‘Black Monday’ For Simpson Thacher Staff
Simpson Thacher laid off a number of staffers yesterday. Our sources report that there was massive confusion for associates and clients while the cuts were being made. People around the office have been calling it “Black Monday,” and it looks like the firm isn’t done laying people off.
Simpson Thacher did not respond to our multiple requests for comment.
But our sources report that the layoffs started Friday night. On Friday, the firm fired its overnight document duplication team, and made reductions to the shift that starts at 6:00 p.m. Sources report that the cuts affected 10 - 20 people.
The employees were escorted out by security Friday evening.
But that is not what caused the confusion on Monday morning. More details after the jump.
When most firms cut staff, they say the layoffs will improve firm efficiency while not affecting client services. But Simpson Thacher fired a large percentage of its receptionists, on Monday. Until yesterday, STB had receptionists on every floor. They were there not only to greet clients, but to take attendance of which attorneys were in the office. But when lawyers showed up to work on Monday, the receptionists were mysteriously gone. Here’s the only notice attorneys received:
Notice —Reception Desk Coverage Effective Monday, June 15, 2009, the reception desk coverage at 425 Lex. is on floors 6, 16, 24, and 30. Reception coverage on these floors (including CE and CW) is 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. The elevator service at 425 Lexington has been programmed to stop on all floors after 6:00 pm and before 9:00 am.
Another tipster explains the fallout from the STB cuts:
In the morning there were no receptionists. As usual, the Administration failed to inform everyone of what was happening. There was confusion when clients arrived for meetings since there weren’t any receptionists to greet or direct clients. Since their weren’t any receptionists to mark attendance there was firm-wide confusion of who was truly in the office.During the morning secretaries were called to a conference room to be given the bad news.
It is it really wise for Simpson Thacher to be inconveniencing clients during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?
In any event, we’ve been told that the Simpson staff cuts will continue, today. Who will Simpson cut next?
Earlier: Simpson Thacher Dishes Out Summer Associate Meal Policies
Tragic News From Simpson Thacher
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First!!!! - More staff layoff? Attorneys better beware
Fizz-urst with a fotay!
First!!!! - More staff layoffs? Attorneys better beware
I thought this firm died in 2002. They are still around?
The living Thacher is starting to resemble the dead Thacher. Same thing happened a year ago at 2WFC.
This was a very hard article who understand. who takes attendance after 6 pm? Or do the associates have to go to a special floor to punch in? No wonder they are confused!!!!! And what if you work in LA or DC, is video attendance allowed?
Went there for a closing about 7 years ago and it dragged on into the night and throughout the evening I began to hit it off with a smoking hot secretary in her late 40's/early 50's. Bottomline, at around 1am I received probably the best bl0wj0b of my life. And she didn't let a drop go to waste. The best was watching her going crazy on herself with a hand slid down inside of her panties while she was servicing me like a pro.
Although not a peer firm, STB at a minimum should not leave the reception area uncovered. I also disagree with the idea of having associates cover for receptionists. In general, receptionists are presentable and have social grace, qualities that are lacking in most associates. Imagine an STB client showing up with no one to greet him/her or offer him/her a beverage. If I was the client I would get on the elevator and go to a floor that had a receptionist, regardless of whether it was still STB. Completely unacceptable.
"Just wait for Brown Tuesday."
-- SotomayOR!
7 Assistants and 5 Receptionists is "Black Monday?" I don't know who your sources are, but I work at STB and there was no reference to that silly name nor were the associates and the rest of staff worried.
You guys are retarded. Get your facts straight from your "sources."
STB looks like a Thelen situation in the making.
STB looks like a Thelen situation in the making.
if you work at STB, you should know the difference between "there" and "their." SERIOUSLY.
Mark attendance? Do other firms do this too?
what is the white and case attorneys name comments are blocked on that story
14. retard...there is correct read the sentence again. I sure hope "YOU'RE" not an associate what an embarassment to your firm you must be!
