JD Journal » staff layoffs

Morning Roundup

joshua — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:02:19 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Tuesday, December 7. It is the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Today is also release day for the latest WoW expansion so if your secretary called in sick today that may be why… For the rest of us, here’s a look back at yesterday’s news.

Arguments in the Prop 8 case are over…

Debevoise & Plimpton has a new partner…

Ruden McClosky laid off some staffers…

and Democrats met to discuss the compromise plan over the Bush tax cuts…

Ruden McClosky Down But Not Out

joshua — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:53:30 +0000

By all accounts, these are tough times at Ruden McClosky. Defections, layoffs and office closures recently led the Florida-based firm to fall out of the National Law Journal’s ranking of the top 250 law firms in the United States when its head count fell to just over 100 lawyers.

However, talks of the firm’s imminent demise are off base, the firm’s brass told the Daily Business Review in a far-ranging interview.

“There’s no doubt that the firm has been having economic difficulties in this year uncommon to the history of the law firm,” Michael Krul, chair of Ruden’s corporate and finance department, told the Daily Business Review. “I believe the overwhelming majority of shareholders in the law firm are committed to staying with Ruden and continuing their practices with this firm.

“We’re not going away, we’re not falling apart.”

According to the report, several factors have played a role in Ruden McClosky’s downturn. They include the firm’s “nice guy” culture that included extending credit to clients that were unable to pay their legal bills; a failure to bring “the younger generation” of partners into the management fold; and, most importantly, the downturn of the real estate market and the firm’s slow response.

Firm officials said there are no plans for a possible merger pending.

“Ruden is looking to acquire, not be acquired, if the right opportunity presented itself,” said Carl Schuster. “But we would not just merge into a firm – unequivocally no.”

Those steps do not include a merger, unless a firm wants to join Ruden, Schuster said.

Revenue Down But Profits Up at Reed Smith

joshua — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:58:58 +0000

Reed Smith had revenue of $942 million in 2009, a four-percent decrease from 2008′s $980 million. But on the brighter side, efforts to reduce expenses resulted in profits per equity partner to rise seven percent to $1 million.

Global managing partner Gregory Jordan called 2009 “a very difficult year” for all law firms.

“For Reed Smith, this included layoffs and redundancies of staff and lawyers, in an effort to reduce the size of the firm to match the reduced need for our services, and other efforts to reduce our costs,” Jordan said in a prepared statement. “However, that was offset by our efforts to reduce expenses. Because of our focus on our long-standing client relationships, our work flow held up relatively well and our productivity increased.”

Other cost-cutting measures launched last year included reducing all US associates salaries by 10 percent; and in November, Reed Smith cut the salaries of incoming associates by 20 percent and lowered their billing rates for work done by new associates. Finally, Reed Smith asked non-equity partners to contribute as much as 15 percent of their base salary to the company or risk losing partnership status.

“It was a really tough year,” Jordan said. “Demand was way down, and we had to make a lot of tough decisions.”

Staff Layoffs at Brown McCarroll

joshua — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:50:38 +0000

Tipsters report that an unconfirmed number of staff have been shown the door at Texas powerhouse Brown McCarroll and that some partners may be on their way out as well. Information is still sketchy as of now, and we’ll update this post as more information becomes available. If you have any specific information for us, please share it here.

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. The firm has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and El Paso.

Staff Cuts at Wilson Sonsini

joshua — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:38:35 +0000

2009 has come and gone but the legal economy continues to struggle, a point made clear by today’s move at Wilson Sonsini. The firm laid off 20 staff and is providing an unspecified amount of separation pay along with some transition support assistance.

Wilson Sonsini laid off 113 last year, 68 of them staff. This year’s round of cuts isn’t nearly as deep, so hopefully we’re nearing the bottom.

Wilson Sonsini has offices in Palo Alto, Austin, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Shanghai. Prior to last year’s reductions, the firm had about 620 attorneys. The firm specializes in business, securities, and intellectual property law.

Layoffs at Seyfarth Shaw

joshua — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:20:19 +0000

Seyfarth Shaw is letting go of approximately 40 people, 20 lawyers and 20 staff. It’s been rough over at Seyfarth over the past year and they’ve taken several steps to keep costs down. In December, the firm cut salaries as part of a move toward merit based compensation. In November, it re-deferred half of its already deferred first years for an entire additional year, while cutting the salaries of the first years lucky enough to actually start working. In August, the firm announced that it would not have a summer program in 2010 and in May, Seyfarth laid off 50 people and cut some salaries.

