JD Journal

Sheppard Mullin, which instituted salary freezes in January, now admits it has been shedding attorneys since the beginning of 2009.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Sheppard Mullin Associates’ Forum, firm management announced that by the end of this week about 25 attorneys firmwide will have been let go since the beginning of the year. Some of these terminations were performance-related; others were true “lay-offs,” done in order to adjust professional staff levels in practice groups whose level of business has been adversely affected by the economic downturn.

The terminations have been carried out incrementally over the last two months, because firm management has very carefully assessed each associate’s performance in the context of the level of work projected for the associate’s practice group.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is an Am Law 100 law firm with over 520 attorneys in 10 offices in the United States and one in Shanghai. Its first office was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1927.

Related posts:

1. Sheppard Mullin Hires 3
2. Revenues and Profits Increase at Sheppard Mullin
3. Sheppard Mullin “Freezes” 2009 Salaries
4. Foley & Lardner Snag IP Co-Chair from Sheppard Mullin
5. Two Antitrust Partners move to Sheppard Mullin from Mayer Brown
6. DLA Piper Loses 4 Real Estate Lawyers