Layoffs

Pain and Anxiety in Latest Layoffs, Delayed in Hopes of Better Times

The most recent wave of law firm layoffs comes after law firms delayed job cuts, hoping the economy would improve enough to avoid such drastic measures, according to a law firm consultant. The realization that jobs must be cut has some partners feeling tremendous anxiety, he says. In just the…

Mar 10, 2009 12:38 PM CDT

White & Case Lawyers Wait to Learn Bad News

Associates and staffers at White & Case likely had a sleepless night wondering if they will be among the 400 people expected to be axed. An internal memo dispatched at the law firm yesterday afternoon announced that about 200 lawyers and 200 staffers would be laid off. White & Case…

Mar 10, 2009 11:04 AM CDT

Hildebrandt: Cut Associate Salaries Now

“If you don’t cut associate starting salaries now, you are nuts. They were too high. Now we have to pay for it.” Bradford Hildebrandt’s admonition on costly associate salaries was repeated over and over as top law firm management met at Hildebrandt’s Law Firm Leaders Forum in San Francisco last…

Mar 9, 2009 7:17 PM CDT

731 Lawyers and Staff Laid Off Monday at Morgan Lewis, K&L Gates and White & Case

Updated: A stunning number of new names will soon be added to the law firm layoffs list after announcements today by three major firms—K&L Gates; Morgan Lewis; and White & Case—that they are cutting a total of 731 attorneys and staff. That brings the total number of law firm layoffs…

Mar 9, 2009 7:14 PM CDT

Extra Layoff Pain for Thacher 1st-Years: Bank Wants Firm Bar Loans Repaid

At many major law firms, new associates get a stipend or a loan to cover their expenses while studying for the bar exam over the summer. At those that treat the money as a loan, it is generally considered a salary advance that first-years pay back over time after they…

Mar 7, 2009 4:11 AM CST

As Laid-Off Lawyers Look for Work, How to Find It Isn’t Clear

Only a year or two ago, when the economy was relatively strong, Aviva Tiegerman had no interest in hearing from the multiple legal recruiters who called her daily at the Manhattan office of Kaye Scholer. But now the 29-year-old Tiegerman, who was laid off in May from her job there…

Mar 7, 2009 2:30 AM CST

Akin Gump Axes 47 Associates, 57 Staff

A law firm thought to be on the verge of making layoffs today has now confirmed the bad news. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which is based in Dallas, has announced that it is cutting 47 associates and 57 paralegals and staff because of economic conditions, reports Texas Lawyer.…

Mar 7, 2009 2:09 AM CST

King & Spalding Cuts 37 Lawyers, 85 Staff

Atlanta-based King & Spalding has just announced that it is laying off a total of 122 people: 37 associates and counsel and 85 staff. In a written statement, published by the Blog of Legal Times, firm chairman Robert Hays expresses regret for the layoffs, but says continuing decline in the…

Mar 6, 2009 11:09 PM CST

2 Major Law Firms Relay Bad News Today But Avoid Memos, Law Blog Says

Updated: Almost as soon as law firm leaders send out an internal memo about noteworthy management decisions in today’s Internet-oriented world, it is leaked by insiders and widely publicized on the Web. As a result of this Internet news culture, once-confidential information such as the huge number of layoffs being…

Mar 6, 2009 8:15 PM CST

Lawyer Legal Market Stronger in Canada

The legal job market is stronger in Canada, where only two major law firms have laid off lawyers. The Financial Post writes that lateral hiring at some Canadian firms is picking up after a slow period. “Canadian firms remain relatively unscathed,” the story says, noting only two major firms that…

Mar 6, 2009 4:06 PM CST

21,000 Legal Jobs Lost in Last Year

The legal industry lost 4,200 jobs in February—the biggest monthly decline since the Wall Street meltdown of last fall, according to government figures released today (PDF). Legal employment, which includes nonlawyers who work in the legal services industry, declined from 1,154,400 in January to 1,150,200 in February. Legal services nationwide…

Mar 6, 2009 2:59 PM CST

For Affirmation Generation, Layoffs Hurt All the More

Today’s associates were part of a generation raised with lots of affirmation and rewards, making job losses all the more difficult, according to a psychologist who has studied lawyer personalities. Psychologist and Hildebrandt consultant Larry Richard told the National Law Journal that most of those laid off will focus on…

Mar 6, 2009 1:31 PM CST

Recruiters Confirm Reports of Andrews Kurth Layoffs

Three legal recruiters are confirming reports of layoffs at Andrews Kurth several weeks ago. The recruiters told Texas Lawyer that layoffs were made in several of the firm’s offices. Two former associates told the publication that at least 20 lawyers were cut, and at least seven were in the firm’s…

Mar 6, 2009 12:17 PM CST

Today’s Layoffs, So Far, Top 200 as Arent Fox, Bingham and Pillsbury Wield Ax

News earlier today that Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman is cutting 55 attorneys and 100 staff was soon followed by word of layoffs at two other well-known law firms. Washington, D.C.-based Arent Fox has announced that it is eliminating 13 associates and 15 staff members, and Bingham McCutchen has laid off…

Mar 5, 2009 9:53 PM CST

So Many Ways to Say Goodbye, But Don’t Make an Angry Exit, Experts Advise

To paraphrase the words of a popular song, there must be 50 ways to leave your law firm, and an ever-increasing list of law firm layoffs is offering many attorneys a chance to choose between them. But sending an angry e-mail likely to spread your claims of mistreatment exponentially on…

Mar 5, 2009 9:22 PM CST