# 66 You are right.

Compassion should be the watchword for the day.

800 plus people were laid off today in firms all across the nation. Most of those 800 have wives, husbands and children as well. Each of them is AS affected as the person laid off.

Come on guys be real this has more far reaching implications then you can begin to fathom. Have some compassion......and say some prayers.

Numero uno.

Holy s#&t!!! what a day

we live in bad times and h&k has got to survive. at least their giving severance packages. more than most firms have done, i think. their a class act even in this dark hour.

we live in bad times and h&k has got to survive. at least they're giving severance packages. more than most firms have done, i think. they're a class act even in this dark hour.

UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!! UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!
UPENN STATE!!! UPENN STATE!!!!

7 - you're a big loser.

7 - you're a big loser.

first

now did you guys see why i was nervous?!?!?! i hope you pay attention next time...

*begins preparing for the law review competition...because even a 3.8 isn't safe ITE*

-nervous T-10 1L
soon to be nervous 1L sa (unless my offer is revoked)

A recession is when your neighbor loses his job.
A depression is when you lose your job.

BuzzMicrosoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer sketched a dire portrait of the world economy on Friday.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime economic crisis," Ballmer told a retreat of House Democrats in Williamsburg, Va. "There is a lot of history around that, and frankly if you stop and think about it, 1837, '73, '29, 2008, it's almost exactly a whole lifetime between each of the major economic difficulties that we face."

Ballmer said that economic growth in the last 25 years was fueled by innovation, globalization, and debt--and that the current levels of debt were unsustainable. "In 1929, for example, just before the stock market crash, the private debt-to-GDP ratio was 160 percent," he said. "Last year, private sector debt as a percentage of the GDP: 300 percent, far more leverage."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10158959-38.html

nervous is such a tool. does it make you feel better posting your gpa and offers? By the way, it is not that impressive.

Did any first years get laid off?

looks like i picked a bad day to give up sniffing glue

14-

i have heard of a few first years in the total

Props to #15 for the Airplane reference.

Nervous 1L, please shut the fuck up. I know a bunch of people who lost their jobs today; nobody gives a flying fuck about whether a freaking 1L, especially you, has a job this summer.

The firm is losing their influence. Its a Florida firm who happens to have a bunch of other offices. I worked there in Manhattan between 2000 and 2004. Smartest move I ever made was to get out.

I am not a number ...I am a free man

-15

#11 is a f'in loser and should let me know who he is so I will make sure my firm does not hire him.

Seriously, you are the reason why I pass on a lot of T10 talent. It is the folks from 20-50 that have more common sense and less of a silver spoon.

Seriously, can you stop posting. You are not funny and if we can find out who you are, we should contact your V10 firm (you made it easy to figure out the firm).

Also, a 3.8 means nothing. You know less than my paralegal. Get a life.

Calling it a transition in their firm statement? This is throwing good people to the curb. Call it what it is.

i have been telling you shitbirds for months: BIGLAW is going to be 30% smaller at year end. Wish I was wrong but I aint. Good luck to everyone.

The good news is bush has finally gone. The bad news is he f*cked the country the way he done did those three companies he bankrupted...Presidentt Obama will fix things, but it takes time.

Wow, Nervous 1L, you should be crapping in your pants. How will you ever find a job in just two-and-a-half short years? Woe, woe is you. Tell it to my fired friend with a wife, 2 kids and a mortgage, and ask what he's drinking tonight. Why don't you just go study hard and let the grown-ups worry for the next few years.

Skadden saw a 5% decrease in PPP and didn't lay off anyone (yet). Assuming Skadden doesn't also shed a batch of associates, fair to say that H&K partners are greedy?

#23, please leave politics out of it. This is global, little to do with Bush. Greenspan maybe I will give you ...

H&K is a decent firm, but HEAVY in real estate (30% or so of the firm) and HEAVY obviously in Florida. Recipe for disaster. Problem is their numbers are so bad that any good practice groups left are going to be looking to jump ship. I can see this place being a Heller in 6 months.

