The firm has frozen support staff salaries for 2009 and 2010.
No lawyer cuts are currently planned, although partners expect a substantial decline in profits per equity partner.
Despite the redundancies, De Brauw has pledged to continue recruiting. The firm is preparing for an office launch in Beijing.
De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is headquartered in Amsterdam, with branch offices in London, New York City, and The Hague. The firm has 76 partners and 260 lawyers. The firm was founded in 1871.
De Brauw is lead counsel to over 40% of the top 100 companies in the Netherlands.