General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLaw Firm Partners Can Expect Major Layoffs This Year
Now, as the legal market continues to underperform, law firms are coming for their partners' jobs.
Wells Fargo Private Bank's Legal Specialty Group surveyed roughly 120 firms and found about 15 percent planned to cut the number of partners in the first quarter this year, Reuters reported back in November.
And of the 113 managing partners and firm chairmen who responded to an American Lawyer poll, 55 percent said they planned to get rid of between one and five partners this year, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/partner-layoffs-at-law-firms-2013-1
Some good news for a change.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)fredamae
(4,458 posts)Lawyers, whether you like 'em or not-serve a purpose. If the laws, peoples rights etc are negated, yes--who needs a lawyer to defend rights or prosecute corps etc for violating laws?
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)Finding tax loopholes, doing contracts, suing over patents, preparing regulatory filings, etc.
fredamae
(4,458 posts)More broadly and definitely to include Corps: If regulations/laws/rules and policies are negated then there is no reason to have a legal team regardless of who they represent or am I looking in all the wrong places?
It seems unusual and I'm curious as to what the root cause of this might be......
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)That way they can control costs better - the in-house lawyers are salaried and get benefits, which is a cost but a predictable one. If they use external law firms they pay only when they need work done and don't have to pay employee benefits, but the legal services they pay for are considerably marked up by the law firm. So if a corporation needs to cut costs it will often refer less of its work to outside counsel.
fredamae
(4,458 posts)AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)the truly desperate can afford to have adequate legal services.
The shrinking middle-class cannot afford the services of law firms whose members are required to bill $300 or more per hour. The attorneys who cannot find enough clients to gouge cannot stay with the big or even middle-size law firms.