My god. This is fairly ridiculous.

Holy crap what a bad day. Good luck to all affected, everywhere.

"Another bites the dust..."

"Another one bites the dust..."

Make it stop.

terrible.

what a terrible day.

I wonder if Chili's is hiring.

F'ing job market is getting really crowded...

ATL should just report on the firms that didn't fire people today, that would be easier ...

My favorite paralegal was just axed! What am I going to do? Sadly, a DLA Piper associate

My favorite paralegal was just axed! What am I going to do? Sadly, a DLA Piper associate

ALL AROUND ME ARE FAMILIAR FACES

Laughing laid off associate here singing "we are the world, we are the children..."

Anyone in San Diego?

Brother, can you spare 1.7 million dimes?

-Laid-off Associate

EVERYBODY PANIC!!!

DLA = TTT

DLA? MORE LIKE DTA!! DON'T TRUST ANYONE YA SONOFABITCH!!

Cutting first- and second-year associates is classless. Way to ruin the careers of people that put faith in your firm. I sincerely hope that future law students take note of which law firms made an effort not to ruin the careers of young associates by firing them before they had developed the skills necessary to have a foundation to build a career upon, and those that are all about the money, completely disregarding the impact of their firings on the careers of young, undeveloped associates.

Any ideas where the layoffs were concentrated?

"reduced expenses across virtually all of our operations"... this statement seems odd given the fact that the partners took a 3+ million cruise (don't forget airfare from all those worldwide offices) in Spain last summer with their spouses... all on the firms dime.

Anyone in D.C.?

Good luck to the departed. I've always got along with the Chicago DLA people I've worked with.

But is this really surprising? Talk about a real estate heavy firm. I thought this would have happened much sooner. Where were the cuts?

Does anyone know if class of 2006 associated were laid off in the East Palo Alto office?

Does anyone know if class of 2006 associates were laid off in the East Palo Alto office?

OMG, that is bloody

Any word on layoffs in the Baltimore office?

OCEANS RISE

CITIES FALL

QUINN REMAINS

OCEANS RISE

CITIES FALL

QUINN REMAINS

OCEANS RISE

CITIES FALL

QUINN REMAINS

Jesus. Let's start a pool on who's next. I'll take Paul Hastings with an 11:34 PST post time.

OCEANS RISE

CITIES FALL

QUINN REMAINS

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fucking bloodbath

They took the associates for everything that they had,
And kicked them out on their own.
Are they happy? Are they satisfied?
How long can they stand the heat?

LOCATIONS LOCATIONS LOCATIONS. and class years.

Let's start with the obvious -

NY?

Chigaco?

DC?

LA?

anyone in Seattle?

Hey guys, remember when you said that Cravath was ruining its reputation forever by paying 2008 bonuses that were half their 2007 bonuses? Remember how you said that Cravath just destroyed its recruiting for years to come?

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Cutting first years is cruel and really handicaps their careers. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

http://i40.tinypic.com/vg296s.jpg

FYI 36, Baltimore is actually a bigger office than LA and about the same size as DC - let's put them in the "obvious" location.

Cutting first years is cruel and really handicaps their careers. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

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39: absolutely

God. And to think, just a few weeks back, I was thinking of leaving my sometimes shitty "mediumlaw" job! As of today, I'm thankful to have it. Now the market is flooded with overly qualified and talented folks that would take this spot in a heartbeat. Good luck to all those who got screwed.

Apocalypse. Titanic. Melt down. BULGARIAN CLUSTER FUCK!!!!!!

TPW Alum

I have not seen any reports on Manatt. They've been doing stealth layoffs for some time now.

I have one friend who was laid off from there in early November. I have other friends who still work there. They've laid off associates in LA and DC. They've also put a salary freeze in place, but did so through very carefully worded salary memos and a firm-wide meeting.

supposedly all the affected people have been notified

@39--Thank God for that bit of good news.

Aaaaah! The sky is falling!

Another TPW Alum

Actually, can we get a photo of this buxom beauty?

God. And to think, just a few weeks back, I was thinking of leaving my sometimes shitty "mediumlaw" job! As of today, I'm thankful to have it. Now the market is flooded with overly qualified and talented folks that would take this spot in a heartbeat. Good luck to all those who got screwed.

Aaaaah! The sky is falling!

Another TPW Alum

Merchant & Gould in Minneapolis pulled 3L offers + maybe some layoffs, confirm?

Significant % in NY office. Several Corporate juniors (including 1st years).

The downsizing will affect the New York office the most, where the firm will trim 16 associates. It is laying off 12 associates in Chicago. The other reductions are primarily on the West Coast.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202428235485

Just remember, boys...shit flows downhill. Us laid off BIGLAW guys are coming for your MIDLAW jobs.

manatt is definitely doing stealth lay offs and have for a while

Time for a flashing siren!!

