Partner Profit Plunged 17% at UK’s 50 Biggest Firms

It’s not only U.S. partners at top firms that are feeling the woes; their UK counterparts have been feeling the pinch as well according to a report by Legal Week. The UK's top law firms have suffered a dramatic fall in profitability and a shrinking market in what has been confirmed as the worst trading conditions for the profession since the early 1990s.

The slump in activity was directly attributed to the collapse in confidence in the second half of the financial year in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the wider crisis in the global banking system. However, despite tough market conditions, top City firms emerged as stand-out performers due to the relative resilience of international practices and a string of high stakes mandates from embattled banking clients.

Although revenue is up nearly 3 percent at the United Kingdom's top 50 law firms, equity partner profit has plunged an average of 17 percent over the past fiscal year as the legal industry struggles to cope with the dismal economy.

"I don't think the industry has ever seen a drop in volume like this," managing partner Wim Dejonghe of Allen & Overy tells Legal Week. And, although the the economic freefall triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers last year seems to have leveled off, a swift recovery to former levels of profitability is not expected, he and others say.

Some firms, of course, have done better than others. Those that focus their practice on the insurance industry have done best, with an overall increase in equity partner profit of 7.2%, the legal publication recounts. The five elite London-based "magic circle" law firms also have done better than the top 50 on average. seeing only a 12.3% profit plunge.

Top firms are now focused on whether enough has been done to respond to tough market conditions with most firms predicting a slow recovery. As yet headcount across the top 50 has barely changed on 2008, though this is expected to change as the full impact of a wave of redundancy programs takes effect during the current financial year.

Many firms are expecting legal demand to remain flat or to see minor falls during the current financial year, though law firm leaders will look to September to gauge if there is any sign of a modest upturn in the second half of 2009-10.

Private Practice Lawyers Steal In-House Jobs Down Under

The New Lawyer, an Australia legal publication, reports an unusual trend down under: it appears that law firm lawyers are picking up plum senior in-house jobs to the detriment of existing in-house counsel. Is this a trend that could spread to the U.S.?

According to the article, corporations are scooping up weary and under-utilized law firm attorneys for their own in-house legal teams. What is leading corporations to favor law firm lawyers over in-house counsels?

"People are having less time in-house to manage the external resource," said Australian Corporate Lawyers Association (ACLA) chief executive, Peter Turner.

"Managing external lawyers is a major part of the task," said Turner. "Some in-house counsel struggle with that because they are put in charge of a very expensive resource without the experience to deal with it," he said.

"We're seeing some very senior in-house counsel sourced from within law firms. They really do have the expertise. They understand what the cost structure of a law firm is, where the fat is, and they understand that a law firm has to live as well. By coming to a good working arrangement with external counsel, efficiency is achieved," Turner said.

As the legal market tightens, jobs within law firms become harder to find. As many lawyers are tiring of the law firm grind, there has been an increase of private practice lawyers moving in-house.

The trend is "unfortunate" for corporate counsels who are losing out on promotions as experienced private practice lawyers take the helm in major teams. They are better placed to manage outsourcing work to external lawyers, said Turner.

Will this trend extend to the U.S.? Historically, corporations have preferred hiring other experienced in-house counsel to fill their ranks. There is no shortage of in-house counsels with private practice experience who know how to effectively manage outside counsel.

When it comes to more junior-level hires, five year or less, corporation have shown some flexibility in opening the door to law firm lawyers. Some general counsel positions have also been opened to outside counsel partners who were representing these corporations. Law firm lawyers also seem more willing to make the financial tradeoff, especially as the situation with many law firms continue to deteriorate, and benefits and salaries are being trimmed.

However, despite some flexibility and hires made from private practice, by in large, corporations hiring in the U.S. are continuing to favor hiring in-house counsels over their law firm counterparts. It looks like this new trend may be confined to down under . . . at least for now.

Avoiding the Brain Drain: Do You Have a Succession Plan?

By the year 2010, a large percentage of the workforce will be retiring. Many of these retiring “Baby Boomers” will include General Counsels and other senior-level legal counsels in the majority of the largest corporations in the United States and Canada.

As current lawyers reach retirement age between 2010 and 2015, most companies lack formal succession plans to prepare for the eventual departure of these senior attorneys.

According to a Robert Half Legal Survey, 53% of corporate legal departments said they had no formal succession plan in place for key leaders, only 41% had one, and 6% did not know.

One of the most critical components of business survival for most companies, but yet most often overlooked, is the planning for the internal succession of key leaders, including those in corporate legal departments.

That said, creating and implementing a succession plan takes time, resources, and most companies do not give it the attention it deserves. However, without a formal succession plan, companies may find themselves confronted with a costly brain drain.

Companies may stand to not only lose institutional knowledge and relationships, but also experience a lag in productivity, and bear the added financial costs associated with not having someone readily available to take on a key position.

It may take many years to identify and groom an attorney to advance into a leadership role; therefore, companies should start to invest the time and resources to develop succession plans as soon as possible.

While succession planning is not an exact science, here are some suggestions for corporate legal departments to consider when developing a succession plan:

1. Identify Potential Successors

Starting with a short list, select the attorney(s) who show the most potential and who work(s) well with the organization. Is there a likely candidate or an unlikely candidate missing from the list?

2. Develop a Formal Training & Mentoring Plan

It is important to implement training and mentoring programs for high-potential employees, and include them in strategy discussions relating to the operation of the department. This will provide succession candidates the opportunity to build their skills and leadership abilities in practice management, new business development, marketing, strategic planning, and client service.

3. Establish a Timetable

Orienting an individual into a successor’s role takes time. At minimum, a 12-month window gives both parties the opportunity to transfer knowledge and manage relationships.

4. Plan the Transition

Let employees learn from the person they will be replacing. They should work together on projects, interact at the board of directors meetings, participate in client meetings, and otherwise get involve in the day-to-day activities and responsibilities of the position. Having the successor shadow his or her successee can be one of the most valuable way to impart and retain knowledge.

Skillfully done, succession planning can safeguard legal department from the “brain drain” that the Baby Boomer retirements might cause, as well as the high financial costs of finding a replacement.

Hiring A General Counsel

The economy, globalization, mergers, compliance concerns and business competition have all influenced the way the general counsel legal function is seen and used. Today, CEOs are looking to their general counsel as both business and legal advisors who must consider all of the issues that a company faces. In addition to being a strategic business partner and a legal advisor, the general counsel must also lead, organize, manage, train, and educate.

The increased complexity of the general counsel role has made filling these vacancies more challenging than ever. Even the most experienced CEOs and human resource professionals can find it difficult to effectively assess candidates and identify the more subtle skills required for this position. Here are five suggestions for companies to consider when hiring a general counsel:

1. Look Inside First

The most effective way to replace a departing general counsel is to elevate a candidate from a company’s existing legal department. Increasingly, general counsels are becoming responsible for creating succession plans, serving as mentors and developing internal talent. These efforts often result in strong internal candidates being available for the general counsel position.

While internal candidates should be a part of every company’s long-term succession planning process, not every company can support this type of activity. This process typically requires that a company already have a general counsel in place, as well as enough internal attorneys with the experience and competencies required to develop as general counsel candidates. In other words, succession planning works best in larger legal departments. Where a company seeks its first general counsel or does not have the bandwidth to grow internal candidates, outside recruiting becomes the obvious method of sourcing general counsel candidates.

2. Prioritize Core Competencies

The greatest barrier to successfully hiring a general counsel comes from improper management of expectations. In general, companies that are looking to hire their first general counsel tend to look for the “perfect” candidate rather than the “right” candidate. While these two categories do not have to be mutually exclusive, the approach used for each can yield very different results. The real problem lies in burdening the “perfect” candidate description with a slate of requirements that are generally unnecessary and unrealistic, rather than identifying and prioritizing core competencies required for the role as they relate specifically to the company.

Most companies would be thrilled to hire the general counsel of a major public company with all of the sophistication and hauteur that someone in this position would bring. However, not only is this exclusive candidate pool extremely small, but also most companies don’t have the wherewithal to recruit these types of candidates. Most importantly, the great majority of companies don’t need a general counsel from this candidate pool. The biggest challenge facing these recruiting companies is to set appropriate requirements and expectations for its general counsel candidates. While these requirements can be exacting, decision makers need to be realistic about identifying competencies that are truly important and relevant to the role in their company.

Being realistic at the outset of the search, and setting meaningful priorities and requirements will result in generating a strong pool of candidates from which one candidate will make an excellent fit. Companies who stay focused on long wish lists will not only narrow the candidate pool unnecessarily, but will also risk keeping a critical position open for several month, or make a hire who seems perfect on paper but who will fail because of cultural fit issues. Some of the competencies that companies should consider when searching for a general counsel include:

• Combining strong technical skills, sharp intellect, and experience to resolve difficult, complex legal and business problems.
• Being able to effectively manage diverse personalities and relationships, internally and externally.
• Thinking outside of the box, and being able to come up with new and creative ideas in business and legal matters.
• Leading others by communicating a compelling vision that moves individuals, teams, and the organization to perform at a higher level and embrace change.
• Seeing the trees in the forest and being able to focus on critical tasks that add value.
• Communicating effectively at all levels of the organization, in written and verbal communication.
• Delegating by making individuals accountable, providing feedback, as well as recruiting, mentoring, and growing talent for current and future roles.

