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I don’t think a lawyer will impact the water cooler.

by soared 7y ago

ulfw 7y ago
and it will cost you a ton. I love when people immediately jump to "lawyer up" like that's just nothing.
- ghaff 7y ago
  Not necessarily a ton and he did write "currently have meetings with attorneys on how to protect myself." If it is really just hearing through the grapevine that there's some water cooler gossip, probably not a lot to be done in any case. On the other hand, a "knock it off" sort of letter probably wouldn't hurt and it provides a paper trail if anything comes of this in the future and/or the company has made some sort of formal accusation, e.g. via email, internally.
- bluntfang 7y ago
  lawyers cost money too. companies don't want to use their law resources for something like this. sometimes a letter on a law firms letterhead with harsh words is enough to at least get the company to take action. this probably won't cost you more than $1k, which if you believe your career is at stake is far less than future income.
  - Sanzig 7y ago
    Exactly - a scary letter should be enough to get the CEO to call the offending employees into his office and tell them to knock it off, as they may be opening the company up to liability. Any sane CEO will see that there's zero upside to allowing these rumors to continue and plenty of downside.
- the-dude 7y ago
  Most law firms here in NL will not charge for a 'potential intake' of about 30 minutes. Good lawyers explain your options, risks and costs. I have never been burnt, and I have spent very little money this way.
- dvtrn 7y ago
  How do you define "a ton"? Midway through my career I worked in an employment litigation office, just to sit down with an Associate (capital A) for 30 minutes to an hour, consultations ran from free to quite comparatively affordable considering the cost of going all-in on litigating the affair. If there's talk going on inside the walls of a former employer that could jeopardize someone's career and future earnings potential, I think a consultation at minimum is prudent.
ohyes 7y ago
Obviously not, but charges associated with 'hacking' could lead to jail time. Rumors have a way of becoming problems when the wrong people get wind of them. Lawyering up is the smart thing to do (at very least a consultation).

I don’t think a lawyer will impact the water cooler.

by soared 7y ago

I don’t think a lawyer will impact the water cooler.

ulfw 7y ago

and it will cost you a ton. I love when people immediately jump to "lawyer up" like that's just nothing.

ghaff 7y ago
Not necessarily a ton and he did write "currently have meetings with attorneys on how to protect myself." If it is really just hearing through the grapevine that there's some water cooler gossip, probably not a lot to be done in any case. On the other hand, a "knock it off" sort of letter probably wouldn't hurt and it provides a paper trail if anything comes of this in the future and/or the company has made some sort of formal accusation, e.g. via email, internally.
bluntfang 7y ago
lawyers cost money too. companies don't want to use their law resources for something like this. sometimes a letter on a law firms letterhead with harsh words is enough to at least get the company to take action. this probably won't cost you more than $1k, which if you believe your career is at stake is far less than future income.
- Sanzig 7y ago
  Exactly - a scary letter should be enough to get the CEO to call the offending employees into his office and tell them to knock it off, as they may be opening the company up to liability. Any sane CEO will see that there's zero upside to allowing these rumors to continue and plenty of downside.
the-dude 7y ago
Most law firms here in NL will not charge for a 'potential intake' of about 30 minutes. Good lawyers explain your options, risks and costs. I have never been burnt, and I have spent very little money this way.
dvtrn 7y ago
How do you define "a ton"? Midway through my career I worked in an employment litigation office, just to sit down with an Associate (capital A) for 30 minutes to an hour, consultations ran from free to quite comparatively affordable considering the cost of going all-in on litigating the affair. If there's talk going on inside the walls of a former employer that could jeopardize someone's career and future earnings potential, I think a consultation at minimum is prudent.

ohyes 7y ago

Obviously not, but charges associated with 'hacking' could lead to jail time. Rumors have a way of becoming problems when the wrong people get wind of them. Lawyering up is the smart thing to do (at very least a consultation).