Nationwide Layoff Watch: Performance Review Attrition at Dewey & LeBoeuf
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:
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:
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
(225) 
Comments
Firsty
Meh.
FIRST
FIRST
let the pity party begin...
5th?
5th?
I am dating a female CWT NY 05 associate. We are just beginning to express our passion for each other and are both working assiduously to sow the seeds of our freak nasty flower.
What is thr fucking benefit of being "first" if you'r signed in as a guest? You are all brainless baboons!
What is the fucking benefit of being "first" if you're signed in as a guest? You are all brainless baboons!
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COMMENTS IN THE LATERAL LINK JOB POSTING OF THE WEEK? THEY SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED!
If we are going to quote Tennyson, allow me to sprinkle this thread with some fairly appropriate Kipling:
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."
Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.
As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;
There are no reviews going on right now at D&L.
Instead of firing associates, why doesn't Marty Bienenstock bring a client? Isn't it all about bankruptcy these days? I guess that Marty was only a bankruptcy star when he was at Weil. He's done nothing since.
THEIR'S???
THEIR'S???
ARGH!!!!!!
WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!?!?!?
9 = Upset he/she isn’t first. SUCK IT
Sincerely
#1
First to say Where's leBeef?
Instead of firing associates, why doesn't Marty Bienenstock bring a client? Isn't it all about bankruptcy these days? I guess that Marty was only a bankruptcy star when he was at Weil. He's done nothing since.
Instead of firing associates, why doesn't Marty Bienenstock bring a client? Isn't it all about bankruptcy these days? I guess that Marty was only a bankruptcy star when he was at Weil. He's done nothing since.
16 - is lying.
Love,
The Real #1
It's "Theirs," not "Their's." Aren't you supposed to be an editor?
is he joking with the "their" mistakes?
Instead of firing associates, why doesn't Marty Bienenstock bring a client? Isn't it all about bankruptcy these days? I guess that Marty was only a bankruptcy star when he was at Weil. He's done nothing since.
20
21
16 - is lying.
Love,
The Real #1
P.S. I heard people who hit the post comment button multiple times out of impatience make better lovers. I wonder if that is true.
22
23
24
16 - is lying.
Love,
The Real #1
P.S. I heard people who hit the post comment button multiple times out of impatience make better lovers. I wonder if that is true.
25
12, brilliant, absolutely brilliant. shame that most ATL readers will think "huh?"
For what it's worth, reviews were completed at D&L a few weeks ago, so now IS the time that performance related departures would be happening.
Alfred Lord Tennyson = TTT. That douche-bag needs to get Strunk & White.
29
Jeff Buckley.
30
Milbank is doing the same thing. Get on it E.
I am dating a female CWT NY 05 associate. We are just beginning to express our passion for each other and are both working assiduously to sow the seeds of our freak nasty flower.
Technically, "their's" was in usage when that particular poem was written, so Elie gets a pass this time.
They closed the Charlotte, Hartford, Jacksonville and Austin offices for performance based reasons too I bet?
Man, those associates must have had typos all over documents!!!
Seriously, do you want the news fast or do you want it perfect? Lay off about the typos.
*whimper*
I wonder... if I will make the the bottom .02% of performance reviews. *Cringe* I better go to more study groups.
Nervous T-10 1L
For job offers or study advice email NervousT101L@gmail.com
Technically, "their's" was in usage when that particular poem was written, so Elie gets a pass this time.
Such slime.
PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE:
FIrms that do bullshit stealth "review" layoffs are to be avoided. Laying people off sucks, but this crap is shady insult-to-injury. The layoff firms can be forgiven, the stealth firms should not be.
Technically, "their's" was in usage when that particular poem was written, so Elie gets a pass this time.
32 - Thank you. For a poet out some 70 years out of fashion, his stuff is surprisingly lasting. I just re-read Sons of Martha and that stills hits home too.
Performance reviews: where senior associates slam midlevel associates who make less but are just as competent in an attempt to keep a job.
It's a fucking blog, not an agreement for a corporate client from a biglaw firm. Typos happen, get the fuck over it.
Is D.C. going to pick up with Obama? How is lobbying going these days???
Semi-annual performance review process??
- Really?
Charlotte, Hartford, Jacksonville and Austin offices were closed for economic reasons and that was fully explained to the D&L partners and associates. Why don't you do some work and stop raising unnecessary questions?
Semi-annual performance review process??
- Really?
Wondering if any partners will get de equitized in Dewey LeBeef? And, yes, London partners, I'm looking squarely at you.
