Layoffs

Jobs Are Scarce, But Stay Positive, Experts Tell Laid-Off NYC Lawyers

The job market is grim right now for laid-off BigLaw attorneys and others seeking work, some 200 participants at a New York City Bar Association workshop sponsored by Vault were told today. However, to snag one of these scarce positions, it’s important to stay positive Encouraged to present an optimistic…

Jun 16, 2009 7:01 PM CDT

10,000 UK Lawyers Could Lose Jobs Within 2 Years; ‘09 is ‘Worst Year Ever,’ Recruiter Says

In another signpost of the sea change that seems to be occurring in the legal profession, a major United Kingdom newspaper is predicting that more than 10,000 lawyers there could lose their jobs over the next two years. If so, that figure likely would include more than 1 in 10…

Jun 15, 2009 8:06 PM CDT

BigLaw Voice Mail to Young Attorneys: ‘It’s Not Good News, But Give Us a Call’

When one of London’s most elite law partnerships recently decided it had to let 14 solicitor trainees go instead of giving them permanent jobs, partners at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer had the magic circle firm’s human resources department give them a call. But when HR couldn’t immediately reach all of the…

Jun 15, 2009 6:58 PM CDT

Cravath Will Pay New Associates $80K to Stay Away for a Year

Cravath, Swaine & Moore is trying to cope with a larger than expected incoming associate class by offering $80,000 to any lawyers who agree to stay away for a year. Lawyers who take Cravath up on the offer will also be paid as much as $1,000 a month to cover…

Jun 12, 2009 6:46 PM CDT

Laid-Off Associate Joins Computer Hacking Community

At one point, and not too long ago, Nicolle Neulist was following a fairly traditional legal career path. She earned her J.D. and landed a position doing bankruptcy work at Locke Lord in Chicago. But Neulist’s path was interrupted two months ago when she became a victim of BigLaw layoffs.…

Jun 11, 2009 8:02 PM CDT

Tennessee Law Firm Bass Berry Lays Off 10 Associates, 22 Staffers

Bass Berry & Sims has laid off 10 associates and 22 staff members at its three offices in Tennessee. Managing partner Keith Simmons told the Nashville Business Journal that the cuts were “proportionally divided” among the offices in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, and all practice areas were affected. The story…

Jun 11, 2009 12:22 PM CDT

Layoffs’ Toll: At White & Case, a ‘Melancholy Pall’ and Fear of Sick Days

Layoffs are taking a heavy toll on law firm jobs, but the aftermath also leaves psychological scars on the people who remain on the job in an atmosphere of fear and ambiguity. The New York Times highlights White & Case as something of a case study. The firm has laid…

Jun 8, 2009 1:05 PM CDT

Squire Sanders Mulls Possible Merger With Denton Wilde Sapte

Merger talks reportedly may be under way between Squire Sanders & Dempsey and Denton Wilde Sapte. Still in the early stages, the conversations could achieve a transatlantic engagement as soon as this fall if they go well, reports Legal Week. The article relies on unidentified sources; Howard Morris, who is…

Jun 5, 2009 7:12 PM CDT

Expert Explains 3-Step Plan for Lawyers Seeking a Career Change

Laid-off lawyers can follow a three-step process to replace a job they may not have enjoyed all that much with one they like a lot better, a career coach told about 45 attorneys at a recent lunch seminar sponsored by the State Bar of Georgia. The process involves answering three…

Jun 4, 2009 8:55 PM CDT

McDermott Axes 25 Lawyers, 47 Staff

McDermott Will & Emery has just announced that it is cutting 25 lawyers and 47 staff members from its roster. In an internal memo today to all law firm personnel, chairman Harvey Freishtat says the layoffs were made after reviewing current and projected client needs, reports the Am Law Daily.…

Jun 4, 2009 4:50 PM CDT

Dorsey & Whitney Cuts Pay for All Associates By 10 Percent

Dorsey & Whitney hasn’t laid off any attorneys. But the law firm did impose a 10 percent across-the-board pay cut on all associates. And bonuses were also reduced by an undisclosed amount, reports the Star Tribune. News of the salary cut follows word yesterday that Dorsey & Whitney, which is…

Jun 3, 2009 5:40 PM CDT

‘No Layoffs’ at WilmerHale, But Firm Asks Some Lawyers to Find New Jobs

They’re not layoffs, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr insists. But some firm lawyers are being urged to look for work elsewhere, based in part to a drop-off in legal work because of the dismal economy. Under a new career advancement program implemented last year, an unspecified number of associates…

Jun 3, 2009 12:29 AM CDT

Dorsey & Whitney Cuts 55 Staff Members

In what is apparently the first round of layoffs at Dorsey & Whitney over the dismal economy, the law firm has let 55 staff members go. Seven offices are affected, an unidentified law firm spokesperson told Above the Law. The Minneapolis office is hardest-hit, according to the spokesperson. Earlier related…

Jun 2, 2009 6:25 PM CDT

Eight Mayer Brown Associates Take $100K-Plus Pay Cut to Work In-house

Mayer Brown has reduced the pay of eight associates by at least $100,000 and sent them to work for a year in the offices of law firm clients. The associates—whose prior pay ranged from $160,000 to $200,000—are being paid $60,000 plus benefits to work in-house, with no guarantee of employment…

Jun 2, 2009 12:17 PM CDT

In-House Is No Haven

As businesses shrink staff, lawyers are among those being laid off

Jun 2, 2009 4:40 AM CDT