Welcome – What Are You Thelen?
I want to welcome visitors and hopefully future readers to Thelen The Pain - a site for the laid off or soon-to-be laid off employees of Thelen LLP. This blog is patterned after the highly successful Heller Highwater site which was established in mid-September 2008 to assist the Heller Ehrman LLP staff during the capsizing of their workplace.
First off, who’s behind Thelen The Pain? Well the same creator of Heller Highwater - Heller Drone. But this website serves as a bit of a coming out for H.D. and he’s ready to reveal his true identity here, over at Heller Highwater and in the blogosphere in general. My name is Thomas MacEntee and I was a Heller Ehrman employee for over eight years and I’ve been working for global law firms, including Skadden and Latham & Watkins, for over 20 years now. Besides filling my hours with blogging for Heller staff and now Thelen, I am busy with my own legal technology consulting firm called BigLaw 2.0 as well as my passion in life – genealogy and family history. You can learn more about me, if you really need to, over at Thomas 2.0.
Second, “who gave you the authority,” is something I kept hearing over at Heller Highwater and I’m sure I’ll hear again at Thelen The Pain. Basically no one. I guess I am self-appointed but I really don’t consider myself an “authority.” When I started Heller Highwater I found a need for more information than what I was receiving from my employer as to the status of my workplace and my co-workers. I saw the need and decided to take action. What I am at heart is a pretty good writer who has been running a very popular genealogy blog – as well as six other lifestyle-related blogs – for close to two years now.
While working with Heller Highwater, I was contacted by many Thelen people (what do you call yourselves – Thelenites? Thelenians? Theleners? Thelengasques?) who said thank you and also wanted a space of their own. While the issues that Hellerites and Thelenians are facing are almost the same, each firm has its own culture. I don’t pretend to speak for Thelenians or their culture. I’d love some assistance in that area and in fact would love to start out as co-administrator of Thelen The Pain and work with one or more Thelen staff members so they can run this site as they see fit.
Realise that as a non-Thelen staff member it is not only difficult for me to place my finger on the pulse of what is going on right now at Thelen, but it is difficult for me to actually verify the veracity of information sent to me from who I am to assume are legitimate Thelen staff members. Basically, to the Thelen folks I say: I could use a hand or two – email me at thelenthepain@gmail.com or tmacentee@gmail.com and let’s see if we can create a supportive environment during a difficult prognosis.
Third, in the meantime, I have attempted to set up a site that will gather information and present it in a simple, helpful way so that Thelenians can make their own decisions as to wage claims, benefits, job searches etc. In the beginning, you may see many items simply copied from Heller Highwater. During the week I will be trying to add items that address the issues unique to Thelen staff. I ask all recruiters to please contact me to get your agency information and job postings listed here. I ask anyone with information on benefits and the dissolution of Thelen to contact me and be prepared to have your information verified before I post it.
Finally, as with Heller Highwater, I encourage comments on posts and all items. Read the Terms of Service to get an idea of what I think is good medicine and what is bad medicine.
UPDATE: Read more about Thelen The Pain over at today’s post on LegalPad.
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Prognosis
Thelen The Pain is a support site for the recently or about-to-be laid off employees of Thelen LLP, a soon-to-be defunct global law firm. This blog is based upon the concept and format of Heller Highwater which serves the former staff of Heller Ehrman LLP.
We’ve just experienced a sudden diagnosis, one that is none too positive, and now’s the time to put together a “plan to get well.” Was the diagnosis unexpected? Were there warning signs? None of that matters right now – there will be plenty of time to hash over what did and didn’t happen days, weeks, months and years ago. Right now and of first importance is dealing with the patients and making certain they can get up and go out into the world on their own two feet. And hopefully go out with the hard earned wages due them and the tools and connections needed to succeed post-Thelen.
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As a relative newcomer to the legal industry (1 1/2 years) but a 2 decade veteran of the corporate world I was absolutely shocked at how profoundly bad this disolution was handled. I have been through this before – and while it is never fun – it can still be managed and executed well. But I guess that is the point – if you cant manage the firm how could you manage the demise. I dont know what to tell my vendors, many of whom are long term professional relationships and I feel some sense of responsibility having brought them in and mostly I feel for the staffer who really are receiving very little support and no communication. Its odd other firms would hire these attorneys who have proven themselves to be unsuccessful at business in any other field it would be a scarlet letter.
Thanks for the help- as for the culture the fact that an outsider had to create this site defines what the cultures was- non existent.
I once worked for the Union 76 Credit Card Center at 425 First St – today the site is a condo for millionaires. We all lost our jobs when the company decided to outsource its credit card functions to First Deposit Resources in Oklahoma. Now this; I’ve been here nine years, & feel like my horse has been shot out from under me a second time. I come from a long line of people who’ve gone into business for themselves & I’m really starting to see the attraction for doing this. It is natural for me to feel angry; the anger begins to dissapate as I notice it, accept it, & sit with it. I quit a 34 year smoking addiction the same way. Certainly I’ll look for work in a law firm, certainly I’ll look for work in other venues where my skills might be employed, but just as certainly I will explore writing, as a livelyhood where I do not have to depend on others. Speaking of stories let me tell one. My paternal grandfather, who lied about his age in order to serve in the navy, was a baker who had the responsibility each Sunday of baking the captain’s hot cross buns. One Sunday while he was at work the ship was called to quarters & he had to leave the galley suddenly – the hot cross buns were burned & the captain was not pleased. He changed my grandfathers job from a baker to a butcher’s assistant. My grandfather learned meat cutting, opened a store in San Francisco when he got out of the navy, started a restaurant in Emeryville, started more businesses, built some houses, & became a tremendous benefit to his entire family. He turned the idiocy of the captain on its head & the punishment to his supreme advantage. I don’t know if I could do the same, he was a much younger man than I am at present when this occurred. But I can try. I’m glad I know this story & know that I’m descended from someone who was able to turn his bad luck around. All it takes is a brain & the will to use it. Thanks. Rick Thorne.