JD Journal » lays off staff

Dewey & LeBoeuf Lays Off 30 Administrative Staffers

sara — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:49:04 +0000

The ABA Journal has confirmed with Dewey & LeBoeuf that the firm laid off 30 administrative staff members today. These layoffs occurred in the firm’s Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C. offices. Dewey & LeBoeuf told The ABA Journal that “these changes are made necessary by an overall reduction in lawyer headcount.” There was a 10% reduction in equity partners last year; PPP and revenue per lawyer increased while gross revenue declined by 11.3%.

Founded in 1909, Dewey & LeBoeuf is a New York City based firm with over 1200 attorneys and 25 offices across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Goodsill Anderson Lays Off 9 Staff

Erik Even — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:36:37 +0000

Hawaii’s Goodsill Anderson laid off nine administrative staffers last week. No attorneys were affected.

In fact, the firm plans to hire three more lawyers for its corporate and intellectual property practices.

Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, established in 1878, is Hawaii’s largest law firm. It is based in Honolulu, and lists 69 lawyers on its Web site.

McDermott Lays Off 25 Associates, 47 Staff

Erik Even — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:14:43 +0000

McDermott Will & Emery, which last week cut pay for its summer associates, announced today it has laid off 25 associates and 47 staff.

Some first year associates were cut, but are being offered a public service fellowship. The amount of the stipend was not disclosed.

In March the firm froze associate salaries; in February, McDermott laid off 60 associates and 89 staff.

McDermott Will & Emery LLP, founded in 1934, is a prestigious international law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the top 10 largest law firms in the United States and one of the 20 largest in the world.

Weil Gotshal Lays Off 79 Staff

Erik Even — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:23:08 +0000

Weil, Gotshal & Manges has eliminated 79 administrative positions across its US offices.

Those targeted will get severance packages with transitional income and benefits, including health care and outplacement.

In March, the firm deferred start dates for incoming associates.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. It is one of the largest and most highly regarded law firms in the world, with approximately 1,300 lawyers and gross annual revenue in excess of $1.7 billion.

DLA Phillips Fox Lays Off 12 Lawyers; CEO Steps Down [Update]

Erik Even — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:04:48 +0000

DLA Phillips Fox, an affiliate of DLA Piper, has cut 12 lawyers from its offices in Australia and New Zealand.

In addition, CEO Tony Crawford will step down after 10 years as chief executive at DLA Phillips Fox, and almost 30 years at the firm.

DLA Phillips Fox has over 800 fee earners and 1,400 staff in eight offices in New Zealand and Australia. It is, by number of attorneys, the 37th largest firm in the world and the fourth largest in Australasia.

Its offices are located in Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Wellington.

DLA Phillips Fox is a member of the DLA Piper Group, an alliance of independent legal practices with exclusive agreements with DLA Piper. As part of the alliance, DLA Phillips Fox refers and receives legal work on an exclusive basis across the DLA Piper network.

UPDATE

Clarification: DLA Phillips Fox laid off the 12 lawyers last November, and has not laid anyone off since then.

Blake Dawson Lays Off 23 Lawyers, 66 Staff

Erik Even — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:56:08 +0000

Blake Dawson has eliminated 23 lawyers and 66 support staff in the wake of its March review of business.

Details have not been released. If you know anything about the situation at Blake Dawson, please send us a confidential tip!

Founded in Melbourne in 1841, Blake Dawson is a commercial law firm that operates in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia it is considered one of the top commercial law firms.

Minter Ellison Lays Off 11 Lawyers, 35 Staff

Erik Even — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:08:36 +0000

Australia’s Minter Ellison has laid off 11 lawyers and 24 support staff from its Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane offices.

The redundancies targeted senior and junior associates in the firm’s property, construction and finance practices.

There are no current plans for further redundancies.

Minter Ellison is one of the largest full-service law firms in the Asia-Pacific region. It has over 280 partners, 1000 lawyers and 1,000 support staff. In Australia it is considered one of the top commercial law firms.

Tipster: Brown McCarroll Lays Off Lawyers and Staff

Erik Even — Sat, 09 May 2009 17:24:00 +0000

A tipster informs us that Texas’ Brown McCarroll has laid off a “significant number” of attorneys and staff in its Austin, Dallas and Houston offices.

From the tipster (edited for length):

All the personnel who received the proverbial “pink slip” were given no notice of the impending dismissals. In fact, the day of receiving notice of the layoff was their last day of employment. Strong hints were given to the surviving attorneys and staff that further layoffs are still being considered. Capital partners beware — you are not immune. Inside information suggests an additional three dozen or so attorneys and staff could be laid off within the next three to six months.