To meet the needs of a changing function, companies have to focus on lawyers who are flexible, who offer a broad base of practice, and who want to contribute through productive collaboration. Strong business judgment and the ability to impart immediate trust and legitimacy are also very important qualities. Finally, a general counsel must know how to deliver a message to people at all levels of the company, must be proactive, possess a strong level of self-awareness, and be driven.

3. Be Ready To Invest

In conducting a general counsel search, your organization needs to be ready to invest financially, as well as in terms of time and effort. Since the general counsel will act as the trusted advisor to the CEO, the process will be more successful if those conducting the search involve the CEO early and often. Rather than only including the CEO in the initial meeting or on the review of the final candidate(s), the CEO should be regularly included in each step of the process. To recruit the best, even in a down economy, companies also need to be willing to invest financially. While general counsels make transitions for a variety of reasons that are not always financially related, high performers are usually looking for comparable if not better compensation packages than what is being offered by their current company. Today’s general counsels are compensated at levels similar to other members of the senior management team. It is not unusual for a general counsel to be one of the top five most highly compensated company executives. What do the general counsels at the nation’s top companies earn? According to a 2009 Corporate Counsel survey, general counsels at Fortune 500 companies make:

• An average salary of $596,393
• An average bonus of $1.16 million

• An average stock award of $1.1M
• An average option award of $669,719

Given the high compensation lawyers at the general counsel level command, it is important for management to accept that it will need to offer a highly competitive compensation package to attract top talent. Compensation is even more of a factor if the company is in a troubled situation or has other challenges attracting candidates, such as geographical location, specialty area, etc.

4. Think Outside the Box

Companies that can establish disciplined yet flexible guidelines will be able to recruit outstanding candidate quickly and effectively. Technical skills, good business judgment, management skills, and fit with the organization are all critical. That said, there are certain areas where a company can show some flexibility and still be able to recruit excellent candidates without having to “settle.”

While companies tend to prefer to hire general counsels that come from their specific industry, some flexibility in this area can be afforded without having to compromise on competencies. If candidates in a company’s primary industry are in short supply, it may be appropriate to look to related industries for prospects. For instance, if a company is highly regulated, candidates from other highly regulated sectors can bring the type of experience a company would benefit from. Conversely, there can also be crossovers between industries that are not highly regulated, such as the consumer or industrial sector. While this might not apply to companies in certain industries that require industry-specific experience because of the specific regulatory nature or the complexity of the sector, such as healthcare or financial services, most other companies can benefit from considering candidates in crossover industries.

5. Consider Professionals

Today’s general counsel is a critical member of a corporation’s senior leadership – an accomplished legal professional who will be required to provide top-flight legal and business advice. Evaluating and quantifying the skills required when assessing candidates for general counsel positions can be challenging, even for the most experienced CEOs. Conducting a search for a general counsel is not only complex and challenging, but it is also a time consuming and costly process that a company cannot afford to miss. As a result, an increasing number of companies are turning to professional legal recruiting firms to fill their general counsel positions.

Legal recruiting firms can advise companies on the type of person and salary required to attract top talent, as well as devise strategies to recruit the right individual in accordance with the company’s needs and requirements. Professional legal recruiting firms maintain a constant stream of qualified candidates and potential job seekers. They are intimately connected with the legal community in both law firms and corporations. As a result, they can offer companies the type of qualified candidates they would not be able to find on their own through online or newspaper ads, alumni associations, applicant databases, job boards or other familiar sources of people. Most legal recruiters are also former attorneys. As a result, these legal recruiters tend to be better positioned than laypersons to evaluate another attorney’s skills and aptitude, and identify “great” from merely "good" attorneys. In other words, legal recruiting firms are designed to deliver faster and better results, saving a company both time and money.

2009 GC Compensation Survey

Historically, general counsels at the nation’s largest companies enjoyed a certain amount of immunity from economic fluctuations. The past decade shows a nearly unbroken string of pay raises. Even through the previous recessions, these general counsels stayed largely untouched. However, according to a recent survey conducted by Corporate Counsel, it appears that this trend is no more.

While some indexes of general counsel pay rose, compensation by in large remained nearly flat. Why? Because executive pay has become inextricably bound with corporate performance. If the company doesn't do well, the GC might find a thinner pay packet. How thin? It's all relative. Make no mistake, these top company general counsels are still handsomely compensated for their hard work, but there is a chink in the armor.

General counsel at the nation’s top companies earned $1.8 million in pay and bonuses last year, an increase of 2.6%.

The breakdown, tallied by Corporate Counsel:

• Average salary was $596,393, an increase of 5%(⇑)
• Average bonus was $1.16M, an increase of less than 1% (⇑)
  

Bonuses were a combination of bonuses not tied to performance goals and “nonequity incentive compensation” paid for making performance targets.

"The world economy may be limping," reported Corporate Counsel. "Economic sectors like banking and manufacturing are still waiting for those green shoots to pop up, while the real estate market continues to search for the bottom. But last year the general counsel of the nation's largest companies still managed to get a modest raise."

Salary increases and generous bonuses generate great headlines. But that's not how most chief legal officers amassed their wealth over the years. One of the big attractions of being an in-house lawyer, in good times, at least, is the chance to own company stock. And that's held true even though the way companies distribute shares has changed dramatically.

At the same time, compensation tied to company shares fell:

• Average stock award was $1.1M, a decline of 18% (⇓)
  
• Average option award was $669,719, a decline of 7% (⇓)
  

Still, by the standards of a working population dealing with everything from mass layoffs to unpaid furloughs, top legal officers at Fortune 500 companies continued to earn a very decent living.

Usually the top paid corporate lawyer is the chief legal officer of a thriving big conglomerate. In the 2008 survey, however, the best-compensated lawyer was Gregory Doody, a bankruptcy expert hired to lead the Calpine Corp. out of bankruptcy, Corporate Counsel reports in a separate story. He took home $9.7 million in cash and bonuses last year; he has since left the company.

But those figures were tabulated last year. Will the overall picture for general counsels look bleaker in next year's survey? And will a sustained economic downturn in 2009 mean the end of $9 million bonuses, even for the general counsel of a thriving wireless telecommunications conglomerate? That remains to be seen

Here is the list of the 100 top-paid general counsels (total cash compensation):

