Layoffs

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

Broaden Job Search, Maybe Go Solo, Officials Tell Worried Law Students

As a growing number of major law firms delay start dates for incoming associates and make record-breaking layoffs (some 2,700 have been announced since Feb. 27), it’s obvious that worried law students have good reason to be concerned about finding work. For the first time, there wasn’t enough employer interest…

Mar 11, 2009 8:49 PM 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

Gloomy Times for NY Lawyers and the Recruiters Who Want to Help

Legal recruiters really may be able to feel lawyers’ pain as they face their own difficulties placing job seekers at big New York law firms. Job coach Diane Costigan and legal recruiters appearing at a panel discussion Monday said lawyers need to change their job goals, the Am Law Daily…

Mar 11, 2009 12:17 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

Northeast’s Pepe & Hazard Lays Off 5 Lawyers and 7 Staff Members

Bringing the law firm layoffs total since Feb. 27 close to the 2,700 mark, a regional business firm based in Connecticut has just announced that it is cutting five attorneys and seven staff members. In a written statement, the 61-attorney firm says the move “is the direct result of the…

Mar 10, 2009 10:15 PM 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

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

731 Lawyers and Staff Laid Off Monday at Morgan Lewis, K&L Gates and White & Case

Updated: A stunning number of new names will soon be added to the law firm layoffs list after announcements today by three major firms—K&L Gates; Morgan Lewis; and White & Case—that they are cutting a total of 731 attorneys and staff. That brings the total number of law firm layoffs…

Mar 9, 2009 7:14 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