DLA merged with any firm they could; there was no quality control. Now the firm is comprised of a lot of STUPID lawyers. It's amazing they can bill clients anything near the rates they charge. Then they lost Amy Schulman (they're #1 rainmaker). This firm is sinking fast. Sorry for those let go, but they're probably MUCH better off. Why anyone would go to this firm is beyond me.

Cutting first years is unfortunate. But I think DLAP deserves some serious credit for generous severance (both atty's and staff), free career counseling and search firm services, and a memo making explicit that the layoffs are market driven. This has not been the case for some other V100 or V50 firms.

This point may have already been made (it has certainly been implied in several posts over the course of the last few weeks), but it seems to me we should be talking about two different categories of layoffs.

1) Layoffs that involve mid-level and senior associates.

2) Layoffs that involve junior associates and first year associates.

The former category, depending on the total number of layoffs, is probably the result of falling attrition rates. Associates that would normally be preparing to end their BigLaw tenure are sticking around because there are no other jobs. Even in boom times, the firm structure does not especially benefit from these associates.

The latter category, however, seems to reflect genuine layoffs, in the sense that people who the firm would like to keep are forced to leave. These types of layoffs would seem to reflect a weaker overall firm, since they indicate a broader restructuring of firm personnel.

you'd think with all the layoffs we had last year we'd be immune to it.... nope, it still sucks! why can't they just do it all at once and let everyone get on with their lives

Cutting first years is unfortunate. But I think DLAP deserves some serious credit for generous severance (both atty's and staff), free career counseling and search firm services, and a memo making explicit that the layoffs are market driven. This has not been the case for some other V100 or V50 firms.

The ship be sinking...

#58: Your BIGLAW shit is going to keep flowing past my MIDLAW office door and into the gutter where you belong. Go check yourself in at the unemployment line if you haven't already.

I feel sorry for everyone who's been laid off, but it's ass-wipes like you who deserve a wake-up call.

Anyone in San Diego effected?

Anyone in San Diego?

63, I agree with your analysis, except I will add that mid- and senior associates are profitable, even those who are not partner material, unless their hours are extremely low. Junior associates in contrast are unprofitable until they hit around 2000 billable hours. Thus, if the firm is seriously hurting right now, shedding unprofitable junior associates is a quick fix even though it is contrary to the firm's long term interest.

Laid off 5 Asians from the NY office. Sweet

51- at least our severance checks cleared.

TPW alum

61 = Amy Schulman

58 - You Biglaw douches who built no skills while being coddled with doc reviews will fail at taking the midlaw jobs.

Don't worry though, at least you may get free healthcare from Obama.

58 - You wouldn't stand a chance in MidLaw or SmallLaw - we do real work from day 1. You are basically a doc review monkey for your first 2-3 years. We get paid less but work less. You get paid more but work more so at the end of the day your K is pretty much minimum wage. You can have the prestige because when I make partner here at my MidLaw firm and then lateral into your (former) BigLaw firm as a partner I will have skipped the shitty lifestyle you have (or would have), made more money and be in a better position than you.

That HAS to hurt. You should probably stop posting here and go to UPenn State's career services office so you can get some alumni help.

#58 - dream on. at a time when our midlaw firm was rebuked with biglaw people dreaming of bigger things, bigger paychecks, and a flashier life, those of use at my firm realized what we really wanted in life and trudged along.

now, when we are going gangbusters getting the work your clients are transferring because of your bloated 1st and 2nd year billing rates, we get to sit tight and laugh each time we see a posting of another round of layoffs.

Its not that we dislike you folks, its just that we dont care. our firm is big enough that we do get resumes from folks that have been shown the door. they go directly into the circular file. as one of my partners recently said when asked if bringing on biglaw talent would be good for business, he said, "they didnt want us when times were good, what makes me think they wont do the same to me when the good times return."

and yes, i realize that i am petty and that i am enjoying your pain. for years, i was literally shunned by my T10 classmates that took the biglaw jobs. i graduated in the top 25% of my class but, due to family reasons, had to relocate close to my wife's home. its a second or third tier market at best. i have accepted where i went, enjoy the people i work with and found it disheartening that my colleagues from law school rarely returned my calls.

karma is a bitch.

63: I agree with your analysis in general, except that mid and senior associates are profitable at around 1600 hours, regardless of whether that associate is partner material. Junior associates are a liability unless they're billing in the 2000+ range. So shedding junior associates is a quick fix to an immediate crisis, even if not in the firm's long term interest.

You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel

Anybody heard anything about Hunton & Williams?

61 -- but Schulman went in-house to become the GC of Pfizer, which is where most of her rain came from to begin with. Probably not that bad for DLA.