Seventy-year-old Brown McCarroll has historically focused on litigation as a core practice area. Its 2003 merger with business law firm Hilgers & Watkins added a corporate and transactional practice.

Milbank Lays Off 49 Associates, 40 Staff [Update 2]

Erik Even — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:09:45 +0000

New York City-based Milbank has laid off 49 associates and 40 staff.

The layoffs took place across the firm, but the corporate practice was especially hard hit.

If you have any details about layoffs at Milbank, please — send us a confidential tip!

New York’s Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP has offices in Washington DC, Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing. Milbank is a global law firm, with approximately 550 lawyers, who provide a full range of financial and business legal services to many of the world’s leading financial, industrial and commercial enterprises, as well as governments, institutions and individuals.

UPDATE:

A JDJournal tipster confirms the numbers above, and says the firm will lay off another 50 associates next month.

Also, for the first time, junior partners are in the line of fire for being voted out of the partnership (particularly in Corporate). This was told to me by a very senior partner at the law firm.

The tipster then adds a juicy rumor:

There is one junior partner who is having an affair with a former HR legal recruiter, and he is the first being considered for firing.

Thanks for the update!

UPDATE 2:

Another tipster tells us:

At least 6 first years were laid off at Milbank, including one foreigner who has to leave the country now.

Thanks!

Tipster: Holme Roberts & Owen Lays Off Up to 15 Associates

Erik Even — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:54:46 +0000

A JDJournal tipster informs us that Holme Roberts & Owen laid off between 10 and 15 associates in mid-April.

According to the tipster:

Several first year and second year associates were cut. This is less than six months after the firm told us our jobs were safe. Both the Denver Post and the ABA Journal ran stories on the firm’s announcement in November that they wouldn’t lay anyone off. I believe most people got 3 months severance.

Also in April, a tipster informed us that HRO deferred its entire incoming associate class for one year.

Holme Roberts & Owen employs employed approximately 265 attorneys. The only international law firm based in Denver, it has several other offices in the United States and worldwide.

Allen & Overy Lays Off 47 Partners, 200 Associates, 200 Staff

Erik Even — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:01:42 +0000

The UK’s Allen & Overy announced in February a plan to lay off 450 jobs in a redundancy consultation.

Well, today’s the day.

Allen & Overy own Black Thursday sees 47 equity partners, 200 associates, and 200 support staff shown the door. Half the cuts will affect the London HQ. There as also been an undisclosed number of voluntary redundancies.

Another 35 partners have been demoted from equity status.

Founded in 1930, Allen & Overy had approximately 5,500 staff in 31 offices worldwide. It is part of the Magic Circle of London-based law firms.

Wildman Harrold Lays Off 10 Associates, 7 Staff

Erik Even — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:14:25 +0000

Chicago’s Wildman Harrold has laid off 10 associates and seven staffers.

In January, the firm laid off five partners and five associates.

Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon was founded in 1967 by Max Wildman, Bernard Harrold, Thomas D. Allen, and Stewart S. Dixon. It employs 200 attorneys at its locations in Chicago, Illinois and Beverly Hills, California.

Clifford Chance Lays Off New York Staff

Erik Even — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:40:13 +0000

London’s Clifford Chance has cut 20 positions at its New York office. The law firm has laid off almost 100 people since November 2008.

The individuals have been notified, and were offered severance.

Clifford Chance laid off 24 New York associates in March, and this week’s support staff layoffs are related to that departure. Also in March, 115 London support staff were made redundant.

The firm let go 35 support staff in New York and Washington, DC in December 2008. Last October, 20 associates were shown the door.

Clifford Chance LLP is the largest law firm in the world, both by number of lawyers and revenue, and a component of the UK’s “Magic Circle” of leading law firms. It is a prestigious international practice with its principal office at Canary Wharf in London.

Tipsters: Kirkland Lays Off at Least 80 [Update 4]

Erik Even — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:50:09 +0000

Friday we reported the rumor that Kirkland & Ellis laid off an undisclosed number of support staff today.

This morning a tipster informs us that Kirkland laid off 13 staff members in Los Angeles and 30 in Chicago; its unclear how many were let go in New York and DC.

The tipster says those laid off were given “industry-standard” severance packages (two weeks per year of service, maxing out at 26 weeks), continued medical benefits for several months, and paid two weeks notice.

If know have any details about layoffs at Kirkland & Ellis, please — send us a confidential tip!

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a Chicago-based law firm that practices in the US and internationally. As of 2008, it was the seventh largest law firm in the US and the 11th largest in the world by revenue. It has offices in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Munich, Hong Kong, and Palo Alto.

