During the Great Depression of the 1930s, U.S. law firms downsized by laying off their attorneys. Lawyers who lost lucrative contracts to big law firms went after petty dispute claims, such as divorce settlements, but work was hard to find. They were lawyers in title only, and their life was no better than that of beggars. In New York, 1,500 lawyers were only able to receive social welfare benefits after they formally declared they were destitute.
Perhaps that is why American lawyers are infamous for jumping at any opportunity if money is there. Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz opens his criminal law lectures by telling his students that statistically most of them are more likely to end up being defendants rather than legal counsels in criminal cases. In his book "The Best Defense," Dershowitz wrote that half of hundreds of clients who sought his services over the past 40 years were lawyers who had either received bribes or embezzled money -- and that most of them caved into the temptations of money.
On Feb. 12, 2009, referred to as "Bloody Thursday," eight major U.S. law firms axed 739 lawyers. During January to March of this year, 3,000 lawyers were laid off. Since last year, a total of 20,000 lawyers have been shown the door. The downsizing "axe" has returned to the U.S. legal market for the first time in 80 years. Korean lawyers who have been operating in the United States are also feeling the pinch and returning home. Law firms in Korea are said to be inundated with resumes, with applications up five to six-fold compared to last year.
With the exception of a few large law firms, the situation is no different in Korea. Recently, a rumor spread within the legal community that the wife of a lawyer was working as a maid in order to pay for her child's private crammers. Some lawyers have reportedly run away after being censured by the Labor Ministry for failing to pay staff and becoming credit delinquents. One young female lawyer, who had been in the legal business for three years, earned only W2 million (US$1=W1,238) a month as a hired attorney. Her boss claimed he could not afford to pay her and suggested she work double time for another lawyer. She quit and, after taking a two-month break, found a job at a small company. With the opening of Korea's legal market, foreign law firms are rushing in, while accountants, patent attorneys and even judicial scriveners are demanding their share of cases, driving the industry into an era of unfettered competition.
Last year, a well-known female lawyer who had been a guest speaker on a legal quiz TV program was sued by her clients for having offered a shoddy service after she didn't show up in court, even though she was paid. Two years ago, a prosecutor-turned-lawyer was indicted after being implicated in a plot to kidnap a golf club owner. Persistent incidents of fraud, embezzlement, and other crimes involving lawyers show that the job is not as lucrative and promising as it used to be. Even with the law school system introduced, it seems that pretty soon the job of lawyer in Korea will be no different to a regular office position.
By Chosun Ilbo columnist Kim Hong-jin