Associates SHOULD have been looking for jobs since summer when they no-offered a significant number of summers, ya'll were ON NOTICE!

Anyone heard if Brobeck is doing any layoffs? My nuts itch.

whokebe did this

This is too bad, but not entirely surprising. Wasn't it DLA that gave all income partners the choice to buy into equity or get out back in December as a way to raise cash? Or am I thinking of someone else?

Brobeck Mountain was my fave movie whilst I attended UPenn State.

Associates SHOULD have been looking for jobs since summer when they no-offered a significant number of summers, ya'll were ON NOTICE!

61- Do you know how much Pfizer work DLA gets now? A lot. A lot more than Schuman's book was worth. That was a huge win for DLA, and my understanding was they encouraged her to take it.

When are the New York firms going to distinguish themselves by moving to the 190 scale?

NY to 190!!!

- 2007 Guy

87, the best part is that there's clearly no conflict of interest or breach of her fiduciary duties to pfizer shareholders =) i love how corrupt the world is. no waaaaait. im SURE that DLA is just teh best firm for teh job.

Biglaw associates used to get laid; now we just get laid off.

75: are you a law student or something? that fantasy life you have going on over there in your mid-law job sounds pretty nice, but that's not how the world works.

keep dreaming that one day you'll make partner at some v20 firm, should keep you happy until you're about 45 and you realize it won't happen.

it will most likely get worse - word from lease negotiations is that by summer they will close 4 US offices - 2 of those on the West Coast

92 - any word on the other offices?

Has any firm rescinded 3L offers yet? That would really be the turning point imo.

87, the best part is that there's clearly no conflict of interest or breach of her fiduciary duties to pfizer shareholders =) i love how corrupt the world is. no waaaaait. im SURE that DLA is just teh best firm for teh job.

80 - You get it.
61 - You haven't a clue. Lot's of venom, but not a clue.

Layoffs suck, but they're a part of life. If you don't manage your business right you go the way of Heller, or Thelen, or Thatcher. Best you can hope for is to do layoffs with dignity and try to extend help to those affected. DLA Piper has done that.

The San Diego downtown location was hit...

Today, I finally realized that I might pay off my student loans if I stayed at my biglaw sweatshop. Then a partner fired my first-year @ss so that he could buy his mistress a new BMW. FML.

#75 and 76,

I'm glad you are happy at your current job. Too bad you feel the need to gloat at the misfortune of people who have done nothing wrong to you. Please become a better human being.

96 - wishful thinking. HR told people not to talk to us as we left

LAYOFFS?!?! Don't talk about -- LAYOFFS! You kiddin' me?? LAYOFFS???

What happened in San Diego? How many? What areas?

76 sounds like a truly horrible person with a huge inferiority complex.

Has any firm rescinded 3L offers yet? That would really be the turning point imo.

#100 -- That's shameful.

104: your answer has come

105 - yes, I know. just when you need your friends the most, but they are all scared too.

76, something tells me your midlaw job has nothing to do with the reason people shunned you in law school and don't return your calls.

76, if you're so happy with your lot in life, why are you still making excuses for why you ended up with your current job? No one gives a shit where you moved to or why you did it; get over yourself and try to take that huge chip off your shoulder, you're embarrassing yourself.

#100 -- That's shameful.

#92: what offices are you referencing? I don't think that consolidation of the 2 L.A. and 3 S.D. offices would be much of a surprise . . . or that big a deal, frankly. Now, if you're hinting about somewhere else . . .

In attenpt to lend some levity to a rather bloody day (is it really the 13th, and Jason arrived early?) check out the video at this site - even when you think you are having a good day, you never know.

http://www.agentprovocateur.com/love-me-tender.html

76 - sorry your classmates are such douchebags. You, however, are obviously a douchebag yourself, so perhaps that is why your calls are not returned. You moved yourself to some crappy third tier market after graduation, so stop whining about it and gloating when others who made different choices are facing personal catastrophes. Lossers like you are why many of us chose biglaw - the vetting process tends to screen out idiots like you who are bound to end up bitter @ssholes. We wanted to work with the brightest - and that group ends up in biglaw, not in some crappy tiny firm. By the way, although many biglaw associates spend the first year doing some doc review, that's over as soon as the new first years come in. Then we get substantial experience handling high-value transactions for the largest companies in the world. You will never get that at your third tier firm because those clients simply won't trust your crappy partners and crappy associates hired by those partners.

89/95--And adding insult to Sarbox injury, her husband is a partner at DLAP! Wake up Pfizer shareholders.

Dear Jesus:

Thank you for this box of documents I am about to review. Amen.

115: i laughted

115: i laughed

#114 -- Hubby runs their career advancement program. Nice work if you can find it. :))

#111 - indeed, LA and CC to be rolled into one but word is East Coast is letting go of some leases too

Is DLAP representing Pfizer in the Wyeth merger?