LOLOLOL AHAHAH There and their and you can't even read!! AHAHAH AHAH Oh LORD!
attendance?? Is this common practice in NYC?
17, "your" dumb. Look at the second blue box in the article at the top. You know, the one "your" commenting on.
Yawn. Since we are talking about staff,
with no mention of severance,
I think I'll just roll over and hit the snooze button. Wake me when something important happens.
That does seem odd.
15:
STB doesn't need to mark attorney attendance anymore, since the attorneys won't be "attending" the office much longer!
"The elevator service at 425 Lexington has been programmed to stop on all floors after 6:00 pm and before 9:00 am."
Does this mean that during the workday (9:00am to 6:00pm) the elevators only stop on floors 6, 16, 24, and 30??? Hahahahahaha!!!
425 Lexington is a shithole compared to Cravath's offices which are some of the nicest I have ever seen in NYC.
20 - It will when you show up at work today you slug. Security will be waiting there with your empty box and pink slip. Speaking of no severance, how is life with a law degree and no place to use it?
15, 18, sadly some firms do, even when associates put in 16 hour+ days, etc. Sigh.
Sooooooooo glad I got out of firm life before the fit hit the shan.
Why can't we post comments on the new White and Case story?
It really seems like there is some kind of cause of action that should be available to the father, he seems to feel that since he took care of the kids for a year, he should get something out of the deal.
Did they really need to have security escort the people out? Was it THAT hostile? Oh wait, it was - cause they waited for the entire work week AND the end of the work day to term these people.
Their Exec Dir and head of HR should be escorted out too for being soooo stupid.
Why have comments been closed at the Cuckold in Canada article. More smut!!!
#27 - Because Lat and Mystal are homosexuals.
I don't understand the part about the elevators. They'll stop on every floor? Like a Shabbos elevator? Sounds like a nightmare for people who work on the 30th floor.
The attendance thing is a joke - right?
~confused (maybe appalled) associate at a DC firm
The attendance thing is a joke - right?
~confused (maybe appalled) associate at a DC firm
This is some of the best writing I have ever seen.
SMU2L
34 - what's with the SMU comment? You got rejected didn't you, you dorkasaurus rex?!
I love this recession! The more the dow falls the more ass public interest trolls like myself seem to get. Just last night I was at some terrible downtown bar when a bunch of summers came in. I was chatting one up one little hottie about my public interest job and how fulfilling helping poor people is.. blah blah. She hated her biglaw SA, but was just happy to have found something and the money was good enough. I think she was attracted to my mix of relative poverty and anti-biglaw snobbery. She not only paid for the drinks, but took me to her place where I proceeded to bareback her ass and then slip out at 6 am. Thank god for desperate SA sluts. This economy is just the gift that keeps on giving.
I am recently single and want to enter the dating scene again, should I bleach my anus?
The ship be sinking...
Any news about Howrey's layoffs?
Having employees were escorted out by security is tacky.
"Attendance" isn't really an accurate description. You are supposed to mark when you are in and out of the office so other attorneys know. The receptionists would often do this for you when you passed them in the morning. If there was any confusion because of these statuses, I didn't see it. Since everyone is just a Blackberry away, I've never even checked to see whether someone is in or out before emailing them.
Man this story is idiotic. These were the least useful people in the firm - they sat there all day and did absolutely nothing. It took the downturn to have the firm come to its senses and stop throwing money away.
Does Elie really think that some client is going to stop using STB because they come to a floor and ask the first person they see where the conference room is instead of asking someone who has a job dedicated to saying where conference rooms are? If you wanna over-dramatize a story, at least think of something reasonable. Thanks.
The elevators do not stop at every floor during the working hours you have to go to one floor and walk up or down the stairs to your floor.
STB is a horrible place to work for. Unfortunately, because of the recession these people who have been laid off won't realize what a good thing it is to not be working there.
39 - Yup, they fired some folks.
#42 - You are wrong. This is some of the best writing I have ever seen.
