Secretaries / Administrative Assistants

Staff Salary Freeze From Wilson Sonsini

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It’s been a while since we’ve had any news about how legal secretaries and staffs are weathering the recession. Well, at least no news that pertains to secretaries who are potty trained and don’t care about CHARACTER. To the extent that firms are still looking to make cuts, it feels like they are more focused on more long term moves.
But that doesn’t mean that the domain of the legal secretary is drenched in milk and honey. Yesterday, Wilson Sonsini informed its staff that it was instituting a salary freeze:

To: Staff Employees
From: [Wilson Sonsini]
Date: September 22, 2009
Re: Staff Salaries
Earlier this year, in the midst of an uncertain global economic situation, the firm implemented a salary freeze for associates. The firm always has managed expenses carefully, and we’ve taken an even more cautious approach during the current downturn to ensure that our business remains strong and well positioned for the future. While there are early signs that the recession may be easing, it’s also clear that economic recovery will take some time. Given these factors, it is important to continue our fiscally conservative approach, and therefore the firm is extending the salary freeze to staff at this time.
Thank you for your understanding, and for your continued commitment to the firm.

Wait, Wilson Sonsini hadn’t frozen staff salaries already? Tipsters weigh in after the jump.


There were a lot of firms that froze salaries in 2009. It’s probably a little too early to speculate on which firms will freeze salaries in 2010 (which would result in a 3rd year getting paid as a first). But I had kind of assumed that staff salary freezes happened at the same time as associate salary freezes. Maybe that’s not the case?
Associates at Wilson were somewhat surprised that staff salaries had not been done already. One associate said this:

They’re just now getting around to freezing staff salaries? WTF? Shouldn’t the firm have frozen staff salaries before it laid people off?

Ah, yes. In late January, Wilson Sonsini laid off 45 attorneys and 68 staff. One former-Wilson associate commented:

Freezing staff salaries probably wouldn’t have saved my job. I don’t begrudge the secretaries their money. … Of course I’m dead inside and no longer have the ability to “feel.”

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So, which staffers out there are looking forward to a Christmas bonus this year?
Earlier: Nationwide Layoff Watch: Major Downsizing at Wilson Sonsini (45 Lawyers, 68 Staffers)

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