1. Gregory Doody, Calpine Corporation, TX, $9,743,621
2. Donald Rosenberg, Qualcomm Incorporated, CA, $9,676,940
3. Brackett Denniston III, General Electric, CT, $7,050,200
4. Charles Wall, Philip Morris International Inc., NY, $4,194,538
5. Alan Braverman, The Walt Disney Company, CA, $4,032,885
6. Gary Lynch, Morgan Stanley, NY, $3,469,000
7. Paul Cappuccio, Time Warner Inc., NY, $3,050,000
8. Russell Deyo, Johnson & Johnson, NJ, $2,988,896
9. Carrie Dwyer, The Charles Schwab Corp., CA, $2,974,399
10. Louis Briskman, CBS Corporation, NY, $2,905,000
11. Thomas Strickland, UnitedHealth Group, MN, $2,692,115
12. Jon Walton, Allegheny Technologies Inc., PA, $2,587,733
13. Peter Beshar, Marsh & McLennan Companies, NY, $2,563,750
14. Michael Fricklas, Viacom Inc., NY, $2,440,300
15. Albert Cornelison, Jr., Halliburton Company, TX, $2,420,000
16. Alan Schnitzer, The Travelers Companies, NY, $2,350,000
17. Charles Matthews, Jr., Exxon Mobil Corp., TX, $2,332,305
18. Thomas Sabatino, Jr., Schering-Plough Corp., NJ, $2,181,343
19. David Horn, AK Steel Holding Corporation, OH, $2,033,372
20. Alan Crain, Jr., Baker Hughes Incorporated, TX, $1,976,595
21. Sheldon Cammaker, Emcor Group, Inc., $1,968,750
22. Marc Manly, Duke Energy Corporation, NC, $1,865,342
23. David Drummond, Google Inc., CA, $1,826,251
24. William Barr, Verizon Communications Inc., NY, $1,787,546
25. Laura Schumacher, Abbott Laboratories, IL, $1,761,508
26. Robert Armitage, Eli Lilly and Company, IN, $1,738,208
27. David Smith, Archer Daniels Midland Co., IL, $1,728,400
28. Julia Lambeth, Reynolds American Inc., NC, $1,725,850
29. Raymond Bukaty, Western Digital Corp., CA, $1,675,000
30. Leila Vespoli, FirstEnergy Corp., OH, $1,635,025
31. Marc Firestone, Kraft Foods Inc., IL, $1,634,904
32. Carol Ann Petren, Cigna Corporation, PA, $1,633,269
33. Douglas Sgarro, CVS Caremark Corporation, RI, $1,593,318
34. Richard Baer, Qwest Communications, CO, $1,566,209
35. Charles Tanabe, Liberty Media Corporation, CO, $1,534,752
36. J. Barclay Collins II, Hess Corporation, NY, $1,525,000
37. David Savner, General Dynamics Corporation, VA, $1,501,250
38. Arthur Block, Comcast Corporation, PA, $1,498,669
39. Brian Miller, The AES Corporation, VA, $1,494,938
40. Denise Keane, Altria Group, Inc., VA, $1,487,500
41. C. Michael Carter, Dole Food Company, Inc., CA, $1,485,094
42. John Halvey, NYSE Euronext, Inc., NY, $1,480,769
43. Jay Stephens, Raytheon Company, MA, $1,469,146
44. David Sudbury, Commercial Metals Company, TX, $1,385,810
45. Robert Sharpe, Jr., ConAgra Foods, Inc., NE, $1,387,019
46. J. Michael Hemmer, Union Pacific Railroad, NE, $1,353,000
47. W. Burks Terry, Northrop Grumman Corp., CA, $1,341,320
48. Grier Raclin, Charter Communications, Inc., MO, $1,339,327
49. Hyun Park, PG&E Corporation, CA, $1,320,804
50. Robert Osborne, General Motors Corporation, MI, $1,317,500
51. James Garraux, United States Steel Corp., PA, $1,298,340
52. Robert Reeves, Sr., Anadarko Petroleum, TX, $1,292,869
53. Larry Hunter, The DirecTV Group, Inc., CA, $1,285,753
54. C. Thomas Harvie, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, OH, $1,270,000
55. Bruce Kuhlik, Merck & Co., NJ, $1,246,271
56. Robert Walters, Energy Future Holdings, TX, $1,230,784
57. Thomas Boudreau, Express Scripts, Inc., MO, $1,216,292
58. Bryan Hall, Virgin Media Inc., NY, $1,206,891
59. Noah Hanft, MasterCard Incorporated, NY, $1,198,250
60. Steven Cossé, Murphy Oil Corporation, AR, $1,195,833
61. Robert Schoonenberg, Avery Dennison Corp., CA, $1,192,958
62. Joshua Floum, Visa, Inc., CA, $1,185,981
63. Frank Steeves, Emerson Electric Co., MO, $1,160,000
64. Terrence Linnert, Goodrich Corporation, NC, $1,156,515
65. Donald de Brier, Occidental Petroleum Corp., CA, $1,151,000
66. Gregory Butler, Northeast Utilities, CT, $1,142,216
67. Steven Covey, Navistar International Corp., IL, $1,135,000
68. Ellen Kaden, Campbell Soup Company, NJ, $1,133,333
69. Joseph Listengart, Knight Inc., TX, $1,133,077
70. Leonard Kennedy, Sprint Nextel Corporation, KS $1,132,895
71. Ira Lederman, W.R. Berkley Corporation, CT, $1,115,435
72. Peter Janzen, Land O’Lakes, Inc., MN, $1,111,915
73. Vincent Maffeo, ITT Corporation, NY, $1,105,431
74. Kevin Lilly, SPX Corporation, NC, $1,105,000
75. Javade Chaudhri, Sempra Energy, CA, $1,104,687
76. Dwight Rettig, National Oilwell Varco, Inc.,TX, $1,098,696
77. Vernon Baker II, ArvinMeritor, Inc., MI, $1,096,567
78. Ellen Fitzsimmons, CSX Corporation, $1,092,500
79. J. Michael Luttig, The Boeing Company, IL $1,092,418
80. James Benson, ADP, Inc., NJ, $1,087,314
81. Cheryl Hodges, Omnicare, Inc., KY, $1,081,689
82. James Hixon, Norfolk Southern Railway Co., VA, $1,078,750
83. James Breedlove, Praxair, Inc., CT, $1,061,050
84. Susan Lanigan, Dollar General Corporation, TN, $1,048,179
85. Bart Colli, ARAMARK Corporation, PA, $1,037,981
86. Scott Rozzell, CenterPoint Energy, Inc., TX, $1,035,513
87. Kenneth Siegel, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, NY, $1,032,303
88. David Leitch, Ford Motor Company, MI, $1,000,000
89. Joey Loudermilk, Aflac Incorporated, GA, $983,588
90. Hayward Fisk, Computer Sciences Corporation, VA, $979,050
91. Mitchell Kosh, Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, NY, $972,188
92. Richard Mack, The Mosaic Company, MN, $964,167
93. Charles Fenton, Black & Decker Corp., MD, $960,000
94. Roger Cooke, Precision Castparts Corp., OR, $925,500
95. Gary Bahler, Foot Locker Inc., NY, $901,421
96. Gary Chadick, Rockwell Collins, Inc., IA, $897,420
97. William Casazza, Aetna Inc., CT, $895,491
98. R. Edwin Selover, Public Service Enterprise, NJ, $888,325
99. James Diggs, PPG Industries, Inc., PA, $872,500
100. Curtis Shaw, Celanese Corporation, TX, $872,114

Here is the list of the top paid women general counsels (total cash compensation):

1. Carrie Dwyer, The Charles Schwab Corp., CA, $2,974,399
2. Laura Schumacher, Abbott Laboratories, IL, $1,761,508
3. Julia Lambeth, Reynolds American Inc., NC, $1,725,850
4. Leila Vespoli, FirstEnergy Corp., OH, $1,635,025
5. Carol Ann Petren, Cigna Corporation, PA, $1,633,269
6. Denise Keane, Altria Group, Inc., VA, $1,487,500
7. Ellen Kaden, Campbell Soup Company, NJ, $1,133,333
8. Ellen Fitzsimmons, CSX Corporation, $1,092,500
9. Cheryl Hodges, Omnicare, Inc., KY, $1,081,689
10. Susan Lanigan, Dollar General Corporation, TN, $1,048,179

For a detailed breakdown of base, bonus, and options click on this link.

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Names Its New General Counsel

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. has a new general counsel: David M. Clark will serve as the company’s executive vice president and general counsel for the Americas.

Clark will report to Andrew Levin, executive vice president and chief legal officer for parent company Clear Channel Communications. Laura Toncheff will remain Clear Channel Outdoor’s deputy general counsel for the Americas on a part-time basis.

For general counsel job seekers out there, this was not a position open to the general public, but a position that was filled through an internal promotion. Clark has been a member of Clear Channel Outdoor’s legal team for the past five years and was most recently senior vice president and associate general counsel. Before joining the corporate world, Clark worked for a number of major national law firms.

“David’s broad industry experience and technical legal skills position him to become an important contributor to our management team,” says Clear Channel Outdoor-Americas President and CEO Paul Meyer.

Phoenix-based Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE:CCO) has nearly 1 million displays in 50 countries.

Twitter Hires Google Lawyer As Its First General Counsel‎

Twitter has hired a high-profile Google lawyer as its first general counsel, according to The Recorder.

Alexander Macgillivray, deputy GC for products and IP at Google, will take the legal reins at the popular San Francisco-based micro-blogging site, according to people familiar with the hire.

Twitter has not announced the hire, and while Macgillivray has tweeted that he's joining Twitter, he did not indicate in what role. The New York Times first reported that he'd be GC on Friday evening.

"You can't tell what issues [Twitter's] going to face," said David Kramer, a litigator with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati who has worked with Macgillivray. "With Alex you've gotten someone who's navigated uncharted territory before -- I can't imagine a better choice."

Macgillivray helped Google fend off legal challenges to its ambitious and controversial book scanning efforts. The company settled a lawsuit stemming from the project with authors and publishers, but the agreement is now being probed by antitrust regulators in the Department of Justice.

In a Saturday blog post, Macgillivray wrote that "working in Google Legal has been a dream job."

On Sunday, the Google lawyer appropriately told the world via his Twitter account that he was "Glad to be joining @ev and all the other great folks at Twitter, sad to be leaving so many good friends at Google."

Macgillivray did not return a voicemail left at his Google office on Monday afternoon.

A former Wilson Sonsini associate, Macgillivray joined Google as an IP lawyer in 2003. His role was expanded to product counsel, and he handled all legal issues resulting from the company's new products, like Google book search.

"He has a very deep technical base," Kramer said. "He came of age in the practice of law during the Internet era and brings an understanding of Internet legal issues to the table that is pretty much unrivaled."

So far Twitter hasn't had that many legal challenges.

As Ian Ballon, an expert on Internet law at Greenberg Traurig puts it, "The 140-character limit narrows the scope of legal liability proportionately."

Twitter did briefly face a lawsuit from St. Louis Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa, who was upset over a fake profile on the site. But La Russa dropped the suit without winning a settlement.

Until now, Twitter has relied on Fenwick & West for most of its legal work.

Michael Kwun, a lawyer at Keker & Van Nest who worked with Macgillivray at Google, said he's got a good business sense, something needed at an Internet startup.

