Paralegals

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

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

Ropes & Gray Lays Off 106 Staff

A Boston-based international law firm is laying off 10 percent of its staff because of the economic situation. In an internal memo, Ropes & Gray’s chairman, R. Bradford Malt, announces the 106 staff layoffs, reports Above the Law. No attorney layoffs were made, and no further layoffs of either lawyers…

Jan 29, 2009 10:39 PM CST

January’s Carnage: 1,487 Law Layoffs

So far, it hasn’t been a happy new year for many lawyers working at well-known law firms throughout the country. As 2009 began, so did news of a growing tsunami of attorney layoffs being made at many BigLaw firms—not to mention London’s magic circle, in-house legal departments and midsize law…

Jan 29, 2009 8:15 PM CST

Morrison & Foerster Lays Off 53 Lawyers and 148 Staff Members

In response to economic conditions, Morrison & Foerster has announced that it is is laying off more than 200 people. The firm confirmed today that the layoffs include 53 attorneys and 148 staff members, reports Above the Law. According to the law firm’s website, MoFo has more than 1,000 attorneys…

Jan 29, 2009 12:59 AM CST

Wilson Sonsini Lays Off 45 Lawyers, 68 Staff, Freezes Associate Pay

Last week it was Cooley Godward Kronish. And now Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is announcing more than 100 attorney and staff layoffs. Despite other efforts to reduce costs, the worsening economy is now making it necessary for the famed Silicon Valley-based firm to cut 45 attorneys and 68 staff…

Jan 26, 2009 10:19 PM CST

Squire Sanders and Ice Miller Lay Off Staffers

Squire Sanders & Dempsey has laid off additional staffers, possibly in a move to become a more attractive potential merger partner. Squire Sanders’ Miami office laid off “a couple runners, some staffers and a few people in accounting,” according to the office’s managing partner, Alvin Davis. He told the National…

Jan 21, 2009 2:58 PM CST

Layoffs at Philly-Based Law Firms

Well-known Philadelphia-based national law firms are now laying off staff and/or attorneys, although, at least so far, they aren’t saying how many. In a written statement, Blank Rome has confirmed an unspecified number of attorney layoffs for “purely economic” reasons, reports Above the Law. “We have not taken these decisions…

Jan 16, 2009 8:47 PM CST

Less Work for Staff After Lawyer Layoffs, So Seyfarth Adds to Staff Layoff List

After laying off about 30 attorneys and paralegals in December, Seyfarth Shaw is now laying off another 25 or so staff members. In an internal memo reported by Above the Law, the Chicago-based firm announces the new layoffs and says 14 of those affected this time around work in its…

Jan 15, 2009 12:20 AM CST

Paralegals Outrank Lawyers on Best Jobs List

Much is made of the fact that federal judges must make substantial financial sacrifices when they leave private law practice. But the editors of a new best jobs list believe it’s better to be a federal judge, and better still to be a paralegal assistant. Lawyers were ranked 82nd on…

Jan 8, 2009 4:01 PM CST

What Your Secretary Wants for Christmas: Cash

With the holidays upon us, many lawyers presumably have already anted up. But for the procrastinators amongst us, Texas Lawyer offers a thoughtful gift-giving suggestion for lawyers seeking to show their appreciation to secretaries and legal assistants: Between $100 and $500, in cash. It should be enclosed in a card…

Dec 23, 2008 10:02 PM CST

Thacher Proffitt Announces Expected Dissolution

Updated: Thacher Proffitt & Wood announced its expected dissolution Monday evening following news that the troubled law firm had lost about half its 200 lawyers to Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. “It is anticipated that Thacher Proffitt will discontinue the practice of law and will begin an orderly dissolution after December…

Dec 23, 2008 1:30 AM CST

Happy Holidays for Howrey Staff: Firm Gives $1K Across-the-Board Bonus

Staff at Howrey thought they were attending an ordinary quarterly breakfast meeting yesterday morning in the firm’s main conference room. So when managing partner Robert Ruyak announced a $1,000 across-the-board bonus for all nonlawyer staff, there were gasps and some tears, reports the Blog of Legal Times, relying on an…

Dec 19, 2008 8:09 PM CST

Dechert Gives Pink Slip to 72 Staffers

In a move apparently initially kept secret even from the attorneys affected, Philadelphia-based Dechert laid off 72 staff members throughout the country. That amounts to about 12.5 percent of the 1,045-attorney international law firm’s 570 United States administrative staff, reports the Legal Intelligencer in an article reprinted in the Am…

Dec 16, 2008 9:04 PM CST

Battling for Scarce Legal Work, Associates Vie for Paralegal Tasks

Once upon a time, law firm associates turned up their noses at the prospect of performing document reviews and writing deposition summaries. But that’s not as true now that the economy is in a tailspin. Many associates without enough work to do are willingly taking on tasks traditionally performed by…

Dec 10, 2008 10:30 PM CST