Nationwide Layoff Watch: Biglaw Firm Lays Off 30+

Sagging litigation business blamed for another round of layoffs.

UPDATE (3/18/2015, 9:15 p.m.): The firm has clarified some of the numbers. See below.

Somebody checked their calendar and said, “Above the Law is holding a big conference and everyone from Bloomberg Big Law Business to the Wall Street Journal will be there… this is the day we should announce our layoffs!”

Well, you can’t give us the slip that easily. We’ve still got the Internet and we’ve still got tipsters and we’re not letting this story go unreported.

Earlier this morning, tips started coming in about big layoffs at Goodwin Procter. As one might expect, the early details were sketchy, but as more reports came in, it became clear that the purge was focused mostly on litigation associates. But we never could get a good handle on the scope of Goodwin’s pink-slip-a-palooza until now.

Chairman David M. Hashmall and Managing Partner Robert S. Insolia have now sent out a firmwide memo announcing today’s downsizing:

After carefully and realistically assessing the projected demand for services in the various areas of our litigation practice, we made the hard choice to undertake a reduction in force, affecting 21 associates and professional track attorneys, and 17 professional staff across our litigation department.

So, not just “mostly” litigation, but “entirely” litigation. Taking a cue from Kasowitz Benson, Goodwin took an axe to its litigation group, citing declining business:

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While the overall impact on our attorney and professional staff headcount is only 2 percent, this was a very difficult decision for us to make.

Now there’s some spin! They only laid off 2 percent… of total headcount. They did, however, drop about 20 percent of their litigation associates — to the extent that the firm’s website, which shows a total of 101 litigation associates, is to be believed. That’s a tremendous miss.

Goodwin Procter is actively hiring for transactional positions at this time, and will provide impacted attorneys with the opportunity to apply for these positions, seeking to place as many as possible. For those attorneys not placed elsewhere in the firm, as well as for the impacted professional staff, we are providing severance packages and outplacement assistance and transition support.

Well, I hope all the laid-off associates still have their 2L Mergers and Acquisitions notes, because they may need them. And if they don’t, we wish them the best of luck while they seek new jobs. Stay strong.

If your firm is reducing the ranks of its lawyers or staff, whether through open layoffs or 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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UPDATE (3/18/2015, 9:15 p.m.): The firm clarified that of the 21 attorneys, only 14 were associates while 7 were “professional track attorneys,” for what that’s worth. They also pointed out that the firm has 177 litigation associates, making this an 8 percent layoff. Which is at odds with the website when you search “associate” and “litigation,” but we’ll take them at their word.

(Flip to the next page to see the full memo about these layoffs.)

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