Layoffs

Are nonequity partners at risk? 43% of surveyed law firms say they have too many

Law firm leaders responding to an Altman & Weil survey are optimistic about market demand, even as they express concerns about overcapacity. Leaders in 32 percent of the law firms surveyed said market demand has returned to prerecession levels, while leaders at 41 percent of the firms expected demand to…

May 13, 2015 10:30 AM CDT

Proskauer lays off 29 staff members

Proskauer Rose is laying off 29 staff members as it streamlines operations in its New York offices. “In New York, the firm will move toward a shared services model in which secretaries operate in teams,” the firm says in a written statement provided to Above the Law. “This approach, which…

May 7, 2015 4:00 PM CDT

Robins Kaplan to close Atlanta office; firm is ‘working on a transition plan’ for 12 lawyers

Robins Kaplan will soon be closing its Atlanta office, which at last report listed a dozen lawyers on the attorney roster, in order to focus the firm’s efforts elsewhere. “As a firm, Robins Kaplan has performed exceptionally well, especially over the past several years. As our clients’ needs have changed,…

Apr 17, 2015 12:10 PM CDT

Lawyer spent $26K of his savings to attend every Knicks game this season

A laid-off lawyer who decided to attend every Knicks game has spent $26,000 watching the losing season, but he’s hoping for better times ahead. Dennis Doyle tells the New York Times it has been an expensive and exhausting experience. “If I had better health care coverage,” he told the newspaper,…

Apr 17, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

ACLU lays off 23 employees nationally and closes Wyoming chapter

The American Civil Liberties Union is laying off 7 percent of its national workforce to help make up an annual budget shortfall averaging about $15 million over the last five years. Twenty-three people are being laid off, report Above the Law and the Washington Post. Both publications obtained copies of…

Apr 7, 2015 10:45 AM CDT

Steptoe lays off 32, including 14 attorneys, following energy-price drop

Following a precipitous drop in oil and gas prices, Steptoe & Johnson has laid off energy lawyers and staff in its Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia offices. A total of 32 people were recently let go, including 14 attorneys, reports the Charleston Daily Mail. “Due to continued…

Apr 3, 2015 10:15 AM CDT

Wiley Rein lays off lawyers and staffers

Wiley Rein is attributing new layoffs to changes in client demand and a new strategic plan. Wiley Rein didn’t confirm the number of layoffs in a statement to Above the Law, but the blog obtained a statement saying that 18 partners and of counsel, 18 secretaries, and 12 administrative support…

Mar 27, 2015 6:37 AM CDT

Goodwin Procter lays off lawyers and staffers, notes drop in demand for litigation services

Goodwin Procter has laid off 21 lawyers and 17 staffers in its litigation department, but it will consider hiring laid off lawyers for open transactional positions. The law firm blamed the layoffs on an overall decline in market demand for litigation services. Above the Law, the first to report the…

Mar 19, 2015 7:07 AM CDT

Kasowitz Benson confirms layoffs

Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman announced layoffs in an email sent to employees on Tuesday. The exact number of layoffs is unknown, but the cuts affect senior lawyers, associates and staffers, Bloomberg Big Law Business reports. A source briefed on the layoffs told Bloomberg as many as 40 people were…

Mar 11, 2015 7:03 AM CDT

9 ways to change the carnivorous partnership model and save BigLaw firms

At the beginning of a career as a lawyer, you often set upon a course of being a good soldier, doing what the system asks of you in the profession’s self-described “tournament-style” search for excellence. You must perform better than others so that you may advance within the organization. A…

Feb 4, 2015 2:40 PM CST

How Dewey management's rosy picture masked an ugly truth

In December 2011, Dewey & LeBoeuf chair Steven Davis used a calm, matter-of-fact tone in a phone interview about his firm's uncharacteristically aggressive streak of lateral partner hiring during the previous year. It was all part of the plan, Davis said.

Feb 1, 2015 4:30 AM CST

After losing BigLaw jobs, ex-Skadden associates form own firm, join Dentons as partners

Losing their BigLaw jobs five years ago during a mass layoff in the midst of the Great Recession turned out to be beneficial for two former Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom associates. Randolph Adler Jr. and Michael Chung founded their own New York law firm in 2009, focusing their…

Jan 8, 2015 6:40 AM CST

Workers reportedly get pink slips at Bingham global services center

News of a planned mass lateral move of three-quarters of Bingham McCutchen’s partners to Morgan Lewis & Bockius has quickly been followed by news of layoffs at Bingham’s global services center in Lexington, Kentucky. Unnamed employees told WKYT they got layoff notices Tuesday that will take effect on Friday. However,…

Nov 19, 2014 11:52 AM CST

Bingham and Edwards Wildman shed lawyers ahead of potential mergers

Bingham McCutchen and Edwards Wildman Palmer are preparing for potential mergers by shedding some of their lawyers. Edwards Wildman may vote this month on a potential merger with Locke Lord; the two firms have signed a letter of intent to form a merged firm called Locke Lord Edwards, the Am…

Nov 7, 2014 7:27 AM CST

Senior prosecutor is fired one day after courtroom outburst

A senior prosecutor in Jefferson County, Kentucky, was fired Thursday following a Wednesday courtroom outburst during a contentious hearing. The Louisville Courier-Journal provided a copy of the courtroom video of the incident. In it, prosecutor Robert Fleck called a public defender “wet behind the ears” and said, “For the record…

Oct 30, 2014 3:00 PM CDT