Layoffs
BigLaw Voice Mail to Young Attorneys: ‘It’s Not Good News, But Give Us a Call’
Posted Jun 15, 2009, 12:58 pm CST
By Martha Neil
When one of London's most elite law partnerships recently decided it had to let 14 solicitor trainees go instead of giving them permanent jobs, partners at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer had the magic circle firm's human resources department give them a call.
But when HR couldn't immediately reach all of the 14, they left a voice mail message for three or four, a firm spokesman tells the Daily Mail.
The message stated: "It's not good news, but give us a call so we can discuss it further," the newspaper recounts.
'It was not ideal from our perspective, but we were trying to get the information out as soon as possible," the unidentified Freshfields spokesman states. "We did not want to take the chance of them hearing first from someone else."
Adding insult to injury, the newspaper says, Freshfields is paying the laid-off trainee lawyers only about $1,140, although Freshfields would not confirm the amount. Other major United Kingdom-based law firms reportedly are paying tens of thousands of dollars to trainee lawyers whose start dates they've deferred.
Hat tip: Legal Blog Watch.
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