A pissed London associate
I am dating a female CWT NY 05 associate. We are just beginning to express our passion for each other and are both working assiduously to sow the seeds of our freak nasty flower.
It's a fucking blog, not an agreement for a corporate client from a biglaw firm. Typos happen, get the fuck over it.
Elie: please, please, please learn the correct use of contractions and possessives. The mistakes you make are the sort of thing for which that first-year undergraduates get yelled at in their "learn how to write like a grown-up" classes. The good news is that it's REALLY NOT HARD to get it right.
Love the Tennyson quote.
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
Stealth layoffs are bad AND layoffs are bad.
If your PPP has been going up 15% a year for the last 6 years and it only stays the same or drops 15% this one year, that doesn't mean I forgive you for fucking the associates who gave up weekend/late night/vacations to buy you a fucking ski lodge.
PPP better go down to 2001 levels before you fucking layoff midyears who gave up over 10,000 billable hours to buy you hookers and blow.
Does anyone get the feeeling that there are some on this blog that are in need of anger management?
STFU WITH THE TYPOS ALREADY NERDS!!!! GET BACK TO THE ELIE IS FAT JOKES
STFU WITH THE TYPOS ALREADY NERDS!!!! GET BACK TO THE ELIE IS FAT JOKES
Stealth layoffs are bad AND layoffs are bad.
If your PPP has been going up 15% a year for the last 6 years and it only stays the same or drops 15% this one year, that doesn't mean I forgive you for fucking the associates who gave up weekend/late night/vacations to buy you a fucking ski lodge.
PPP better go down to 2001 levels before you fucking layoff midyears who gave up over 10,000 billable hours to buy you hookers and blow.
STFU WITH THE TYPOS ALREADY NERDS!!!! GET BACK TO THE ELIE IS FAT JOKES
STFU WITH THE TYPOS ALREADY NERDS!!!! GET BACK TO THE ELIE IS FAT JOKES
Hey 52
You are a FUCKTARD. Like these people weren't for economic reasons FUCKTARD?
They think they can fuck people over and pretend that it has nothing to do with a horrible merger? Bad business planning? OVERPAID Partners being FUCKTARDS like you?
Dear Trolls,
Here is a link to the Tennyson poem quoted above: http://poetry.eserver.org/light-brigade.html
Elie quoted from it correctly. If he quoted Shakespeare, would you dorks be objecting to the use of "thee," over "you"?
Read this aloud: After submitting a comment it may take several minutes to appear. Please only submit your comment once.
Hey guys, Hofstra1L here. Anybody want tickets to the Hatebreed concert tonight at the Nassau Coliseum?
everything is fine :)
Why oh why can people not learn to only post once! I double-posted ONCE since I've been here, learned my lesson and have not done so since!
It's seriously not that hard!!!!!
I can't manage MY ANGER!!!
I'm at Dewey and it was 5 people, and they were definitely NOT layoffs.
59-
Partners will fire 50% of associates before they accept 2001 level PPP.
Why cut your draw or even lower official billing rates when you can just fire associates If it gets normal busy, just rehire someone elses laid off associate................
Hey 66-
Nice mouth. People like you give lawyers a bad name.
-52
Read this aloud: After submitting a comment it may take several minutes to appear. Please only submit your comment once.
Why isn't this titled as "Stealth Layoffs" too? Let's call it what it is, Elie. Don't feed into the BS.
73 is a liar
I know at least one person failed the bar for the second time.
My bet is that Elie put that poem in on purpose to school the grammar police. Well played.
Hey 78,
Due your diligence. 73 is correct.
57: please, please learn to distinguish between author content and literary quote. (you do know what literature is, right?)
52,
what? is that an insult? a review? what?
you have no clue who i am or what i'm like. only that i'm mad at FUCKTARD partners for being greedy. for having no foresight. for lying. LYING.
do my bad bad adult words hurt your pretty ears? SUCK MY BALLS
sincerely,
66
You guys are idiots. How could you NOT know that Dewey has always, but ALWAYS, fired people for performance? (good for them I say, don't take the BS from crappy associates).
My friend at Dewey says it was 5.
78 here
ummm 73 is NOT CORRECT. I heard from one source directly.
Hey 81, 78 happens to be correct, but I agree with 73 that 85 does not know wht 63 is talking about.
Why oh why can people not learn to only post once! I double-posted ONCE since I've been here, learned my lesson and have not done so since!
It's seriously not that hard!!!!!
