JD Journal » law firm layoffs

Law Firms Continue to Squeeze Associates with Salary and Bonuses

jim — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:09:47 +0000

Law firms across the country are starting to recover from the recession but plenty of them are not bringing their younger lawyers with them. Despite returning profits, partners are being cautious as they focus one of their eyes on damaged balance sheets and their other eye on stingy clients.

Young legal associates fresh out of college in 2008 took on large law school loans as they ran into layoffs and stagnant pay since then. Those associates have had fewer chances to get into law firms on the ground floor while the idea of partnership has pretty much gone out the window.

“What happens if Greece falls apart again?” says Greg Nitzkowski, the managing partner at Paul Hastings LLP. The firm is internationally known and has reduced its hires by about one-third since 2008. “We just think it’s prudent to plan as if this coming year is going to be a relatively flat year.…We’re not planning for a big upsurge in demand.”

The legal industry shed roughly 41,900 positions since 2009, according to the United States Labor Department. In 2011, only 2,700 cuts were made, which is much more moderate of a number.

Since 2008, many elite law firms have lowered their numbers of entry level lawyers by at least half. The salaries and the bonuses for those lawyers remain very flat despite a law school degree at a top university will cost $100,000 or more.

While the recession was in full swing, many law firms lowered their associate ranks by using layoffs and by delaying the start dates of graduates fresh out of law school. Many law firms are now employing the use of contract attorneys and outsourcing firms to complete routine tasks.

“Law firms basically focused a lot of head-count reductions during the recession on associate ranks, says Dan DiPietro, the chairman of Citi Private Bank’s law-firm group. “They feel like the associate ranks are where they want them to be.”

An international law firm, White & Case LLP is planning to hire 60 entry level attorneys this year. This number can be compared to the prerecession class hires that included 90 to 100 lawyers.

“The efficiency of law practice has just changed dramatically in the past five years,” says Bill Dantzler, a hiring partner and head of the firm’s tax practice. “We don’t have to have these armies of young associates. It’s good for the clients, it’s good for everybody.”

Reputable firms can now be much pickier when it comes to who they hire. Attorneys who are hired at big law firms will still work grueling hours. Associates at law firms with more than 700 lawyers billed an average of 1,859 hours in 2010. This comes out to more than seven hours per day, according to the National Association for Law Placement. As lawyer levels dropped, the average workload for associates grew by 2.3 percent since 2008, which is about 50 added hours per year.

Several law firms have said that they do not plan to raise the salaries of associates, which have not increased since 2007. The bonuses from December remained pretty much the same since 2010.

“Most firms are hesitant to lock themselves into something they can’t sustain,” says Paula Alvary from Hoffman Alvary. “While there is clear evidence that work levels are returning, they’re not at prerecession levels for most firms.”

Ruden McClosky Axes 16 Staff

marvins — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:39:08 +0000

Ruden McClosky, a Florida-based law firm, slashed 16 staff members in line with the its reorganization plan to cut expenses, increase revenue and standardize the three-to-one lawyer-to-secretary ratio. The layoff did not include lawyers or paralegals. The affected workers were basically from the administrative and support division, including the longtime library director and several secretaries who have been with the firm for more than 20 years. The axed employees were generally concentrated in the Fort Lauderdale office, which removed 13 of its staff members. The West Palm Beach office slashed two and Orlando eliminated one.

Ruden’s co-managing partner, Carl Schuster, explained that the firm is currently focusing on increasing its profitability across the Florida market. “Ruden McClosky continues to implement changes that are in line with today’s law firm standards for best practices, which include maximizing efficiencies while enhancing the firm’s technological capabilities.”

Ruden McClosky has been greatly affected by the recent economic recession and real estate clash. As a result, the firm experienced partner defections, employed mass layoffs and closure of some of its offices. New co-partner elect Michael Kru said that the firm is now poised to grow and is looking to hire new associates. Kru also assured that there are no layoffs slated in the coming months after the recent downsizing.

