In fact, at a firmwide video conference earlier today, president Peter Devlin said the firm is not considering cutting their associate salary scale this year. Devlin’s original comments, which may or may not have been misconstrued by associates and blawggers, referred to an effort to move away from lock-step compensation towards a merit-based system.
In May, Fish & Richardson rescinded job offers to one-third of its 2009 incoming associate class, and laid off 35 lawyers and 85 staff.
Founded in 1878, Fish & Richardson is one of the largest in the world practicing intellectual property, litigation, and corporate law, and has as a legal staff of more than 450 attorneys and 1,200 employees in 12 offices across the globe, including an office in Munich, Germany. It opened its 11th US office in Houston in October.