Thuggish Miserly Law Firm Partners

Well, it happened again. Apparently, one of my fellow bloggers became a victim of a witch-hunt and was silenced after she criticized the poor working conditions and pathetic pay at several Boston area law firms:

"The time has come to say goodbye to Wicked Words. I wish it was under more fortuitous circumstances, but it is not.

First of all, I made a large error in not starting a new blog when I decided to transition to a commentary on how difficult it can be for entry-level attorneys While I knew how nasty lawyers could be and the threats they can make when challenged, some excellent replies from attorneys and practitioners gave me false hope that the blog could be a sounding board for young attorneys and more seasoned veterans to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of one another. The dialogue could be contentious; I don't mind criticism, even harsh critique, and I have posted it here and responded to it, choosing not to moderate comments here.

And I am no coward. While I decided not to post my full name here, people knew who I am and continue to know who I am. Wicked Words was the name of my opinions column in college. The fact that I was semi-forthright about my identity was in order to ward off assertions that I was attacking without giving others a proper opportunity to attribute and critique.

Obviously the name of my newest feature, exposing firms who pay first year associates next to nothing for their work, has struck a nerve. And it should. I still believe, deep in my heart, that if you pay people the equivalent of a cafeteria worker's salary, people whom you know are saddled in a large amount of student debt, it is unconscionable, despite the level of "real" legal experience. Do entry-level employees have to start somewhere? Absolutely. But should the mass deflation of white collar wages be discussed with merely a whimper? I don't believe it should.

Let me make one thing clear, I'm not scared off by threats that have been made to report me to the bar for my writings or charges of libel. Those claims are silly, frivolous, and false, and a partner in a law firm should realize that making these threats in print with one's name attached, can be just as damaging to one's own reputation if exposed.

Today, an established, well-educated attorney spent a grand total of five hours of his day reading this blog and making concerted efforts to "out" me, threatening my economic livelihood and to "track" me for years to come. It is solely because of this blog's history, and my mentions of personal details, friends, and family, that I have decided to end my time writing here. It is simply not fair for them to be the subjects of any targeting that might follow from any efforts to drag my name through the mud.

So, for now, the big guys may have "won," but I will continue my fight elsewhere, at another time, and most likely in a completely different media. I sincerely hope that the attorney who has decided to "cyber stalk" me and make the aforementioned threats decides against retaliation for any offenses he believes I have committed.

I write this post because I feel as though I owe my longtime readers an explanation, but this entire blog will be taken down within a few days' time as well as any email addresses associated with it. If you wish to contact me for the last time, you may write me in the moderated comments (I will not publish any names or email addresses and will merely reject the comment) and I will make every effort to keep in touch if I can."

http://wickedwords.blogspot.com/