"He has great business acumen -- he has a sense of what the business issues are as well as the legal ones," Kwun said. "He's always been someone who the product managers and the engineers could go to."

Law Firm Layoffs: July 2009 (Updated Daily)

While we are still in the grip of a recession, there is a glimmer of hope on the legal front. First, law firm layoffs are slowing down. While DLA Piper led July layoffs by cutting 100 staff and 21 lawyers, overal layoffs plummeted at the end of the month, with the three quietest weeks of the year closing the period. Although we expect layoffs to continue until the end of the year, with a focus on staff and senior associates, overall numbers seem to be decreasing.

While the signs of an economic recovery may be on the horizon for 2010, many predict that we won't get back to full employment – or to about a 5% unemployment rate prior to the recession – until 2013 or 2014. This really speaks to the severity of the job losses that have been absorbed by the economy. They are massive. The economy has lost 6.5 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007

While layoffs have been slowing down, law firms have been implementing several new strategies to navigate through the summer season: salary cuts and deferred and canceled summer programs.

These are the overall combined numbers of reported attorney and staff layoffs:

• 445 (July 2009)
• 481 (June 2009)
• 1,125 (May 2009)
• 1,500 (April 2009)
• 3,500 (March 2009)
  
• 2,000 (February 2009)
• 1,500 (January 2009)
  

LAW FIRM LAYOFF LIST - AUGUST 2009
Law firms that are conducting July 2009 layoffs in their U.S. offices are listed here:

• None reported to date
  

LAW FIRM LAYOFF LIST - JULY 2009
Law firms that are conducting July 2009 layoffs in their U.S. offices are listed here:

• Bradley Arant (35 staff)
• Cadwalader (34 attorneys asked to take one-year sabbatical)
• DLA Piper (21 attorneys, 100 staff)
• Cahill Gordon (undisclosed numbers)
• Deckert (25 attorneys - estimated number)
  
• Eckert Seamans (90 temp attorneys)
• Fulbright & Jaworski (6 attorneys, 4 staff)
• Hogan & Hartson (30 attorneys - firm denies layoff says "forced attrition")
• Husch Blackwell Sanders (17 attorneys, 45 staff)
• K&L Gates (5 staff)
• Loeb & Loeb (4 attorneys)
• Ruden McClosky (8 attorneys)

CANCELED SUMMER PROGRAMS LIST - JULY 2009
Law firms that are canceling their summer program for 2010 are listed here:

• Morgan Lewis & Bockius
• Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll
• Thompson Hine
• Squire Sanders
  
• Milbank Tweed
• Citigroup (In-House)
  

LAW FIRM LAYOFF LIST - JUNE 2009
Law firms that are conducting June 2009 layoffs in their U.S. offices are listed here:

• Barlows Clyde & Gilbert (49 staff)
• Bass Berry (10 attorneys, 22 staff)
• Clifford Chance (10 attorneys)
• Cravath (25 attorneys)
• Dorsey & Whitney (55 staff)
• Dykema (17 attorneys, 30 staff)
• Honigman Miller (11 attorneys)
• McDermott Will & Emery (25 attorneys, 47 staff)
• Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone (13 attorneys)
• Paul Hasting (25 staff)
• Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson (6 lawyers, less than 6 staff)
• Simpson Thacher (10-20 staff)
  

LAW FIRM LAYOFF LIST - MAY 2009
Law firms that are conducting May 2009 layoffs in their U.S. offices are listed here:

• Day Pitney (20 attorneys)
• Eckert Seamans (119 temp. attorneys by 7/1)
• Fennemore Craig (10 staff)
• Fenwick & West (15 attorneys, 7 staff)
• Fish & Richardson (35 attorneys, 85 staff)
• Hunton & Williams (23 attorneys, 64 staff)
• McDonough Holland & Allen (4 attorneys, 13 staff)
• Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy (49 attorneys, 40 staff)
• Ropes & Gray (30 - 40 attorneys)
• Ruden McClosky (2 attorneys, 18 staff)
• Seyfarth Shaw (30 attorneys, 20 staff)
• Simpson Thatcher (20 staff)
  
• Snell & Wilmer (30-40 staff)
• Sullivan & Cromwell (15-20 attorneys)
• Thompson & Knight (17 attorneys, 25 staff)
• Weil Gotshal & Manges (79 staff)
  

LAW FIRM LAYOFF LIST - APRIL 2009
There were twenty-eight (28) law firms that were responsible for April 2009 layoffs. They included:

• Allen & Overy (250 attorneys and 200 staffers)
  
• Alston & Bird (14 attorneys and 38 staffers)
• Baker & Daniels (5 attorneys and 11 staffers)
  
• Baker & McKenzie (38 attorneys and 86 staffers)
• Brownstein Hyatt (15 attorneys and 22 staffers)
  
• Clifford Chance (15 attorneys and 20 staffers)
  
• DLA Piper (8 attorneys)
• Faegre & Benson (15 attorneys)
  
• Herbert Smith (33 attorneys and 51 staffers)
  
• Hogan & Hartson (93 staffers)
• Howrey (25 staffers)
  
• K&L Gates (20 staffers)
  
• Kilpatrick Stockton (24 attorneys)
  
• Kirkland & Ellis (80 staffers)
  
• Mayer Brown (45attorneys and 90 staffers)
• McCarthy Tetrault (12 attorneys)
  
• Perkins Coie (12 attorneys and 26 staffers)
  
• Quinn Emanuel (10 staffers)
  
• Schnader Harrison (8 attorneys and 10 staffers)
  
• Schulte Roth & Zabel (20 attorneys)
  
• Shipman Goodwin (5 attorneys and 21 staffers)
• Squire Sanders (32 attorneys)
  
• Townsend & Townsend (28 attorneys)
• Troutman Sanders (16 attorneys and 45 staffers)
  
• Vedder Price (9 attorneys)
• Wildman Harrold (10 attorneys and 7 staffers)
  
• Womble Carlyle (10 attorneys and 10 staffers)
  

SALARY CUTS
While layoffs may have slowed down, law firms have begun to look at another popular cost-cutting measure: salary cuts. In terms of salary reductions, we are starting to see the first cracks in the lockstep compensation model.

To date, law firms that have cut salaries include:

• Akerman Senterfitt (-10% across the board)
• Allen Matkins (-10% across the board)
  
• Alston & Bird (-5K across the board)
• Baker & McKenzie (between 10% and 25% )
• Blank Rome (between 2% - 5% + 15K across the board )
• Brownstein Hyatt (-8.5- to 10%% across the board)
• Bryan Cave (10% across the board)
• Buchanan Ingersoll & Roone (5 to 10% across the board)
• Chadbourne & Parke (Figures unknown)
• Davis Wright Tremaine (-10% across the board)
• Dorsey & Whitney (-10% across the board)
• DLA Piper (1st Years $145K to $130K)
• Drinker Biddle (1st Years $105K)
• Frost Brownn & Todd (numbers not yet disclosed)
• Gardere Wynne Sewell (1st Years $160k to $145k + -$15K for 2nd years)
• Gray Plant Mooty (1st Years $120K + -10% across the board)
• Greenberg Traurig (-10% across the board)
• Hogan & Hartson ($145K at the 1800 hour billable track)
• Holland & Knight (-7%-10% across the board)
• Howrey (1st Years $100K & 2nd Years $125,000)
  
• Kaye Scholer (-15% for less than 1600 hours billed)
  
• Kilpatrick Stockton (-10% across the board)
• McGuire Woods (-10% across the board)
• McGuireWoods (-10% across the board)
• McKenna (1st Years from $160k to $140k)
• Morgan Lewis (Has eliminated lockstep/No Summer 2010 program)
• Morris, Manning & Martin (-15% for real estate & -10% across the board)
• Nixon Peabody (1st Years from $160k to $145k)
• Pillsbury Winthrop (5-20% based on billables)
• Reed Smith (-10% across the board)
• Robinson & Cole (- $10K across the board)
• Ruden McClosky (-9% across the board, -18% until end of year)
• Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis (- $10K for associates, 5% for partners)
• Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt (5-10%)
• Seyfarth Shaw (Associates unknown, 5-20% for Partners)
• Snell & Wilmer (-10% across the board)
• Squire, Sanders & Dempsey (-10% across the board)
• Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (1st Years from $160k to $145k)
• Thompson Hine (-$17,500 across the board)
• Troutman Sanders (Temporary 10% cut based on performance)
  
• Venable (8-9% across the board)

According to The Recorder, most of the firms that have cut salaries are East Coast firms, but none yet that are New York-based.

TOP TEN LAYOFF LIST
According to the American Lawyer, the top 10 large law firms cutting associates, to date, are primarily California and Midwestern firms. The American Lawyer has assembled a list of AmLaw 200 law firms by percentage layoffs since January, 2008. More than 2,900 attorney jobs have been cut, or 2.62%.

