Baker & McKenzie Sacks Six

Baker & McKenzie is firing six of its New York associates, as a result of the economic meltdown.

The international firm’s New York office houses around 140 lawyers, including 60 partners, and the layoffs come as part of a range of cost-cutting measures.

The cuts make Baker the first major US firm to announce redundancies so far this year, following cuts made by Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Dechert in November last year.

The layoffs come after Clifford Chance launched a significant redundancy program in its London headquarters, with the Magic Circle firm potentially set to cut 70 to 80 lawyers. The firm had already cut 20 litigation associates in its New York office in October.

Baker & McKenzie was founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. One of the first law firms to be truly global, it employs more than 3,900 lawyers in more than 70 offices in 38 different countries.