Layoffs

Hogan & Hartson Offers Sweet Buyout Deal to Senior Staff: 20-30 Weeks

To avoid staff layoffs, one well-known Washington, D.C.-based international law firm is offering a sweet buyout deal to some staffers. Those who opt to leave the 1,100-attorney partnership will receive a hefty parting gift. “Staffers with more than five years of experience will be offered four weeks pay plus one…

Feb 9, 2009 5:37 PM CST

Hinshaw & Culbertson Lays Off 11 Lawyers, 17 Staffers

Chicago-based Hinshaw & Culbertson has cut 11 lawyers and 17 support staffers in a move attributed to the economic downturn. Managing partner Bill Roberts told the National Law Journal that the layoffs weren’t confined to any particular practice area or office. The firm has about 490 lawyers in 26 offices…

Feb 6, 2009 2:11 PM CST

One Lawyer Layoff Saves an Average of $250K

Law firms looking to cut budgets get more bang for their buck by laying off lawyers rather than trimming other costs. About 85 percent of a law firm’s budget goes to pay rent and personnel costs, the National Law Journal reports. “There’s only so much you can save by pulling…

Feb 6, 2009 1:54 PM CST

Laid Off? Work for Us for No Pay, Legal Job Ad Suggests

Taking advantage of a tough job market, an Illinois nonprofit is advertising for volunteer lawyers. “CARPLS Legal Aid is looking to put unemployed attorneys to work counseling the growing number of low-income families who are urgently in need of help during these difficult economic times,” the agency reports in a…

Feb 6, 2009 12:10 AM CST

Penn Students See Humor in Layoffs: ‘Dissolving Firm Offers 3L Partnership’

Apparently inspired by widespread news of layoffs at real law firms, law students at the University of Pennsylvania have highlighted some humorous aspects of a sad situation in a satirical “news” publication. The initial issue of Goat’s Milk (PDF), a self-described underground law review, leads with an article that indicates…

Feb 5, 2009 1:27 AM CST

As Consultant Advises Office Closings, Dewey Plans San Francisco Shutdown

Dewey & LeBoeuf plans to close its San Francisco office and move 17 lawyers there to its office in East Palo Alto, Calif. The move “comes on the heels of a turbulent 2008 for the San Francisco legal business,” the Recorder reports. The publication notes a recent report recommending that…

Feb 4, 2009 3:54 PM CST

‘Limited Turnover’ at Paul Hastings in Atlanta Office

Some lawyers have been let go at the Atlanta office of Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, but the layoffs are nothing unusual, the firm says. In a one-sentence response to a request for information from Above the Law concerning tips that a substantial number of associates have been given their…

Feb 4, 2009 1:27 AM CST

Biggest Buffalo, NY, Law Firm Lays Off 5 Lawyers and 8 Staff

Corrected: Buffalo, N.Y.-based Hodgson Russ asked five lawyers and eight staff members to leave last week. Gary Schober, the president and chief executive of the more than 200-attorney law firm, declines to say exactly why the dismissals, which he hesitated to call layoffs, were made, reports Business First of Buffalo.…

Feb 3, 2009 9:02 PM CST

McDermott Lays Off 60 Lawyers and 89 Staff Members

Because of economic conditions, McDermott Will & Emery laid off 60 lawyers and 89 staff members today. In an internal memo to all personnel today, firm chairman Harvey Freishtat confirmed the layoffs and said the decision to make them had been “tremendously difficult,” according to Above the Law, which posts…

Feb 3, 2009 6:13 PM CST

New York Bar Group Launches Life Raft for Laid-Off Lawyers

When the New York State Bar Association created the Special Committee on Lawyers in Transition, former bar President Mark Alcott envisioned a resource for attorneys returning to the profession after a voluntary leave of absence. But with no signs of a layoff let-up—ABAJournal.com noted 1,487 terminations in January—the NYSBA is…

Feb 3, 2009 5:41 PM CST

Major Maine Firm, Pierce Atwood, Lays Off Some, Hires Others

For economic reasons, the largest law firm in Maine laid off seven lawyers and 14 staff members last week in its Portland, Augusta and Portsmouth, N.H., offices, but is looking to hire five more lawyers in Boston and Providence, R.I. The laid-off lawyers worked in the Portland and Portsmouth offices…

Feb 2, 2009 7:15 PM CST

Blog Notes ‘Extraordinarily High Rate of Staff-Alone Layoffs’

Law firms laying off associates often ax two to three times more support staffers, and in some cases it’s the staffers alone who are being fired. Law21 notes the trend and comments on the “extraordinarily high rate of staff-alone layoffs.” The blog speculates on the reasons. Law firms may fear…

Feb 2, 2009 1:07 PM CST

Expert Sees Possible Big-Firm Shift to More Temp Lawyers, Pay Cuts

A legal consultant speaking to marketing partners last week bandied about the words “fundamental changes” and “fundamental shift” to describe how the law firm business model will likely change in response to the economic downturn. The news isn’t good for partners and associates at large law firms concerned about their…

Feb 2, 2009 12:31 PM CST

Fish & Richardson Confirms Lawyer Layoffs; 49 Have Left Since November

The intellectual property law firm Fish & Richardson says it has fired 49 lawyers since November, and some of the dismissals were for financial reasons. A statement released on Friday also confirmed the layoffs of 30 support staffers, according to Above the Law and the Daily Journal. Last week, Above…

Feb 2, 2009 11:49 AM CST

General Counsel Leaves Merrill Lynch (Corrected)

Corrected: Among those reportedly being cut from the corporate ranks of Merrill Lynch after the investment bank’s merger with Bank of America last year is Merrill Lynch vice chairman and general counsel Rosemary Berkery. Fox Business and Fortune are reporting that Berkery has left the bank. Merrill Lynch spokesman Mark…

Jan 31, 2009 1:58 PM CST