Hey 66,
Please stop dragging down this discussion. You're behavior is kind of a disgrace.
-52
Seriously, people, how many firms suddenly initituted across the board semi-annual reviews and when? Because at my firm, until this year, only 1st yrs got them in their full year - mainly for guidance/feedback purposes, not "you suck and you have 2 months to find another job".
Heard D & L laid off most of its Nebraska office associates.
Dudes, it's CA Bar results day!!! Why haven't ALL of the posts been about that!?!?!?! I'm nervous pervous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
45 is stupid. he/she says "Firms that do bullshit stealth "review" layoffs are to be avoided." avoided by who? name one f'in associate (employed or not) who has the luxury of avoiding ANY firm. wake up, dude. it's black friday. the new paradigm is here. now. just like investment banking is gone and will likely never return, biglaw is going.....going......
81
"Due" my diligence? You are ignorant. due diligence is term you've heard. congrats. it is diligence that is due a situation. an imperative would be to do my diligence. or even do due diligence.
Don't school me when you are so stuck up and ignorant.
Gracias amigo
What the hell is the deal with female CWT NY 05?
Dewey has reviews twice a year. LeBoeuf didn't have them at all! I guess they're on the twice a year cycle now.
Why oh why can people not learn to only post once! I double-posted ONCE since I've been here, learned my lesson and have not done so since!
It's seriously not that hard!!!!!
Are Black people even allowed by law to hold positions of power other than that of the dominant male in the prison shower?
Damn, 93, I was really hoping that 81 was clever enough to post a play on wrods. Now...
52,
Before law school I had a real job. With real work. And when things went real wrong we used got real angry. If you think I'm the bad guy for using angry words when partners have ruined people careers while pocketing millions of dollars on associates hardwork...
sorry something is wrong with you.
66
Who cares, MysTTTal?
81 wasn't that clever. And saying due your diligence isn't clever. it is very very not clever
It was 5 associates, not 11. Amazing that we live in a time that a 1400-person firm firing 5 associates leads to 94 comments (at last count). Everyone needs to chill out and start buying stocks.
Apparently 12 reads the NY Times opinion page, specifically the October 6 piece by Roger Cohen, and has been waiting for an appropriate moment to add those lines to ATL's comments ever since.
ON POSTING: To avoid posting twice, hit "post comment" then hit the "stop" button, then the "refresh" button and your post will magically show up without you having to wait.
81 wasn't that clever. And saying due your diligence isn't clever. it is very very not clever
Because what is funny about using 'due' incorrectly. there is no added meaning or second layer to the incorrect use as in a true pun or malaprop.
Hartford office is not shutting down.
Dewey is TTT. The Beef is TTT. Together TTTTTT.
Dewey is full of douchebags
testing 104
Dewey will layoff 50 more people within 100 days.
Anyone want to bet against?
Given the update, it sounds like the story was written without a credible source
109, did it work?
105 is a douchebag, but right.
Stop with the first year dumb legal witty remarks
First registered user comment! Suck the glassy cock, bitches!
Law is an industry. 200 law schools churn out their thousands of graduates year after year after year. Law firms hire. Schools churn out more students so law firms fire to make room for first years. Mid-level associate? Senior associate? Mere words. Partner? Of counsel? Equity partner? Shareholder? Managing Partner? Mere words. Law is an industry. Like Detroit churning out automobiles assembly line by assembly line ... so move the lawyers through the law firms. Law firms merge; chew up and spit out associates, de-equitize partners; lateral moves, fires and hires, layoffs, stealth and otherwise. It's an industry. That's all. Like factory line piece workers, year in and year out. No one is indispensible ... not even the client. It's just business, after all.
Why oh why can people not learn to only post once! I double-posted ONCE since I've been here, learned my lesson and have not done so since!
It's seriously not that hard!!!!!
Why oh why can people not learn to only post once! I double-posted ONCE since I've been here, learned my lesson and have not done so since!
It's seriously not that hard!!!!!
Why oh why can people not learn to only post once! I double-posted ONCE since I've been here, learned my lesson and have not done so since!
It's seriously not that hard!!!!!
Dewey should respond to Elie's requests. Get Dewey's side of the story out!
Dewey is full of Dewshbags.
I'd rather photocopy balls than suck glass cock
Why oh why can people not learn to only post once! I double-posted ONCE since I've been here, learned my lesson and have not done so since!
It's seriously not that hard!!!!!
Someone tell me what is going on with the stock market? Is citigroup going under?