115: Easily the funniest thing I have seen in a long time.

@92, 111 and 119: there are many redundant offices you would think to consolidate:
SF/Silicon Valley
2 in Baltimore
Wash DC + No. VA
2 in LA
2 in SD

@120: no way. DLA's M&A is very second tier. The Pfizer work they get is all mass torts (true sweatshop work) and the hours they rack up are all doc review

#115: I can't stop laughing. (currently reviewing docs)

Wait a minute. Do some posters actually think lateralling as a partner from midlaw to biglaw is easy? Sure, its happens in a few very specific practice areas. But try convincing your largely middle and small market clients to bite off those bigger billing rates. Lot of them are going to balk. And if you already have big shooter publics for clients at your midlaw firm, why would you want to take a chance on scaring those guys away too?

Of course, if you are just talking out of your ass and have no clients, well, you don't have anything to worry about. Unless you're in some really specialized niche, you won't be lateralling anywhere as a partner.

Now, biglaw to midlaw lateral movement happens all the time in a lot of different practice areas. Because clients and lawyers figure out that about 90% of all deals or cases can be handled just as effectively by a midlaw firm, usually for about 1/2 to 2/3s of the price.

to all of those being laid off, you will not receive any pity from me from being laid off. you chose to take the risky route of higher pay, foregoing the safer route of small to medium sized firms with slightly less pay but a more stable working environment. Now, as you fill out your unemployment benefit paperwork, realize that life is not all about money or prestige. if you were an empty shell before getting this job, no amount of money or prestige will fill that void. if you end up chasing that proverbial carrot, i feel sorry for you. life is an amazing thing if you decide to live it. my share of the profits was in the high six figures last year, and will likely be more this year. i drive a '90 accord, live in a modest 4 bedroom house with my FIRST AND ONLY wife. i have not missed one soccer game, swimming lesson or violin recital (knock on wood).

at this point in time, for all the associates let go by your firm, take a step back and ask yourself if it really is worth it. my firm is not like #76's, we have taken on several refugees from one of the firms that imploded, and enjoy having them here. hopefully, they will stay. they do good work and are coming along with developing the right client contact skills to be great additions to our firm.

Life is great. Live it.

70 - what the helll are you talking about? junior associates cost less and don't need to bill as many hours as senior associates to be profitable. That is why senior associates who are not billing big hours are usually the first to go. This was certainly the case at my firm in my practice group.

#113- was that post meant to be a joke? that the best and brightest end up in biglaidoff law? if you meant it sarastically, that was great! if not, hmm, well, have fun.

#111 - Who's the "bitter @sshole" now?

#45 here --- the midlaw guy happy to have his job... On behalf of my midlaw brethren I apologize for 124's d-baggery. I think he is the opposing counsel in my next trial. Douche.

130 comments, and no one has yet pointed out that these "economic" layoffs came in the wake of substantial "performance-based" layoffs in December and January (of both attorneys and staff). So the actual number of laid off employees is probably more than 300 nationwide.

122 - I love small law small people like you who are so wise after the fact. Contrary to your delusions, by going to a small firm you took a risk that most objective observers in normal times would have considered to be greater than going to a large firm with a diverse high volume client base and a definable partnership track not dependent on business generation. People who go to big law firms don't go there because they're risk junkies, they go there because they are generally ambitious, intelligent and well qualified through hard study. People like you who decide to go to small firms in order to take what they perceive to be the safer route (and not for instance because they want to serve a local community or do criminal defense or family law) do so because they lack ambition and/or grades. And good luck in your small firm - I'm sure it's not as if the whole enterprise could be undone by one unscrupulous partner or a handful of clients going under.

#125 -- do the math. At least the simple math, excluding benefits and overhead costs, which should be similar whether an associate is junior or senior.

Jr. Assoc: 2000 hrs x $300/hr (revenue) - $180,000 (salary expense) = $420,000 "gross profit"

Sr. Assoc: (2000 hrs x $500/hr) - $280,000 (salary expense) = $720,000 "gross profit"

All other things being equal, the senior is way more profitable, because his/her billing rate increases over time at a much greater percentage rate than his/her compensation. And that does not even factor in that realization on seniors is better than juniors (i.e. less write-offs)

124 - I love small law small people like you who are so wise after the fact. Contrary to your delusions, by going to a small firm you took a risk that most objective observers in normal times would have considered to be greater than going to a large firm with a diverse high volume client base and a definable partnership track not dependent on business generation. People who go to big law firms don't go there because they're risk junkies, they go there because they are generally ambitious, intelligent and well qualified through hard study. People like you who decide to go to small firms in order to take what they perceive to be the safer route (and not for instance because they want to serve a local community or do criminal defense or family law) do so because they lack ambition and/or grades. And good luck in your small firm - I'm sure it's not as if the whole enterprise could be undone by one unscrupulous partner or a handful of clients going under.

