Layoffs

Mayer Brown Expects to Cut Up to 55 People in UK; Memo Spurs Fears of More

Mayer Brown is expecting to lay off up to 55 lawyers and staffers in its London office. The law firm said in an internal memo today that it has begun the London redundancy consultation as part of a review of its global operations, Above the Law reports. The memo has…

Mar 20, 2009 2:38 PM CDT

Katten Lays Off 69, Cuts Pay of Associates Low on Billables By 20%

Katten Muchin Rosenman announced today that it is laying off 23 attorneys and 46 staff members. And that’s not all. Among other cost-cutting measures, the firm is reducing by 20 percent the salaries of remaining associates at the Chicago-based international law firm who were 10 percent below the firm’s 2000-hour…

Mar 19, 2009 8:06 PM CDT

Laid-Off Lawyer Tells Radio Station His Similarly Situated Friends Are Partying

Lawyer Jeff Steiner has been keeping his nose to the grindstone and doing volunteer work since he lost his job at a Charlotte, N.C., law firm last August. Steiner told WFAE 90.7FM that he has not been treating unemployment like a big party, but he knows some people who are.…

Mar 19, 2009 1:19 PM CDT

Too Many Law Firm Layoffs are Gender-Biased, ABA Commission Chair Says

A recent cover article in Forbes magazine recounts claims being made by Wall Street women—and their lawyers—that female employees are bearing more than their fair share of recent layoffs. But it isn’t just on Wall Street that women are disappearing from the workforce, says the chair of the ABA Commission…

Mar 18, 2009 7:53 PM CDT

Manatt Reports 47 Layoffs in 6 Months, as Clifford Chance Cut Staff in NY & DC

The layoffs took place months ago, but Manatt Phelps & Phillips and Clifford Chance are just now confirming them. Since October 2008, Manatt Phelps laid off a total of 12 attorneys, 3 paralegals and 32 administrative staff nationwide, the firm says in a written statement provided to Above the Law.…

Mar 18, 2009 6:56 PM CDT

Another UK Law Firm Considers Sick Days in Layoffs

Too many sick days will count against lawyers at Allen & Overy as it considers which people to lay off. The London-based law firm plans to cut up to 250 lawyers and 200 staffers. Its redundancy criteria are: individual performance, business, sickness, disciplinary record, versatility, contribution and potential, Legal Week…

Mar 18, 2009 2:21 PM CDT

Tech Companies Cut Legal Budgets and Some Lawyers

In-house legal departments at technology companies aren’t immune from budget cuts and staff layoffs. The Recorder (sub. req.) interviewed several general counsel at high-tech companies and all of them said their budgets had been cut. A few confirmed layoffs while one refused to comment. The cuts come as companies are…

Mar 18, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

Good News: Big Bonuses; Bad News: Salary Freeze, McDermott Announces

Associates at McDermott Will & Emery got both good news and bad news in recent internal announcements. First the good news: Associates remaining at the firm after recent layoffs will be getting big bonuses for their work in 2008. The firm describes them as “in many cases exceed[ing] the market,”…

Mar 17, 2009 10:04 PM CDT

Atlanta Firm Cuts 6 Incoming Associates; Nixes Summer Program to Save Jobs

Incoming associates at the Atlanta midsize law firm Morris, Manning & Martin got the bad news last night: Their jobs are gone. The firm rescinded offers to six incoming associates and canceled its summer program, which affects nine law students. In an e-mail interview with the ABA Journal, Managing Partner…

Mar 17, 2009 7:23 PM CDT

Morgan & Finnegan’s Accounts Frozen; Severance Checks Bounce

A judge has issued an injunction barring Morgan & Finnegan from selling or transferring assets in a suit claiming the dissolved law firm defaulted on its loan agreement. JPMorgan Chase contends Morgan & Finnegan owes it more than $4 million, the American Lawyer reports. Above the Law reported on the…

Mar 17, 2009 2:48 PM CDT

Layoff ‘Herd Mentality’ Ignores Greater Savings of Pay Cuts, Prof Says

Snowballing layoffs may be evidence more of a herd mentality than a careful evaluation of costs and benefits, according to a business school professor. “The fact that virtually every company, despite their varying circumstances, ends up pursuing exactly the same approach to cost-cutting suggests that the processes involved have more…

Mar 17, 2009 1:19 PM CDT

Situations Wanted: Laid-Off Lawyers Seek Volunteer Work—and Get Rejected

Updated: Jeremy Dyme was a fourth-year associate who found himself out of a job when his New York law firm dissolved at the end of the year. Now he’s finding that even volunteer work in his targeted field is difficult to secure. Dyme is looking for a volunteer position in…

Mar 16, 2009 1:42 PM CDT

White & Case Layoff ‘Trifecta’ Distinction Came on Record-Setting Day

A legal blog is characterizing layoffs at White & Case as a “trifecta” because the law firm has the highest number of lawyer layoffs, staff layoffs and total layoffs. White & Case announced the layoffs of about 200 lawyers and 200 staffers last Monday, at the same time as two…

Mar 16, 2009 12:47 PM CDT

Law Firm Layoffs (and Alternatives) Create Litigation Risk

Employment litigation, in general, is increasing, and laid-off lawyers certainly should be able to recognize a possible cause of action as quickly as most potential plaintiffs. So law firms need to exercise care when making layoffs—particularly since they, unlike their corporate clients, don’t have much prior experience doing so, reports…

Mar 14, 2009 2:00 AM CDT

Dewey Cuts 66 Partners’ Pay—By As Much as 80 Percent

In a move that may not elicit much pity from lower-paid lawyers, Dewey & LeBoeuf has chopped the pay of 66 partners over the past 15 months, axing it by as much as 80 percent. But that still means the highest-paid among the lower-performing partner group are earning some $25,000…

Mar 14, 2009 12:24 AM CDT