UPDATE:

A second tipster informs us that 14 staff members were laid off in the San Francisco office, with most focusing on the corporate side and general staff.

There are also rumors that attorneys could be next!

UPDATE of the UPDATE:

A third tipster repeats the above, but adds that some people did not receive severance.

A big thank you to our tipsters!

FINAL UPDATE

Blawg sites are now reporting that at least 80 staff were fired, with a focus on secretaries administrative assistants, although mail room and records personnel were affected.

The cuts affected Chicago, New York, and DC.

REALLY FINAL UPDATE, REALLY

An anonymous tipster writes (edited for length):

As far as the mail room layoffs, Kirkland has changed the way mail is delivered. In the new building, they have installed a dumbwaiter to transfer mail and documents between floors, eliminating those clunky mail carts being pushed in and out of the elevators…

Kirkland eliminated ALL of the receptionist positions. They changed the title of the receptionists, and then asked all of the former receptionists to apply for those five new positions. The rest were let go (most of them). The secretaries have had their number of assignments increased to as many as five or six attorneys apiece… They have eliminated ALL the floating secretaries, with the exception of a handful to replace secretaries who are out on trial or on leaves of absences…

Rumor is that the staff layoffs on Friday were only Round 1, with two more rounds to go. Since the staff is so lean at this point, it would seem more logical that Round 2 and Round 3 will NOT be staff!

Spencer Fane Lays Off 8 Staff

Erik Even — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:25:26 +0000

Kansas City, Missouri-based law firm Spencer Fane has laid off eight staff members.

The lay-offs targeted three in tony Clayton, Missouri, and five in Kansas City.

In addition to its Kansas City headquarters and Clayton office, the 130-attorney Spencer Fane Britt & Browne has offices in Omaha, Nebraska and Overland Park, Kansas.

Howrey Lays Off 25 Staff

Erik Even — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:46:21 +0000

Washington DC’s Howrey has laid off 25 secretarial staffers.

Cuts came in all offices except Palo Alto and New York. Those affected are getting severance packages, health care assistance and outplacement.

In addition, Howrey is demanding that non-equity partners contribute capital; and all partners, equity and non-equity, will be able to contribute voluntary capital, and some have already agreed to do so. The firm’s press release hints that these “voluntary” contributions may not be so voluntary.

Additionally, all partners, Equity and Non-Equity, will now able to contribute voluntary capital and several have already agreed to do so. All these are signs of their commitment and dedication to the Firm and its plans for growth.

Huh. Better cut that check.

Howrey LLP was founded as Howrey, Simon, Baker, & Murchison in 1956, and was the first national anti-trust law firm. It has more than 700 attorneys in 17 locations worldwide.

UK Law Firm LG Lays Off 15 Lawyers, 18 Staff

Erik Even — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:13:27 +0000

UK law firm LG, which seems to have misplaced the rest of its name, has laid off 15 lawyers and 18 staff, four short of the 37 targeted for redundancy.

The firm cut 35 support staff in September 2008.

London’s LG also has offices in Monaco, Dubai, Moscow and India.

William Fry Lays Off 17, Cuts Pay

Erik Even — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:19:22 +0000

Dublin law firm William Fry has made 17 staff redundant, and implemented pay cuts of up to 10%.

The firm, one of Ireland’s “big five” legal practices, informed its 400 staff of the decisions this weekend.

The pay cuts will apply to all employees on a sliding scale.

William Fry has 63 partners, and offices in Dublin and New York. It also has a formal association with Belfast law firm Tughans.

Tipster: Honigman Lays Off 45

Erik Even — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:55:05 +0000

According to a tip from a loyal JDJournal reader, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn in Detroit laid off 30 staff and 15 senior partners yesterday.

The tipster says there is a partner meeting scheduled for this morning, at which there will be a formal announcement.

If you have any further details or updates, please let us know!

Michigan’s Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn LLP has offices in Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Oakland County.

Locke Lord Lays Off Lawyers, Staff

Erik Even — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:11:24 +0000

Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell laid off an undisclosed number of lawyers and staff this week.

The firm cited economic reasons for the layoffs, which targeted all 13 of the firm’s offices.

No partners were laid affected. The practice areas hardest hit were real estate and finance.

Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP is an American law firm of approximately 750 attorneys with 12 domestic and one overseas office. Locke Lord was formed in 2007, after the merger of Texas-based Locke Liddell & Sapp PLLC with Lord Bissell & Brook LLP, a national law firm headquartered in Chicago.

Stroock Decimates Its Lawyers & Staff

Erik Even — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:29:08 +0000

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan is laying off 10% of its associates and staff today.

The firm is considering salary cuts for its remaining associates, and may defer its incoming class.

