Trick or treat? It’s almost Halloween, and it looks like at least one law firm decided to forgo giving candy to its associates and force them to start turning tricks instead — presuming that’s what laid-off lawyers do with their time to make money.
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC (no, not that Steptoe & Johnson), which specializes in energy law, is yet again feeling the pinch of the oil and gas industry’s slump. When the energy sector performs weakly, so do the law firms that service it, and layoffs usually follow closely behind.
In April, the firm laid off 32 employees — including 14 attorneys — due to a drop in oil and gas prices. Today, the firm laid off several more attorneys, for the same reasons. Here’s a statement we received from Susan S. Brewer, the CEO of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC:
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Due to continued low oil prices and the negative impact on domestic oil and gas producers, we have seen a contraction in isolated areas of legal work for some of our major energy clients. Accordingly, 6 attorneys were laid off in the firm’s energy department in TX and PA.
When you conduct layoffs so often for the same reasons, all you have to do is change one sentence in your media statement, so that must be nice, for what it’s worth.
Do you have any additional details on what’s going on at Steptoe? Please drop us a line. We wish all of the lawyers who may be affected at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC the best of luck while they seek new job opportunities in the legal industry and beyond.
If your firm or organization is reducing the ranks of its lawyers or staff, whether through open layoffs, stealth layoffs, or voluntary buyouts, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive — we’ll never ignore you. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477). Thank you very much!
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Earlier: Non-Sequiturs: 04.03.15 (first blurb)