Nationwide Layoff Watch: Faegre & Benson (67 Staff)

Not satisfied with just oil spills and attorney spills, Faegre & Benson has aimed its tanker at staff. Yesterday, the firm sent out the dreaded email:

With regret, we will reduce by 58 the number of Legal Administrative Assistants, Administrative Department Staff, and Paralegals in our U.S. offices. Tomorrow will be the last day at the firm for the individuals impacted by this decision.

The email also references a Sophie’s Choice buyout previously made to staff, which was accepted by nine:

An additional nine members of our staff accepted the Voluntary Separation Package offered earlier in the month. Their last day will be Friday, February 27.

If severance for all terminated staff is the same, it thus appears that staff who chose the buyout and got an extra week’s pay chose wisely.

But go go gadget, attorney skills: the question is, will staff that chose to voluntarily separate be eligible for unemployment? That depends on the state. Let’s hope that those nine staff checked the books in Minnesota prior to making their choice.

The full email, after the jump.

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From: Management Committee

Sent: Thu 2/19/2009 4:53 PM

To: ALL USERS/ALL U.S. OFFICES

Subject: Recent Personnel Decisions

We have made a very difficult decision regarding our staffing levels.

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With regret, we will reduce by 58 the number of Legal Administrative Assistants, Administrative Department Staff, and Paralegals in our U.S. offices. Tomorrow will be the last day at the firm for the individuals impacted by this decision.

An additional nine members of our staff accepted the Voluntary Separation Package offered earlier in the month. Their last day will be Friday, February 27.

We want to express our thanks and appreciation to each of these individuals for their hard work and dedication. We wish them well. They will be missed.

We have sought to align our resources with the projected demand for our services. And with the reduction announced today, we believe that we have now properly aligned our staffing levels. As difficult as it is, this reduction positions us for the future.