25-

Probably not, besides a decrease in revenue last year, H+Ks numbers for this year have not been released yet. Based on this and the march lay-offs, the numbers ain't going to be pretty.

Amen # 2. Amen. And these #s do not include the stealth layoffs!

25-

Probably not, besides a decrease in revenue last year, H+Ks numbers for this year have not been released yet. Based on this and the march lay-offs, the numbers ain't going to be pretty.

What are all these American workers supposed to do now? Does this firm have the answer

"Presidentt Obama will fix things, but it takes time."

I don't put any faith in the idiots in office; republican or democrat-they will make things worse. I don't buy the whole hope & change scam.

You're called in to a conference room and then sent on your way. Sure a few bucks in your pocket but now you wonder where your next meal comes from. I don't know how those who weren't terminated stay on.

A bloody mess, today was.

I wish the affected prayers for their welfare.

What is with the asshat remarks? Can anyone else think that there but for the grace of God go I?

good people to the curb? perhaps. but certainly not performers. the toilet hasn't flushed at big law on those who produce.

H & K is Florida firm who will likely put all their resources there. Will all the other offices be shut and let them solely dominate Florida?

any non-equity real estate partners in DC get the axe?

V5 partner here. I would hire Nervous in a minute. He's smart and wants to please, self-deprecating and obviously not the sort of person who thinks that just because he may have won a couple of academic awards at an ivy league college he's a genius. Seriously. Nervous -- contact me at tucker.abbedale@gmail.com.

32 - was it on say...the 26th floor?

34 - exactumundo

nervous T10 1L - please stop posting, nobody cares what is on your mind, seriously....go somewhere else.

A 3% drop in PPP, and they fire over 200 people?

Nervous-I am a top Nigerian law firm partner who is also a prince. I have a lucrative and secure job opening as an associate in our NY branch office that is yours-just let your summer firm know that you are no longer interested and we can talk. Send your social security # and bank account # and we can get you set up on our payroll asap:

pbo@LouGehrigLLP.com

Did any cuts happen in Orlando? I got an offer there back in 2006, but didn't accept it. I thought the people there were nice and I'm sorry if any of them lost their jobs.

#42. EPIC WIN.

Does anyone know if any of the cuts were in Tampa?

Its a Florida firm, they will close all the other offices. I am betting on that.

#46, you just can't walk away from huge leases in downtown DC, downtown NYC, downtown Boston, etc. Don't be a moron.

37 is clearly a law student, probably friends with Nervous (if such a thing is possible)

Now tomorrow you show up and you just work like you never worked before. Productivity must augment. Will there be a second wave at H & K? Thats the question.

What were the severance packages for the adminstrative staff? Just awful they'd let so many go. Its embarassing and rude.

I bet the people who are still employed there will want out asap. Even faster..

Let's not sugarcoat....when a law firm lays off 243 people, it is not trying to "better meet the needs of clients." It is on the verge of collapse and trying to remain a going concern.

Is this firm gonna fold?

with all these people getting laid off - do you think this will usher in the era of midsize/smaller firms? do you think that there will be smaller/midsize firms being created now, which will eventually compete and take over a lot of biglaw clients? or do you think these laid off people will just throw in the towel and look at anohter career? ugh. i would join a newly formed midsize firm.

today was a bloodbath - one of the worst days ever - so many good people let go - very very sad - and fuck the partners, because you know they'll be swept up by another biglaw firm, I'm talking about the rest of us - first year associates, secretaries, paralegals...

I would be embarassed to walk at H & K now. I would want to go in a back door for now on so people don't see me going in to such a place.

I would be embarassed to walk in to H & K now. I would want to go in a back door for now on so people don't see me going in to such a place.

they have laid off dozens "stealthily" already. way more than 100 lawyers out the door, including today and the last month.

I think this firm will shut its door minus Florida. Is that where this debacle is headin?

Those who were not booted today should all bring protest signs and walk up and down the halls showing their displeasure. Its time to stand up and fight.

