JD Journal » voluntary redundancies

Law Society of Scotland to Cut Employees

Erik Even — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:47:54 +0000

The Law Society of Scotland may cut employees, as it faces losing £1 million in revenue.

The professional governing body is cutting the cost of practicing as a solicitor from £665 for a “for a compulsory practising certificate” to £565. The cut in fees will cause the revenue shortfall.

Law Society staff have been asked to consider voluntary redundancies to save £250,000 in employment costs. The Society employs 120.

The Law Society of Scotland is the professional governing body for Scottish solicitors, based in Edinburgh. It was established by the Legal Aid & Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1949. The Society promotes the interests of the Solicitors profession in Scotland, and the interests of the public in relation to the profession.

All practising solicitors in Scotland must be members of the Society, and must hold a current Practising Certificate which is issued by the Society.

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.

Allens Arthur Robinson Sees 114 Voluntary Redundancies

Erik Even — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:11:04 +0000

Allens Arthur Robinson, which in April offered up to one year’s pay to lawyers who take voluntary redundancies, has seen 114 employees take up the offer and leave the firm.

The redundancies included lawyers, corporate services staff, and secretaries. Twelve people who asked for voluntary redundancies were refused.As

By offering the voluntary redundancies, Allens Arthur says it has avoided involuntary layoffs; and it plans to keep all of its incoming trainees. The firm is now undergoing a restructuring.

Founded in 1822, Allens Arthur Robinson is a commercial law firm in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region generally, it is considered to be one of the top commercial law firms.

The firm has staff based in 14 cities and eight countries, including Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Melbourne, Perth, Phnom Penh, Port Moresby, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. It is one of the largest law firms in the Asia Pacific region, with almost 200 partners and more than 1500 personnel.

Herbert Smith Avoids Involuntary Redundancies

Erik Even — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:55:03 +0000

Herbert Smith, which announced in April a redundancy consultation at its London HQ, targeting 84 positions, will not need to lay anyone off after all, after 84 staff members signed on for voluntary redundancy or alternative working arrangements.

The firm offered staffers 3.5 weeks salary per year of service to leave the firm.

Herbert Smith was founded in the City of London in 1882 by Norman Herbert Smith, and today has 230 partners and 1,200 fee-earners. It is widely considered to be the UK’s leading litigation practice.

McCann Fitzgerald Pays 25 to Leave, Cuts Wages

Erik Even — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:04:24 +0000

McCann Fitzgerald is eliminating 25 employees through a voluntary redundancy program.

The firm will also cut wages for all staff earning more than €37,500 ($49,800) a year.

Professional staff will see salaries cut 10%, with a cut of 5% for administrative and secretarial staff.

McCann Fitzgerald is based in Dublin, with 450 employees across offices in Belfast, London and Brussels.

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.

Taylor Wessing Deferring Start Dates

Erik Even — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:52:57 +0000

Anglo-German law firm Taylor Wessing is asking for voluntary deferrals from its September 2009 and September 2010 incoming associate classes.

The 750-attorney firm will pay a stipend of £7,500 ($10,872). Deferred trainees will not be required to accept public interest fellowships.

The firm is offering its employees two extra weeks off each year, in exchange for a 4% reduction in salary. Taylor Wessing also plans redundancies, voluntary and involuntary, and unpaid furloughs.

Taylor Wessing LLP is an international law firm established in 2002, following the merger of UK law firm Taylor Joynson Garrett and German law firm Wessing. The firm has 13 offices around the globe; in Berlin, Brussels, Cambridge, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, London, Munich and Paris, as well as representative offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Alicante, Spain.

Allens Arthur Robinson Freezes Pay, Offers Voluntary Redundancies

Erik Even — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:41:06 +0000

Allens Arthur Robinson will institute pay freezes July 1st, and is offering up to one year’s pay to lawyers who take voluntary redundancies.

The amount paid out for those who choose to leave will depend on seniority and years with the firm.

Allens also plans to shuffle remaining lawyers between practices.

The firm has no plans for involuntary layoffs, and will not cut its incoming associate class. It will, however, cut partners’ profit shares.

Allens Arthur Robinson is a commercial law firm in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region generally, it is considered to be one of the top commercial law firms.

