LawFuel – The Law News Network – In a story that could have come from any TV law drama, a young graduate from Boston’s Suffolk University Law School went law job hunting. Her efforts landed her an interview with William A. Korman of Korman & Associates.
She landed a job. But it wasn’t entirely to her satisfaction and – ultimately – she turned it down. Then began an email exchange that circulated the globe in 80 minutes. A lesson in the care needed in hitting the ‘Send’ button as only lawyers could deliver it.
The Exchange:
—–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
—–Original Message—–
From: William A. Korman [mailto: wak@kormanlaw.com]
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 9:55 AM
To: ‘David Breen’
Subject: RE: Thank you
You can e-mail this to whomever you want.
—–Original Message—–
From: David Breen [mailto: dbreen@bu.edu]
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 9:47 AM
To: ‘William A. Korman’
Subject: RE: Thank you
OH MY GOD!
Where to begin?
First of all, how unprofessional.and secondly, it is “reap what you
‘sow,'” now “sew”.if she is going to use a clich?, couldn’t she at least
spell it right? And WTF is with her “blab la bla”? Does she not read
your e-mail about it being a small community?! So, finally, can I
forward this along to some folks? I am sure they would love to see how
the up-and-coming lawyers are comporting themselves! (Clearly she did
not go to BU!!!) 🙂
—–Original Message—–
From: William A. Korman [mailto: wak@kormanlaw.com]
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 7:59 AM
To: ‘David Breen’
Subject: FW: Thank you
Did I already forward this to you?