3 attys in balt; most attys are in Chicago and LA. Lots of staff in balt though

#125 -- do the math. At least the simple math, excluding benefits and overhead costs, which should be similar whether an associate is junior or senior.

Jr. Assoc: 2000 hrs x $300/hr (revenue) - $180,000 (salary expense) = $420,000 "gross profit"

Sr. Assoc: (2000 hrs x $500/hr) - $280,000 (salary expense) = $720,000 "gross profit"

All other things being equal, the senior is way more profitable, because his/her billing rate increases over time at a much greater percentage rate than his/her compensation. And that does not even factor in that realization on seniors is better than juniors (i.e. less write-offs)

#122 - there seems to be a general perception that that people that go into small law or midlaw lack ambition or grades and that people in biglaw are ambitious and come from the top schools with top grades.

i have to disagree. maybe its in the area of the country i am in (the southeast), but some of the most credentialed people go into highly prestigious small and medium sized firms.

maybe its a culture thing? i work at a midsize firm (around 40 attorneys, is that mid-sized) and graduated from a T14 school in the top 1/8th of my class. i really did not feel the pull to work at a large firm. maybe the partners of my firm (almost all of which are T10 grads) didnt either. I dont know. But, what I do know is that we are ambitious and "got the grades" so to speak.

I honestly dont know what the pull is to biglaw life. i work about the same hours, with bonuses, make about the same as the associates in our biglaw firms down here. i have to put up with the same crap and am worried about my job. our firm is doing well and, like another poster, we did hire two associates from a firm that recently laid off a bunch of folks. other than the fact that they still insist upon wearing a suit to the office, i dont see the difference.

i have said it before and I will say it again. l think lawyers are some of the most honest and decent people around. i hate seeing people being laid off. i wish them the best.

122,

Why do you feel the need to stereotype and degrade biglaw associates who were just laid off? Many people in biglaw are not chasing prestige and a frivolous lifestyle. They are there to make a living and (in most cases) pay off massive student loans.

Midlaw and small law are not risk free avenues. The pay is usually horrible (not slightly less than big law like you proclaim) and the hours are often bad too. Your six figure salary as a partner is more of an anomaly than the norm for most lawyers outside of biglaw.

SD attorney here, recent grad. I actually know a few of the Luce Forward 3Ls and DLAP SD associates who have been axed...as bitter as I was for not making top 10% and getting into big law, I actually feel sympathy for people I used to envy.

Many of my fellow graduates have found it nearly impossible to even secure an interview after 6 months of searching post-bar. Now, there's going to be an infusion of big-law caliber candidates into the already saturated job applicant pool. I really feel for those looking for jobs in SD.

If any of you have met attorneys who work in SD, they'd tell you that for a metropolitan city, SD has quite a compact legal market. With 2008 graduates, recently laid-off associates, and the approaching 2009 graduates, there are going to be a lot of highly-educated waiters and bartenders in SD.

@130 - that is a very good point and a real story that is not being covered. altho it was good of DLA to be up front in announcing this round as economic layoffs, they did a big round of stealth layoffs just a month ago.

Although I think #58 is a douchebag, his comments seem to have generated very good (albeit some heated) discussion b/t MidLaw and BigLaw folks. Thanks #58.

This news is nothing new. I know a few (former) DLAP associates who were told of this news 6-8 weeks ago, now it's just official. They signed confidentiality agreements to not speak of the layoffs..

141 - False. Those that I know knew nothing about this layoff before today.

OCEANS RISE

CITIES FALL

QUINN REMAINS WITH EGG ON ITS FACE(BOOK)

71,

Were only asians laid off?

@142 - well we know at least one person knew beforehand - the commenter on Tuesday's post re layoffs at DLA UK who leaked this news. the question is who that was.

125 - the assumptions you make are astonishing

~class of 06, T10 law school, went (by choice) to a mid-sized firm in a mid-sized market instead of top NY firm and oh wait, I WAS LAID OFF.

142, the people you knew did a better job at keeping it quiet than my DLAP friends. There's no reason why my friends would joke about being laid off 2 months before actually getting laid off. They were telling the truth then, and now it's just being confirmed publicly.

To the small and mid-law morons touting the fact that you still have jobs (for now) and taking pleasure in other's misfortunes:

My friends who lost their jobs today may face tough times in the short term, but they will come out on top - unlike you - because they are bright and ambitious - unlike you.

Losers.

115 - hilarious.

To the small and mid-law morons touting the fact that you still have jobs (for now) and taking pleasure in other's misfortunes:

My friends who lost their jobs today may face tough times in the short term, but they will come out on top - unlike you - because they are bright and ambitious - unlike you.