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

joshua — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:47:31 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz has added Kevin A. Stine as a shareholder in its Atlanta office. Stine focuses his commercial and business litigation practice on bankruptcy, insolvency, creditors’ rights, secured transactions and IP issues…

Brinks Hofer Gilson Lione expanded its Washington D.C. office with the addition of international trade attorney Jay H. Reiziss. He handled more than 50 IP disputes while serving the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Chairman, and the Office of Unfair Import

Sidley Austin added Antony Bryceson to its London office as counsel in the firm’s investment funds, advisers and derivatives practice. He will work also work closely with Sidley’s prime brokerage practice in the United States. Bryceson was previously with Simmons & Simmons…

Sidley Austin also added Karen Dreyfus as a partner in its Palo Alto office. She represents software and internet businesses as well as companies in the gaming and airline industries…

Financial services firm BuckleySandler LLP has added class-action defense and insurance coverage litigator Donna L. Wilson as a partner in its Los Angeles office. She joins the firm from Kelly Drye, where she was a litigation partner and co-chair of its consumer financial services practice…

Revenue and Profits down, PPP up at Dickstein Shapiro

joshua — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:06:42 +0000

As a firm, Dickstein Shapiro shared the country’s economic woes in 2009 with revenues dropping by 4.78% and profits dipping 5.17%, but the partnership still managed to do ok. Per partner profits were up 6.76% to just over $1 million. The discrepancy is due to an 11% reduction in the number of equity partners firm wide. The number of non equity partners rose slightly and non equity partner compensation jumped by a little more than 8% to an average of $525,000.

Associates didn’t fare as well with two rounds of layoffs and a salary freeze. This year, associates at the firm are being paid using a merit based system rather than lockstep compensation.

Revenue, Profits Take a Tumble at Howrey

joshua — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:28:12 +0000

It was a rough year financially for Howrey in 2009. The firm’s gross revenue declined to $480 million last year, a decrease of 16.3 percent from $573.2 million in 2008. Profits per partner also took a precipitous drop. PPP came in at $846,053 in 2009 as compared to $1.299 million in ’08, a drop of 34.9 percent. Revenue per lawyer fell 19.2 percent to $702,782.

Earlier this month, CEO Bob Ruyak announced in an email that there was not enough work available for all attorneys and staff and that layoffs would be forthcoming. Initial reports had the number of layoffs at 100, though it couldn’t be confirmed.

Howrey was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its major areas of practice include antitrust law, intellectual property law and global litigation. The firm has over 700 attorneys and offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, London, Munich, Taipei and several other locations.

Revenue Down, Profits Up at Sidley Austin

joshua — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:49:40 +0000

A decline in gross revenue in 2009 didn’t stop profits per equity partner (PPP) from inching up at Sidley Austin. The firm, which saw its number of equity partners decrease from 332 in 2008 to 304 last year, reported a PPP increase of just over two percent to $1.46 million. Gross revenue was $1.49 billion, a decrease of about nine percent from 2008.

The number of attorneys under the Sidley Austin umbrella also dropped, largely as a result of layoffs last March that saw 89 staff attorneys and 140 staff members axed. There are currently 1,588 attorneys, down from 1,702.

Sidley Austin is one of the oldest law firms in the world and has offices in 16 cities around the world.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:30:27 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Monday, February 8, and it’s time to look back at Friday’s news…

Clyde & Co opened its third US office in New Jersey…

January was another bad month for the legal sector, with another 1,100 jobs lost…

Bernstein Liebhard abandoned its endeavor for Florida state pension work after admitting to inaccuracies in its application to the state committee…

Barnes & Thornburg added 5 laterals in Atlanta…

Mintz Levin’s consulting affiliate has a new senior vice president…

Several major firms in DC took a half day due to weather…

The Glover Park Group has a new managing director of its government affairs practice…

Cooley Godward picked up a team of energy lawyers from Alston & Bird…

Another partner has moved to Latham from White & Case…

Pomerantz is investigating Koss Corp. on behalf of its investors…

Fried Frank has new office space in DC…

Manatt named a new partner in LA…

and President Obama nominated two more US Attorneys…

Layoffs at Foley & Lardner

joshua — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:45:07 +0000

Foley & Lardner is cutting its numbers today, possibly by as many as 39 people. Exact numbers are not available yet, nor do we know which offices or practices are being targeted, and we will update this post as we find out more. If you have any information, send us a tip here.

