Powell Goldstein has trimmed staff and associates in response to the economic squeeze affecting many Atlanta law firms.
"As a result of the overall economy and its effect on law firms we have reduced our staff by a few people in each administrative department across the firm, with the overall reduction totaling less than 10 percent of our administrative staff," said the firm's chairman, James J. McAlpin Jr.
"Also in connection with the overall economic situation we have reduced our overall associate headcount across the firm, but the reduction has been by less than 10 people," he said. Powell Goldstein has about 250 lawyers.
"I tend to think that such matters are not the business of the public in general and private to our firm, but in response to rumors about our firm and others laying off significant numbers of people, I thought it appropriate to respond," he added.
McAlpin said that despite the down economy, practice areas including corporate banking, litigation and tax have been busy. Earlier this month, the firm also achieved a big victory for a client in a contingency fee case in Charlotte, he added. "Some of our other practice areas have been more adversely affected by the current economic downturn, but we expect them to improve in the second half of the year," he said, declining to name specific practices.
