Layoffs at major law firms were down in October after the brief uptick in September.
However, there were confirmed stealth layoffs and layoffs without official numbers reported, as firms inexplicably continue to try to be coy.
The charts after the jump.
Layoffs remain at low levels. In fact, October’s 221 reported layoffs are fewer than in any of the 10 worst layoff days this year (232 on March 10).
Layoffs were reported at eight firms in October, although the tallies were only confirmed at five: Cooley Godward (58 total / 0 lawyers / 58 staff); Paul Weiss (49 / 0 / 49); Foley & Lardner (39 / 39 / 0); WilmerHale (57 / 0 / 57); and Drinker Biddle (22 / 22 / 0). Numbers have not been provided for Crowell & Moring, Akin Gump, or Nixon Peabody.
Only seven firms reported layoffs in September.
Taking those three firms out of the equation, the average layoff size in October was still smaller than September, and well off the peaks of the first quarter.
One interesting theme in October was that the reported layoffs at major firms were all American. If memory serves (for some reason the AmLaw 100 webpage is unavailable as we write this), all eight firms were in the top 100 firms by revenue.
The weekly analyses for October are:
- This Week in Layoffs – 10/30/09
- This Week in Layoffs – 10/23/09
- This Week in Layoffs – 10/9/09
- This Week in Layoffs – 10/2/09
All told, 221 people were laid off in October, of which 61 were lawyers and 160 were staff.
11,953 people (4,535 lawyers, 7,418 staff) have been laid off by major firms this year.
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I guess the giant Dickstein Shapiro is first on the list for November.
I appreciate that you acknowledge that law firms attempt to be coy about their lay offs.
Hundred of jobs are eliminated through performance review scams – afterall there are no unions in law firms so it's a secretary against a multimillionaire attorney with lots of litigation experience. A paralegal can have several years of outstanding performance reviews and then bam! they have huge "problems" with your performance during the Great Recession. So he/she ends up "resigning."
I know of several additional lay offs not included in these charts but you're black balled if you talk to the press so no one says anything.
Thanks for maintaining this. It's important.