SMU2L
Generally, receptionists take attendance not to report to partners if you're not working, but rather so that if someone calls for you they know whether or not you are in. Pretty standard practice at most firms.
What the hell are you talking about, Cravath's offices are not any nicer than 425 Lex.
46. Uh, not true. Bullshit of the highest degree. STB Troll.
When is the update on the White Associate going to happen. Either the story is confirmed or debunked by now.
#47 - You could not be more wrong.
The Indians do not want to open up their legal market to foreign competition. How do you say hypocrisy in Hindi??
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aHz8zYy8.Vdg
2,3, and 4,
SFP.
Best regards,
1
Partner Emeritus: Did you start at your firm as a partner?
I think you should bleach your anus. It couldn't hurt.
54 - I bet it does!
51 - Hypocrisy in Hindi.
This comment is addressed to post no. 53.
In 1967, I started out as an associate. I made partner in 1972. I became partner emeritus in 2002.
This is not newsworthy by any means. Let's get a real story going here people!
Why would someone bleach their anus? That is disgusting.
28: Idiot. Thatchers HR Director handled the appropriately. You'd lead the race in law suit lunacy if one of the terminated employees went postal and shot up the place. There is a protocol to layoffs/terminations. If other organizations have not done the COB Friday, security escort dance, they should have!
Also, for those of you who can't figure out what the Receptionists DO: most likely they provided security passes to guests, or called those with passes to escort guests to floors without secy's. Elevators have been reprogrammed to allow access in lieu of receptionist intervention.
You have proven you can "read law", but a heads up regarding what OTHER people are doing outside your office once in a while isn't such a bad idea.
To 58-
I beg to differ. Tell the people who lost their jobs last Friday and today that there is "no story here."
The story here is that a top tier NY firm had to lay off more staff, after laying off attorneys (and don't even try to call them performance based). The story here is that Cravath has to defer classes.
This is not the collapse of a weak firm like Heller. This is the top of the market firms that are suffering now.
Biglaw is out of money, people.
The story here is that Cravath's offices are extremely nice. Simpson's offices are shite.
57,
How did you make partner in only 5 years?
Let me break it down for the idiots who have no idea how it works:
STB has floors 6-31 at 425 Lex (read: STB is rich).
There are 2 elevator banks - one stopping on the lower floors, the other stopping on the upper floors. If you need to get from a lower floor to an upper floor, you have to switch elevator banks at the 16th floor (read: too complex for Cravath associates to handle).
During the day, the elevators stop only on even floors. On the even floors, there is a receptionist to greet everyone and sign attorneys and paralegals in in the a.m. (read: waste of money)
If you happen to work on an odd floor, or need to get there, then you have to get off on an even floor and take the internal marble staircase up one flight or down one flight (read: too difficult and dangerous for unpracticed Cravath females to handle in their high heels).
If you're going to be in a conference room for the day, on vacation, or at a client meeting, then your status gets updated by either you, your secretary, or the receptionist. The purpose is to let others know where you are in case they need to get in touch with you.
Example: If there is an urgent matter, and I need to speak to you, I can look at your status to see if you are in the building.
If you are, and you haven't responded to my urgent email, then the receptionist can page you on the overhead system, directing you to dial a certain extension.
It works. Trust the system.
I think the receptionists would have kept their jobs if they had bleached their anus. Anus bleaching has been around for almost as long as lawyers have been around. In fact, it started with the first attorneys in ancient times. Rather than hanging out a shingle, they would bleach their ass hole and moon everyone passing their cave. This was a sign that someone of high intelligence was on the other side of the hole.
61- I just told them. They agree with me. Anything else you want me to do?
They were all resettled in the East.
This is unfortunate news but not sure why it gets coverage under something as dramatic as "Black Monday." This sort of slow drain of about 10 people happens every week at DLA Piper.
There is no way STB's offices are nicer that Cravath's.
This comment is addressed to post no. 64.
