Associates

Winstead Cancels Summer Associate Program

A spokeswoman for Dallas-based Winstead has confirmed that the law firm is canceling its summer associate program this year, but she offers few details. Spokeswoman Shannon Tipton told the Tex Parte Blog that the law students now out of a job will be getting a stipend, but she couldn’t say…

Mar 13, 2009 3:46 PM CDT

2 More Firms Join Today’s Layoff List: Blank Rome Axes 79, Husch Cuts 62

With news this afternoon of layoffs at two more well-known law firms, the total number of known attorney and staff terminations since Feb. 27 now tops 2,800. Blank Rome laid off 27 associates and 52 staff members today, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal. This follows an earlier round of layoffs…

Mar 12, 2009 10:51 PM CDT

In Second Round of Layoffs, Proskauer Cuts 23 Lawyers

More lawyers are being laid off at Proskauer Rose after a larger number of cuts in December. Above the Law reports that Proskauer laid off 23 lawyers yesterday. A law firm spokesman did not respond to the ABA Journal or the National Law Journal when asked to comment and confirm…

Mar 12, 2009 11:44 AM CDT

Anger over DLA Piper Layoff Pay: Only 1 Extra Month for UK Volunteers

Lawyers in the London office of DLA Piper who volunteered to walk away from their jobs in exchange for a sweeter severance package are getting only one month’s extra pay. And they and their friends still working at the megafirm aren’t happy about the “voluntary redundancy” package, reports Legal Week.…

Mar 11, 2009 6:40 PM CDT

Morgan Lewis Chair is ‘Very Confident & Positive About the Future’

Despite dire predictions for the traditional BigLaw model by some observers, stunning layoffs now under way at many major firms responding to dismal economic conditions are a good sign as far as their ongoing health is concerned, according to the chairman of one of them. “We’re very confident and positive…

Mar 11, 2009 1:06 AM CDT

Paul Hastings Axes 44 Associates, 87 Staff; Chadbourne Cuts 25 Lawyers

Two more well-known law firms have confirmed layoffs today: Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker is asking 44 associates and 87 staff members to leave in its U.S. offices, and Chadbourne & Parke is cutting approximately 25 lawyers worldwide. This news follows layoffs announced earlier today by Venable, which is eliminating…

Mar 10, 2009 9:43 PM CDT

Venable Cuts 16 Attorneys and 48 Staff; 11-Day Legal Layoffs Tally Tops 2,500

The law firm layoffs tally since Feb. 27 topped 2,500 today, with news that Venable is eliminating 16 attorneys, five paralegals and 43 staff members. The firm, which is the latest well-known law partnership to cut its roster in response to the plummeting economy, is reducing its attorney ranks by…

Mar 10, 2009 5:24 PM CDT

Pain and Anxiety in Latest Layoffs, Delayed in Hopes of Better Times

The most recent wave of law firm layoffs comes after law firms delayed job cuts, hoping the economy would improve enough to avoid such drastic measures, according to a law firm consultant. The realization that jobs must be cut has some partners feeling tremendous anxiety, he says. In just the…

Mar 10, 2009 12:38 PM CDT

Will $144K Become the Norm for BigLaw Associate Starting Pay?

A Chicago legal recruiter says the leaders of several large law firms are considering cutting associate starting pay. The problem, recruiter Kay Hoppe tells the Chicago Tribune, is that no one wants to be among the first to announce pay cuts. “I’ve heard from several chairmen who believe first-years need…

Mar 10, 2009 11:23 AM CDT

White & Case Lawyers Wait to Learn Bad News

Associates and staffers at White & Case likely had a sleepless night wondering if they will be among the 400 people expected to be axed. An internal memo dispatched at the law firm yesterday afternoon announced that about 200 lawyers and 200 staffers would be laid off. White & Case…

Mar 10, 2009 11:04 AM CDT

Hildebrandt: Cut Associate Salaries Now

“If you don’t cut associate starting salaries now, you are nuts. They were too high. Now we have to pay for it.” Bradford Hildebrandt’s admonition on costly associate salaries was repeated over and over as top law firm management met at Hildebrandt’s Law Firm Leaders Forum in San Francisco last…

Mar 9, 2009 7:17 PM CDT

Extra Layoff Pain for Thacher 1st-Years: Bank Wants Firm Bar Loans Repaid

At many major law firms, new associates get a stipend or a loan to cover their expenses while studying for the bar exam over the summer. At those that treat the money as a loan, it is generally considered a salary advance that first-years pay back over time after they…

Mar 7, 2009 4:11 AM CST

As Laid-Off Lawyers Look for Work, How to Find It Isn’t Clear

Only a year or two ago, when the economy was relatively strong, Aviva Tiegerman had no interest in hearing from the multiple legal recruiters who called her daily at the Manhattan office of Kaye Scholer. But now the 29-year-old Tiegerman, who was laid off in May from her job there…

Mar 7, 2009 2:30 AM CST

Akin Gump Axes 47 Associates, 57 Staff

A law firm thought to be on the verge of making layoffs today has now confirmed the bad news. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which is based in Dallas, has announced that it is cutting 47 associates and 57 paralegals and staff because of economic conditions, reports Texas Lawyer.…

Mar 7, 2009 2:09 AM CST

King & Spalding Cuts 37 Lawyers, 85 Staff

Atlanta-based King & Spalding has just announced that it is laying off a total of 122 people: 37 associates and counsel and 85 staff. In a written statement, published by the Blog of Legal Times, firm chairman Robert Hays expresses regret for the layoffs, but says continuing decline in the…

Mar 6, 2009 11:09 PM CST