Despite Stealth Layoffs, Most BigLaw Attorneys are Hanging Onto Their Jobs
Despite doomsmongering media reports of a struggling economy and an ever-increasing number of law firm layoffs, the news on the BigLaw attorney job front may not be all that bad.
Among the country’s 250 largest law firms, only 338 attorney layoffs, at 12 law firms, have been confirmed since October, reports the National Law Journal, in an article reprinted by New York Lawyer (reg. req.).
The exact number of so-called stealth layoffs done on the quiet, of course, isn’t known. However, even assuming that they represent “twice or even three times the reported amount, the number of attorneys ushered to the exits in the last 10 months is relatively small,” the legal publication points out, noting that about 9,603 attorneys work at those 12 firms.
Nationwide, there are about 128,213 lawyers at the 250 largest law firms. There are about 900,000 attorneys, total, in the United States.