When I started out in the legal profession, a normal partnership track was 5 to 6 years. Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s, the timeframe increased to 8 years. I believe the current partnership track is 10 years although thanks to President Obama, it looks like all partnership considerations will be deferred.
Davis Polk has the nicest office.
Then comes Skadden
Then comes STB
Then comes Cravath.
Hunton & Williams had a round of layoffs in May. They've announced no bonuses for 2008 and a coming salary reduction.
69 is good!
(oops!)
#69 is right!
DLA's slow drain started last September: staff was let go in small enough increments and divergent enough groups that DLA was able to hide the age discrimination, as they only needed to report the ages of the affected group. The next week "drain" included a different mix, and a different report of ages.
Sneaky, but quite legal. However, firms of this stature that need to hide behind the "it was all legal" banner need to look out!
This comment is addressed to post no. 70.
Based on your assessment, I can tell you have poor taste in modern office decor. Next thing you will be telling me is that CSM's cafeteria is second to a soup kitchen.
Davis Polk? Are you kidding me? prove it.
Has Latham started laying off the summers yet, or are they waiting until a few months after they start?
8-
That was my mom you asshole!
HAHAHHAHAA 78'S FUNNY
78
Please feel free to call me "dad"
HAHAHAHAHHAA 80'S EVEN FUNNIER
HAHAHAHAHHAA 80'S EVEN FUNNIER
Elie, what evidence is there that Simpson's not done laying people off? Share!
78
Please feel free to call me "dad"
# 8, you are disgusting.
73
Please elaborate.
Laying off 1% of staff--and the least useful--is "Black Monday"? In that case, let's hope for another black monday next week.
Can we stop this "Attendance" BS!
The "attendance" isn't so the firm knows who is coming in late, it is so one attorney can look up if another is in his office; in a given conference room; stepped out and will be back soon. No record is kept and 90% of the time they forget to check you out. As an associate, this is immensely convinent when there is a particular partner you need to track down to get him to sign a document.
The other quasi-attendance program is the intra-office instant messenger that turns on automatically when you log into the computer, which I have only ever used to either have my secretary tell me who is on the other line when I am on the phone or make lunch plans. This too has no history.
Both of these are useful and would not out a habitually tardy person any more than walking past everyone's office at 11 with your bag and coffee.
88 - atttendance is so prestigious.
88, this is fascinating. Don't you use Blackberries?
How do they handle vacation time?
CSM has cheaply-maintained 80s glam but otherwise acceptable offices. STB has better maintained equaly 80s glam but otherwise acceptable offices. Associate offices tend to be bigger at STB. Cravath's cafeteria is substaitially less nice than Simpson's, however the views from 48 make up for a lot and probably give CSM's cafeteria the edge. CSM's building layout is on balance better Anyone who thinks CSM has "nice" offices has clearly never worked there and from the sound of it didn't even interview there. They are, at best, a draw with STB.
Ummm 60K for a paid year of doing nothing and you lose a year behind your graduating class and some of you are making fun of secretaries??!! LOLOL
Jokes on you morons. How are you going to pay for those 200K student loans you have and keep up with the Jones'?? I am so tickled pink right now.
Ummm 60K for a paid year of doing nothing and you lose a year behind your graduating class and some of you are making fun of secretaries??!! LOLOL
Jokes on you morons. How are you going to pay for those 200K student loans you have and keep up with the Jones'?? I am so tickled pink right now.
Ummm 60K for a paid year of doing nothing and you lose a year behind your graduating class and some of you are making fun of secretaries??!! LOLOL
Jokes on you morons. How are you going to pay for those 200K student loans you have and keep up with the Jones'?? I am so tickled pink right now.
74: Are you former DLA HR? Or current? Or a staffer? Ready to whistle blow? Please send a letter to the EEOC as they can distribute the information to all the files/claims that make this same allegation.
Its not Black Monday b/c a dozen people were fired, its Black Monday b/c its the day STB obviously stopped even trying anymore...
