Those affected have been offered one or two weeks of severance depending on length of service, in exchange for a promise not to sue the firm over the circumstances of their termination.

The firm says it has released staff attorneys as the number of projects has dropped.

Covington & Burling LLP is an international law firm with offices in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, and Washington, DC. It consistently ranks among the top 20 on The American Lawyer’s prestigious “A-List.”

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The firm has now announced a “voluntary departure” plan for any of the firm’s lawyers who don’t like hearing about their impending joblessness from the blogosphere instead of management.

As you were advised last week, Pillsbury is planning to implement a reduction in workforce that will affect attorneys and staff. Although we have taken many prior steps to respond to the current challenging business climate, we have reluctantly concluded that a reduction in the attorney workforce is necessary to align ourselves with the volume of work we expect in 2009. As part of this reduction process, the Firm is offering a voluntary departure plan to associates, senior associates and counsel.

The voluntary departure program will provide attorneys who elect to leave and are selected a severance package that consists, among other things, of three months of base pay. Attorneys interested in considering the program will have until Friday, February 27, to state their desire to be included. Promptly thereafter, the local and firm-wide practice section leaders will consider whether attorneys in their sections who have expressed interest in the voluntary departure program can be accommodated.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an international law firm with offices located throughout the US and globally, including key financial centers New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai.

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