Simpson Cracks Down on Associates
Updated: Dealing with a difficult economy, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has reportedly responded by requiring more from its associates.
A new midyear associate performance review has been imposed, and “it is understood that the benchmark for associates to reach in order to keep their jobs is significantly higher than in previous appraisals,” reports the Lawyer.
While the firm chairman denies that associate layoffs are planned as a result of the credit crunch, “people who are viewed as not performing have been given the opportunity to find another job,” an unnamed law firm source says.
However, one law blog says the Lawyer’s report of what amount to “stealth layoffs” at Simpson Thacher may be exaggerated—and the legal publication’s claim that the law firm has instituted a new program of midyear associate reviews is flat-out wrong; it had an existing midyear review program.
But some associates at the firm are at least being encouraged to depart for performance-based reasons, and there may, depending on your view of the situation, be some layoffs involved, too, according to Above the Law.
Bottom line: “Some dismissed associates are unhappy—and speaking out about what they perceive as poor treatment,” the law blog says.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com (June 11, 2008): “More than 30 Thacher Lawyers Quit in Last 6 Months”
Updated at 4:05 p.m. to include information from Above the Law post and link to earlier ABAJournal.com coverage.