The firm won't close down but it is officially tarnished for eternity. Clients will hear the news and run

If the firm does plan to ultimately retreat back to Florida, today was a large step toward that goal.

There was no reason to treat people that way. None.

We all agree 63. Just rotten way to treat fellow human beings. Long day today for sure.

My buddy got laid-off stealthily by Latham went to his phycho therapist once a week.....
Sigh, let's bless for those who suffers from same sort of thing......

You don't do this to people. This law firm should be ashamed of itself and if you still work there you should be extra embarassed. The cost of doing business should not cost people's livelihoods. What are all these people supposed to do now?

This firm must be florida bound.

Did they make this decision weeks ago and let people just hang out there for weeks? That is cruel.

An office outside of NYC would be cheaper rent and so many lives would have not been ruined. Why not just move the office location. I believe there is talk they're moving anyway. Thoughts?

I wish everyone the best. Obviously that is no consolation as you have each been destroyed. While it may take months or years to recover from what you lost today, please know that we are all thinking of you. What happened today is simply a tragedy. No other way to put it.

Ellie -- no one here gives a sh-- how many secretaries were fired. You should have the number of attorneys fired in the headline (not the total number).

Law firms think this is just a recession. They think downsizing will do.

Unfortunately the big banks aren't suffering from a run - they're insolvent. And neither $800 billion nor $1.8 trillion will help. The banks you see created far more debt than the Fed created dollars. What does that mean? It means deflation. What does deflation mean to you? It means that if you don't get laid off you'll soon be seeing pay cuts.

Good luck soldier.

34 - untrue. Completely untrue.

68 - Yes.
71 - You're right on track to becoming one of the asshole partners who thinks firing staff is a non-issue.

What are the numbers by office? I heard NYC was hit hard.

74 - this site is primarily for attorneys. secretaries can go make their own site. It's not that staff is a non-issue. It's just not as relevant for the majority of people who traffic here.

Holland & KnighTTT they just froze salaries too

I love the people who don't realize that Nervous is a fictional character. He is the protagonist of an epistolary novel, except composed of ATL posts instead of letters.

I feel bad for the associates canned, but they should be glad to be off that sinking ship.

Way to be callous 71. Can’t spare a thought for another human being or bother to read 2 or 3 lines below the title to see the breakout. Hope you’re happy with your humanity, or lack thereof.

I'm naturally more interested in the attorney number because it's the one that affects me more directly. However, I still care about and feel sympathy for the non-attorneys represented by the staff layoff numbers. So Elie can count at least one person who, as you put it, gives a sh--.

What about Loeb & Loeb?

Amen 70. The lives of many good people and their families were shattered today. They deserve our respect, compassion and support.

You are in our thoughts and prayers, and you will be missed.

Wasnt H&K doing terribly when things were good?

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.
=======================================

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.
=======================================

To be honest, this doesnt surprise me too much at all. H&K is a Florida firm first and is heavily leveraged in real estate and florida and shipping/admiralty law. Crappy economies mean less stuff is shipped means less shipping boats to buy... hell, even China is hurting BAD.

And when I interviewed in their NY office, it just had a vibe of death. Old building, older offices, old equipment, and it seemed relaly really dead. and that was 2 years ago...

Wouldn't you have to assume the firm will simply shut its doors soon. Frozen salaries, big layoffs, Florida base, old rundown offices, etc. I would not want to be someone having to go to work there today.

I am sure they'll soon have the meeting telling the few survivors that everything is fine. But I think anyone still working there (if they all don't walk) know the sad and scary truth.

The New York office has no energy. Sure people go through the motions but now there aren't even that many people left to do that. They are all just there waiting for some better opportunity or sadly waiting for the so called other shoe to drop.

Those left should all walk in show of solidarity. Show that you care about the human beings who have been runined. They aren't just associates, partners, and administrative staff. They are all people who have been destroyed. Real people with families to feed.

The New York office is a ghost town.

They will likely close the NY office and other satellite offices. Florida is their only hope.

Calling it a transition period is not only offensive, its disrespectful. Those not fired should voice their concerns and demand this mass firing is called what it really is

The New York office has been decimated. There is nothing left at all.