I will keep posting this until it becomes common knowledge on ATL:
ON POSTING: To avoid posting twice, hit "post comment" then hit the "stop" button, then the "refresh" button and your post will magically show up without you having to wait.
Dewey & LeBoeuf to full retard!
isn't it funny that being a registered user never caught on?
126 - It isn't funny.
Derelick my balls.
And photocopy them.
126 - It isn't funny. Funny are things making people laugh.
Derelick my balls... and photocopy them.
if you want to have a bad day, look at your 401K
Weekend Assignment:
Photocopy My Balls!
127/128:
After posting twice using a different structure in each post to formulate your thoughts...which do you prefer? Personally, I think your post in 127 has a more poetic flow.
You're fucking pathetic.
Photocopy an 05 CWT female associate's balls
Performance related or not, it's just sad that instead of thinking about bonuses come Christmas time you now have to worry about being employed for Thanksgiving.
Btw...if Dewey or any other firm wanted to layoff people due to $$ troubles...their approach is prob the best...dump in small groups and be very non-responsive but don't cloak it like FriedFrank!!!
BALLS
BALLS
PHOTOCOPY
BALLS
How many Dewey partners/media ho's/buttlickers are posting on this thread?
I am not a number ... I am a free man!
92 - Well OBVIOULSLY when you have no other options you stay where you are, or take the only offer you have etc.
That said, shady stealth layoffs are something people who DO have multiple options should think about, just like they might think about bonuses etc.
When times get tough, they are dishonest and evasive and put a black mark on their associate's record instead of admitting they are making economic layoffs. Maybe save some $$ on severance too??
does the stop refresh method work for posting comments? lets find out
137
does the stop refresh method work for posting comments? lets find out
CA Bar Results ?? ANYONE?
it does not.
Is there any truth to the rumor that Latham is laying off people right now????
Ellie, I know you never got picked to play any sports, but how about a post on the Callway injunction preventing Titliest from selling ProV1's.
Thanks abovethelaw for licking NY Bar Exam takers' nut for weeks before the exam and leading up to results being released.. when you won't even give us CA folks a reach around. You suck.
CA Bar Boy
It does work. Whoever said it doesn't isn't doing it correctly. It's really not that complicated.
145 -- you sound like your mom.
well, that stop refresh method sucks too. Why cant ATL easily post comments? If a site like dlisted.com has seamless, instant comment posting, why cant ATL? WHAT THE FUCK?
Are other firms' announcements expected today, or are we going to have to wait until after Citi fails to figure out what our bonuses are going to be?
Ellie, I know you never got picked to play any sports, but how about a post on the Callway injunction preventing Titliest from selling ProV1's.
Which would you rather?
1) Work the weekend shift on the receiving end of a glory hole in a Texas truck stop, or
2) Date a female CWT NY 05 associate?
latham is having trouble; work is really slow here and people are worried
the stop refresh method works, but not instantly, And not instantly enough to prevent people from hitting post, stop, refresh twice. Which is what is really needed here.
I have heard scattered reports that both Cleary and Milbank are laying people off this afternoon.
136, 92 here. my point (which you seem to be missing) is that options are running out for associates across the board. this includes all the 3L's who had offers but -- whoops! -- no longer do. it's scary to admit things are changing in a fundamental way. but they are. do you need any more evidence than what is happening in biglaw right now?
150 -- Is there a 3rd option? I don't really like the first two.
Judge Guido Calabresi says, "Its GUNNA RAIN!"
153, laying off for economic reasons or performance reasons? CGSH does the latter regardless of the economy.
LAYOFFS AT MILBANK
Cleary sucks balls
154 - 136 here. No need for the snarkyness; we can both be right here.
I agree that obviously, in November on 2008, people are lucky to have one safe haven and very few can pick and choose.
But this too shall pass. Things will probably be better some day. And when that time comes, young lawyers would do well to remember how various firms treated their associates during the hard times. Protect them? Let them go with some severance? Or let them go with a thumb in their eye on their way out the door??
Thus, I say again, PAY ATTENTION NOW....
Latham is doing fine and there are no layoffs
But does Cleary photocopy balls?
like they say in the movies...
Friday really is layoff day...you're less likely to be hostile after the weekend...
My office building security is phone call verifying anyone who forgets their IDs now even if they know us!!!
No layoffs at Latham.
latham is ok. slower than peak, but ok for now.
Hungry? Eat my butthole!
Latham rocks !!
Which would you rather?
1) Work the weekend shift on the receiving end of a glory hole in a Texas truck stop, or
2) Date a female CWT NY 05 associate?
