Tuesday, June 1, 2010

LawCrossing Uses Reverse Psychology in Stupid Email

I apologize to the law graduate who forwarded an email from legal recruiting site Law Crossing to me last week for not posting this sooner. My initial reaction when reading the beginning of the Law Crossing email was WTF? before setting it aside until today to make some sense of it. If I had received this email directly from Law Crossing, I would’ve trashed it immediately without reading it because it’s that stupid and nonsensical. Note to boring and humorless attorneys: Do not use reverse psychology in an entire email. You’re not funny and you won’t get your point across, especially when it concerns a moneymaking scheme to swindle unemployed law graduates.

The person who sent me the email is a paid subscriber of this new LawCrossing service through BCG Attorney Search, which places “new lawyers” with firms, I suppose? Our source must have been equally confused with a WTF cloud hovering above his head because these were his thoughts on the email:

What the hell is this? The vultures now descend with riddles?

I would happily give these guys a good percentage of my first year salary and bonus if they could find me a paying job. I see no reason why they should be paid a subscription up-front. The fact that they operate like my gym ($15 every month whether it does you any good or not.) makes it all the clearer that there are no jobs. And another thing: I have no doubt that I'm the target demographic here. I mean, BCG kicked me over to their "new lawyer" department, LawCrossing, because I am, in fact, a recent graduate. But, thing is, I'm not exactly in a playful mood, and the reverse psychology here falls pretty flat. How's this, Harrison Barnes, Esq.: DO NOT go fuck yourself.

So they are charging lawyers money every month even if they don't find them a job? Nice. I'm sure they will find enough new graduates to con out of hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the next several years without ever finding them law firm employment.

I won’t link directly to the email on the BCG site because it would reveal our source’s email address, so here it is below.


The Official Site You Should Not Sign Up for:
http://www.LawCrossing.com

The reason I am telling you not to sign up for LawCrossing is
because it is not free. Sure, LawCrossing offers a free trial
but if you want to use the site for an extended period of
time there is a membership fee.

I apologize for that.

It's just that we put 110% of our energy and focus into
researching job openings and not chasing down companies,
recruiters, etc. to pay money to post jobs on our site. In
fact, we are the only job site that is 100% supported by
our members and not advertisers. We research, screen
and then post every job we find and not ones companies pay
us to post.

We are a "research company" and not a "job posting sales
company"--which makes us different than every other
job site we are aware of. Moreover, thousands of major
universities, unemployment offices, recruitment firms,
outplacement firms and other large organizations have
sought us out and pay us huge sums of money each
year to give their students and members access to
our research. We already have enough business and
do not need your business.

Therefore, YOU SHOULD USE ANOTHER JOB SITE!

Seriously. There are a gazillion other job sites out
there that are free.



NOW THAT YOU KNOW I DO NOT CARE IF
YOU SIGN UP FOR LAWCROSSING, LET ME
GIVE YOU SOME HEARTFELT ADVICE



Since I just asked you NOT to sign up for LawCrossing,
I think you "get it" that my advice has nothing to do
with money.

I actually feel obligated to do everything in my power to
inform you what an EXCELLENT investment you will
make in yourself when you try LawCrossing for free.

It's like my moral responsibility or something.

The reason I feel so strongly about this is because of
the amazing and life-changing reports I have heard
from countless people just like you who "made the leap"
and tried LawCrossing too.

See, LawCrossing researches jobs from tens of thousands
of sources that you would never find on your own.

It will show you more relevant jobs than you could ever
apply to from law firm career pages, company websites,
other job sites, association websites, government websites
and thousands of newspapers and more.

And I am not alone in my enthusiasm for LawCrossing.

How many people RAVE and recommend LawCrossing
(also known as EmploymentCrossing)?

I just did a quick check online of ONLY colleges and
universities recommending us.

Let's see. You got (I am too tired to type
them all but here are a few)…

The University of Vermont
Duke University
Syracuse University
The University of Michigan
Texas Christian University
Stephens College
Middlebury College
Buffalo State University
John Carroll University
Ball State University
Allegheny College
Bay Path College
Humboldt State University
La Sierra University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Salisbury University
Seton Hall
The University of Minnesota
The University of Texas
Valparaiso University
Western New England College
Washington University St. Louis
West Virginia University
Mission College
Suffolk University
University of Maryland
University of La Verne
UCLA
Case Western Reserve
Southwestern University
Southern Illinois University
Santa Clara University
Mississippi College of Law
Drexel University
Salisbury University
St Mar's University
Franklin Pierce University
Pepperdine University
Newbury College
New York Law School
Massachusetts School of Law
City University of New York
Lafayette University
Claremont McKenna College
Charleston School of Law
Chicago-Kent
Rutgers
Arizona State
The University of Denver
Seattle University
Georgia Southern University
The College of St. Scholastica
University of California Riverside
Franklin Pierce
Georgia Tech
Stetson University
The University of Alabama
The University of Iowa
Highline College
Stanford University
The University of Indiana
Towson University
Texas Wesleyan
Allegheny College



Barrack Obama, George Bush and Oprah
(ok, not really but who knows?)

