Patton Boggs axes 10 attorneys and 35 staff in second round of layoffs this year
As a possible merger with Locke Lord looms, lobbying powerhouse Patton Boggs is laying off lawyers and staff for the second time this year.
The 450-lawyer Washington, D.C.-based law firm is letting go of 10 associate attorneys in its Newark, N.J., office and 35 staff members throughout its 10 locations in the U.S. and Middle East in what is billed as an effort to increase efficiency by adjusting staffing ratios, according to the Washington Post.
“The changes we have been making are part of an overall plan we unveiled several months ago to address changing client needs and market conditions,” the firm explained in a written statement provided by a spokesman to the Post. “As a result of these tough decisions, we are becoming far stronger financially.”
The managing partner in Newark, environmental litigator John McGahren, left Patton Boggs in mid-August for Morgan Lewis & Bockius. At that time, Patton Boggs reportedly had 48 lawyers in Newark, down from 80 in the spring. According to the firm’s website, there are now about 40 lawyers in that office.
At the end of February, the firm laid off 30 lawyers and 35 staff, citing a slip in 2012 revenue and profits.
Meanwhile, as the firm has added lawyers, a number of others have left. They included a team of more than 20 that departed in the summer to establish a new Dallas office for Holland & Knight and another six lawyers who left for the D.C. and Denver offices of Jackson Lewis.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com (Aug. 2013): “Patton Boggs tells idle partners to shape up or ship out, WSJ reports”
Reuters: “Exclusive: Patton Boggs details merger talks with Locke Lord to partners”