UPDATE: A tipster tell us that 40 associates were let go and sent a copy of the following email

Message from Managing Partner Nancy Sennett to attorneys: As all of you are aware, the firm has concluded that it is necessary to layoff a number of associates and senior counsel in order to bring capacity in line with demand. While this certainly is not what any of us would have liked, I fully support this decision and believe that it is in the best long-term interests of the firm. All attorneys in Milwaukee who have been affected by the layoffs have now been individually notified. No further attorney layoffs are contemplated. We will provide whatever support and assistance we can for our colleagues who have been terminated. Thank you for your understanding and support in this difficult economic environment.

Foley & Lardner LLP is an international general practice law firm started in 1842 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It employs 1,000 attorneys, and is the 24th largest firm in the United States.

Voluntary Staff Layoffs at Crowell & Moring

joshua — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:17:45 +0000

Crowell & Moringhas asked staff to voluntarily leave in order to bring them down to a four to one attorney/staff ratio. Anyone that voluntarily leaves by October 23rd will receive 6 month salary as a severance package. If they don’t reach the four to one goal through voluntary resignations, they will reassess their staffing needs to determine if involuntary (ie.. layoffs) cuts are needed.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 450 lawyers practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, health care, corporate, intellectual property and a variety of other practice areas. Based in Washington, DC, the firm also has offices in New York, London, Brussels, Los Angeles, and Orange County, California.

Baker Botts layoffs

joshua — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:36:33 +0000

Texas powerhouse Baker Botts appears to be feeling the economic pinch.

Without confirming the exact number of layoffs, spokesmen for the company have confirmed that associates have been let go this week from the Houston office for economic reasons. Unconfirmed reports put the number at an even dozen, leaving the number one shy of a true “bakers dozen“, which is 13.

Tipsters have also reported that anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of the summer class has not been offered a position at Baker Botts, but the firm is pressing ahead with new hires of 3L’s.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:03:12 +0000

Last week in law firm layoffs:

Fish & Richardson: undisclosed lawyers

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle: undisclosed lawyers

Ogier: 17 undisclosed

Total: How can we have a total? Nobody’s offering details. We’ll call it 17 undisclosed.

Previously:

Week of August 9th: 4 lawyers, 9 staff

Week of August 2nd: 22 lawyers, 33 staff

Week of July 26th: 98 staff

Week of July 19th: 18 lawyers, 21 staff, 20 undisclosed

Week of July 12th: 100 lawyers, 5 staff

Week of July 5th: 191 lawyers, 112 staff, 60 undisclosed

Week of June 28th: 49 lawyers, 11 staff, 175 undisclosed

Week of June 21st: 30 lawyers, 43 staff

Week of June 14th: 51 lawyers, 34 staff

Week of June 7th: 81 lawyers, 61 staff, 85 undisclosed

Week of May 31st: 101 lawyers, 142 staff, 49 undisclosed

Week of May 24th: 66 lawyers, 119 staff

Week of May 17th: 40 lawyers, 118 staff

Week of May 10th: 274 lawyers, 499 staff

Week of May 3rd: 274 lawyers, 160 staff

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Tipster: Fish & Richardson Lays Off Corporate Lawyers [Update]

Erik Even — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:56:30 +0000

According to a JDJournal tipster, intellectual property firm Fish & Richardson, which in January laid off 30 staff members across its eight US offices, “laid off its entire corporate section on Wednesday.”

That’s all we got. If you know anything about stealth layoffs at Fish & Richardson, please — send us a confidential tip!

Founded in 1878, Fish is one of the largest law firms in the world practicing intellectual property, litigation, and corporate law, and has as a legal staff of more than 450 attorneys and 1,200 employees in 12 offices across the globe, including an office in Munich, Germany.

