Layoff Tracker – Top 10 Lists

This page dynamically reports layoffs the major law firms that have achieved a number of ignominious accompishments in layoffs since January, 2008, when Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft was the first major New York firm to begin laying people off in anticipation of the collapse of the structured finance and real-estate practices.

The Law Firm Layoff Tracker main page includes several other charts that filter this information or present the data in different ways, as well as detailed information on the current and prior month and links to other available resources.

The Top 10 lists on this page break out into two major types: the firms that have laid off the most people (total, attorneys only, or staff only), and the firms who persistently report discrete layoffs.

There is an ongoing debate about whether it’s better to be at a firm that does massive layoffs, perhaps cutting too deep, or at a firm where there is a steady stream of layoffs such that the anxiety is constant.

Not surprisingly, the firms that make these lists are among the largest firms in the world (more people to start with means more people to cut). Still, readers should be aware of the methodology we use for the tracker to understand our process.

Index

Top 10 Rankings for

• Total People (Lawyers + Staff)
• Lawyers Only
• Staff Only
• Number of Rounds

Law Shucks BigLaw Layoff Tracker – Top 10 Firms – Total Layoffs

The above chart ranks the ten law firms that have laid off the most people, counting both lawyers and staff together.

Law Shucks BigLaw Layoff Tracker – Top 10 Firms – Attorney Layoffs

The above chart ranks the ten law firms that have laid off the most lawyers. Per our methodology, lawyers include only associates, counsel, of counsel, partners, members, stockholders, shareholders, and the like.

Law Shucks BigLaw Layoff Tracker – Top 10 Firms – Staff Layoffs

The above chart ranks the ten law firms that have laid off the most staff. Per our methodology, staff includes contract, temp, and staff attorneys, as well as traditional staff roles such as paralegals, secretaries, administrative and technical support, and so on.

Law Shucks BigLaw Layoff Tracker – Top 10 Firms – Number of Rounds

Unlike the previous three, the above chart ranks the ten law firms that have had the most rounds of layoffs reported, which may or may not cause the firms to rank in the other top 10 lists, depending on the size of the rounds. Because law firms try to “get it over with” all at once, there tends to be a lot of clustering at the bottom, as all ties are included.