Nationwide Layoff Watch: Slimming Down For The Holidays

Guess which firm just laid off both support staff and lawyers?

It was just two weeks ago that we told you about the merger talks between Patton Boggs and Locke Lord. At the time, we wondered about redundancies between the two firms’ offices. We thought that “most jobs” would be safe, considering the fact that there were only three overlapping locations.

Well, it looks like we were dead wrong. Guess which firm just laid off both support staff and lawyers?

The Patton Boggs layoffs were reported this afternoon by the Washington Post’s Capital Business blog:

Washington law and lobbying powerhouse Patton Boggs has dismissed 10 lawyers and 35 staffers, the second round of reductions the firm has made year.

The latest departures are intended to save the firm $5.5 million in salary and benefits. The affected attorneys are associates in the firm’s New Jersey office; the staffers are spread across the firm’s 10 offices in the United States and the Middle East. The firm said the reductions were part of a larger plan to adjust staffing ratios.

We knew that Patton Boggs was hurting for cash, considering the fact that it was one of the firms with one of the steepest declines in profits per partner (15 percent) in the latest Am Law 100 rankings, but we didn’t think the firm was so desperate that it would conduct yet another round of attorney layoffs.

The Washington Post received a statement from a Patton Boggs spokesperson noting that these layoffs are “part of an overall plan [the firm] unveiled several months ago to address changing client needs and market conditions.” Gee, I feel like we’ve heard that before… from every other firm that’s conducted layoffs in 2013. Hey, at least the firm didn’t say it was “right-sizing.” Patton Boggs is looking forward to “becoming far stronger financially” as a result of this move (read: OMG, please help us, Locke Lord).

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Happy Hump Day? We don’t think so. We sincerely wish those affected at Patton Boggs — both attorneys and staff — the best of luck while they seek new opportunities, whether in the legal field or beyond.

Is your firm conducting layoffs, stealth or otherwise? If you have information to share, about layoffs at Patton Boggs or any other notable law firm, feel free to email us or text us (646-820-8477).

Patton Boggs dismisses 10 lawyers and 35 staffers in a second round of cuts [Washington Post]

Earlier: Patton Boggs and Locke Lord May Be Eyeing Merger
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Patton Boggs Blows Folks Out the Door

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