Also, you don’t mention applying for unemployment insurance benefits through your state. Hopefully you have pursued this for income as well.

Other ways to cut costs: move to a cheaper apartment or move in with family for now. Get your prescription medications through pharmacies that offer $4.00 prescriptions.

Good luck!

I completely feel your pain, as I’m in a very similar position. I didn’t go to a top-tier law school, but I was laid off from a good-paying job last month and find myself with the same mountain of student loan debt and a hefty credit card debt to repay. It sucks.

I haven’t figured out my own solution yet, but keep in mind that, despite the public image, lawyers are a pretty close-knit group and will look out for each other. Check with your bar associations – everything from the ABA, to your state bar associations, to local bar associations. They should all have resources to help – job postings, career counseling, even psychological counseling. (A big part of the situation is your mindset, and sometimes talking to a counselor and being able to unload all the s**t that you don’t feel comfortable telling anyone else helps a lot.) Chances are you’ve already paid for this stuff through your bar dues, and there are a lot of different resources to take advantage of. Check them out.

And for money, it may sound scary, but as long as you’re in good standing and aren’t required to maintain malpractice insurance, you can always offer your legal services for a fee. That’s what we do, so get the word out there that you’re a licensed attorney and can help people with their legal needs. Again, the bar associations can provide a lot of the resources you need, including free access to legal research sites and ways of advertising. It’s a way to potentially bring in something while you’re looking for that other job, and who knows, you may like it enough to open your own firm.

In the meantime, set up a good plan, stick to it and don’t allow yourself to wallow in the situation. Get out and exercise when you can, spend time with your friends and family (who knows, could network into a paying gig or even helping someone out with a will) and remember that all of this is just about $ – nothing more. It’s a ridiculous concept, made up by people when they got too lazy to get their own food, and doesn’t mean a damn thing at the end of the day or the end of your life. It’s no reflection of the person you are, so don’t let this get to you.

Try and keep a positive outlook, and if things get really bad – we’ll partner up and start our own firm!

Good luck.