Layoffs

Pillsbury Cuts 55 Attorneys & 100 Staff

There’s no word on how many Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman associates accepted a “voluntary departure plan” offered last week. But today the firm announced in an internal memo that it is laying off about 55 associates, 10 paralegals and 90 support staffers. An Above the Law post about the layoffs…

Mar 5, 2009 7:22 PM CST

How to Get Noticed When Applying for Legal Jobs Online

Lawyers applying for jobs listed on websites shouldn’t assume they don’t need to put much work into their applications. Instead, job applicants need to prioritize, choosing their most desired positions and tailoring their résumés and cover letters for each job, experts told the National Law Journal. And going the extra…

Mar 5, 2009 3:57 PM CST

Top Layoff List Led by Orrick and Latham

Corrected: Law firms at the top of a lawyer layoff list are Orrick, for the highest percentage of laid-off associates and other nonpartner lawyers, and Latham & Watkins, for the greatest number. American Lawyer compiled the top 10 layoff list of large law firms. Orrick is No. 1 in percentages…

Mar 5, 2009 12:47 PM CST

March Mayhem: Law Firm Layoffs in 1 Week Total Nearly 1,500

Updated: In a sign of the troubled times, law firm cuts are getting deeper and more frequent: Late last week, Latham & Watkins made a stunning announcement that the firm is axing 190 associates and 250 staff. On Tuesday, Orrick announced it is cutting 100 associates and 200 staff, following…

Mar 4, 2009 11:59 PM CST

As Layoffs Surge, Long-Ago Grads Turn to Law Schools for Help

Traditionally, law school career offices focused on helping students and perhaps a few recent graduates find career-entry jobs as attorneys. But as a growing number of law firms throughout the country lay off seasoned practitioners, the career office mission is expanding. When the University of Chicago Law School offered a…

Mar 4, 2009 9:24 PM CST

Clifford Chance to Cut Up to 115 Staff

Megafirm Clifford Chance has announced that it will eliminate between 105 and 115 support staff positions at its London headquarters. The latest layoffs follow an announcement last month that the firm would reduce its partner ranks; about 80 junior London lawyers have been cut under the earlier restructuring program, and…

Mar 4, 2009 8:40 PM CST

Staff Layoffs Snowball: Shearman to Cut 78, Dewey About 100

Two law firms have announced layoffs that affect mostly administrative staffers. The staff layoffs at Shearman & Sterling and Dewey & LeBeouf come as two other law firms begin cutting a mixture of administrative staffers and lawyers. Shearman & Sterling is cutting about 60 secretaries and administrative staffers in the…

Mar 4, 2009 5:35 PM CST

Another Law Firm Lays Off Hundreds: This Time, It’s O’Melveny

For the second day in a row, a large law firm has announced staff cuts affecting hundreds of lawyers and support staffers. Today O’Melveny & Myers announced it is laying off about 90 lawyers and 110 staffers, cuts that amount to 10 percent of its legal and administrative ranks, <a…

Mar 4, 2009 5:11 PM CST

Law Firm Cuts ‘Getting Deeper’

Last fall, news of law firm layoffs in the dozens were surprising; this year some law firms are announcing layoffs affecting hundreds of people. The latest layoff news comes from Orrick, which laid off about 100 associates and of counsel and 200 staffers yesterday. The National Law Journal says the…

Mar 4, 2009 2:10 PM CST

Will Law Firms Begin Serial Layoffs? Not if They Can Help It, Experts Say

Orrick’s layoffs yesterday were the second in less than four months. Will other law firms that have already laid off lawyers follow suit? Not if they can avoid it, experts told the Recorder. Orrick cut about about 100 associates and of counsel and 200 staffers yesterday, following cuts of 40…

Mar 4, 2009 12:14 PM CST

Law Firm Layoffs Alternative: 4-Day Week for Over 100 Attorneys and Staff

A major Yorkshire law firm in the United Kingdom instituted a four-day workweek yesterday for more than 100 of its attorneys and staff members as an alternative to making layoffs to deal with the economic downturn. Those involved in the Harrowells workweek reduction were very understanding about the “planned and…

Mar 3, 2009 6:55 PM CST

DLA Piper Lays Off 20 Lawyers, 34 Staffers in Asian Offices

DLA Piper is laying off 20 lawyers and 34 staffers in Hong Kong and other Asian offices. A law firm spokesman told the Am Law Daily that most of the cuts will be made in DLA Piper’s 100-lawyer office in Hong Kong. The office, the firm’s largest in the region,…

Mar 3, 2009 6:11 PM CST

Orrick Announces Layoffs of About 100 Associates, 200 Staffers

Orrick has announced that it is laying off about 100 associates and 200 support staffers at its U.S. and international offices. The layoffs will affect offices in the United States, Asia and Europe, according to an announcement published on Above the Law. “These actions are unrelated to performance and affect…

Mar 3, 2009 5:37 PM CST

Thacher Got ‘Hooked’ on Structured Finance Before its Collapse

Before its dissolution, Thacher Proffitt & Wood had grown from a law firm with a staid reputation that did mostly corporate work to a firm that dominated the market for structured finance. By 2007, about 70 percent of the firm’s revenue came from structured finance matters—work that would dry up…

Mar 3, 2009 3:41 PM CST

Laid-Off Cadwalader Associate Creates Partner Rating Website

An associate laid off last year by Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has started a website that allows users to anonymously critique partners at large law firms. The new site is Rate a Partner and its creator is Sam Smith, the American Lawyer reports. Launched last week, it offers a five-star…

Mar 3, 2009 2:57 PM CST