Losers.

115 - hilarious.

To the small and mid-law morons touting the fact that you still have jobs (for now) and taking pleasure in other's misfortunes:

My friends who lost their jobs today may face tough times in the short term, but they will come out on top - unlike you - because they are bright and ambitious - unlike you.

Losers.

115 - hilarious.

To the small and mid-law morons touting the fact that you still have jobs (for now) and taking pleasure in other's misfortunes:

My friends who lost their jobs today may face tough times in the short term, but they will come out on top - unlike you - because they are bright and ambitious - unlike you.

Losers.

115 - hilarious.

"touting the fact you still have jobs"

Now that's just cringe-worthy... x 4.

@147 - were those associates who were informed as of 2 months ago part of the stealth layoffs that occurred in dec/jan? IE, is today's announcement just making public the stealth layoffs of the previous 2 months, or is it an additional round of layoffs.

153, it is an additional round of layoffs. I think it was more like 6 weeks ago that I found out from them, right around early January. Definitely not December.

153 - no, today was round 2. Round 1 was the stealths.

147: Maybe only some of the laid off folks were told beforehand, because the partners they worked for were nice and gave them some fore-warning. I have heard this happened for some (but not all) of the folks that were part of the stealth layoffs.

147: Maybe only some of the laid off folks were told beforehand, because the partners they worked for were nice and gave them some fore-warning. I have heard this happened for some (but not all) of the folks that were part of the stealth layoffs.

Round 1 was stealth and the people who got the axe are already gone.

Some of the associates laid off were even bankruptcy associates. Ugh. No practice group is safe.

I just have a hard time believing associates who were being laid off found out 6-8 weeks ago. Besides the fact that no one I know knew ahead of time, it's not standard practice to give notice for termination because once a firm decides to terminate someone, they don't really want that person to do any more client work (all kinds of issues involved). If they know they're going to terminate, they just do it and let the person go immediately with a severance package. Also, DLA gave a 12 week severance package to associates, so 6-8 weeks notice in addition to the severance doesn't make much sense.

anyone know how this will affect DLA's incoming 2009 classes?

@68 (aka San Diego Associate): Sit tight, your firing is coming tomorrow because that senior partner you work for is tired of always correcting your work when you use "effected" instead of "affected." There are too many literate associates available for them to keep you on the payroll too.

it's silly for so many commenters to congratulate DLA on being open about this round of layoffs. the firm should have owned up to its shittiness long ago instead of making up b.s. reasons to fire people who work hard but don't kiss ass. i hated everyone there except one or two folks, who must have been canned by now since they were actually decent people.

Two associates were fired today in the San Diego UTC (non-downtown) office. One corporate and one IP prosecution. Over the previous four months, four other corporate associates in this office were quietly fired. At least this round has the benefit of a public announcement that the firings are due to economic conditions. The previous stealth firings were couched as performance-based, which is total BS. Partners and more staff will be round three.

163 = 100% correct

164 = 100% Right On

Look around people. The economy sucks. Don't under-estimate how difficult it is to fire people, even if the reason has nothing to do with performance and is driven by the economy. Having to be the one who delivered the bad news today to some, I felt horrible and tried to be as compassionate and re-assuring as possible. Those of you out there who feel you have entitlement to a $160,000 starting salary right out of law school, when you know nothing and are not close to being worth that money, need to realize that these actions, though painful, are necessary to preserve firms for the remaining lawyers and staff. That's how you must run a business. As an earlier poster aptly noted, look at the 100+ year old NY law firms that do not exist anymore. Should others commit themselves to the same fate by not making the lawyer/staff adjustments that are essential for economic well-being? Do the deed with as much dignity and compassion you can and hope that those affected will end up on their feet.

Why don't all you asshats that got laid off ban together and start your own firm...

I can't figure out these small law and mid law guys. They are laughing at today's biglaw casualties because now those associates lose their fat paychecks and will be exiled to.... mid law and small law? So, they are dumb for making 160k+ for a few years instead of just always getting paid like a cab driver? I heard you weren't the brightest group, but you really are fucking dumb. If I ever slip and fall in a Wal-Mart I will make damn sure not to let you have the case.

This is the fault of those who, for years, decided where to summer based on what the BONUSES were like at a given firm.

I, for one, would be THRILLED to work my 9-6 BIGLAW job for HALF of what I am currently making. I don't need Manolos or Burberry coats.

But I can't do that because my firm, like all others, must keep up appearances.

This is the fault of those who, for years, decided where to summer based on what the BONUSES were like at a given firm.

I, for one, would be THRILLED to work my 9-6 BIGLAW job for HALF of what I am currently making. I don't need Manolos or Burberry coats.

But I can't do that because my firm, like all others, must keep up appearances. And I might appear to be backstabbing the others.