Chicago’s Seyfarth Shaw LLP is a full-service law firm founded in 1945. It has ten offices, nine of which are in the United States. The firm is well known for its labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation and business services.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:13:07 +0000

Good morning everyone! It’s Wednesday, December 16, and here’s a quick look at yesterday’s news…

Sonnenschein lays off some staff and abandons lockstep compensation….

WilmerHale also ditches lockstep….

Nixon Peabody associates get a last minute deferral…

and the partnerships at Hogan & Hartson and Lovells have approved the merger plans…

Sonnenschein Abandons Lockstep and Cuts Staff

joshua — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:30:57 +0000

There are two unconnected stories coming out of Sonnenschein today.

The first is that the firm has made staff cuts 14 days before Christmas. The firm has confirmed the staff layoffs to abovethelaw.com but no details were provided on the number of staff cut. No associates were cut.

The firm also laid out the outlines of its new compensation plan being implemented in early 2010. I say outlines, because important details like base compensation seem to have been overlooked. Like many other firms, Sonnenschein is moving to a three tiered merit based system. The firm says that bonuses based on merit will make up a larger part of associate salaries. Although everyone certainly appreciates a large bonus, it does make financial planning a bit more difficult – particularly when nobody yet knows what the baseline pay will be.

Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago with 13 offices and 800 attorneys around the world.

DLA Piper Layoffs Attributed to Dubai Crisis

joshua — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:12:34 +0000

DLA Piper is laying off 7 attorneys and 10 staff in the Middle East in the wake of the Dubai credit crisis. This marks the third round of layoffs for the firm in the region this year with the last round happening in July. All together the firm has let go of 24 lawyers from the region this year. Not every firm operating in Dubai is hurting, however. Several British firms are playing major roles in the ongoing negotiations, as we reported last week.

DLA Piper is one of the largest law firms in the world. It is a legal services organization whose members and affiliates are separate and distinct legal entities. The organization boasts more than 3,500 lawyers in 29 countries and 65 offices.

Staff Layoffs at Day Pitney

joshua — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:58:01 +0000

Day Pitney has laid off 29 staff memebers in its third round of layoffs this year. In may, the firm let go of 20 lawyers and deferred incoming associates and in February it cut 66 staff positions. According to the firm, there won’t be any more layoffs this year and none are anticipated in early 2010.

Day Pitney was formed in 2007 from a merger between Day, Berry & Howard and Pitney Hardin. It employs 382 attorneys spread across nine offices in four states and the District of Columbia.

More Layoffs at Dickstein Shapiro

joshua — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:35:05 +0000

In a firm wide memo sent out today, Dickstein Shapiroannounced that three percent of its associates and ten percent of its staff would be laid off. Affected personnel will be notified later today. The firm did not hide behind performance reviews or make excuses for the layoffs; the memo made it very clear that this is a purely economic decision and that they regret having to let go of talented hard working attorneys and staff. Mention was also made of a comprehensive compensation package that will include salary and medical coverage continuation, but was short on specifics.

Dickstein Shapiro LLP, founded in 1953, is a multi-service law firm with more than 400 attorneys in Washington, DC, New York, and Los Angeles.

Staff Layoffs at WilmerHale

joshua — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:38:26 +0000

WilmerHale laid off 57 staff members across 4 offices today, with the biggest cuts coming in Washington DC and Boston. The company says the decision was made to be able to “respond to a changed business landscape and provide the highest quality legal services in a more cost-effective manner”. So far this year, WilmerHale has managed to avoid any large scale attorney layoffs, but has told some associates that they need to start looking for new jobs.

Above the Law was the first to report on the staff cuts, thanks to anonymous tips it received. Apparently WilmerHale’s attempt to stifle leaks was not as successful as it had hoped.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP has twelve offices across the US, Europe and Asia. It was created in 2004 through the merger of the Boston’s Hale & Dorr and the Washington’s Wilmer Cutler & Pickering, and employs more than 1,100 attorneys worldwide. As of 2008, it was the 23rd largest law firm in the world in terms of revenue.

Nixon Peabody Lay Offs – Shhhh

joshua — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:36:45 +0000

In February we told you about staff layoffs at Nixon Peabody, and in April we reported on salary cuts. Those salary cuts were billed as a way to save associate jobs in a struggling economy. Now it appears that those cuts were not enough and that Nixon Peabody has been quietly laying off 2nd and 3rd year associates. The affected attorneys are being let go based on performance, but performance in this case may mean there’s not enough business for you to keep up with your billable hours. Unlike earlier cuts, the firm has remained tight lipped about these layoffs, so exact numbers are hard to come by. If you have more information or want to share your own layoff story anonymously, send us a tip here.

