Clever job candidate outsmarts potential employers who post fake job listings to collect free assignments, getting them to pay thousands of dollars in compensation

Author image for Sienna Varady
Sienna Varady
Mar 27, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

Finding work is never an easy task. It would be an understatement to say that there are times during the interview process when it feels overwhelming—it appears like a never-ending process that only the lucky few are able to complete.

The story that follows centers on a clever lawyer who happens to stumble upon a job posting seeking a research lawyer. The Original Poster (OP), a research lawyer by profession, applied for the job immediately. Upon submitting his application, he was requested to schedule a meeting, and he promptly replied. But OP realized something wasn't quite right when the interviewers insisted that he perform a legal study as part of the 'interview' process. In basic terms, the business tried to score free assistance on an case that they had already been handling. Naturally, this interesting piece of information was not disclosed to the candidates, and after submitting the 'assignment' to the firm, OP followed up with a hefty lawsuit and a fee for his time.

That being said, make sure to read the story below if you're interested in learning what happened and whether OP received the compensation he deserved! Additionally, don't forget to check out the story about the IT employee who cleverly obeyed the micromanager, worked sixteen hours on a two-hour task, and got the client to refuse to pay an hourly rate!

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  • 01
    "don't mess with a lawyer..." LEG
    via canva
  • 02
    Want me to work for my 'interview'? Will do!
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 03
    Disclaimer: Nothing in this post is legal advice. I'm a lawyer but not your lawyer. Please do not take legal advice from internet randos. Background: I mostly work in a niche-ish area of law called discovery. Basically when someone starts a legal proceeding each party gets to ask other parties for certain documents relevant to the case. Sometimes
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 04
    parties refuse to produce certain documents because of reasons like attorney-client privilege. I argue why my clients' documents are properly withheld or the other sides' documents are improperly withheld. One day I see a job board post from a local law firm looking for a research/writing position with required experience in discovery disputes. This raises a red flag for two reasons. First, local law firms normally
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 05
    do not need to hire full time R&W people because >95% of that firms cases are very similar (i.e. a personal injury firm normally only handles personal injury cases, so keeping a full time researcher is not worthwhile when all your cases are basically the same). When these local firms need something researched they either just do it themselves or pay someone else for a few hours of work.
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 06
    Second, this local firm hired a friend of mine by telling them "start here, work hard, and move up to senior associate in a few years" before promptly letting them go after a few busy months. I go ahead and send my resume over and get scheduled for an interview pretty quickly. During the interview I gave them a fairly high salary ask which they agreed to almost instantly (itsatrap.jpg). Then the partner hits me with the following
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 07
    Partner: "We ask all candidates to provide a writing sample before the final interview." Me: "Sure thing. I thought I attached one to the application, but let me grab my phone and double check." P: "Oh not that writing sample, that is too generic for evaluation. Here is a legal question that we want you to research." M: "I see. More than happy to do that at an hourly rate."
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 08
    P: "It should be fairly quick work. No other candidate has asked us for writing-sample- compensation, and this makes it seem like you won't be a team player. If you aren't interested in the position just tell us." M: "Let me think about it." So I go home and search a couple of local court dockets and wouldn't you know it this firm is involved in a case with a hearing set on exactly the discovery question they
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 09
    want me to produce a free 'writing sample' on. hehehelizard.gif. I send an email back saying sure thing I will make the writing sample, as long as it guarantees consideration for the R&W position. They say yes. I write a fantastic memo and send it in. A few weeks go by and I email asking for an update on the final interview. No response. Then I check that court docket and wouldn't
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 10
    you know it they straight up copy/pasted parts of my memo in the response. alwaysunnyyoudumb h.jpg. I send a demand letter for payment + fees. No response. I file a lawsuit for fr d. Oh baby THEN I got a response. A frothy, salty response. Frothaltly. I got called some names. They went on and on about how I was going to lose AND after I lost how they were going to counter sue me.
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 11
    I said "sounds good, can't wait to lose. I guess you did hire a full time R&W attorney. I mean, it would be like baby-town frolics easy to win if you never hired for that position. Actually, it would be even easier if you never even had a final interview for the spot. I'm sure you aren't that dumb though." Got the check 30 days later.
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 12
    Im_your_life I like your style. The only interview I had that asked me to do some work actually presented me with a long closed case, and the work they asked for was simply to determine if I actually knew the matter or if I claimed I knew it well but actually had to spend hours researching just to be
    via u/Im_your_life
  • 13
    able to argue simple points about it. It didn't take me more than a page to complete it. Your story is the legal version of "enter this contest, submit your idea of our logo! We will use the best one and the winner will get a lollipop!"
    via u/Im_your_life
  • 14
    MeowSchwitzInThere OP Honestly I love lollipops. They could have bought me off with some nice lollipops. See's Candy lollipops? I'm dropping the suit.
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 15
    BigRiverHome That is freakin' hilarious! And it isn't like you even have to go to the trouble of hiring an attorney to represent you. Obviously, you may if you're not a litigator and depending on how challenging it would be, but you don't HAVE to hire one.
    via u/BigRiverHome
  • 16
    MeowSchwitzInThere OP Even for lawyers the phrase "A person who represents themselves has a fool for a client" applies. I know I'm d b, but I figured they were more dumber so I rolled the dice =D
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere
  • 17
    eveningsand got called some names Hopefully it wasn't anything terrible. Like Bruce.
    via u/eveningsand
  • 18
    ceebs87 I love the ever so lawery disclaimer at the beginning!! And your whole post was both fun and informative.... Funformative!!
    via u/ceebs87
  • 19
    The-Sidequester "Never deal with a d il-they're in the details and you're not." That part about "not being a team player" is rich. My guess is that they were the kids in school who let the other people in their group do the project and got the grade for nothing. I love everything about this post. Bravo sir.
    via u/The-Sidequester
  • 20
    iChon865 I would love to hear your opinion about a problem I'm having. Gonna need you to write a paper about it tho. For "evaluation" purposes. Trust me bro. Nothing shady.
    via u/iChon865
  • 21
    nutterbutter1 The last time I interviewed someone for a job, I had her do some work for me so that we could both get a better idea of whether or not it was a good fit. But get this, you'll never guess what I did afterward... I paid her for the time.
    via u/nutterbutter1
  • 22
    Knersus_ZA Takes a lawyer to stick it good and proper to another lawyer. Excellent reading, very good story.
    via u/Knersus_ZA
  • 23
    cameherefrominsta Ohh I have a similar story. So I worked for this marketing agency a few years ago. When I mentioned this company during a casual conversation to a friend, he told me he interviewed there. Here's what happened: They interviewed him for the position of a web developer and asked him to develop an entire
    via u/cameherefrominsta
  • 24
    website as sample work. He did it and they never got back to him it. Cue? They actually got him to create a client's website. Website goes live, the guy come across the website(he knew something was off cz nobody ever asks you to code an entire website for an interview) Anyways he asks them
    via u/cameherefrominsta
  • 25
    to pay him for the work and they refuse. He had placed a code on the website that he could trigger to make the entire website collapse. Now guys who was chasing whom! paid well for it apparently He got
    via u/cameherefrominsta
  • 26
    Careful-Combination7 Now usually routing for the lawyer, but you got me on this one. Bravo.
    via u/Careful-Combination7
  • 27
    MeowSchwitzInThere OP Ahaha most people don't cheer for lawyers
    via u/MeowSchwitzInThere

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