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP is based in New York City, with approximately 350 lawyers in three offices, including Miami and Los Angeles. It was founded in 1876.

Manatt Phelps Lays Off 17 More Lawyers, 8 More Staff

Erik Even — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:22:01 +0000

Two weeks ago, we reported that Manatt, Phelps & Phillips had laid off employees nationwide; 12 attorneys, 3 paralegals, and 32 administrative staff.

Today, Manatt announced the layoff of 25 people today; 17 lawyers and 8 staff.

The firings affect the finance, tax, and advertising practice groups. Severance packages are being offered.

Founded in 1965, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP is a firm of approximately 450 attorneys and other professionals. The firm earned revenues in excess of $240 million in 2007.

Fried Frank Lays Off 99, Defers Class

Erik Even — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:14:44 +0000

Fried Frank laid off 99 employees, lawyers and staff, today.

Effective today, we are implementing changes that will result in an overall reduction of 41 associates and 58 administrative staff from our U.S. workforce. This decision is one we worked very hard to avoid. But we must respond responsibly to the current environment…

The start date of our fall 2009 class has been deferred to January 28, 2010. All incoming associates whose start date is deferred until January 2010 will receive a $10,000 stipend. We are also offering an opportunity for members of the fall 2009 class to defer until the fall 2010. We are encouraging those associates to develop their legal skills by pursuing a public interest or government position or by volunteering with a legal, political or community-based organization. Those who elect this deferral will receive a stipend of $70,000 plus health benefits. Finally, both of our summer associate programs in New York and Washington DC will now conform to a ten, not twelve-week schedule.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is an international law firm with offices in New York City, Washington DC, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The firm had more than 600 attorneys worldwide.

Skadden Lays Off Staff Attorneys & 50 Staff

Erik Even — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:12:00 +0000

This week Skadden laid off 50 support staffers.

In addition, an undisclosed number of staff attorneys has been cut, with only staff attorneys who are needed for ongoing matters to be kept, at least for now.

The layoffs occurred across Skadden’s US offices. No associates have been cut.

If you know any details about the situation at Skadden, please send us a confidential tip!

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, founded in 1948, is a prominent law firm based in New York City. With over 2,000 attorneys, it is one of the largest and highest-grossing law firms in the world. Forbes magazine called Skadden “Wall Street’s most powerful law firm.”

Bose McKinney & Evans Lays Off 25

Erik Even — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:42:12 +0000

Indianapolis, Indiana’s Bose McKinney & Evans is cutting 10 attorney, two paralegal and 13 staff positions.

The cuts affect 7% of the attorneys and 11% of the staff of the firm.

If you know any additional details about these layoffs, please — send us a confidential tip!

Founded in 1855, Bose McKinney & Evans also has an office in Washington, DC.

Dechert Lays Off 63 Lawyers, 62 Staff

Erik Even — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:05:35 +0000

With what the firm officially characterizes as “deep regret,” Dechert has laid off 63 lawyers and 62 staffers today.

The cuts affect offices throughout the firm.

Flunded in 1975, Dechert LLP is an international law firm of more than 1,000 lawyers with top-ranked practices in corporate and securities, complex litigation, finance and real estate, and financial services and asset management

In 2006, Philadelphia’s Dechert was ranked 37th largest law firm in the world based on revenue. In 2007, the National Law Journal ranked the firm 25th largest in the United States based on number of attorneys.

Saul Ewing Lays Off 7 Associates, 7 Staff

Erik Even — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:07:32 +0000

Philadelphia’s Saul Ewing has laid off seven lawyers and seven staff.

All of the lawyers are associates and come from various practice groups. All but one were located in Philadelphia, with the other based in Washington, DC.

The staff members were spread throughout the firm’s offices.

Saul Ewing has roughly 260 lawyers and 275 staff.

Founded in 1863, Saul Ewing LLP has eight mid-Atlantic regional offices in Baltimore; Chesterbrook and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Newark; New York City; Princeton; Washington, DC; and Wilmington, Delaware.

Haynes and Boone Lays Off Three at NYC Office

Erik Even — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:18:46 +0000

Dallas’ Haynes and Boone yesterday laid off one associate, one of counsel and one staff in their New York City office.

The terminations resulted from the upcoming departure of two New York-based corporate partners who are leaving by mutual agreement. Affected attorneys and staff were recruited specifically to support the departing partners.

The firm does not expect any further attorney or staff layoffs in their New York office, nor in any of the firm’s other eleven national and international offices.

Haynes and Boone, LLP has grown from a handful of lawyers in 1970 to more than 450 lawyers in 2007. The firm has expanded to ten offices, including Washington, DC, Mexico City and Moscow.
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