Dewey & LeBoeuf, Layoffs

Nationwide Layoff Watch: Performance Review Attrition at Dewey & LeBoeuf

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Yesterday, we received a number of reports that 11 Dewey & LeBoeuf associates were fired from Dewey’s NYC office.

This is lower than the casualty rate that some have mentioned in the comments.

In fact, as we’ve mentioned before and saw earlier today, 11 associates in a firm of 1400 worldwide attorneys probably wouldn’t be termed as “layoffs” during normal times.

Of course, these are not normal times.

Dewey’s response after the jump.


The firm would not confirm that 11 associates left the firm yesterday, but conversations with firm spokespeople revealed that Dewey is currently in the midst of its semi-annual performance review process. We’ve been told that any associate departures that may have occurred are a result of that process, not global economic conditions. This is, as some of you may recall, how the firm responded to similar reports back in July.

Our tipsters disagree. One puts it simply:

Sponsored

And these are layoffs, not performance-based or legit firings.

You can make your own judgments about why these attorneys were let go. But at this point, in this market, does it even matter? Attrition is happening, whether you want it, like it, earned it, or not.

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die:

Sponsored

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

Update (2:30 PM): At a meeting between management and associates yesterday, some associates came away with the impression that 11 associates were fired yesterday. We are now hearing that other associates came away with the impression that 5 were fired yesterday (though there may have been more over the past few weeks).

Management will not confirm that any meeting took place at all. Fun times.

Earlier: Nationwide Layoff Watch: Dewey & LeBoeuf?

Dewey & LeBoeuf Closes Charlotte Office

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