Biglaw Firm Announces Mass Buyouts, Almost 200 Affected
Which firm could it be?
It’s the first quarter of the new year, and rather than conduct outright layoffs, one global Biglaw firm has chosen a gentler way to oust up to 180 employees who are no longer considered as “efficient.”
Which firm could it be?
As part of a plan that began in October and is expected to conclude by the end of this month, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has offered voluntary buyouts to all of its secretarial staff (employees who are referred to as personal assistants in England) at its headquarters in London. Like many Biglaw firms, Freshfields opened a legal operations center last year to house its back-office functions, and these cuts serve to reduce headcount prior to the vast majority of these secretarial jobs being moved to Manchester, England.
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Here’s some additional information on the buyout program from Legal Week:
All of the firm’s PAs in London have been offered a choice to either: take voluntary redundancy; apply to be considered for an executive assistant (EA) role that comes with more money and responsibility; or stay in their current roles. …
The terms of the voluntary severance package on offer are not known.
We wish all of the legal professionals and affected individuals at Freshfields the best of luck while they seek new job opportunities in the legal industry and beyond.
If your firm or organization is closing its doors or 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!
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Freshfields offers voluntary redundancy to 180 London secretaries [Legal Week]
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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