Dorsey & Whitney LLP confirmed on Tuesday that it intends to lay off a “limited number” of attorneys and other staff in its US and international offices in order to address the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the firm.
Other members of staff will have their pay reduced by between 10% and 20%, though the firm clarified that those earning less than $150,000 per year will be unaffected by these cuts. Its summer associate programme will also be shortened from ten weeks to seven.
In a statement, Dorsey & Whitney managing partner Bill Stoeri said: “After intense deliberation, we made these hard decisions so that we will continue to be a strong, efficient law firm”, adding, “There is an emotional toll that goes along with these measures and these times”.
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Also on Tuesday, Philadelphia's largest workers' compensation firm Pond Lehocky Giordano announced that it will lay off 76 of its employees effective at the beginning of June, approximately a quarter of its staff. It did not state which of its 44 attorneys and 250 staff members would be let go.
“We can confirm the layoffs are related to the pandemic, but otherwise, out of respect for the privacy of our clients and staff, we don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss the layoffs further,” the firm said in its statement.
