Layoffs

More Partner Bloodletting Predicted for 2009

Law firms are likely to take a hard look at underperforming partners this year, with more cuts and de-equitization ahead, according to some consultants and recruiters. There is “a scary consistency” to the predictions, the American Lawyer concludes, with cuts likely at law firms both here and in the United…

Feb 12, 2009 1:11 PM CST

Associate Laid Off Twice in Four Months Looks at the Bright Side

Associate Inna Efimchik has had a rough four months. Efimchik was a corporate associate at the law firm Heller Ehrman when it dissolved last fall, the Recorder reports. But the fourth-year associate was able to land on her feet at Cooley Godward Kronish, moving there with a group of Heller…

Feb 12, 2009 12:38 PM CST

Nixon Peabody Cuts 20 Lawyers, 36 Staff Positions

Nixon Peabody is eliminating the jobs of 20 lawyers and 36 support staffers. The law firm provided a statement announcing the layoffs to Above the Law. “Prudent management of our business requires that we downsize our associate, legal support, and administrative ranks, with the result that 20 attorneys will be…

Feb 10, 2009 5:35 PM CST

Lawyers at UK Firm Reduce Work Hours to Save Jobs

Several lawyers and legal staffers at Mills & Reeve have agreed to work fewer hours or take sabbaticals to avoid layoffs at the British law firm. About 25 jobs were saved as a result of the agreements, the Lawyer reports. The story tells of a group of six staffers who…

Feb 10, 2009 5:14 PM CST

Legal Jobs Now Stand at Same Level as March 2004

The legal industry lost 1,300 jobs in January, the same number of jobs that had been added in something of a turnaround the month before, according to Labor Department statistics. The temporary December uptick in jobs followed six months of decline, the Daily Journal reports (sub. req.). With the latest…

Feb 10, 2009 4:40 PM CST

Despite Economy, Some Open New Law Firms—and Thrive

Despite the struggling economy, lawyers are opening new firms—some voluntarily, and others as an alternative to unemployment. In both cases, many of the fledgling law partnerships are doing well, reports the National Law Journal. Business is booming for Jason Kohlmeyer, a Minnesota lawyer who opened a new criminal defense and…

Feb 9, 2009 9:41 PM CST

Luce Forward Lays Off 12 Lawyers, 15 Support Staffers

Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps has announced the layoffs of 12 lawyers and 15 support staffers. The layoffs primarily affect transactional practice areas—in business, corporate and real estate practices—and are because of economic conditions, according to a press release and Ramona Cyr, director of business development and marketing at the…

Feb 9, 2009 5:45 PM CST

Hogan & Hartson Offers Sweet Buyout Deal to Senior Staff: 20-30 Weeks

To avoid staff layoffs, one well-known Washington, D.C.-based international law firm is offering a sweet buyout deal to some staffers. Those who opt to leave the 1,100-attorney partnership will receive a hefty parting gift. “Staffers with more than five years of experience will be offered four weeks pay plus one…

Feb 9, 2009 5:37 PM CST

Hinshaw & Culbertson Lays Off 11 Lawyers, 17 Staffers

Chicago-based Hinshaw & Culbertson has cut 11 lawyers and 17 support staffers in a move attributed to the economic downturn. Managing partner Bill Roberts told the National Law Journal that the layoffs weren’t confined to any particular practice area or office. The firm has about 490 lawyers in 26 offices…

Feb 6, 2009 2:11 PM CST

One Lawyer Layoff Saves an Average of $250K

Law firms looking to cut budgets get more bang for their buck by laying off lawyers rather than trimming other costs. About 85 percent of a law firm’s budget goes to pay rent and personnel costs, the National Law Journal reports. “There’s only so much you can save by pulling…

Feb 6, 2009 1:54 PM CST

Laid Off? Work for Us for No Pay, Legal Job Ad Suggests

Taking advantage of a tough job market, an Illinois nonprofit is advertising for volunteer lawyers. “CARPLS Legal Aid is looking to put unemployed attorneys to work counseling the growing number of low-income families who are urgently in need of help during these difficult economic times,” the agency reports in a…

Feb 6, 2009 12:10 AM CST

Penn Students See Humor in Layoffs: ‘Dissolving Firm Offers 3L Partnership’

Apparently inspired by widespread news of layoffs at real law firms, law students at the University of Pennsylvania have highlighted some humorous aspects of a sad situation in a satirical “news” publication. The initial issue of Goat’s Milk (PDF), a self-described underground law review, leads with an article that indicates…

Feb 5, 2009 1:27 AM CST

As Consultant Advises Office Closings, Dewey Plans San Francisco Shutdown

Dewey & LeBoeuf plans to close its San Francisco office and move 17 lawyers there to its office in East Palo Alto, Calif. The move “comes on the heels of a turbulent 2008 for the San Francisco legal business,” the Recorder reports. The publication notes a recent report recommending that…

Feb 4, 2009 3:54 PM CST

‘Limited Turnover’ at Paul Hastings in Atlanta Office

Some lawyers have been let go at the Atlanta office of Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, but the layoffs are nothing unusual, the firm says. In a one-sentence response to a request for information from Above the Law concerning tips that a substantial number of associates have been given their…

Feb 4, 2009 1:27 AM CST

Biggest Buffalo, NY, Law Firm Lays Off 5 Lawyers and 8 Staff

Corrected: Buffalo, N.Y.-based Hodgson Russ asked five lawyers and eight staff members to leave last week. Gary Schober, the president and chief executive of the more than 200-attorney law firm, declines to say exactly why the dismissals, which he hesitated to call layoffs, were made, reports Business First of Buffalo.…

Feb 3, 2009 9:02 PM CST