And that's not even the complete list. Then there
are the THOUSANDS of organizations, government-related
sites, outplacement firms, groups and people lining up and
saying THIS STUFF WORKS.

And if it works for others and tons of regular folks,
I'm pretty sure it will work for you too.

So … here's my cleverly disguised link for you
to sign up:

But don't sign up from it.

Have a look at all the jobs on free sites and save your
money … be just like everyone competing for a limited
number of highly-promoted jobs on "mega job sites". Our
members do not want you competing for the jobs on our site
anyway … so I still recommend you do not sign up.

To your success,

Harrison Barnes, Esq.

PS: Because I am advising you NOT TO SIGN up for
LawCrossing, I would like to direct you to an article and
video on my blog that I think might blow your socks
off: "46 Actions You Can Take to Optimize Your
Career and Life Today".

http://www.aharrisonbarnes.com/46-actions-you-can-take-to-optimize-your-job-search-and-career-today/

Out of all the information I have ever done and
made presentations on, this has been the most
well received … hands down.

This is a very quick distillation of the "private" information
I drill into in my rarely available $2,500/hour outrageously
expensive private job search coaching. (People who have heard
about my work practically DEMANDED that I make a video
and write an article about this information and this is my gift
to you today).

Since there is no way I want you to sign up for LawCrossing
and compete for jobs with our members, I recommend you
experience some of my best job search advice for free at this
link:
http://www.aharrisonbarnes.com/46-actions-you-can-take-to-optimize-your-job-search-and-career-today/

28 comments:

  1. Wow, Seton Hall recommends LawCrossing.

    If the Valvoline Dean recommends something, you know it has to be outstanding.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I seriously cannot believe that douchebag Harrison Barnes is still conning unsuspecting new lawyers. I fell prey to that con when I graduated from law school. Guess what? I did not get a single interview from any job listing I applied to on that site. Surprise, surprise.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have never heard of a single person actually getting a job from Lawcrossing.

    My roommate paid for the service and got not so much as a single interview from it. It's really a scam.

    Here are some links regarding the Lawcrossing scam:

    http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/misleading-marketing-and-deceptive-practices-c278785.html

    http://www.all4jds.com/Forums/aft/11206.aspx

    http://www.ripoffreport.com/employment-services/employment-crossing/employment-crossing-law-cros-92792.htm

    ReplyDelete
  4. If I marketed my legal services like this I'd probably get disbarred, not that being barred has done me much good.

    It's obviously a lot of blatant lying. But I guess that's what we're supposed to do. Advertisers lie all the time, and everyone thinks lawyers lie all the time too. So why is it that I have so much trouble lying?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Does this douche-bag even review his own list cursorily? There's no such school as the University of Indiana; there is a school called Indiana University (I should know, I graduated from it).

    ReplyDelete
  6. To the anonymous comment there is a University of Indiana. It's in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Check your facts before you spew ignorance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, it is called Indiana University of Pennsylvania. No law school exists there.

      Delete
  7. No other scam in the legal industry is worse than the law school scam, but a close second are these parasites like LSC. According to them, you have $15 too much per month.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm glad that I saw this!

    I weighed whether I should sign up for Lawcrossing because it was on a short list of resources on my career service's home page.

    Instead of showing that they've done their research, it shows that they're throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what sticks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are going to be screwed. Memorize this. This is the 'profession', this is your fate. It may be tommorow searching for a job, it may be next year by a collegue or in 5 years when you realize you will never retire or live on a sandy beach in the warm sunshine.
    They lied to you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice. They can't even spell the President's name correctly. Barnes = giant TOOL.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I had a friend that signed up for LawCrossing's "service." Not only did he not get one interview from the site, when he tried to cancel, they kept billing his credit card for months afterward, even though he called them multiple times and told them to cancel it and that he wouldn't be paying the charges. They told him, IIRC, that they would take him to court and ruin his credit rating and that he could never prove that the charges weren't legitimate. LawCrossing is evil incarnate.

    ReplyDelete
  12. "You are going to be screwed. Memorize this. This is the 'profession', this is your fate. It may be tomorrow searching for a job, it may be next year by a colleague or in 5 years when you realize you will never retire or live on a sandy beach in the warm sunshine.
    They lied to you."

