Nationwide Staff Layoff Watch: Seyfarth Shaw
In December, Seyfarth Shaw laid off 30 attorneys. Today, the wheel came around to a number of staff:
As a result, we have made the very difficult decision to reduce the number of support staff positions in a limited number of offices, including ours. In Chicago, this has affected nine secretaries and five members of local department staff. A total of approximately 25 employees have been affected across the Firm.
A tipster reports:
Old ladies and people with 10+ years experience.
Read the full Seyfarth memo after the jump.
SEYFARTH SHAW — MEMO — STAFF LAYOFFS
As you know, our business - like most others - faces substantial challenges this year.
As a result, we have made the very difficult decision to reduce the number of support staff positions in a limited number of offices, including ours. In Chicago, this has affected nine secretaries and five members of local department staff. A total of approximately 25 employees have been affected across the Firm. This decision reflects, in part, the residual effect of the reduction in timekeepers announced in December, as well as the need for increased operational efficiency.
We are working with the affected employees to help ease the transition. We want to thank all of them for their service and contributions to the Firm.
Within the next day, we will communicate updated secretarial assignments with individual attorneys and secretaries.
While we recognize this is difficult news to learn, we felt it was important to share it with you as soon as it was appropriate. I am confident that, with your support, we can move forward together to meet and exceed our clients’ needs.
Earlier: Nationwide Layoff Watch: Seyfarth Shaw Lays Off 30 Attorneys
Prior ATL coverage of staff layoffs
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poo
STUCKEY!!!!
They toookkkk errrrr jerrrrrbbbssss!!!!!
I miss the days when intelligent people posted comments on this site.
they dat dur yerrd!
5 = racist
What about the Cahill layoffs?
Day terk errrr jerrrbbbbs!!!!!!
I like the South Park references that have been floating in the comments section all day.
What's going on with the Milbank reviews today??
Lobster rumors everywhere.
Do any V10 firms care about 2L GPA declines?
13, yes your chance of getting no-offered increases 1% by every 0.01 points of GPA decline in 2L year compared to 1L year. That's a fact.
Ballard Spahr in Philadelphia laid off about 20 staff today - mostly secretaries who had been there for years. Rumors that associate layoffs coming during performance reviews.
13, firms ranked by odd numbers among the v10 care. Firms ranked by even numbers don't care. Your goal should be to interview at as many of the even number ranked firms as possible.
Forget the odd number ranked firms. See @14 as to why.
Anyone have useful advice?
-13
13, it depends on whether or not the named partners are deceased.
Simpson just tripled salaries!
13 - Only work for Cahill; they're the only firm guaranteed not to have layoffs.
I'm not L&E, but from a legal standpoint (and Seyfarth should know) what is going to be the aftermath with all the once protected classes getting laid off - (doubt Seyfarth would do this) but other firms are clearly using the economy as an excuse to just fire away...
SeyfarTTTh stealth laid off associates all last year.
5 YOU are a douche!
Gibson just dissolved it's east coast practice!!!
Gibson just sold me an old Les Paul.
How come no information on the layoffs in the RE department at Stroock? They happened just before Christmas and not a word yet.
When ATL prints these memos from BigLaw execs, why does it not include the name of the party who wrtote the memo you are posting? Just curious, but a little acountability might be in order. Any others have any thoughts on this?
21 - What are you saying?
@13 V10 Partner here...It depends on a number of factors. For example if you go to Harvard, of course your grades don't matter. The only thing that matters is whether or not you are breathing. If you are breathing, then we'll give you an offer, if you aren't breathing we will still give you an offer as long as Rigor Mortis hasn't set in yet...and even then there are some partners who will fight for you.
26, tell us what you know.
i think those old ladies might need a ride home, given how upset they are and all... maybe some v10 associates with 7 series bmws can make lemonade out of lemons. maybe. might be a tad dry.
What about the Paul Hastings RE Department?
32 - Do you have word on possible layoffs at Cahill Gordon?
33,
No, sorry, I don't.
-32
Andrews Kurth Salary Freeze
"Do any V10 firms care about 2L GPA declines?"
Yes, some V10s will no-offer SAs if their 2L grades decline precipitously without extenuating circumstances. It also depends on what school you attend--you have much more latitude at a T14 than if you were #1 in your class at BLS.
If you're talking going from 3.9 to 3.7 at one of the T14s that still give grades, you'll be fine; if you're going from #1 in the class to outside top 25% at some TTT (or worse), then you're in trouble. Shades of grey in between.
Now, stop asking questions about V10 firms in a Seyfarth thread and never complain about useless responses when doing so.
36 - How about, say, somebody at an in between school -- say, Fordham -- that goes from top 5% to, say, dead last (straight D's)?
37--
Dude, how does anyone get a D at any post-secondary institution? Evidencing that level of slack-assitude is fatal at biglaw, at least if you aren't already in the door.
Also, 37, I'm not clear on how that isn't clearly "worse" than going from #1 to outside top 25% at a TTT. Since when is Fordham not a TTT?
38, I got a D in law school once. Went to the first two classes and then never went again -- professor started taking attendance the third class. Oh well.
39 - It's better than BLS (the example 36 gave) and outside the T14. So that qualifies as "in between," I suppose.
40--
What law school takes attendance (outside small group seminars--and then it should be obvious it counts)? Seriously.
41--
But top 5% at Fordham is (as employment prospects go) roughly equivalent to #1 at BLS. And *LAST* in the class at Fordham is a LOT worse than top-26% at BLS. So, clearly worse.