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.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:15:48 +0000

Good morning everyone. Before we jump into the Monday grind, here’s a quick look back at Friday’s news…

Katten moved up the start dates for some of its incoming associates…

Altman Weil says 3rd quarter law firm mergers are up…

David Shapiro, founding partner of Dickstein Shapiro, has passed away…

Wildman Harrold has rescinded offers to some of its incoming associates…

and Cooley Godward has let some staffers go…

Staff Layoffs at Cooley Godward

joshua — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:18:45 +0000

Cooley Godward Kronish laid of 58 staffers yesterday, but not attorneys were affected in this round of cuts. According to a memo sent out to all employees, the layoffs were made to eliminate “pockets of staffing overcapacity”.

Cooley Godward Kronish LLP is a law firm that represents entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and emerging growth companies in major technology fields. The 650-attorney firm is headquartered in Silicon Valley’s Palo Alto.

Marks & Clerk Closing Liverpool Office and Laying off 60

joshua — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:03:41 +0000

marks &clerk

It’s been a rough week in the UK. First Eversheds, and now Marks & Clerk who confirmed that they are merging their Liverpool office into the Manchester office and reducing the size of their Leicester office. As part of the reduction, Marks & Clerk is letting go of nine fee earners and 51 staff.

Marks & Clerk is a patent and trademark firm with offices around the globe. The closure of the Liverpool office will bring them down to 11 offices in the UK and 8 in other countries.

Arnold & Porter Begins Staff Layoffs

Aine Ford — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:07:41 +0000

2009 marks the seventh consecutive year that Arnold & Porter LLP has been among the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. However, in these trying economic times the bottom line is survival, and even “the best” need to make sacrifices. We received a tip today that Arnold & Porter has been forced to begin staff layoffs at both its DC and Denver offices.

The firm has eight offices spread across the U.S. and Europe, and has practice groups in more than 25 distinct areas of law. The DC office is its oldest and largest office. At this time we do not have information as to what practices will be most heavily affected by the cuts, nor do we have information on if or when cuts will be made in its remaining six offices.

Update: Arnold & Porter has confirmed that 44 staff positions were cut in its domestic offices but says no attorneys have been let go.

More layoffs at Winston & Strawn

joshua — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:10:27 +0000

Winston and Strawn has been making some cuts lately. The firm is maintaining a policy of not commenting on staff reductions, but sources familiar with the moves say that some of the administrative staff in the Chicago office have been let go this week and that some associates were told over the summer that they have until the end of this month. If you have any specific information to share, send us a hot tip.

Winston and Strawn is an international law firm founded in Chicago with offices in 13 cities around the world. It is an industry leader in Pro Bono work and was one of the first major US firms to establish a written Pro Bono policy.

Tipster: Staff Layoffs at Bracewell & Giuliani

Erik Even — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Today we received a lengthy tip from a frustrated employee of Bracewell & Giuliani, reporting support staff layoffs at the firm’s Washington, DC office.

Here’s is what the tipster had to say, edited for length & clarity:

I work for the firm Bracewell & Giuliani, and would like to share the layoff process they conducted this past Monday, April 6, 2009.

Just a little over a month and a half ago, we were all told by the office administrator that B&G was one of the only firms in DC that was not going through any type of layoff. We were all assured that our jobs were secure and that if anything should arise we would be the first to know.

During this meeting we were also told about the expansion the firm was in the process of making. … They would be hiring more attorneys, associated and secretaries. We were told that the firm was growing and we were all lucky part of that team. They really pumped us [up], making us all feel extremely secure.

My suspicions [were] aroused when we were all told that they were replacing our Special Service team, with an different agency that was more affordable. Special Service folks were given the opportunity to interview with this particular agency, but if they agency did not hire them, they were out of a job.

These folks have been with B&G [as long as] 30 years.

On Monday… a secretary at our firm… was told that she was being “laid off” and needed to leave the building immediately. They called a cab and gave her a voucher. Shortly thereafter, they called another secretary and then another.

The following day the layoff rampage continued and they let IT folks go, and sent them out the door with out anytime to properly gather their items or tell people they had been working with for years good-bye.

The tipster takes issue with the way the layoffs are being handled.

The process almost seems rude, cruel and inhuman. It seemed to me that the HR bosses from Houston took great joy in walking around the hallways for the next few days, intimidating us. I also overheard a few people laughing and making jokes about the people that had been laid off.

At this point, no one cared about the stress they were causing us and how their nonchalant attitudes affected us. I felt terrible and continue to feel terrible for the people that were laid off, and feel so incredibly angry every time I see the Partners having their expensive catered lunches.

There were rumors of B&G layoffs in January.

Bracewell & Giuliani employs more than 400 lawyers at offices in Texas, New York, Washington DC, and Connecticut, as well as in Dubai, Kazakhstan, and London.