethical" conduct for forwarding her e-mail to an outside party. Right, because taking responsibility for your own actions would be too much to ask. She also said she believed that Korman's remark about Boston's "small legal community" was tantamount to "threatening my legal career" and that he had circulated the e-mails as a "cheap ploy to bring more business to his firm."

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Rebecca 0]

Don't ya love when stupidity bites its owner in the ass right away? Hey, I just realized your sig line is tailor-made for this situation!

Lucky for her she's probably hot and has daddy's money to live on - 'cause she ain't gonna get by on her brains!

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[davelepka 4]

This Korman guy got off easy. Just the cost of stationary and business cards. Imagine the cost of the damage that chick would have done to her clients, and in turn, the firm itself.

[Rebecca 0]

Quote

This Korman guy got off easy. Just the cost of stationary and business cards. Imagine the cost of the damage that chick would have done to her clients, and in turn, the firm itself.

He's one lucky SOB - he should be thanking her for sparing them...

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[Andre1 0]

The truth is that baby lawyers are worthless. Utterly. They've been to law school, but in terms of real world practice, a paralegal with five years of experience is more valuable.

----------------------------------------------------

Hey now, I just took bar exams in two states. My last one finished 4 hours ago.

Note: I state this as a joke. I am ROTFL

[RhondaLea 4]

Quote

The truth is that baby lawyers are worthless. Utterly. They've been to law school, but in terms of real world practice, a paralegal with five years of experience is more valuable.

----------------------------------------------------

Hey now, I just took bar exams in two states. My last one finished 4 hours ago.

Note: I state this as a joke. I am ROTFL

But you're not joking about taking the bar, right? PA and NJ?

You're in for it now.

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[Andre1 0]

I wish I was joking about the bar exam. The last three days were pure hell. That's correct, PA and NJ.

[Guest 1010]

So what made you wish to become a lawyer?

You can have it good, fast, or cheap: pick two.

[RhondaLea 4]

Quote

I wish I was joking about the bar exam. The last three days were pure hell. That's correct, PA and NJ.

Where do you plan to practice?

Pennsylvania is so weird. Prothonotaries instead of clerks. Weird laws, weirder pleadings.

Strange ways of doing real estate transactions.

Are you going to save the world or become a rich bastard?

Inquiring minds want to know.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[Andre1 0]

I need to pay for my skydiving gear. I also like helping people. My friends use to say I argue so much I should become a lawyer.

[Andre1 0]

I would like to practice in Pennsylvania if I pass the exam. Most people in PA take the PA and NJ exams because New Jersey is so close. I choose “save the world”.

[RhondaLea 4]

I believe I wish to retract my original opinion.

http://www.masslaw.com/break021506.cfm

Excerpt:

Korman apparently thought Abdala had a bright future ahead of her so he offered her a job in their first meeting. They agreed upon a start date.

But Korman then called Abdala to his office to tell her that he had decided to hire two lawyers, not one. As such, he had crunched some numbers and decided he had to reduce the amount of salary they had discussed. Still, he said, he was excited about her working for him. Korman set up computer resources for his new hire and made the other usual arrangements. But Abdala did indicate to Korman that she may have to give the job some more thought.

It's an interesting article, but I'm just not so certain that I agree with the conclusion, or with my own conclusion here, given the additional facts.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[lawrocket 3]

What about law schools and electronice communications?

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/cctimes/living/education/13931808.htm?source=rss&channel=cctimes_education

***E-mail mistakenly welcomes 3,500 applicants to Boalt Hall
By Matt Krupnick
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Add law-school acceptances to the Nigerian scams and mortgage offers you already disregard in your e-mail inbox.

Thousands of applicants to UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall law school briefly exulted after a Friday afternoon e-mail implied they had been admitted for the fall semester. A quick follow-up brought them back to Earth, telling them to disregard the first message...

My wife is hotter than your wife.