Biglaw, Job Searches, Layoffs, Money

Nationwide Layoff Nothing to See Here, Please Move Along Watch: Latham & Watkins

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As we previously wrote, there appears to be no truth to rumors of possible layoffs at Latham & Watkins. But even mentioning the words “layoff” and “Latham” in the same post got some people upset. We’d like to share some of the responses we received:

[T]he idea of layoffs [at Latham is] ridiculous. NYC M&A is still busy as hell, and on the whole the pace numbers, despite the traditional August lulls (read: not just credit market, it’s AUGUST) are very solid. They’re still bringing in laterals and still printing money.

And here’s a correction to the suggestion of possible slowness at the firm:

[O]ne of the comments you posted had incorrect data. The New York office was only at 90 percent pace for September, as some of your commenters noted. But for the year to date, even after a very slow August and September, New York’s pace is well over 100 percent. In fact, the office is about where it was last year, so things are nowhere near as bad as the doomsayers would have you think.

Plus, in the last week, things have began picking up substantially. In a few months, maybe we’ll be back to “NY to 190!”

Finally, we got our hands on firm-wide memo from Chairman and Managing Partner Robert Dell, discussing “firm culture.” It’s not very exciting, and it’s probably best read as a welcome to new associates, as opposed to some veiled discussion of layoffs.
If you’re curious, you can check it out after the jump.


TO: ALL PERSONNEL
FROM: BOB DELL
RE: THE LATHAM CULTURE
Our firm culture is an aspect of Latham & Watkins that is strongly evident in our people, our performance and our governance. We exhibit teamwork, collegiality and the highest standards of integrity and professional responsibility. These attributes, along with the outstanding quality of our work, rank high among the factors that have led to our tremendous success and will continue to drive our competitive edge.
It is inspirational to see the Latham culture reflected in our uncompromising commitment to quality and our highly demanding individual performance standards and expectations. It is also readily apparent in our dedication to client service. The concept of outstanding client service embodies the levels of attention we give to our commercial and pro bono clients as well as to others within the firm whom we support.
As we continue to grow and welcome new members into the Latham family –including our incoming class of associates, lateral attorneys of all levels and the newest additions to our world-class staff — let us continue our tradition of top quality and professionalism and build upon the foundations of our firm culture that have served us so well.
Earlier: Nationwide Layoff Watch: Latham & Watkins

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