Last week, we took a peek inside the black box of compensation at Winston & Strawn. We also discussed stealth layoffs at the firm.
We felt our report was fairly hard-hitting. But one Winston source thinks we didn’t go far enough:
In my humble opinion, you weren’t sufficiently critical of Winston. The real message here is that many associates, including those who make their hours, are getting little to no raise because the firm is re-drawing the rules after-the-fact to ensure that it only has to pay out what it wants, and making partner is basically impossible here from now on.
Morale is shockingly low. The firm’s closest competitors like Sidley and Mayer Brown do not appear to be acting nearly as devious (though I am sure they have their bad behaviors too).
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Meanwhile, some incoming associates at Winston seem anxious about their fates — and how they’re going to make ends meet while waiting to start at the firm….
Here’s what one of them had to say:
Those of us with offers to start “as soon as January 2011” still haven’t received any information regarding bar stipends and don’t know whether we’ll be receiving anything at all.
Is this typical of the big firms? Or is it just Winston that’s lagging?
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We believe that other large law firms also have incoming classes in limbo. But even if it’s just Winston that’s lagging, what are you going to do about it? Stage a Mayer-style mutiny? Ask Mr. Chuck & Co. how that has worked out for them.
Also, class of 2010 members with offer from Winston, the class of 2009 has a message for you: “Take a number.” As noted in the comments to our last post:
Winston still hasn’t confirmed that the deferred 2009-ers who are supposed to start in June will actually be starting. So, you probably have a while to wait.
Meanwhile, we received some interesting historical information from a victim of Winston stealth layoffs last year. Says our source:
I was laid off from Winston in 2009. [The partner] told me that I would remain on the payroll for three months, but that if I got a job before the three months was up I should call them, so they would stop paying me.
Well, it’s been more than a year, and I still haven’t found work, obviously. Also, no partner in my department took the time to tell me that I was being laid off or why. I was totally ignored.
I knew a couple other people who were laid off after me. Apparently, they slightly changed their tactics later. They told my friend that s/he would be paid three months of pay, but over a shorter period of time. The person guessed that this was a way for them to cut off health insurance before the three months was over.
Finally, I can confirm that they do stealth layoffs –- only one or two at a time, and people that are laid off are ashamed. So they just clear out on a weekend and don’t talk to anybody. That’s what I did.
We’re happy to cover stealth layoffs here at Above the Law. It’s not fair to firms who conduct their layoffs openly to let “stealth” firms fly under the radar.
If you know of a firm that has conducted (or is still conducting) stealth layoffs that haven’t been covered in these pages, just email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Stealth Layoffs”). Thanks.