Pillsbury Cuts 55 Attorneys & 100 Staff
There’s no word on how many Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman associates accepted a “voluntary departure plan” offered last week.
But today the firm announced in an internal memo that it is laying off about 55 associates, 10 paralegals and 90 support staffers. An Above the Law post about the layoffs includes the text of the memo. The Pillsbury layoffs and firm memo were also reported by the Blog of Legal Times.
“These reductions are not performance-based and affect personnel throughout our offices, departments and sections,” states the memo, which was sent by Rick Donaldson, the firm’s chief operating officer.
In an unusual move, the firm accidentally announced in February that layoffs were planned after an Above the Law tipster overheard a partner discussing layoff details on his cell phone in a crowded train car.
In another unusual move, although a few other firms have taken a similar approach, Pillsbury is offering laid-off attorneys a chance to work for a year at a nonprofit legal services organization. Under the arrangement, the associate forgoes severance pay, and the firm pays his or her salary and benefits for a year.
“We believe that many lawyers, particularly junior associates, could benefit from this opportunity to assist their communities and at the same time enhance their legal skills and obtain additional professional experience,” Donaldson states in the memo.
Under the voluntary departure plan offered last week, attorneys would get enhanced severance, the firm implied in internal material published by Above the Law. Specifically, Pillsbury agreed to pay three months of salary and three months of medical benefits and offered a choice between programs intended to help those leaving the firm to enhance their job prospects.