Here is the top 10 so far in terms of percentage:

1. Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, 29.8%
   
2. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, 14.3%
3. McKee Nelson, 13.3%
4. White & Case, 13.02%
5. Dechert, 11.8%
6. Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, 10.20%
7. O'Melveny & Myers, 10.16%
8. Latham & Watkins, 9.04%
9. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCoy, 8.43%
10. Proskauer Rose, 8.38%

___________________________________________________________________

The list below contains law firms who have begun layoffs in late 2008 through May 2009 (We will be updating this list daily). This is by no means all-inclusive; if your law firm should be included on the list, please let us know.

COMPLETE LAYOFF LAW FIRM LIST FIRMS:

1. Akin Gump
2. Allen & Overy
3. Alston & Bird
   
4. Andrew Kurth
5. Arent Fox
   
6. Bass Berry
   
7. Baker & Daniels
8. Baker & McKenzie
9. Baker Botts
10. Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll
    
11. Barlows Clyde & Gilbert
    
12. Bell Boyd & Lloyd
13. Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod
14. Bingham McCutchen
15. Blank Rome
16. Bose McKinney & Evans
    
17. Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
    
18. Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels
19. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck
20. Bryan Cave
21. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
22. Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
23. Cahill Gordon
24. Calfee, Halter & Griswold
25. Chadbourne & Park
26. Choate, Hall & Stewart
27. Clifford Chance
28. Cooley Godward
29. Cozen O'Connor
    
30. Cravath
    
31. Day Pitney
32. Dechert
33. Dewey & Leboeuf
34. Dickstein Shapiro
35. DLA Piper
36. Dorsey & Whitney
37. Drinker Biddle & Reath
38. Duane Morris
39. Dunlap & Seeger
    
40. Dykema
41. Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC
42. Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge
    
43. Epstein Becker
44. Faegre & Benson
    
45. Fennemore Craig
    
46. Fenwick & West
47. Fish & Richardson
48. Foley Hoag
49. Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy
50. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
51. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
52. Fulbright & Jaworski
53. Gardere Wynne Sewell
54. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
55. Goldberg Kohn
56. Goodwin Procter
57. Gunderson Dettmer
58. Heller Ehrman (dissolved)
59. Herbert Smith
60. Hinshaw & Culbertson
61. Hodgson Russ
62. Hogan & Hartson
63. Holland & Knight
    
64. Honigman Miller
    
65. Howrey
    
66. Hunton & Williams
    
67. Husch Blackwell Sanders
    
68. Ice Miller
69. Jenner & Block
70. K&L Gates
71. Katten Muchin Rosenman
72. Kaye Scholer
73. Kilpatrick Stockton
74. King & Spalding
75. Kirkland & Ellis
76. Latham & Watkins
77. Linklaters
78. Locke Lord Bissell & Lidell
79. Loeb & Loeb
80. Lovells
81. Lowenstein Sandler
82. Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
83. Manatt Phelps & Phillips
84. Mayer Brown
85. McCarthy Tetrault
86. McDermott Will & Emery
    
87. McDonough Holland & Allen
88. McKee Nelson
89. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
    
90. Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone
    
91. Moore & Van Allen
92. Morgan & Finnegan (dissolved)
93. Morgan Lewis & Bockius
94. Morrison & Foerster
95. Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg
96. O'Melveny & Myers
97. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
98. Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
99. Patton Boggs
100. Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
101. Pepe & Hazard
102. Perkins Coie
103. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
104. Pircher, Nichols & Meeks
105. Powell Goldstein
106. Proskauer Rose
107. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Hedges
108. Reed Smith
109. Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson
110. Robinson & Cole
     
111. Roetzel & Andress
     
112. Ropes & Gray
113. Ruden McClosky
114. Saul & Ewing
115. Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
116. Schulte Roth & Zabel
117. Seyfarth Shaw
118. Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
119. Sherman & Sterling
120. Shipman Goodwin
121. Shutts & Bowen
122. Sidley Austin
123. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
124. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
     
125. Snell & Wilmer
     
126. Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
127. Squire, Sanders & Dempsey
128. Stroock Stroock & Lavan
     
129. Sullivan & Cromwell
     
130. Sutherland Asbill & Brennan
131. Synnestvedt & Lechner
132. Taylor Wessing
133. Thatcher Profitt & Wood (dissolved)
134. Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner (dissolved)
     
135. Thompson Hine
136. Thompson & Knight
137. Townsend & Townsend & Crew
     
138. Troutman Sanders
139. Vedder Price
140. Venable
141. Weil Gotshal & Manges
142. White & Case
143. Wildman Harrold & Dixon
144. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
145. Winstead
146. Wolf Block (dissolved)
     
147. Womble Carlyle
     

_________________________________________________________________

LAYOFF DETAILS PER FIRM:

ANDREW KURTH
Andrew Kurth Lays Off 20 Lawyers
Texas Lawyer
March 4, 2009

AKIN GUMP
Akin Lays Off 47 Associates and 57 Staff
The Legal Times
March 9, 2009

Akin Cuts 65 Support Staff
The National Law Journal
January 19, 2009

ALLEN & OVERY
Allen & Overy Axes 250 Attorneys and 200 Staff
Legal Week
April 30, 2009

Allen & Overy Lay Off 2 Staff and 3 Associates
Above the Law
January 23, 2009

ALSTON & BIRD
Alston & Bird Lays Off 14 Associates and 38 Staff
Fulton County Daily Report
April 6, 2009

Alston & Bird Lays Off 24 Staff and Less Than 10 Associates
Fulton County Daily Report
January 23, 2009

ARENT FOX
Arent Laying Off 13 Associates and 15 Staff
The Legal Times
March 6, 2009

BAKER BOTTS
Baker Cuts 30 Lawyers
Above the Law
March 13, 2009

BAKER & DANIELS
Baker & Daniels Cuts 17 Jobs
The ABA Journal
April 17, 2009

BAKER & MCKENZIE
Baker Eliminates 38 Attorney and 86 Paralegals
The American Lawyer
April 8, 2009

Baker Cuts 2o Lawyers in London
Above the Law
January 23, 2009

Baker & McKenzie Axes 6 in NY
Above the Law
June 8, 2008

BALLARD SPAHR ANDREWS & INGERSOLL
Firms Continue to Scale Back Attorneys and Staff
The Legal Intelligencer
January 16, 2009

Law Firms See More Layoffs, Departures of Staff and Associates
The Legal Intelligencer
June 5, 2008

BARLOW CLYDE & GILBERT
Barlow Lays Off 49 Staff
Law Schucks
June 12, 2009

BELL BOYD & LLOYD
Chicago's Bell Boyd & Lloyd Lays Off 10 Associates
The National Law Journal
Nov. 3, 2008

Bell Boyd Confirms Layoffs
Above the Law
Oct. 30, 2008

BILZIN SUMBERG BAENA PRICE
Layoffs Confirmed this Month
The ABA Journal
Feb. 27, 2009

BINGHAM MCCUTCHEN
Bingham McCutchen Lays Off 16 Associates and 23 Staff
Above the Law
March 5, 2009

Bingham McCutchen Lays Off 10 Staff Members
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog
July 30, 2008

Bingham Lays Off San Francisco Bay Area Staff
The National Law Journal
May 21, 2008

BLANK ROME
Blank Rome Cuts 27 Associates and 52 Staff Positions
The National Law Journal
March 13, 2009

Boston’s Foley Hoag Lays Off 32 Associates and Staff
Above the Law
Jan. 16, 2009

Law Firms See More Layoffs, Departures of Staff and Associates
The Legal Intelligencer
June 5, 2008

BROWN RUDNICK BERLACK ISRAELS
Boston-Based Brown Rudnick Lays Off 20 Lawyers, 20 Staff Members
The National Law Journal
November 21, 2008

BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SHRECK RUDNICK
Brownstein Hyatt Lays Off 15 Lawyers and 22 Staffers
Above The Law
April 10, 2009

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck

BOSE MCKINNEY & EVANS
Bose Is Eliminating 10 Attorneys and 15 Staffers
The Indiana Business Journal
March 27, 2009

BRADLEY ARANT BOULT CUMMINGS
Bradley Arant Cuts 35 Jobs
Birmingham Business Journal
July 29, 2009

BROWNSTEIN HYATT
Brownstein Lays Off 15 Attorneys and 22 Staffers
Above the Law
April 10, 2009

BRYAN CAVE
58 Attorneys, 76 Staff at Bryan Cave Let Go
Above the Law
Feb. 12, 2009

BUCHANAN INGERSOLL & ROONEY
Buchanan Ingersoll Makes More Staff Cuts
The Legal Intelligencer
Feb. 20, 2009

Buchanan Ingersoll to Cut Legal Secretaries, Administrative Staff
The Legal Intelligencer
November 24, 2008

CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT
Cadwalader Asks 34 Lawyers to Take a One-Year Sabbatical
ABA Journal
July 7, 2009

Cadwalader Set to Cut Staff From London Office
Legal Week
Feb. 12, 2009

Cadwalader Laying Off 35 in Wake of Slumping Markets
New York Law Journal
Jan. 10, 2009