UPDATE

Another tipster says:

This statement is not true. While it is correct that several corporate attorneys have been asked to leave the firm, the firm plans to keep corporate attorneys in the Northeast.

Okay, but who was laid off? How many? Why? Help us out, people!

Rumor: Curtis Lays Off Corporate Associates

Erik Even — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:35:09 +0000

Blawgs are reporting that Curtis held layoffs this week, targeting up to 15% of its corporate associates. Those targeted are said to be expected to work for the next ten weeks.

The firm, which hired five German lawyers in May, has neither confirmed nor denied the rumor.

If you know anything about layoffs at Curtis, please — send us a confidential tip!

Founded in New York City in 1830, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP is an international law firm with 240 attorneys in 15 offices worldwide, plus a strategic alliance with a firm in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Ogier Lays Off 17 Employees

Erik Even — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:39:24 +0000

Ogier, a leading global offshore law firm, is laying off 17 people at its law office in the Bailiwick of Jersey.

Details, such as whether or not lawyers were targeted, have not been released.

If you know anything about layoffs at Ogier, please — send us a confidential tip!

Ogier has offices in the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey. It is one of the top tier multi-jurisdictional offshore law firms worldwide, employing 39 partners, 220 attorneys and over 300 support staff. Ogier also has offices in Bahrain, Hong Kong, Ireland, London, and Tokyo.

Ledingham Chalmers Sees Profits Fall, Will Not Hold Layoffs

Erik Even — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:02:11 +0000

Ledingham Chalmers has announced a drop in pre-tax profits of 20%, to £3.3 million ($5.5 million), in the year to March. But the firm does not intend to hold layoffs.

Activity was up in energy and rural matters, but down in property matters. Fee income fell 3% to £9.1 million ($15 million).

Other, larger Scottish rivals have made redundancies this year. Ledingham Chalmers plans to keep its workforce in the hopes that business will improve. It employs 147 staff, including 24 partners.

Ledingham Chalmers LLP is a regional law firm with offices in Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh, and is one of the largest full service firms in Scotland.

Survey: Aussie Partners See Salary Cuts

Erik Even — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:24:27 +0000

A new survey of Australian law firm partners shows plummeting incomes and soaring stress levels.

Mahlab Recruitment reports that partner salaries are down by over 5% in Sydney, and 4% in Melbourne. Last year, partners in both cities saw an 11% increase.

The survey also says that firms have been quietly booting under-performing partners for the last year.

Almost 70% of private practice lawyers were not satisfied with their salary reviews.

Mahlab Recruitment, a legal and practice management recruitment consultancy, has offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:59:03 +0000

This week in law firm layoffs:

Gilbert Oshinsky: 4 lawyers, 9 staff

Total: 4 lawyers, 9 staff

Really! That’s all we got!

Previously:

Week of August 2nd: 22 lawyers, 33 staff

Week of July 26th: 98 staff

Week of July 19th: 18 lawyers, 21 staff, 20 undisclosed

Week of July 12th: 100 lawyers, 5 staff

Week of July 5th: 191 lawyers, 112 staff, 60 undisclosed

Week of June 28th: 49 lawyers, 11 staff, 175 undisclosed

Week of June 21st: 30 lawyers, 43 staff

Week of June 14th: 51 lawyers, 34 staff

Week of June 7th: 81 lawyers, 61 staff, 85 undisclosed

Week of May 31st: 101 lawyers, 142 staff, 49 undisclosed

Week of May 24th: 66 lawyers, 119 staff

Week of May 17th: 40 lawyers, 118 staff

Week of May 10th: 274 lawyers, 499 staff

Week of May 3rd: 274 lawyers, 160 staff

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

Erik Even — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:39:46 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

Scott Gross joins law firm Axiom from Wildman, as a partner in Chicago. His practice focuses on labor and employment. He was previously a partner at Sidley Austin and senior counsel at Bridgestone/Firestone. His JD is from Boston College Law School.