    Anonymous speaks the truth. Law sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  13. People who read tom the temp know that lawcrossing is a "scam, scam, scam"

    ReplyDelete
  14. While we're on the topic of scams, does anyone know anything about this whole "UPromise" thing? Sallie Mae is apparently somehow linked to it. It sounds interesting since they give you points or miles or whatever it is for everyday purchases. I'm wondering if anyone has had any negative experiences with UPromise. Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  15. NoJob4U: I can't believe your career service endorsed LawCrossing on their homepage. They are absolutely clueless.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I signed up Lawcrossing service after receiving a solicitation email for 21 days free try signed by a lawyer Harrison Barnes, Esq.. I chose a subscription option of one month service since it is impossible to get free try unless choose an option and provide credit card information. However, I was charged again later for a second transaction. I did not renew or use their service after the period of one month subscription.
    I then tried to call them to inquire what was going on but could not find their phone numbers their solicitation email, membership subscription confirmation email, their website main page or the “frequently asked question” sections and other pages that a user might click during normal course of using their service. I realized there was no contact information section on their website and then I went on line to check this company, finding many reports of fraudulent transactions or bill scam. I then pretend to be a new customer to sign up to find what was on the sign up page. Spending couple minutes looking for misleading information on that page, I saw a sentence with small fonts on the right corner of the page that “all subscriptions will be auto renewed.” I found their phone number but it is among words stating that users can cancel at any time during try out period. There is no statement that users can or should call to cancel to avoid further charge.
    The auto renewal information should not be considered as a term of the service contract. Considering that there is no phone number of information regarding auto renewal or cancellation procedure in the subscription confirmation email or other pages other than the new user signing up page, this is a well designed fraudulent, as least misleading practice. It is a scam. Agreed.
    What I am so angry about is that it is a practice led by lawyers and users are solicited by lawyers, who went to law school, passed bar. How could they rip off law graduates with huge debts or young lawyers who got laid off during this bad economy. This is furious.

    ReplyDelete
  17. LawCrossing is fraud. Have the shit is made up and the other half stuff they've trolled off of other sites.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Here is the latest email I got from Lawcrossing.com:
    ___
    We Need to Rescind Your Offer

    Yesterday our CEO, Harrison Barnes, offered you over $3,000 in free gifts and bonuses-to make up for the problems you experienced during your LawCrossing registration.

    Due to the cost of these gifts to us, we can only make these free gifts available for the next 48 hours. After 48 hours, the registration link for these gifts will no longer be active and you will lose this opportunity.

    Here is the special link: complete your trial now.

    I am at your service,

    Sarah Harper
    Customer Service Manager
    Customer Service Your Way!

    PS: If you do not respond to this email, your email will be removed from the incomplete form within the next 48 hours (see below).

    REE GIFTS AUTHORIZED BY HARRISON FOR YOU

    Benefit Value Your Cost

    Access to LawCrossing for 60 Days $99.94 $7.77
    Free Resume Critique $99.95 $0
    Free Credit at Legal Recruiter Submitter $49.95 $0
    Free Credit at Resume Boomer $49.95 $0
    Access to the Career Transformation System $3000 $0
    Free Credit at Legal Authority! $125 $0
    TOTAL $3,424.79 $7.77

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, I just tried to unsubscribe from their email database and this is the message I got:

    "Please allow 5-7 business days for us to update our records with this change. However, if you want to stop receiving active job alerts from LawCrossing, you must stop them individually by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the job alert emails.

    Thank you."

    ReplyDelete
  20. Does anyone know a direct phone number to cancel your membership? I have emailed them for several months but they keep billing my account. This was the most useless and scam website ever!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Look, the site is decent. It's another option. There are some jobs on there that you won't find anywhere else. Several years ago I found a job using lawcrossing with a Caribbean law firm. There is no way I would have found that job otherwise. Is it worth the cost? I have no idea - I guess it depends on how desperate you are. I use Indeed.com regularly and I have never gotten an interview via it either - so what does that prove?

    If you credit card keeps getting charged, then call your credit card company and complain. I never had an ssue canceling my service. You must call, however, as emailing them doesn't work (as stated on the website).

    ReplyDelete
  22. They never tried to find me a job, not once. Almost everything on the site I was able to find on the internet. The "we will bill you until you call and unsubscribe" is ridiculous. The only good thing I can say is I demanded a refund and they said they would refund the fee - we will see.

    ReplyDelete
  23. It almost makes me pine for the good old days of DIY Justice.....

    ReplyDelete
  24. I find the list of law schools interesting. As a graduate of one of those law schools, I highly doubt that they recommend the list. As a matter of fact, I think the OPPOSITE is true. I was speaking to the career counselor at my law school and he did not recommend LawCrossing. So there...LawCrossing seems to be lying. Could the CEO, Attorney Barnes be subject to professional discipline as an attorney for running such a scam? I believe he should be.

    ReplyDelete
  25. As the Manager for LawCrossing, I would like to provide a response to your comments. Two years ago, we made very dramatic changes to LawCrossing. We are continually making changes to our programs and website to improve our clients' experiences. Our customer service now is fantastic, and if you give us a chance, we can show you. We changed our employer job posting platform as well, and we are getting fantastic responses for all legal jobs. I deal personally with our employers regularly and know they would provide positive feedback. We are not just job aggregation, but we also have employers who post jobs with us bringing all legal jobs from across the internet and other sources. This makes us the most comprehensive legal job board you will find, which is why there is a fee. I would challenge anyone that has not tried LawCrossing recently, to give us a try. We will be happy to offer a free month of service for anyone willing to take this opportunity to see how we have changed. You may also call me regarding any questions about this feed directly at 626-243-9365.

    ReplyDelete

 

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