Cadwalader Lays Off 96 More Lawyers
The American Lawyer
July 30, 2008

CAHILL GORDON
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Cahill Gordon, Round 2
Above the Law
July 6, 2009

Nationwide Layoff Watch: Cahill Gordon (12)
Above the Law
Jan. 12, 2009

CALFEE, HALTER & GRISWOLD
3 More Cleveland Firms Cut Attorneys, Staff
The Plain Dealer
Feb. 19, 2009

CHADBOURNE & PARKE
Chadbourne Lays Off 25 Attorneys
The National Law Journal
March 11, 2009

CHOATE, HALL & STEWARD
Boston's Choate Hall Lays Off Lawyers, Staff
The National Law Journal
Jan. 27, 2009

CLIFFORD CHANCE
Clifford Chance's New York Litigation Team Leaves the Circle
Above the Law
June 17, 2009

CC, White & Case in Talks Over Partner Departures
Legal Week
April 30, 2009

Clifford Chance Lays Off 20 Staffers in NY
Legal Week
April 22, 2009

Clifford Chance Lays Off 10 Attorneys
Legal Week
April 10, 2009

Clifford Chance Layoffs of 24 Transactional Associates in NY
The National Law Journal
March 27, 2009

Clifford Chance Confirms Layoffs of 20 Litigation Associates in NY and DC
Above the Law
March 19, 2009

Clifford Chance Confirms Layoffs of 35 Staff in NY and DC
Above the Law
March 19, 2009

Clifford Chance Lays Off 115 Staff in London Office
Legal Week
March 4, 2009

CC Set to Lay Off Up to 80 Lawyers in the City
Legal Week
Jan. 8, 2009

With '01 in Mind, Law Firms Alter Layoff Strategy
The National Law Journal
Oct. 29, 2008

COOLEY GODWARD
Cooley Axes 52 Lawyers, 62 Staff
The Recorder
Jan. 22, 2009

COZEN O'CONNOR
Cozen O'Connor Lays Off 61 Staff
The Recorder
Feb. 13, 2009

CRAVATH
Cravath Conducting Stealth layoffs Since December 2008
Above the Law
June 16, 2009

DAY PITNEY
Day Pitney Lays Off 20 Attorneys
Above the Law
May 12, 2009

Layoffs Hit Conn. Law Firms (66)
The Connecticut Law Tribute
Feb. 20, 2009

DECHERT
More Layoffs at Dechert
The Legal Intelligencer
July 23, 2009

Dechert Lays Off 19 Associates
The Am Law Daily
Feb. 12, 2009

Law Firms Eliminating Staff Members
Philadelphia Business Journal
Dec. 16, 2008

Dechert Chairman: Layoff Rumors Are 'Bull'
The Legal Intelligencer
Oct. 22, 2008

Layoffs Hit Dechert Following Record Financial Year
The Legal Intelligencer
Feb. 29, 2008

DEWEY & LEBOEUF
Dewey to Drop 30 Attorneys and 100 Staff
The National Law Journal
March 4, 2009

Dewey to Shutter San Francisco Office, Keep SiliconValey Presence
The Recorder
Feb. 4, 2009

Dewey & Leboeuf Parts Ways with L.A. Associates
Above the Law
Jan. 13, 2009

Dewey & LeBoeuf Closes Charlotte Office
Above the Law
Oct. 20, 2008

Dewey Stay or Dewey Go? D&L Decamps from Hartford, Austin, Jacksonville
Above the Law
April 4, 2008

DICKSTEIN SHAPIRO
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Dickstein Shapiro (10)
Above the Law
Jan. 8, 2009

DORSEY & WHITNEY
Dorsey & Whitney Cuts 55 Staff Members
Above the Law
June 2, 2009

DLA PIPER
DLA Piper Cuts 121 in Second Round of Layoffs
The Recorder
July 9, 2009

DLA Piper Lays Off 8 Dubai Attorneys
Legal Week
April 3, 2009

DLA Piper Lays Off 20 Lawyers, 34 Staffers in Asian Offices
Am Law Daily
March 3, 2009

DLA Piper Lays Off 80 Associates and 100 Staffers
The National Law Journal
Feb. 12, 2009

DLA Set to Cut Up to 140 in New Redundancy Round
Legal Week
Feb. 10, 2009

DLA Review Sees Five Lawyers Redundant
The Lawyer
Aug. 4, 2008

DRINKER BIDDLE & REATH
Law Firms Eliminating Staff Members
Philadelphia Business Journal
Dec. 16, 2008

DUANE MORRIS
Duane Morris Lays Off Additional Staff
The Post Bulletin
March 20, 2009

DUNLAP & SEEGER
Dunlap Plans First Layoff; Cuts 2 Lawyers and 3 Staff
The Legal Intelligencer
Aug. 22, 2008

DYKEMA
Dykema Cuts 17 Attorneys and 30 Staff
Crain's Detroit Business
June 22, 2009

ECKERT SEAMANS CHERIN & MELLOTT
Eckert Lays Off 90 Temp Attorneys
Pittsburg Live
July 10, 2009

Eckert Plans to Lay Off 199 Attorneys By July 1st
The Triangle Business Journal
May 5, 2009

EDWARDS ANGELL PALMER & DODGE
Edwards Angell Lays Off 25 Lawyers and 35 Staffers In 6 Offices
The National Law Journal
March 27, 2009

EPSTEIN BECKER
Epstein Becker Lays Off 23 Attorneys and 30 Staff
The Recorder
Feb. 13, 2009

FAEGRE & BENSON
Faegre & Benson Lays Off 15 Attorneys
Legal Week
April 23, 2009

Faegre & Benson Lays Off 29 Attorneys
The Recorder
Feb. 13, 2009

FENNEMORE CRAIG
Fennemore Cuts 10 Staff
Phoenix Business Journal
May 13, 2009

Fennemore Drops 7 Attorneys
Phoenix Business Journal
Feb. 18, 2009

FENWICK & WEST
Fenwick Cuts 15 Associates and 7 Staff
The Recorder
May 6, 2009

Fenwick Cuts 36 Staff; Freeze Associate Salaries
The Silicon valley/San Jose Business Journal
Jan. 30, 2009

FISH & RICHARDSON
Fish & Richardson Lays Off 35 Attorneys and 85 Staff
Above the Law
May 13, 2009

Lawyer Layoffs; 49 Have Left Since November
The Daily Law Journal
Feb. 2, 2009

FOLEY HOAG
I'm Shipping Up To Boston (32)
Above the Law
Jan. 14, 2009

FRAGOMEN, DEL REY,BENSEN & LOEWY
Fragomen Del Rey Announces Associate Layoffs
The Am Law Daily
Nov. 21, 2008

FRESHFIELDS BRUCKHAUS DERINGER
Freshfields Lays Off Real Estate Associates
Legal Week
Sept. 22, 2008

FRESHFIELDS BRUCKHAUS DERINGER
Freshfields Lays Off Real Estate Associates
Legal Week
Sept. 22, 2008

FRIED, FRANK, HARRIS, SHRIVER & JACOBSON
Fried Frank Lays Off 41 Associates abd 58 Staff
Legalweek.com
March 31, 2009

Fried Frank Trimming ‘Less Than 10 Percent’ of Firm’s Staff
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog
Aug. 20, 2008

FULBRIGHT & JAWORSKI
Fulbright & Jaworski Lays Off 6 Associates and 4 Staff
Above the Law
July 23, 2009

GARDERE WYNNE SEWELL
Gardere Lays off 20 Attorneys and 40 Staff
Above the Law (Numbers unconfirmed by firm)
March 13, 2009

GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER
Gibson Confirms Lay Off of 36 Staffers Across 9 U.S. Offices
The Legal Times
March 30, 2009

GOLDBERG KOHN
Golberg Kohn Cuts 25% of Associates and Reduces Partner Salaries
The National Law Journal
March 24, 2009

GOODWIN PROCTER
Goodwin Procter Lays Off 38 Associates and 36 Staff
The Recorder
Feb. 13, 2009

GUNDERSON DETTMER
Gunderson Axes 8 Associates
The Recorder
Dec. 18, 2008

HERBERT SMITH
Herbert Smith Cuts 84 Jobs
Legal Week
April 20, 2009

HELLER EHRMAN
Big Wave of Layoffs Hits Heller
The Recorder
Oct. 17, 2008

Mass Layoffs at Heller
The Recorder
Oct. 13, 2008

HINSHAW & CULBERTSON
Chicago-Based Firm Joins Long List of Midsized Firms Making Cuts (28)
The National Law Journal
Feb. 6, 2009

Mass Layoffs at Heller
The Recorder
Oct. 13, 2008

HODGSON RUSS
Firm Cuts 5 Associates and 8 Staff
Business First of Buffalo
Feb. 3, 2009

HOGAN & HARTSON
Hogan & Hartson Nudges 30 Associates Out the Door
ABA Journal
July 10, 2009

Hogan & Hartson Cut 93 Staff
Legal Times
April 3, 2009

Hogan & Hartson Offers Buyouts to 240 Staffers
The National Law Journal
Feb. 10, 2009