161 haha - at least try to conceal your L&W employment status
Friday really is fire day like they say....
Starting last Wed. my building security is now phone verifying us when we don't have our ID even though they know us!!!
ATL = douche
ATL = douche
ATL = douche
ATL = douche
ATL = douche
ATL = douche
ATL = douche
ATL = douche
Hungry? Eat my butthole!
Hungry????Eat my butthole!!!!
Elie,
Can you look into additional factors taken in deciding layoffs, i.e. do we think that all things being equal (whatever that means), an associate with a spouse and kids (or even a popular associate) is less likely to be laid off?
161 quickly realized how blatantly obvious they were and tried to cover it up in 164/5.
FYI...no firm of any type is doing "fine" right now, so don't try to pull a FriedFrank...perhaps better than others comparatively...but Latham has had big layoffs in the past so nobody would be surprised.
That is a negative on ball photocopying at CGSH. Been here for 8 years and partners have always had a strict policy about outsourcing their ball photocopying needs. We also dislike curly hair in the machines.
CA bar results?
MysTTTal
I would seriously give just about anything for some amusing, insightful commentary to take my mind of impending CA bar results.
However, 8 posts of "ATL = douche" does not quite fulfill that wish.
Back to online shopping I suppose...
Elie - you suck .. you say 11 attorneys in a firm with 1400 attorneys world wide would probably not be considered layoffs during normal times? Interesting that you considered FIVE layoffs at O'Melveny catastrophic about a month ago .. you're a tool bag
Which would you rather?
1) Work the weekend shift on the receiving end of a glory hole in a Texas truck stop, or
2) Date a female CWT NY 05 associate?
Where does Cleary outsource is ball photocopying to 182?
Latham?
188 - It outsources all support staff duties to GULC clinical programs and SMU.
I wouldn't fuck a female CWT NY 05 associate with another female CWT NY 05 associate's dick
I'd love to get my balls photocopied by GULC clinical programs and SMU
MysTTTal
Brains blood and guts of a fired Dewey associate after the jump.
Whats a SMU?
*sobs like a little beyatch*
my life sucks, and for money, i will too. i really worry that i cannot come up with anything original and have become a pathetic loser in a roomfull of pathetic losers.
sigh...
Nervous T-10 1L
For job offers or sex email NervousT101L@gmail.com
Working car engine after the jump
I wouldn't fuck a female CWT NY 05 associate with another female CWT NY 05 associate's dick
I'd love to get my balls photocopied by GULC clinical programs and SMU
"I'd love to get my balls photocopied by GULC clinical programs and SMU"
send those pics to:
NervousT101L@gmail.com
You really need to start blocking ISPs, Elie. Wading through the sewage here to get to a half-way relevant comment is becoming tiresome.
CONGRATULATIONS. If you have not been fired yet, you have survived another week.
CONGRATULATIONS. If you have not been fired yet, you have survived another week.
Milbank got away with murder today....
Why don't you put the update before the jump, especially since you can't seem to get the right number?
Dewey partner here,
All you lazy bastards need to shut up and bill hours, or you're next. Of course we're going to fire the stragglers; we are the business owners! Do you idiots understand that? You whine about our trying to keep PPP up, as though we should retain the weak among you at the price of our profits. Get real, shut the fuck up, and go bill an hour.
205--Give us some work, "Dewey partner"...we are waiting...and waiting...and waiting...
What's the point, you're a Dewey partner.
9/10 - I ask you this:
What is thr fucking benefit of being "first" if you'r NOT signed in as a guest?
And check your typing for crying out loud before you start calling others brainless baboons
205 - let me guess, you chair the recruiting committee?
If you really are a Dewey partner, you are not a very smart one. Because although YOU may be anonymous on the interweb, the business you own is not, and your post will cause people to think that one of the owners is a fucking prick who throws temper tantrums on teh internets. Are you really suggesting that the problem is that associates are unwilling to do the work? That's pretty Dewshie.
Hey Dewey partner, what are you doing here, go bill an hour instead of firing associates and going on ATL, before other partners decide to fire you....
D&L is ALWAYS in the midst of semi-annual performance reviewing. they started giving performance evaluations in august, which took two months to collect . . . and it is now almost december. wtf. and the next cycle is scheduled to begin in december/january, set to conclude just about when the next cycle should begin.
First, for those of you who are confused, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that "Dewey Partner" (205) is not actually a Dewey partner. Nor, it appears, is he particularly clever.