42, it was at B.C. Most classes, obviously, didn't. One apparently did, and I wasn't aware of it until I got the D after the semester. Nobody I knew was in the class, so I didn't get a head's up. Class of about 45 or so. Oh well. Ten years ago, anyway; maybe they've changed.
40/44--
That's a plain example of law students being sh!tty, sh!tty people. Someone in the class was at least vaguely aware of who you were; they should have asked if you were still in the class once attendance was being taken. Or is BC 500+ per grad class?
45, no, there were some people that did vaguely know who I was, as you said, but nobody that was particularly friendly with me, so they didn't see the need to inform me of it. You're right about law students being shitty people.
My "friend" who goes to BU Law got a C last semester. Is my...I mean his... firm going to care if my other grades were within my...I mean his... normal range?
47 -- Depends on a lot of things. Most imporantly, what firm it is. A lot of firms took on summer classes that are waaaaaay too big in the current economic climate, and want desperately to cut them down. So they'll be looking for excuses to drop people, which you never would have heard of even two years ago.
48, Will my "friend" have to send in his transcript eventually? He is worried.
What's a BLS or a Fordham? is that where contract attys come from?
Oh, Seyfarth. They desperately want to play with the big boys, but their low L&E billing rates are holding them back. They bit off more than they could chew, and now they're firing hard-working employees. It's really the worst of both worlds there (big firm expectations, small firm capital).
Jeebus, thsi shouldn't turn into "freak out about my grades". One not good grade isn't going to kill anyone, nor will going from As of various sorts to all B+s.
It's about a category shift--if you're one of 5 people at your school going to a V20 firm, you best keep your grades at least coif-eligible (and magna, too, unless its a school with a weirdly high magna cutoff); if most of the top 20% (who want to) are going biglaw, stay approximatelty in the top 20%.
49 - He will. He should be.
Rumor has it that the T14 schools will institute a grade freeze for the incoming 2009 class in view of an anticipated recession in academic performance for the 2009-2010 year.
42 - Certain professors at Harvard take attendance.
13 - Your FINAL lawschool GPA will matter if you ever try to lateral, which you probably will. You get to have "cum laude" next to your degree forever, long after people stop specifying GPAs.
I graduated with a higher GPA than I had 1st year. It may have helped me lateraling UP to a better firm. At least it doesn't hurt.
Will laugh when the Fordham partner you work for (and NYC is full of them) smacks down you haters.
Who the hell is SAyfairth Shawww?
Seyfarth? for real? Seyfarth? That firm is TTT in the Chicago market.
56 -- Great point, thanks for the advice. It is very much appreciated, and I hope my "friend's" firm and other firms see things that way, too.
Signed,
--47/49
Can we get back to the discussion about RE departments?
Fordham is a very respectable school. Certainly as good as northwestern, Gulc, BU and other solid schools.
63 - rancid northwestern trolling
57 - Half my department at my old (Biglaw) firm in NYC were Fordham law grads. One was actually Seton Hall, interestingly.
- BC Law grad.
I meant to say PARTNERS in my department
-64
A lot of the firms instituting salary freezes still have BS programs/benefits like 5 months paid maternity leave. How about cutting that kind of stuff (and all free SA meals, etc.) before freezing salaries for actually productive attorneys?
The Student Bar Association expresses its outright disapprovalof the racism expressed in the post by 21. The Student Bar Association maintains a list of IP addresses of known bigots and will post names if this behavior continues.
-SBA President
Any word on Seyfarth, LA? Are people busy?
-Seyfarth SA 08'
59 = rejected for call-back with Seyfarth
Yes, if you are doing Toxic Torts at Seyfarth NY you are a total loser.
wilkie farr just laid off 40 people.
wilkie-New York office
massive layoffs at alston & bird. 1st years included. why are they getting away with it without a post from elie?
IDEA IDEA!!
There are two types of law firms in this economy. The first is the lawfirm that lays off people because they really, truly had a bad year and dont think 2009 is going to get any better. The other is the law firm that had a relatively decent year and still lays off people because they are too chickenshit to ride it out.
Dont mind working at the first. Law school students should be warned about the second.
not looking like a good start for today.
My guess is that today and tomorrow will be pretty bad for associates everywhere.
My advice to worried associates everywhere: stay home. If you don't come into the office, the partners can't find you to fire you -- unless they do it by e-mail, of course, which would be a truly dick move.
Seyfarth is TTT, below market in salary and bonus in all regions.
76 - I only break up with girlfriends via email or text message, because that way I don' thave to deal with the crying and whining and whatnot. Why wouldn't they do that with firing you?
What's this about Wilkie layoffs?
How are firms gettting away with this? There is an "Age Discrimation" law on the books. Is EEOC still active in the US, or did they go belly up.
you are all missing out on this scam opportunity. Associates: ban together, walk out and start your own lawfirm with offices in NY, DC, Atl, world-wide! take along the experienced staffers with you. Force the PPPs under. You are the breadmakers. Do it now!
Given a golden opportunity and unable to see it. Open your eyes! already. Sink the ship before it sinks you. Damn. Wake up! How did the large firms begin? A few lowly associates breaking away from rules and regulations not supportive of their goals. Where's the courage today? Who are those lowly associates today? Take the years of experienced staff with you and make it happen. What large firm can operate without you? Eliminate the PPP profits and start afresh, put them out of business! Show 'em who's boss and kick 'em to the curb already.
-An unlaid off 25+ years experienced staff member, who has worked with high rolling partners and more than experienced in legal practice ALMOST willing to see it happen during this scam powerless crisis and hoping to see a boomerang effect. Pay my check and give me the time off, and I'm yours in developing and implementing a sound legal practice while you practice law!
76- seyfarth would fire by email.