Earlier comment about San Diego allegedly constituting a "metropolitan area" had me quite perplexed, so I consulted my Wikipedia: "San Diego–Tijuana Metropolitan Area is the name of an urban agglomeration surrounding the cities of San Diego, California, United States and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The region consists of San Diego County in the United States and the municipalities of Tijuana, Playas de Rosarito, and Tecate in Mexico."
How's the Mexican economy doing these days?

Earlier comment referring to San Diego "metropolitan area" had me quite perplexed about the seaside village, so I consulted my Wikipedia: "San Diego–Tijuana Metropolitan Area is the name of an urban agglomeration surrounding the cities of San Diego, California, United States and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The region consists of San Diego County in the United States and the municipalities of Tijuana, Playas de Rosarito, and Tecate in Mexico."
How's the Mexican economy doing these days?

Have any DLA offices rescinded 3L offers... yet?

Any clown that says people that go to boutiques and smaller or midsize law firms are not achievers are idiots. The high-end small firms like Keker, Bartlit, Susman, etc. DING! to the DLA achievers. Then you have those who become godfathers in smaller towns like Indianapolis, Wichita, or Des Moines. Those people make partner, drive a Benz, and make $250k living in a McMansion, while the DLA "achiever" gets... DINGED!

This is not an indict on DLA or large law firms. This is an indict on douchebags that work at large law firms that have no exit prospects, no partnership prospects, and think they are better than Keker or midlaw lawyers.

How about Boston?

My fellow Americans, change is coming to America. It's true that things will get worse before they get better, but nothing good comes without hard work.

On behalf of a grateful nation, I think you for your sacrifices, and I look forward to your future contributions as productive lawyers.

Together, we can make it happen. Yes, we can. Yes, we will.

Believe in change, and change will come.

=======================================
NOTICE: I AM NOT REALLY OBAMA. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REAL OBAMA, HIS ADMINISTRATION, OR HIS AFFILIATES.
=======================================

Well, more redundancies - this time in the US - have been just announced. What a shame. :(

Well, more redundancies - this time in the US - have been just announced. What a shame. :(

TIme to pay the DLAPiper for all those big salaries that sunk us all. More to come and learn about living a simple basics life. The BMWs were short-lived but the Honda holds its value.

To all the people making nasty comments about people that were laid off: These are people, with families - yes, spouses, children, mortgages, groceries, bills...so STFU. Be grateful and lend a hand or mind to those who have been laid off. You may have a job, but you are an ass. I'm not mad at you because Karma is a b*tch. What goes around, comes around and I'm satisfied that someday, you will have something really awful happen to you and my guess is that someone will say crap about you too. Grow up. We are all adults trying to provide for families.

Dear small and midlaw attorneys:

I would like to retain your services - please come to my office and empty my garbage can. When you are finished you can wash my car. Your regular hourly rate will be fine.

Love,

DLA Piper associate

PS There is a special on sour grapes at Walmart, but I'm sure you already clipped the coupon.

I heard partners are next on the chopping block at DLA Piper. Has anyone heard the same thing?

After radio silence from mgmt for months, they FINALLY plan to conduct town hall mtgs? Do they really think that a pep rally will help the remaining associates and morale in general? How about some honesty. Oh, but wait a minute . . . that would inquire integrity. I can count on one hand the # of partners who actually have integrity.

A little perspective, children. I feel terrible about all the 1st & 2nd year associates who got canned, but nobody on this blog seems to notice the staff, who make a third of your starting salaries at age 55, just lost half the value of their 401k (no pension at DLA Piper), and are now on the street. You are EMPLOYABLE.

A little perspective, children. I feel terrible about all the 1st & 2nd year associates who got canned, but nobody on this blog seems to notice the staff, who make a third of your starting salaries at age 55, just lost half the value of their 401k (no pension at DLA Piper), and are now on the street. You are EMPLOYABLE.

183: Partners said partners are next.

What was discussed at the townhall meetings? Let me guess...The firm is strong and we are NOW prepared to flourish in these challenging times, blah, blah, blah. Heller and TPW said the same garbage before the wheels came off the wagon.

DLA grew too fast, with the wrong people (expensive cast offs from other big firms) and they have no strategy in place for how to weather the tough times. If they are firing the way they hired, with little thought to actual strategy, things can only get worse. They also have one of the most horrific cultures in terms of how people are treated. The HR dept is full of gossips and promotes terror among the staffers. Although word is, some of those HR folks have been let go and more to come.

188 is ridiculous. DLAP will weather the storm because of its great clients, strong leadership, and many many MANY high quality partners, associates, and staff persons. And as for the corporate culture, you are dead wrong. I've worked in the defense, health care, manufacturing, and legal industries; and I've never seen a company that treats its staff as well (in good times *and* bad).