8 - oh please! In your dreams (or in the movie you watched while sitting home looking for a job online).
i'm a former staff member and recently ran into someone who is still there and he told me that STB recently got rid of the pension plan for staffers. Anyone know anything about this?
I work for a government agency. Could someone explain to me what "receptionists" are and what they do? And what is involved in night-staff who copy things? Is there really such a thing? Wow.
97 - Wouldn't you love to see a picture of 8? Obviously very disgusting. What the heck is someone like that doing at STB?
This is awful. Bashing receptionists, assistants and night staff workers (for the morons that don't know what night staffers do, they do the work that is needed to be done after hours for the lawyers) how stupid are you? It shows that a law degree doesn't mean people are smart. Your very rude, downright mean and extremely disrespectful, hurtful comments show that you are just plain ignorant. People lost their jobs for goodness sake. They are hard-working people, just like you, they have families to support and most can;t run to mommy and daddy to pay their rent or their loans. Smarten up you bunch of asses. It may be you the next time around. Why don't you try to have a little compassion. Black Monday? Yes, even if it was only 5 support staffers that were let go. It was a black day for them. Try standing in their shoes for a minute.
To all those that were downsized, good luck.
To all those that remain and think they are better than thou, eventually, you get what you put out there and what goes around comes around.
The attorneys on here don't care about a bunch of staffers or paralegals losing their jobs. But, let them find out that they aren't going to get their $60,000 bonus this year and they are cryin' and bitchin' like the spoiled brats they are. Reading these blogs changed my mind about be being an attorney.... I didn't want to give up 80 IQ points to go to law school.
#101 and #102--thank you. Staffers are not given any notice and receive very little severance pay. Not many attorneys commenting on ATL seem to give a crap about them.
Suggestion to All: Consider re-Prioritizing:
A Quote from the Upanishads (translation by Juan Mascaro - Penguin Books):
"God Is Love, And Love Is Joy.
All The Universe Has Come From Love . . .
. . . And Unto Love, All Things Return."
60 - If you were correct, perhaps I, and others, would agree with you. We don't.
Are employees at your firm permitted to carry fire arms at work? If so, must be an interesting place. Otherwise, your "postal" remark is, as are your other thoughts, inane bullshit of the lowest degree.
You don't need security to escort someone out of the firm. You simply have the person delivering the message collect the access cards/badges/keys. D'oh. I guess they don't teach logic at your law school.
You also clearly can't grasp the insult of making someone work the full week before dumping them on their ass. But that doesn't matter to you because you think you're not vulnerable. Guess what? You are.
So best keep an eye out for security at YOUR door.
Oh, and from now on, unless you know what you're trying to spout off about - shut the fuck up.
101, 102, 103
Proof that far too many of the lawyers posting here just don't get it. They've lost focus on people.
Perhaps when they stop getting bonuses and take pay cuts they will sit up and notice.
MWE San Diego requires everyone sign in. Which is fully in compliance with the control-freak nature of that office.
8
If it's the one I'm thinking of (very large chest) she no longer works at Simpson.
P.S. Hate to burst your bubble, but half the guys at Simpson under the age of 30 were serviced by her.
#8
You freaking pig...why don't you go and get a real life.
Elie, any news on the further cuts at STB?
Elie, any news on the further cuts at STB?
Why no follow-up news? STB has made associate layoffs.
101 here....
STB has made associate layoffs? Well, like I said...what goes around eventually comes around.
For the STB associates that were let go....how do feel standing in the night staffers shoes? Awful place to be isn't it? I'm sorry that this happened to all of you.....next time you are about to bash someone who doesn't have a law degree or think they are less valuable than you, you will probably bite your tongue.
Good luck trying to find a job. It is murder out there.
#74: wow! and I thought Gibson's stealth discrimination against those who went on sick leave was bad! wew! I'm so glad that I can trust in the tight 'hold' the LA administrator has on a rainmaker's balls! that gives me such a warm feeling to know that she has no conscience and is in charge of choosing who 'comes' and who goes.