Henry M. Quillian III joins Taylor English Duma in Atlanta, Georgia. He handles matters in construction, insurance coverage, antitrust, catastrophic personal injury and products liability. His JD is from the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens.

Trisha Weed joins Tampa, Florida’s Caveda Law Firm. She was a prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office in Hillsborough County, and practiced family law at Knox & Givens. Her JD is from the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport.

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

Erik Even — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:09:37 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

John H. Tatlock joins Denver’s The Harris Law Firm as special counsel, handing the firm’s complex litigation and appeals. He was previously with McKenna Long & Aldridge. His JD is from the University of Denver College of Law.

Carl Singley joins Philadelphia’s Ciardi, Ciardi & Astin from Blank Rome; he was previously with the now-defunct Wolf Block. He was also dean of Temple Law School, and head of Singley & Associates. His JD is from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, and his LL.M is from Yale.

David Pollak joins McKenna Long & Aldridge in New York, as a senior strategic adviser and independent consultant. He most recently served as the New York State director of Obama for America; and was co-chair of the Democratic Party of New York. Other experience includes managing director at UBS Investment Bank, and vice president at the now-defunct Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

AmLaw: Cadwalader Still #1 for Layoffs

Erik Even — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:20:22 +0000

The American Lawyer has updated its list of AmLaw 200 law firms by percentage layoffs since January, 2008. More than 3,067 attorney jobs have been cut, or 2.75%.

Here are the top five, as of today:

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft: 36.3%
Dechert LLP: 14.6%
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe: 14.3%
McKee Nelson: 13.3%
White & Case: 13.0%

Gilbert Oshinsky Lays Off 4 Lawyers, 9 Staff

Erik Even — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:35:35 +0000

Blawgs are now reporting that in June, Gilbert Oshinsky laid off four attorneys and nine staff.

The staffers included five senior secretaries, two administrative employees, an IT professional, and — ironically — a legal recruiter.

The firm says the layoffs were not performance-based.

Based in Washington DC, with offices in Los Angeles and Austin, Gilbert Oshinsky represents corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations and individuals in complex disputes, including high-stakes litigation, bankruptcy matters, class actions and ADRs.

BLS: Legal Industry Lost 2,700 Jobs in July

Erik Even — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:22:45 +0000

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that the US legal services industry lost another 2,700 jobs in July, a 0.23% drop.

The industry employs 1.13 million lawyers and staff.

In July the US economy overall gained a few jobs — the nation’s unemployment rate fell from 9.5% in June to 9.4% in July.

Some of the biggest July job losses were at DLA Piper (20 lawyers and 100 staff) and at Fulbright & Jaworski (85 staff).

Akerman Senterfitt Cuts 5 Associates

Erik Even — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:06:51 +0000

Florida’s Akerman Senterfitt, which in July announced a 10% cut in associate salaries, has laid off five associates.

Two of the five let go are first-years.

Akerman Senterfitt was founded in 1920, and has grown to become one of the largest law firms in the United States. In 2008, the National Law Journal ranked the firm as 92nd largest in the US by number of attorneys, and the second-largest Florida-based firm.

The firm employs 500 lawyers across offices in Los Angeles, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, New York City, Washington DC; Tyson’s Corner, Virginia; and Madison, Wisconsin.

Tipster: More Layoffs Today at Fulbright & Jaworski [Update 2]

Erik Even — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:07:33 +0000

We have been covering rumors of ongoing stealth layoffs at Fulbright & Jaworski.

We now believe that six associates and four staff were laid off in Los Angeles; 10 staff in San Antonio; 8 staff in New York; 24 staff in Dallas; and 12 secretaries 29 in Houston.

And a JDJournal tipster warned us that more layoffs were coming today.

Now, from the tip line: “Fulbright & Jaworski has laid off staff in Austin, TX – starting this morning at 10:00 a.m.”

C’mon, people! Who? How many? How were those targeted informed?

If you know anything about layoffs today at Fulbright & Jaworski, please — send us a confidential tip!

Founded in 1919, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP employs over 1,000 lawyers in 16 locations in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Denver, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Munich, New York, Riyadh, San Antonio, St. Louis and Washington, DC.