All businesses need to make tough decisions in these times, and some of you seem to forget that we are all in this together. Our industry is feeling the 'effects' of this economy right on schedule with everyone else. So please...close your browser, go get some new business, and do some of that lawyer shit, will ya?

Mostly they fired women of child bearing years and the handicapped. A class action suit is in the works.

190, you are full of crap. There were lawyers affected of all races, sexes, ages, etc. The survivors feel bad enough already, and I'm sure so do the people laid off so STFU.

May God Bless us all!

I think all these young lawyers from DLA and other big firms need to wake up to reality! Layoffs are happening everywhere and for the first time in a long time they are touching top law firms! Most industries go through these up and down cycles at least once a decade. Luckily, you mostly left wing liberals got your man Obama, so now let's see if he is gonna save your asses! I doubt it! Unfortunately, for us all, things are only going to get worse! Your best bet for the future is to become a greedy politician in either political party!

189: You are clearly someone from DLA's HR department trying to save your own job. There is no loyalty or leadership and the clients aren't that great. How many successful companies do you know of that have co-chairmen? DLA is a collection of sole proprietors, just like every other sweat shop.

193: You should not make broad generalizations unless you know the facts. Several of those fired were not young lawyers.

194: As 193, my comment was precisely directed to the young naive lawyers on this blog who have generally made idiotic comments. It was not directed at the more experienced mature less naive lawyers, who may have been part of the charmed big law firm world and may now have had their dreams shattered of one day being a partner or a long term staff member who spent most of their career being somewhat overpaid in a well protected job at a law firm. Life sucks and you have to deal with it people! Many qualified well educated individuals in other industries do so throughout their careers! Please stop the whining!

I must agree with 194 - just the other day we had 2 litigation partners in one office threaten to walk out because of poor workmanship in another office - Phoenix. Some real problem personalities in that office. It hurts our clients when the attitude is every man for himself. There is no i in team, but there is an i in DLA Piper.

196 - DLA's Phoenix office is a franchise created by some former Snell & Wilmer partners. A few years ago I was on the opposite side of Snell on a transaction - the Snell lawyer was this black woman in her thirties who did not know her ass from her handbag in the negotiations. To this day, every time I talk to my client from that transaction we are making fun of her and some of the absolutely asinine things she said. She's not on the DLA web site, so I assume they did not bring her dumb ass along when they defected.

194: Each chairman brings a unique quality to the table. And I do know of at least one successful company that's set up that way...ours.

I'm def not HR, but that team has my respect. They're pros and you are uninformed on that point..

George Mitchell needs to intervene and mediate an end to the bloodshed visited on incomes, associates and staffers by DLAP and its ruthless two-headed dictator, FrankenLee

189 and 198:

Laid-off associates were told that the layoffs were strictly economic related; this would be consistent with the firm's public statements. At the town hall meeting, however, (at least in the NY office), those still at the firm were told that the laid-off associates were let go based on performance evaluations. Denigrating associates like that after they left without giving them a chance to respond is classless.

No one said any such thing in DC. In fact, they were complimented as people we valued, and who would be missed.

Although I'm not sure if any 3L offers have been rescinded, I do know that start dates for the incoming 2009 class are uncertain

There are rumors of more layoffs coming in a couple of weeks (presumably after the February cashflow numbers are in).

I think many of the issues at DLA Piper revolve around the lack of a uniform firm culture. Some offices are wonderful, with amazing HR people, great staff, many great attorneys. Other offices do have gossipy, untrustworthy HR people, OMPs who do not set a good example for the office, and attorneys who are entitled. I don't think either person above is 100% right or wrong - just depends which office you work for...

But the good news is...

http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=136789&d=415&h=417&f=416

How is it possible they did so well according to those numbers compared to so many other firms that had much bigger drops in revenues and profits, yet did not dump hundreds of associates and staff? Either the second half of the year brought a precipitous plunge in results or those numbers are cooked.

Please do not give any credit to DLA for making a public announcement and offering a decent severance package for the people affected by the February 12th round of layoffs. The fac t is that DLA already did a round of stealth cutbacks (force outs) in the partner ranks in the September 2008 time frame and another round of stealth cutbacks in the associate ranks in the December-January time frame, all with less-than-market severance packages. DLA labelled those earlier cutbacks as involuntary terminations or performance-based decisions, but many high quality attorneys were affected by those earlier rounds and simply had the misfortune of being in slow practice groups such as corporate and real estate.

Many law firms have done the stealth layoffs to avoid paying market-rate severance packages and to preserve the image to the outside world that business is doing fine when in fact the wheels are coming off. In my opinion, that approach shows a lack of integrity and ends up doing more damage to the firm's reputation in the long run compared to simply being honest and forthright with a press release.