Perkins Coie lays off 58 business professionals, cites higher costs and workplace transformations
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Perkins Coie announced in a firmwide memo Monday that it has laid off 58 business professionals across its U.S. offices.
Above the Law and Law.com obtained copies of the memo and reported on the layoffs. Among the benefits being provided to people laid off are severance pay, assistance with health insurance costs, access to mental health support, outplacement services and pay for unused time off.
Perkins Coie attributed the need for layoffs to rising costs and transformations in the delivery of legal services.
“Like most law firms, we are navigating macroeconomic forces and market conditions that are driving up costs at a higher rate than revenue,” said Bill Malley, managing partner at Perkins Coie, in the memo.
“Beyond the immediate economic environment,” the memo said, “we are navigating deep transformations in the workplace and in the way legal services are provided. As a firm, we operate more than ever in national teams that provide highly specialized support across time zones and locations. We use technology in new ways to deliver information more efficiently. We automate tasks that previously were manual. We build custom solutions tailored to client needs. We innovate in the way we price and deliver legal services. These changes compel us to transform our own business by rethinking roles, restructuring departments and reimagining the way we work together to serve our clients.”
Perkins Coie did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment by the ABA Journal.
