How to turn down a job offer and become famous

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http://i.abcnews.com/Nightline/story?id=1635684

The E-mail Spat that Landed in Cyberspace
Lawyers' Heated Argument Over Employment Agreement Went Public

Dianna Abdala, a 24-year-old Boston-area attorney, had apparently agreed to work for William Korman.

Then things went sour in a series of last minute e-mails (see related story).


Following is their e-mail correspondence, obtained by ABC News' "Nightline," that degenerated into a spat that got e-mailed to various attorneys, publications and "Nightline."

-----Original Message-----

From: Dianna Abdala

Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 9:23 PM

To: William A. Korman

Subject: Thank you

Dear Attorney Korman,

At this time, I am writing to inform you that I will not be accepting your offer.

After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the pay you are offering would neither fulfill me nor support the lifestyle I am living in light of the work I would be doing for you. I have decided instead to work for myself, and reap 100% of the benefits that I sow.

Thank you for the interviews.

Dianna L. Abdala, Esq.

-----Original Message-----

From: William A. Korman
To: Dianna Abdala

Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 12:15 PM

Subject: RE: Thank you

Dianna --

Given that you had two interviews, were offered and accepted the job (indeed, you had a definite start date), I am surprised that you chose an e-mail and a 9:30 PM voicemail message to convey this information to me. It smacks of immaturity and is quite unprofessional. Indeed, I did rely upon your acceptance by ordering stationary and business cards with your name, reformatting a computer and setting up both internal and external e-mails for you here at the office. While I do not quarrel with your reasoning, I am extremely disappointed in the way this played out. I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Will Korman

-----Original Message-----

From: Dianna Abdala

Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:01 PM

To: William A. Korman

Subject: Re: Thank you

A real lawyer would have put the contract into writing and not exercised any such reliance until he did so.

Again, thank you.

-----Original Message-----

From: William A. Korman
To: Dianna Abdala

Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:18 PM

Subject: RE: Thank you

Thank you for the refresher course on contracts. This is not a bar exam question. You need to realize that this is a very small legal community, especially the criminal defense bar. Do you really want to start pissing off more experienced lawyers at this early stage of your career?

-----Original Message-----

From: Dianna Abdala

To: William A. Korman
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:28 PM

Subject: Re: Thank you

bla bla bla

*ahem* she's my wife.

Except not really.