UPDATE

From a JDJournal Tipster:

Your numbers re Houston are incorrect. F&J laid of an additional 17 staff members on Friday in Houston. That’s on top of the 11 or 12 let go on Thursday, for a total of 28 or 29. I haven’t heard numbers from Austin either.

Thanks for the tip!

UPDATE 2

Now a tipster informs us that F&J Austin has lost four staff – two floaters, one secretary and one recruiting assistant.

Thanks!

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

Erik Even — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:43:54 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

John Brownlee joins Holland & Knight as partner in the firm’s McLean, Virginia and Washington DC offices. He was US Attorney in the Western District of Virginia from 2001 to 2008. He joins the firm’s enforcement defense and government contracts practices. He received his JD from the College of William & Mary in Virginia.

Sergio A. Pozzerle joins McDermott Will & Emery in Houston, as a partner in the energy & derivatives markets group. He joins from Pillsbury. His JD is from Yale Law School, where he was senior editor of Yale Law Journal.

Tim Jeveons joins Greenberg Traurig from White & Case, to launch the firm’s capital markets practice in London. He joined White & Case in 2003 from Linklaters.

Mintz Levin Lays Off Associates, Staff

Erik Even — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:35:25 +0000

Boston’s Mintz Levin has laid off an undisclosed number of attorneys and staff. Blawgs are reporting that 15 associates were targeted, amongst others.

The firm is also working on making changes in compensation.

Blawgs are also saying the firm conducted a round of stealth layoffs in February.

Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo is a general practice law firm employing 500 attorneys worldwide. Headquartered in Boston, Mintz also has offices in New York City, Washington DC, Stamford, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, San Diego, and London.

Nixon Peabody Hires Partners from McKee Nelson

Erik Even — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:35:32 +0000

Nixon Peabody, which in February laid off 56 attorneys and staff, has hired away two partners from McKee Nelson.

Keith Krasney and Peter Morreale will head up Nixon Peabody’s securitization and structured finance team. Krasney will work out of New York City, while Morreale will set up shop in Washington DC.

Nixon Peabody LLP is one of the largest multi-practice law firms in the US, with offices in seventeen cities in the United States and one in London, and more than seven hundred attorneys in twenty-five major practice areas.

HBJ Gately Wareing Lays Off Partners — More to Come

Erik Even — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:22:22 +0000

HBJ Gately Wareing has laid off two partners, and expects further job cuts. Stephen Webster and Stuart Rennie have been asked to leave the firm.

The firm expects to let go more people, perhaps associates, in the near future.

Founded more than 200 years ago, HBJ Gateley Wareing is a top 70 international law firm with offices in the UK and Dubai.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

admin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:10:08 +0000

This week in law firm layoffs:

Fulbright & Jaworski: 54 staff (here & here)

Bradley Arant: 35 staff

Mallesons: 100 lawyers & staff

Husch Blackwell: undisclosed lawyers

Goodsill Anderson: 9 staff

Total: 98 staff

Previously:

Week of July 19th: 18 lawyers, 21 staff, 20 undisclosed

Week of July 12th: 100 lawyers, 5 staff

Week of July 5th: 191 lawyers, 112 staff, 60 undisclosed

Week of June 28th: 49 lawyers, 11 staff, 175 undisclosed

Week of June 21st: 30 lawyers, 43 staff

Week of June 14th: 51 lawyers, 34 staff

Week of June 7th: 81 lawyers, 61 staff, 85 undisclosed

Week of May 31st: 101 lawyers, 142 staff, 49 undisclosed

Week of May 24th: 66 lawyers, 119 staff

Week of May 17th: 40 lawyers, 118 staff

Week of May 10th: 274 lawyers, 499 staff

Week of May 3rd: 274 lawyers, 160 staff

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Cadwalader Offering Contract Work for Associates on Sabbatical

Erik Even — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:26:29 +0000

Earlier this month, Cadwalader told 34 junior associates they could accept a one year, unrestricted sabbatical. or leave the firm.

