firm agreed to pay Dineen about a quarter of his former salary for a year . Dineen , who needed to support his wife and a newborn daughter , accepted . `` This gave me a chance to do something different with my legal career , and help out people who generally do n't have access to public service , '' said Dineen , who now works on foreclosure cases helping victims of predatory lending . Foley Hoag is among many megafirms across the country using the economic slump as an ideal time to lend a hand to cash-strapped public interest and legal aid firms . The massive corporate layoffs and program cuts could redirect thousands of young graduates and experienced attorneys from corporate firms into the public sector , legal experts say . Once insulated , law firms are shedding young and mid-career associates at extraordinary rates . This is especially true at large corporate firms that overestimated their growth and extended too many offers to associates last fall . White & Case LLP , a leading global firm with headquartes in New York , made a second round of cuts last week . In addition to about 70
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was the best of times in 2004 , when attorney Dave Dineen graduated from Boston University School of Law and landed a job at a top Massachusetts corporate firm , Foley Hoag LLP . Attorney Dave Dineen at his new job at Greater Boston Legal Services . By 2007 , the National Association for Law Placement was reporting the most promising year in two decades . Nearly 92 percent of graduating attorneys were employed , and the median starting salary at private practices had increased by $ 13,000 -- to a total of $ 108,500 a year . But times have changed . In the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression , the legal industry is taking an unprecedented beating from the sputtering economy and housing meltdown . Dineen , 37 , lost his job as layoffs and salary freezes have spiked at law firms across the country during the past three months . Rather than just hand out a severance package with the pink slip , Foley Hoag gave Dineen an option . He could work for Greater Boston Legal Services , a legal aid group serving people living in poverty . The