Allens has staff based in 14 cities and eight countries across the region, including Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Melbourne, Perth, Phnom Penh, Port Moresby, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. It is one of the largest law firms in the Asia Pacific region, with almost 200 partners and more than 1500 personnel.

Dentons Cuts 37 Lawyers, 39 Staff

Erik Even — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:42:44 +0000

Denton Wilde Sapte has cut 37 lawyers and 39 staff.

The redundancy process was completed last week, after a consultation with 80 staff members in the firm’s London and Milton Keynes offices.

Dentons says half of the redundancies were voluntary. Three staff members kept their jobs after agreeing to take a six-month sabbatical, and one employee switched jobs.

Laid-off staff will be offered an “enhanced” redundancy package, as well as assistance in training costs and career counseling.

Denton Wilde Sapte LLP, or Dentons, is a law firm headquartered in the City of London that employs over 600 lawyers.

Blake Lapthorn Cuts 20 Jobs

Erik Even — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:27:46 +0000

Blake Lapthorn has laid off 20 people in its second redundancy consultation.

The firm, which laid off 33 people at the end of last year, launched this redundancy consultation with 30 employees in January.

The firm says it reduced the number of layoffs in the second round thanks to secondments.

A number of people volunteered for redundancy.

Lawyers and support staff in London and the South East have been affected by the cuts, with the real estate and corporate practices seeing the highest number of losses.

DLA Piper Lawyers Angry Over Severance

Erik Even — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:19:10 +0000

An internal document leaked to the press reveals that DLA Piper lawyers in the UK are angry over the severance package being offered to redundant attorneys.

The firm launched its second UK redundancy consultation in February, with up to 80 lawyers and more than 100 support staff targeted.

Employee representatives believe the severance package is less that what laid off attorneys are receiving st comparable UK firms.

Those DLA Piper lawyers volunteering for redundancy will be paid up to 20th March, and then receive their contractual notice period plus one month’s pay. Those that have been with the firm for at least two years will also receive statutory redundancy equating to one week’s pay for each year’s service, capped at £350 ($483) a week. Those not volunteering receive the same package without the additional month’s pay.

By comparison, Linklaters is offering three weeks’ pay for every year with the firm, plus three months’ notice.

DLA Piper HR manager Helen Waterson reportedly told the representatives, “The firm has made its decision – to say ‘increase the package’ is not constructive as we’ve said that isn’t an option.”

The document reveals that 7% to 8% of its partnership has recently left the firm. Since the London office implemented a recruitment freeze last June, it has seen only 37 hires, despite the loss of 145 employees.

We previously reported anger at DLA Piper over redundancy criteria that included severe penalties for taking sick days.

DLA Piper is one of the largest law firms in the world, with more than 3,700 lawyers in 28 countries and 66 offices throughout the world.

Update: Pillsbury Winthrop Offers “Voluntary Departure”

Erik Even — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +0000

As we reported last week (and in case you didn’t overhear it yourself on the train), Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman is laying off an undisclosed number of attorneys.

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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A&L Goodbody Cuts 45, Slashes Pay 10%

Erik Even — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:56:03 +0000

A&L Goodbody will cut 45 jobs, and the firm’s 555 remaining staff are likely to have their pay cut by 10% later this year.

The company, whose staff are frequently involved in major corporate transactions and big legal cases before the courts, told staff yesterday that it wanted 20 voluntary redundancies from its team of 360 fee-earning solicitors.

These redundancies are being sought from all ranks in the practice.

A further 25 voluntary redundancies are being sought from the firm’s support staff – those who do not earn fees for the business.

The Dublin-based firm also has offices in London, Belfast and Boston.

Clifford Chance to Associates: Maybe You Should Quit Before We Fire You

Erik Even — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:11:43 +0000

Clifford Chance is in talks with associates about voluntary redundancies.

The firm is offering associates the chance to leave the firm voluntarily, while proceeding with a formal redundancy consultation that could see up to 80 fee-earner jobs in London affected.

In particular, the firm is trying to thin out its finance group.

Redundancy packages on offer for Clifford Chance associates have been cited as some of the most generous in London, with payouts worth up to five months of an associate’s salary.

The redundancy consultation comes as Clifford Chance last week announced that it had launched a review of its partnership that is expected to see a number of departures at both salary and equity partner level.

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 Torchwood Tower in London.