Now the firm has announced it is offering the laid off associates jobs with the firm, as contract lawyers. The jobs would pay between $45 and $65 per hour.

In May, Cadwalader was the number one AmLaw 200 firm in layoffs.

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is the oldest continuously-operated law firm in the United States. Established in New York City in 1792, Cadwalader is now one of the leading financial law firms in the world. It has offices in London; Charlotte, North Carolina; Washington, DC; and Beijing, China.

Mallesons to Cut 100 Lawyers, Staff

Erik Even — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:58:07 +0000

Commercial law firm Mallesons will begin a redundancy consultation in August, targeting 5% of the firm’s workforce.

The redundancies are being characterized as voluntary, and will affect 100 lawyers and staff. Some lawyers will be offered more than one year’s pay.

The offers are to include a payment based on years of service, an additional stipend, and outplacement.

Founded in 1832, Mallesons Stephen Jaques is a commercial law firm that operates in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region generally, it is considered one of the top commercial law firms. It has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, Shanghai and Papua New Guinea.

Tipster: Husch Blackwell Laying Off More Lawyers

Erik Even — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:15:07 +0000

Husch Blackwell laid off 17 lawyers and 45 staff in March, and 10 lawyers two weeks ago.

Now a JDJournal tipster says the firm has laid off an undisclosed number of additional attorneys.

More attorneys were laid off last week at the St. Louis Husch, Blackwell office, including well respected partners and associates. [They] also demoted equity partners, cut salaries, etc. No one knows until the very last minute. Possibly more to come?

Thanks for the tip!

If you know anything about layoffs or salary cuts at Husch Blackwell, please send us a confidential tip!

Husch Blackwell Sanders is a multinational litigation and business services law firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. It has approximately 675 attorneys in 13 cities. The firm was formed in 2008 as a combination of two regional law firms, Husch & Eppenberger and Blackwell Sanders. The firm also merged with Welsh & Katz of Chicago.

Tipster: More Layoffs at Fulbright & Jaworski

Erik Even — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:56:25 +0000

Last week, we reported that Fulbright & Jaworski has laid off six associates and four staff at its Los Angeles office.

Now a JDJournal tipster tells us that the firm cut 10 support staff from its San Antonio, Texas office; eight from New York; and 24 from Dallas, including 20 secretaries, one recruiter, one accountant, a legal assistant and an IT help desk person.

The tipster also adds that “although attorneys in Dallas have not been laid off to my knowledge, some have been ‘asked to leave.’”

Thanks for the tip!

If you have any additional details about layoffs at Fulbright & Jaworski, please — send us a confidential tip!

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:42:13 +0000

This week in law firm layoffs:

Dechert: undisclosed lawyers & staff

Fulbright & Jaworski: 6 lawyers, 4 staff

Arizona Attorney General’s Office: 12 lawyers, 17 staff

Pinsent Masons: 20 lawyers and staff

Total: 18 lawyers, 21 staff, 20 undisclosed

Previously:

Week of July 12th: 100 lawyers, 5 staff

Week of July 5th: 191 lawyers, 112 staff, 60 undisclosed

Week of June 28th: 49 lawyers, 11 staff, 175 undisclosed

Week of June 21st: 30 lawyers, 43 staff

Week of June 14th: 51 lawyers, 34 staff

Week of June 7th: 81 lawyers, 61 staff, 85 undisclosed

Week of May 31st: 101 lawyers, 142 staff, 49 undisclosed

Week of May 24th: 66 lawyers, 119 staff

Week of May 17th: 40 lawyers, 118 staff

Week of May 10th: 274 lawyers, 499 staff

Week of May 3rd: 274 lawyers, 160 staff

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Tipster: More Layoffs on Horizon at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt [Update 3]

Erik Even — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:00:48 +0000

In June we reported that Portland, Oregon’s Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt would cut associate salaries and lay off support staff.

Now a JDJournal tipster informs us that more layoffs are coming in August, and the new round will likely include associates.

