Layoffs

Jones Day Lays Off More Staffers, But Is ‘Poised for Additional Growth’

A week after confirming staff cuts in Los Angeles and Dallas, Jones Day has announced layoffs in its Cleveland office. The law firm did not specify how many people lost their jobs, but said none of them were lawyers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The newspaper cited a statement issued…

Jun 23, 2010 1:09 PM CDT

The Long Goodbye: Baker & McKenzie Bids Final Adieu to 11 Would-Be Associates in Class of ‘09

It’s official: Baker & McKenzie has told 11 would-be New York associates from the Class of 2009 that it still doesn’t have enough work to justify hiring them so they will have to look for jobs elsewhere. “We regret having to make this decision,” the megafirm tells Above the Law,…

Jun 22, 2010 10:58 PM CDT

Law Firms Express ‘Growing Enthusiasm’ for Contract Lawyers

There isn’t much good news for associates in a new survey of leaders of law firms with more than 50 lawyers. Forty-four percent of the firms laid off associates last year, 53 percent reduced or discontinued hiring first-year associates, and 64 percent shrunk their summer associate programs, according to the…

Jun 22, 2010 2:37 PM CDT

Fried Frank Secretary Alleges Firm Discriminated Against Older Staffers in Layoffs

A former secretary at Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson claims in a revised lawsuit that the firm discriminated against older staffers and those who had taken family or medical leave in 2008 layoffs. Judith Cuttler, who is in her early 60s, was one of at least eight secretaries who…

Jun 18, 2010 12:42 PM CDT

Jones Day Lays Off Staffers in Dallas and LA as ‘Last-Resort Alternative’

Jones Day has laid off an unspecified number of support staffers in its Los Angeles and Dallas offices. Washington, D.C., partner Joe Sims tells the ABA Journal that about two-thirds of those laid off are secretarial workers, and the rest are other legal support staffers. Sims wouldn’t give out specific…

Jun 16, 2010 5:08 PM CDT

NYC Law Dept to Firms: Send Us Your Deferred Associates

At least 25 furloughed and deferred associates in New York City have found temporary gigs this fall at the city’s law department—and there’s room for more. The law department, which reached out to laid-off associates last April with offers of a haven to sharpen their skills while job-hunting, is now…

Jun 9, 2010 7:48 PM CDT

Law Jobs Still Lacking: Legal Sector Lost 22,200 in a Year, But Added 300 Last Month

The economy is showing some signs of recovery—including a gain of 300 legal-sector jobs in May, versus the loss of hundreds the previous month, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report. But accounts of the legal employment market still paint a grim picture of the situation many attorneys…

Jun 5, 2010 12:35 AM CDT

Bad News for Laid-Off Associates: BigLaw Is Shunning You, Recruiter Says

Laid-off associates looking for work may have a hard time finding a job in BigLaw, even at firms that are hiring. Many large law firms aren’t interested, even when associates have in-demand expertise, New York recruiter Marina Sirras tells the National Law Journal. “I have heard a lot of firms…

May 5, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Shock Waves at Manhattan DA’s Office as Veteran Lawyers Are Laid Off

Faced with a 25 percent budget cut, the newly elected Manhattan District Attorney has made layoffs. Although the total number of positions Cyrus Vance Jr. cut was under 10, the action sent shock waves through the office because all the lawyers asked to resign were said by unidentified prosecutors to…

Apr 16, 2010 6:52 PM CDT

After Perhaps $100K in Legal Fees, Becker & Ex-Associate Settle $2K Pay Dispute

A hard-fought litigation battle between a South Florida law firm and an ex-associate over a $2,000 pay dispute has settled confidentially. The case between Becker & Poliakoff and Richard Valuntas had been scheduled to go to trial shortly in small claims court in Palm Beach, reports the Daily Business Review…

Apr 13, 2010 6:05 PM CDT

Mayer Brown to Lay Off 28 Lawyers & 47 Staff in US, But Says Legal Market is Improving

In an internal e-mail today, Mayer Brown axed 28 associates and counsel and 47 staff in its United States offices, expressing regret at the layoffs” but saying that reduced demand for legal services and reduced attrition made it necessary. Nonetheless, there are “encouraging signs for 2010,” states the e-mail, which…

Apr 8, 2010 5:42 PM CDT

‘Involuntary Law Firms’ Turn to Outsourcing for Business Help

The tight job market for lawyers is forcing more of them to start their own law firms, boosting the outlook for individuals and companies that help with the business aspects of a law practice. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports on the trend and cites anecdotal evidence that more lawyers are striking…

Apr 7, 2010 12:11 PM CDT

Lovells to Shutter 20-Lawyer Chicago Office

Lovells expects to close its approximately 20-lawyer Chicago office by the end of October. The decision was made after the firm conducted a strategic and financial review in conjunction with its planned May 1 merger with Hogan & Hartson. The news follows announcements within the past month that 56 lawyers…

Mar 30, 2010 7:38 PM CDT

3 Ruden McClosky Partners in Miami to Form Own Firm After 20 Staff Layoffs

Three partners in the dwindling Miami office of Ruden McClosky are leaving the firm at the end of the month to start their own law partnership, including bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice group chair Lawrence Gordich. An associate is also leaving, and a fourth partner has accepted an in-house counsel…

Mar 26, 2010 6:29 PM CDT

Lawyer Layoff Patterns: Young Go 1st, and Top 10 JD Is No Shield

When law firms lay off attorneys, who is thrown overboard first? Among the likely targets are junior lawyers, rather than partners, and a juris doctor degree from a major-name law school may offer them little if any protection, according to research by two law academics discussed today at the Georgetown…

Mar 23, 2010 10:49 PM CDT