Hogan & Hartson Offers Buyout of 250-300 Staff
Above the Law
Feb. 9, 2009

HOLLAND & KNIGHT
Holland & Knight Lays Off 243 Employees
Daily Business Review
Feb. 12, 2009

South Florida Law Firms Feel the Real Estate Slump
The National Law Journal
May 29, 2008

HONIGMAN MILLER
Honigman Cuts 11 Partners
Detroit News
June 23, 2009

HOWREY
Howrey Has Cut 25 Staff Positions
Above the Law
April 17, 2009

Nationwide Layoff Watch: Howrey Lets 10 People Go for 'Performance'
Above the Law
Dec. 10, 2008

HUNTON & WILLIAMS
Hunton & Williams Lays Off 23 Attorneys and 64 Staff
The Am Law Daily
May 14, 2009

Hunton & Williams to Redeploy Charlotte Associates
The American Lawyer
May 16, 2008

HUSCH BLACKWELL SANDERS
Hush Blackwell Lets Go of 17 Attorneys and 45 Staff
The Am Law Daily
July 15, 2009

ICE MILLER
Squire Sanders and Ice Miller Lay Off Staffers
The National Law Journal
May 16, 2008

JENNER & BLOCK
Jenner Eliminates 34 Support Staff Position in Chicago and D.C.
The National Law Journal
March 20, 2009

Jenner & Block Shows 10 Partners the Door
The National Law Journal
Oct. 21, 2008

KATTEN MUCHIN ROSENMAN
Katten Lays Off 23 Attorneys and 46 Staffers
The National Law Journal
March 20, 2009

Layoffs Hit Attorneys, Staff at Katten and Sonnenschein Firms
The National Law Journal
Oct. 20, 2008

KAYE SCHOLER
Kaye Scholer Trims Five Secretaries
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog
Jan. 21, 2009

KILPATRICK STOCKTON
Kilpatrick Stockton Lays Off 24 Associates and Counsel Across U.S. Offices
Fulton County Daily Report
April 29, 2009

KING & SPALDING
King & Spalding Lays Off 122 Firmwide, including 37 Lawyers
Fulton County Daily Report
March 9, 2009

KIRKLAND & ELLIS
Kirkland & Ellis Lays Off 80 Staffers
Above The Law
April 21, 2009

Kirkland & Ellis Fires Non-Equity Partners (10)
Above The Law
Jan. 7, 2009

Legal Recruiters Say Kirkland & Ellis May Lay Off 15 or More Attorneys
The National Law Journal
Jan. 9, 2009

K&L GATES
Staff Layoffs at K&L Gates: It's Not The Number, It's The Manner
Above the Law
July 14, 2009

K&L Gates Eliminates 20 Staffer Positions
Above the Law
April 20, 2009

K&L Gates Eliminates 36 Associate and 76 Staffer Positions
The National Law Journal
March 10, 2009

LATHAM & WATKINS
Latham to Cut 190 Associates, 250 Staff
The American Lawyer
Feb. 27, 2009

LINKLATERS
Linklaters Set to Make Job Cuts in Stockholm
Legal Week
Feb. 6, 2009

Linklaters Review Set to Claim up to 270 Jobs
Legal Week
Jan. 29, 2009

LOCKE LORD BISSELL & LIDELL
Unconfirmed Reports of Layoffs, 6% of Associates
Above The Law
March 31, 2009

LOEB & LOEB
Loeb & Loeb Lays off 4 Attorneys
Law Shucks
July 15, 2009

Loeb & Loeb Layoffs Round 2
Above The Law
January 12, 2009

Loeb & Loeb Cuts Eight Associates
The National Law Journal
November 11, 2008

Nationwide (Stealth) Layoff Watch: Shearman & Sterling and Loeb & Loeb
Above The Law
November 10, 2008

Loeb & Loeb Cuts Eight Associates
The National Law Journal
November 11, 2008

LOWENSTEIN SANDLER
Layoffs Confirmed this Month
The ABA Journal
Feb. 27, 2009

LOVELLS
Lovells to Cut Up to 94 Jobs in Staffing Review
Legal Week
Feb. 9, 2009

LUCE, FORWARD, HAMILTON & SCRIPPS
Luce Forward Lays Off 27
The Recorder
Feb. 6, 2009

MANATT PHELPS & PHILLIPS
Manatt Confirms Lay Offs Since October 2008 of 12 Attorneys and 35 Staff
Above the Law
March 19, 2009

MAYER BROWN
Mayer Brown Lays Off 45 Lawyers and 90 Staff in U.S. Offices
The Chicago Tribune
April 3, 2009

Mayer Brown Cuts 55 Lawyers and Staffers in London
Above the Law
March 20, 2009

Mayer Brown Lays Off 33 Lawyers
Legal Times
November 21, 2008

McCARTHY TETRAULT
McCarthy Lays Off 12 Attorneys
Globe and Mail Update
April 7, 2009

McDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY
McDermott, Will & Emery Lays Off 25 Attorneys, 47 Staffers
Am Law Daily
June 4, 2009

McDermott, Will & Emery Lays Off 60 Attorneys, 89 Staffers
The National Law Journal
Feb. 4, 2009

McDONOUGH HOLLAND & ALLEN
McDonough Lets Go 4 Associates and 13 Staff Members
Sacramento Business Journal
March 8, 2009

McKEE NELSON
McKee Nelson Lays Off Attorneys and Staff; Co-Founder Optimistic
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog
Nov. 3, 2008

McKee Nelson Lays Off 17 Associates
New York Law Journal
Nov. 4, 2008

MILBANK TWEED HADLEY & MCCLOY
Is Milbank Confirms Layoffs of 49 Associates and 40 Staff
The American Lawyer
May 6, 2009

Is Milbank Setting Up For Stealth Layoffs? Not According to Milbank
Above the Law
Jan. 13, 2009

Milbank Didn't Fire 'All' Its Staff Attorneys
Above the Law
April 18, 2008

MILLER CANFIELD PADDOCK AND STONE
Miller Canfield Cuts 13 Attorneys
Crain's Detroit Business
June 22, 2009

MOORE & VAN ALLEN
Moore & Van Allen Lays Off 20 Staff Members
Above the Law
Oct. 15, 2008

MORGAN & FINNEGAN
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Morgan & Finnegan
Above the Law
Aug. 21, 2008

MORGAN LEWIS & BOCKIUS
Morgan Lewis Lays Off 55 Attorneys and 161 Staffers
The National Law Journal
March 10, 2009

Morgan Lewis Lays Off Associates; Numbers Could Reach 50
Above the Law
Jan. 28, 2009

MORRISON & FOERSTER
200 Lose Job at Foerster & Morrison
The Recorder
Jan. 29, 2009

NEAL, GERBER & EISENBERG
Neal Gerb Lay Off 19 Attorneys and 32 Staff
The Chicago Tribune
Feb. 24, 2009

O'MELVENY & MYERS
O'Melveny & Myers Lays off 90 lawyers and 110 staffers
The American Lawyer
March 4, 2009

O'Melveny Cuts Associate, Staff Headcount
The National Law Journal
Oct. 27, 2008

Nationwide Layoff Watch: O'Melveny & Myers
Above the Law
Oct. 23, 2008

ORRICK, HERRINGTON & SUTCLIFFE
Orrick Announces Layoffs of About 100 Associates, 200 Staffers
Above The Law
March 3, 2009

Orrick to Trim About 40 Lawyers, 35 Staff--“Unrelated to Performance”
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog
Nov. 13, 2008

Orrick's Baxter: In This Economy, No Practice Area is So Robust it's Bursting at the Seams
The Am Law Daily
Nov. 13, 2008

Orrick Lays Off Associates, Staff
The Recorder
Nov. 13, 2008

PARKER POE ADAMS & BERNSTEIN
NC’s Parker Poe Lays Off 13 Lawyers
Triangular Business Journal
Jan. 9, 2009

PATTON BOGGS
Pain at Patton Boggs
Texas Lawyer
July 2, 2008

PAUL, HASTINGS, JANOFSKY & WALKER
Simpson Thacher Lays Off 15 Staffers
Above the Law
June 15, 2009

Paul Hastings Lays Off 44 Associates and 87 Staff
The National Law Journal
March 11, 2009

Paul Hastings Denies Reports of Layoffs
The American Lawyer
May 12, 2008

PEPE & HAZARD
Connecticut-Based Pepe & Hazard Lays of 5 lawyers and 7 Staff
Connecticut Law Tribune
March 11, 2009

PERKINS COIE
Perkins Lays Off 12 Attorneys and 26 Staffers
Above The Law
April 14, 2009

PILLSBURY WINTHROP SHAW PITTMAN
Pillsbury Memo To Lay Off 55 Associates, 10 Paralegals, and 90 Support Staff
Above the Law
March 5, 2009

Pillsbury Offers ‘Voluntary Departure Plan’ to Lawyers
Above the Law
Feb. 24, 2009