The tipster says (edited for length and clarity):

Hopefully, Schwabe will handle this round of layoffs better than the June 15 layoffs of nearly 10% of its secretarial and professional staff, in which management attempted such a stealthy layoff that they did not even bother to tell the attorneys that their secretaries would be eliminated – many attorneys came back from a CLE event, a meeting, or a vacation and discovered their secretaries were simply gone.

It would be pretty interesting if management attempted to conduct any associate layoffs in this manner, and just left it up to the supervising partners to figure out who was still around to work on their cases.

Much of the staff affected by the June 15th layoff has been seriously questioning the timing of it – while Schwabe is still insisting that these staff members were cut due to the current state of the economy, Schwabe went on to hire two full-time secretaries within a week of cutting nearly 10% of its secretarial staff… None of the laid-off secretarial staff were asked to return to fill either one of these positions.

…it is worth mentioning that nearly all of the secretarial staff laid off on June 15th had raised some complaint to their supervisor, Virginia Zingg, in the seven months preceding the layoffs, leaving most of the secretarial staff who lost their jobs on June 15th to reach the conclusion that Ms. Zingg simply used the layoffs as a convenient way to clean house for those staff members who she apparently perceived as troublemakers.

If you know anything about layoffs at Schwabe, please — send us a confidential tip! And thanks to all our tipsters!

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a law firm with over 160 attorneys in seven cities. The firm currently has offices in Portland, Bend and Salem, Oregon; Seattle, Vancouver and Stevenson, Washington; and Washington, DC. It is the seventh largest law firm in the Pacific Northwest, and the second largest in Oregon.

UPDATE

Another tipster has a lot to say. Edited for length and clarity:

Viginia Zingg did use the layoffs as an excuse to clean house of those she didn’t like… She breaches confidentiality between the secretaries and staff behind her closed doors, and starts rumors just to get someone to give up information.

There has been no support to the secretarial staff since the layoffs took place, and the associates and summers are doing yet another rafting trip to the Deschutes this weekend, like last weekend wasn’t enough!

The staff get to go pull weeds out of Washington Park and have a picnic at the Zoo afterwards as their reward this summer. I bet we will see an article about how great of community services the firm provides after the staff go sweat all day pulling the weeds at their summer event, which used to take place on the Portland Spirit. I guess those days are over…

…the morale at Schwabe is null/void. It is beyond low if that is possible – non-existent.

UPDATE 2

Another tipster writes in (edited for length and clarity):

…one of the managing partners went before the entire firm to announce that every level of Schwabe would be making sacrifices in these difficult times; staff suffered layoffs, associates received pay cuts, and the partners would not be receiving their “holdbacks.” (The partners have a percentage of their salary held back each month. and then receive those funds in June and December pending good receivables).

Within two weeks after that announcement, the partners did in fact receive their holdbacks. Also, note that mid-level management was not mentioned with regard to any sort of sacrifice — no layoffs, no pay cuts.

There have been complaints brought to upper management for years with regard to Virginia Zingg’s inability to maintain confidentiality. It has been a wonder to staff how she maintains her position as a mid-level manager, and further why Schwabe’s upper management and board would allow her to make the decision with regard to which individuals would be laid off.

UPDATE 3

Disturbing reports are emerging from several staff members at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt that Virginia Zingg allegedly commented to them, “Now that so many staff have been eliminated, there will be bigger bonuses for all of us at the end of the year.” In light of the recent reports that the partners did, in fact, receive their holdbacks, it is becoming increasingly clear that the June staff lay-offs, the attorney pay cuts, and the future lay-offs planned for August are not due to the current financial forecast.

Rather, according to Ms. Zingg – a member of management, who would be privy to knowing such things – it was all so that there would be bigger bonuses for all employees at year’s end.

In fact, if Schwabe were legitimately concerned about remaining economically viable, they would terminate Ms. Zingg because she is a huge liability – upper management already has substantiated evidence that she has violated employees’ protected health information under the HIPAA Regulations, and it is just a matter of time before one of these employees obtains a judgment against Schwabe big enough to shut the whole place down.