Layoffs to continueat law firms

From the Daily Business Review:

Though more subtle than mass layoffs in the financial and manufacturing industries, the layoff ax hit some attorneys this year at law firms in South Florida as members of support staffs such as paralegals and legal assistants lost their jobs in greater numbers. The cutbacks, analysts warn, are not likely to abate in the new year.

Anyone who thinks law firm layoffs are over should think again, said Bill Brennan, a principal with legal consulting firm Altman Weil. Some law firms have only delayed the inevitable by holding off cuts until the new year. It may seem more charitable, but it ultimately doesn’t help the people on their way out, he said.

“There actually may be a negative impact on the job-seekers who will lose their positions in the first quarter of 2009 because any jobs that may have been available at the end of 2008 will have been taken,” he said. “The unfortunate few lawyers who may get pink slips in the first quarter of 2009 will probably find it very difficult to find new employment. It’s a pretty sad situation.”

Related articles by Zemanta

• Biglaw: Welcome to the Credit Crunch