Pillsbury Confirms Layoff Leak (15-20)
The Recorder
Feb. 20, 2009

More About Pillsbury Winthrop (but at Least They Get iPhones!)
Above the Law
July 16, 2008

Pillsbury Winthrop Axes 15 in California?
Above the Law
July 14, 2008

PIRCHER NICHOLS & MEEKS
75 Lawyer Pircher Lays Off 8 Attorneys, 4 Staff
The National Law Journal
Dec. 18, 2008

POWELL GOLDSTEIN
Powell Goldstein Associates, Staff Feel the Pinch of Layoffs
Fulton County Daily Report
June 23, 2008

PROSKAUER ROSE
Proskauer Lays Off 23 Lawyers
Above The Law
Dec. 4, 2008

Proskauer Cuts 60 People
Above The Law
Dec. 4, 2008

QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART & HEDGES
Quinn Lays Off 10 Staffers This Week
The National Law Journal
April 9, 2009

REED SMITH
Reed Smith Cuts Attorneys, Staff in U.S. and London
The Legal Intelligencer
March 31, 2009

Reed Smith Cuts Attorneys, Staff in U.S. and London
The Legal Intelligencer
March 31, 2009

Law Firms See More Layoffs, Departures of Staff and Associates
The Legal Intelligencer
June 5, 2008

Reed Smith Cans Staff, Associates, 'And Your Little Dog Too'
Above The Law
Dec. 4, 2008

Law Firms See More Layoffs, Departures of Staff and Associates
The Legal Intelligencer
June 5, 2008

ROBINSON BRADSHAW & HINSON
Robinson Bradshaw Cuts 6 Lawyers and Less Than Half a Dozen Staff
Charlotte Business Journal
June 26, 2009

ROBINSON & COLE
Rob. & Cole lays off 30; almost half in Hartford
Hartfordbusiness.com
March 31, 2009

ROPES & GRAY
Ropes & Gray Lays Off Between 30-40 Associates
Above the Law
May 22, 2009

Ropes & Gray Cuts 106 Staff Positions; 10 Percent of Nonlawyer Staff
The National Law Journal
Jan. 30, 2009

Staff Layoff Watch: Ropes & Gray Lays Off 106 Employees
Above The Law
Jan. 29, 2009

ROETZEL & ANDRESS
3 More Cleveland Firms Cut Attorneys, Staff
The Plain Dealer
Feb. 19, 2009

RUDEN McCLOSKY
Ruden Slashes Pay and Lays Off 8 Attorneys
Daily Business News
July 6, 2009

Ruden Lays Off More Than 20 Staff, Lawyers
Daily Business News
May 8, 2009

SAUL & EWING
Saul Ewing Cuts 7 Associates and 7 Staff
The Legal Intelligencer
March 24, 2009

SCHNADER HARRISON SEGAL & LEWIS
Schnader Harrison Lays Off 5 Associates and Less Than 1o Staffers
The Legal Intelligencer
April 23, 2009

SEYFARTH SHAW
Seyfarth Bucks Trend, Publicly Announces Layoffs
Law.com
Dec. 12, 2008

Seyfarth Shaw Lays Off 30 Attorneys
Above the Law
Dec. 5, 2008

Nationwide Layoff Watch: Seyfarth Shaw
Above the Law
July 10, 2008

SHEPPARD MULLIN RICHTER & HAMPTON
25 Layers Let Go Since January
The ABA Journal
Feb. 24, 2009

SHERMAN & STERLING
Sherman Shrinks Staff, 60 Staff in U.S. and 18 positions in the U.K
The National Law Journal
March 4, 2009

SHIPMAN & GOODWIN
Shipman Announces 26 Job Cuts
The Hartford Courant
April 4, 2009

SHULTE, ROTH & ZABEL
Schulte Lays Off 20 Attorneys
Above the Law
April 24, 2009

SHUTTS & BOWEN
South Florida Law Firms Feel the Real Estate Slump
The National Law Journal
May 29, 2008

SIDLEY AUSTIN
Sidley Lays Off 89 Associates, Staff Associates and 140 Staffers
The National Law Journal
March 13, 2009

SIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETT
Simpson Thacher Lays Off Staff
Above the Law
June 16, 2009

Simpson Thacher Denies Layoffs Report
The American Lawyer
Aug. 12, 2008

SKADDEN ARPS
Looses 11 Attorneys to New Boutique, and Lays Off 25 Staffers in D.C.
The Legal Times
March 30, 2009

Latest Layoffs: Skadden Staff Attorneys
Above the Law
Jan. 20, 2009

SNELL & WILMER
Snell & Wilmer Has Let Go 30 to 40 Staff Members
Phoenix Business Journal
May 8, 2009

SONNENSCHEIN NATH & ROSENTHAL
Sonnenschein To Shutter Charlotte, NC Office (11 attorneys and 8 staff)
The American Lawyer
February 27, 2009

Layoffs Hit Attorneys, Staff at Katten and Sonnenschein Firms
The National Law Journal
Oct. 20, 2008

Sonnenschein Announces Layoffs -- More Than 100 Legal, Nonlegal Jobs Cut
The American Lawyer
May 28, 2008

SQUIRE SANDERS & DEMPSEY
Squire Sanders Lays Off 32 Attorneys
Above the Law
April 27, 2009

Squire Sanders and Ice Miller Lay Off Staffers
The National Law Journal
Jan. 21, 2009

Squire Sanders Asks 30 Associates, Paralegals to 'Explore Opportunities Elsewhere'
The National Law Journal
November 21, 2008

STROOCK STROOCK & LAVAN
Stroock Stroock & Lavan Layoff About 10% of Their Associates
Above the Law
March 30, 2009

SULLIVAN & CROMWELL
Sullivan & Cromwell Lay Off 15-20 Associates in NY
Above the Law
May 4, 2009

SUTHERLAND ASBILL & BRENNAN
Sutherland Trims Associate Ranks
Fulton County Daily Report
April 30, 2008

SYNNESTVEDT & LECHNER
IP Boutique's Fall Is Fox Rothschild's Gain
The American Lawyer
Aug. 27, 2008

TAYLOR WESSING
Taylor Wessing Becomes Latest Firm to Cut Jobs
Legal Week
Oct. 31, 2008

THATCHER PROFITT & WOOD
Thacher Proffitt Announces Expected Dissolution
Blog of Legal Times
December 22, 2008

Thacher Proffitt Loses Half its Lawyers as 100 Jump to Sonnenschein
The New York Times
December 22, 2008

THELEN REID BROWN RAYSMAN & STEINER
Thelen Lays Off 26 Associates, 85 Staffers
The Recorder
March 20, 2008

TOWNSEND AND TOWNSEND AND CREW
Townsend Lays Off 45 Staff and 16 Lawyers
The Recorder
April 9, 2009

THOMPSON & KNIGHT
Thompson Lays Off 17 Associates and 25 Staff
Above The Law
April 6, 2009

THOMPSON HINE
3 More Cleveland Firms Cut Attorneys, Staff
The Plain Dealer
Feb. 19, 2009

TROUTMAN SANDERS
Unconfirmed Attorneys Layoffs, Could Be as High as 4%
Fulton County daily Report
April 17, 2009

Troutman Plans Buyout of Staff, Layoff of Associates
Fulton County daily Report
March 20, 2009

VEDDER PRICE
Vedder Lays Off 9 Lawyers
Crain's Chicago Business
April 9, 2009

VENABLE
Venable Cuts 64 Employees, Including 16 Attorneys
The National Law Journal
March 11, 2009

WEIL GOTSHAL & MANGES
Weil Lays Off 79 Staff After Strong 2008
Boston Law Journal
May 29, 2009

WHITE & CASE
CC, White & Case in Talks Over Partner Departures
Legal Week
April 30, 2009

White & Case Lays Off 200 Associates and 200 Staff
The National Law Journal
March 10, 2009

White & Case Lays Off 70 Associates
The Am Law Daily
Nov. 11, 2008

Nationwide Layoff Watch: White & Case Brings Layoffs into the Vault Top 20
Above The Law
Nov. 11, 2008

Divorce, Italian Style
The American Lawyer
Oct. 24, 2008

WILDMAN HARROLD & DIXON
Wildman Harrold Lays Off 10 Associates and 7 Staffers
Above the Law
April 28, 2009

Wildman Harrold Axes 10 Attorneys
Above the Law
Jan. 9, 2009

WILSON SONSINI GOODRIC & ROSATI
Wilson Sonsini Lays Off 45 Associates, 68 Support Staff
National Law Journal
Jan. 27, 2009

WINSTEAD
Winstead Lays Off 20 Staff in Dallas Office
The Dallas Morning News
Feb. 14, 2008

WOLF BLOCK
Law Firms Eliminating Staff Members
Philadelphia Business Journal
Dec. 16, 2008

Nationwide Layoff List: Wolf Block Fires 15 Associates and Staff
Above the Law
Dec. 15, 2008

WOMBLE CARLYLE
Law Firms Eliminating 20 Positions
Above the Law
April 14, 2009