Second, Elie, I'm a bit disappointed in this whole thread, which is poorly sourced and misleading. The facts, which you have been apprised of by tipsters and commenters who you've chosen to ignore:
(a) The 11 number is wrong. Even you admit -- AFTER the jump -- that you're not at all certain and that the number may be five instead. As you have been repeatedly told, five is the right number -- four NY associates were let go for performance based reasons, and the fifth was fired for cause. Hardly a disguised layoff in a firm with 1400 lawyers (which you almost....almost...admit, albeit in obnoxiously faux sentimental fashion).
(b) Contrary to your assertion (made, of course, BEFORE the jump), I fail to see a single comment suggesting the "casualty rate" (I think you meant "number of casualties," in any event) is in fact higher than 11. In fact, in between the references to ball photocopyists and the passionate CWT associates who love them, the only other number that emerges is 5, which I've always thought is lower than 11.
(c) Dewey has had semi-annual reviews for many years; the merged firm elected to follow that policy, which is different than LLGM's traditionally . . . laissez faire attitude towards reviews. Those semi-annual reviews do, however, take a long time to complete.
Keep up the good work. Your mother tells me she's very proud of you.
Ooooooh - just banged a CWT 05 female associate and my lord, was she a nasty freak!! I recommend all of you do one at least!
#211 - what practice group are you at D&L? my group at Dewey never used to have semi-annual reviews unless they needed a paper trail (ie., 2001-2002). We all thought it was LLGM that came in and mucked things up.
Eat my butthole!
dewey diligence?
211: They implemented the semi-annual review process in the combined firm because they are bloated and they know it. It is their way of keeping everything under control and an excuse to constantly do pruning. But as any business consultant will tell you, doing performance reviews that often and for that long makes for bad business. Bad for partner-to-associate relations, associate-to-associate relations, and overall detrimental to morale. Once a year is reasonable. Twice a year is just messy.
v20 snr associate here - I KNOW that at our firm we hired and retained midlevel laterals during the boom who should not be working here, but when things were busy, the argument was half an associate is better than nothing. Now things are tightening up, we don't need to carry those people any more. This is not an indictment of all those that came in as laterals - some have worked out very well, but at least a third have no business holding their current class rank at our firm.
If that's all these "stealth" layoffs are about, then I say go for it - but at the moment we don't know how deep they are going to cut.
11 associates out of 600 is not generally a layoff. It's less than 2% of their associates.
legacy (and current) dewey associate here: dewey has had semi-annual reviews for many years. i'm in the corporate department, and i'm fairly certain the policy has been and is the same for litigation as well. the reviews do tend to drag on. but the policy has not changed since the merger.
Dewey has always had two reviews per year for their associates and support staff. So it is not something new on that side of the firm. As for LeBoeuf I am not sure what they did but I think with the merger they felt it was a good thing to incorporate in the combined firm. The mid year one is good because it gives the associates an idea of what areas they need to improve. The final one guages whether they have stepped up their game in order to get that nice raise and bonus.
As an employee, you are entitled to have as much access to your performance review file as your employer. During the upcoming performance review, due to redundancy of employees in this economic climate, employers might try to downplay your good reviews and overemphasize any criticisms in order to give themselves as much leeway as possible. You can ask to see your file and even include notes/comments/explanations inserted into your file, like as a rebuttal.
Additionally, everyone should be keeping a paper trail of their own as far as projects they have worked on, what they did on these projects, how their work was received, any feedback they received, and/or any unsuccessful attempts to get work (to show that you tried even if your billables are not up to par, and that the fault lies with the partners in being unable to muster up enough work).
As an employee, protect yourself and do not let management stealth lay you off or fire you without cause in this economy. Do NOT let them throw you under the bus in order to preserve their own marketplace reputation.
Interesting point 217. Seems like there are a lot of TTT grads at V20 firms that were hired during the good times that maybe wouldn't have been hired by prestigious firms in leaner times. For example anyone ever notice how many grads of TTT schools (like Baltimore, Catholic, New York Law, American, SMU) wind up as associates at Weil?
Interesting point 217. Seems like there are a lot of TTT grads at V20 firms that were hired during the good times that maybe wouldn't have been hired by prestigious firms in leaner times. For example anyone ever notice how many grads of TTT schools (like Baltimore, Catholic, New York Law, American, SMU) wind up as associates at Weil?
What was severance?
224: probably three months, like they are doing with the associates in the offices that are closing. i think back when they let people go earlier/mid-2008, they were giving four months severance but have since scaled back to three months.