There have been a number of layoff announcements in the past week by both UK & US firms. But it does look a little quieter than the bloodbath at the beginning of the month..
Here are the latet updates we’ve come across
Bilzin Sumberg Cuts Attorney, Staff Positions USA
Daily Business Review
Alana Roberts
February 24, 2009
Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod has cut some attorney and staff positions, managing partner John Sumberg confirmed while discussing the firm’s pullout from a $58 million Miami lease deal.
"We have done what every business has done in the recession in reducing expenditures generally, which has included streamlining a couple of staff positions and excess capacity in the transactional areas," he said in an e-mail.
Sumberg declined to say exactly how many positions were cut.
"It was a small number," he added. "It does not affect our lease needs or the amount of space we are looking to lease."
Sources say at least two attorney and two secretary positions in the firm’s corporate and real estate areas were cut. The attorney positions included a nonequity partner in the corporate practice and a real estate….
ATL: Kaye Scholer Lays Off At Least Five Attorneys USA
Mon, Feb 23, 2009
Tipsters tell Above the Law that at least five lawyers were laid off from Kaye Scholer on Friday, including some first- and second-year associates.
The firm conducted layoffs in the Corporate and Finance department on Friday. The number of affected attorneys is not known, but is believed to be at least five…
Kaye Scholer has been utilizing the “stealth layoff” approach quite heavily since December / January. I was given notice to look for another job a few weeks ago, and I personally know of about 10 others that [have been] “asked to leave” since then.
Trowers to cut four jobs in UK regions UK
Luke McLeod-Roberts 24-Feb-2009
Trowers & Hamlins has launched a redundancy consultation with fee earners in its UK-based real estate team.
The firm is looking to lay off four fee-earners who focus on the plot sales market, with three in Manchester and one in Exeter set to lose their jobs. According to a firm spokesperson, those working on plot sales in the firm’s larger London office are unaffected by the consultation.
OK we admit that this is quite a large set of redundancies…
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Faegre & Benson (67 Staff) USA
Friday, February 20, 2009 4:38 PM – By Marin
Not satisfied with just oil spills and attorney spills, Faegre & Benson has aimed its tanker at staff. Yesterday, the firm sent out the dreaded email:
With regret, we will reduce by 58 the number of Legal Administrative Assistants, Administrative Department Staff, and Paralegals in our U.S. offices. Tomorrow will be the last day at the firm for the individuals impacted by this decision.
The email also references a Sophie’s Choice buyout previously made to staff, which was accepted by nine:
An additional nine members of our staff accepted the Voluntary Separation Package offered earlier in the month. Their last day will be Friday, February 27.
If severance for all terminated staff is the same, it thus appears that staff who chose the buyout and got an extra week’s pay chose wisely.
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Sheppard Mullin Is Finishing Up Rolling Layoffs USA
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 5:25 PM – By Elie Mystal
Sheppard Mullin could have gone the full "stealth" layoff route. The firm has been laying off people incrementally over the past couple of months for a variety of reasons: some performance based, others because of the economy. The firm could have left former employees confused and current employees frightened about what is going on at the firm.
But this evening the firm decided to come clean and present the information in a reasonable and straight forward manner. In response to an inquiry from Above the Law, the firm released this statement:
At yesterday’s meeting of the Sheppard Mullin Associates’ Forum, firm management announced that by the end of this week about 25 attorneys firmwide will have been let go since the beginning of the year. Some of these terminations were performance-related; others were true "lay-offs," done in order to adjust professional staff levels in practice groups whose level of business has been adversely affected by the economic downturn.
And finally another story from Above The Law about US firm Paul Hastings which confirms our suspicion that more law firm jobs are going in our region that we are currently aware of..
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Paul Hastings Takes Layoffs to L.A.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 3:57 PM – By Elie Mystal
Earlier this month, we reported that Paul Hastings laid off a number of attorneys in its Atlanta office. Last week, we learned that the firm Paul Hastings took a slight dip in profits per partner in 2008.
You know what is coming next. A tipster reports:
I just wanted to let you know that stealth layoffs are ongoing at Paul Hastings. Rumor has it that the grim reaper is making rounds to many offices [in California].
Other tipsters report that the current round of layoffs at Paul Hastings has a truly international feel:
I heard that PH laid off 50% of its associates in the Shanghai office as compared to the same time last year.