The reports from people on the ground in these offices today should be eye opening.

There is no morale. There are no employees left. There is just chaos and sadness both for those left behind and for those who are ruined now.

No one will want to work in such an environment.

more layoffs to come from biglaw and others, market is crashing, people jumping out windows, history is repeating.

They tell us they want to help people but in reality they destroy people.

There is nothing to fear but fear itself. I know laidoff friends who found local jobs quickly. Firms are still hiring and glad to get good employees who were disgarded.

The New York office will be the most depressing place on earth for now on (well until they likely close it)

This is all kind of hilarious. I'm not sure how you could go through the Fall and not realize that there was some SERIOUS risk that 2Ls would lose summer jobs and that 3Ls would lose.... JOBS.

And you want to advise clients? HA HA HA. I'm kind of chuckling at the idiocy that passes for legal education where you learn about Article 9 and Bankruptcy, but you don't THINK about how these things happen in the real world?

This is a new age my friends, so whining about how you worked... really really really hard to get your OFFER and how you slaved away over books and editing useless, worthless goddamn journal "articles" you didn't understand in order to pay off your student loans... ONLY TO BE LAID OFF BEFORE IT ALL BEGAN!!! THAT'S KARMA.

While you were shitting away three years of your lives in "law school" in order to be unemployed, some people were getting real skills... like learning how to build a home, fix cars, be an engineer, be a doctor.

#102 - i got my engineering degree before getting my law degree. i pray to God that you are not an engineer, because I thought we were better than that.

disgraceful and disgusting. good people lost their jobs today and have been losing their jobs for the past year. good people. they worked hard, sacrificed. when other people were heading home to eat and watch tv, be with their friends, party, a lot of these folks were in the library, studying hard. its not that they deserve it, its just that they wanted it and were willing to sacrifice the comforts in life so many americans are unwilling to do so.

like someone said in an earlier post...karma is a bitch.

The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.

The only sensible way to live in the world is without rules.

just curious, when firms do layoffs like this, are incoming 1st years (present 3'ls) notified or are they just left to wonder whats next?

Wait a minute...profit per partner down 7% at O'Melveny and they still honor their Skadden-esque bonus structure...but profit per partner down 3% at H&K and they sh*tcan 250 people and freeze associate salaries? Huh?

h&K most definitely is having salary freeze and pay decreases, got the email yesterday.

Has H+K taken any of the laid-off attorney's bios off its website or will those stay posted for a while as they get their severance and "career transition" counseling?

H&K have reduced salaries. Can anyone in NY or Florida office confirm? There is a memo out there.

This firm ruined countless lives this week.

I think the NY office is gonna close. It seems more than a rumor. There are just no attorneys left.

I know someone who has been laid off whose bio is still up.

bios still up. Will most likely stay for the two months of severance offered. Then disappear.

funny thing is that they should have cut a lot more. H&K has many hundreds of real estate lawyers, maybe a third of the firm, and they didn't cut too many. I know many partners and associates there who are doing NOTHING. Billing maybe a few hours a week. I'd expect many more cuts to come, OR I'd expect the few groups that are profitable there - public lobbying? - to move on somewhere else. If that happens expect the firm to quickly disband.

I think there is much merit to the idea of disbanding. The firm is a mess and let go its best and brightest.

Things are so over. You should have seen faces when people learned of the salary reductions. Some tried to keep up the farce of working (get in those hours) but it really was few and far between. Even those left know that the firm is likely in its last days

103: save the sanctimony. I was not making fun of people who worked hard - I've worked hard. But there are a lot of people who work hard in this world - people in construction, in manufacturing, mining, etc. The notion that someone who went to law school for three years is owed anything because of studying hard is an entitlement the market won't bear.

what kind of salary reductions are we talking about?

The office is closed on Monday for the holiday. Will that be the day the change the locks?

Are the salary reductions spread across all offices? How much were salaries reduced?

Does anyone know how the Atlanta office was affected?

Sonberg Is part of American Greed.