Nixon Peabody Keeps Mum on Reported Lawyer and Staff Layoffs
The Massachusetts firm, whose head count and revenue dipped in 2019, has taken some of the most drastic cost-saving measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
April 09, 2020 at 04:37 PM
2 minute read
As the list of law firms that have slashed compensation, withheld pay or laid off staff has increased in the last week, Nixon Peabody has reportedly taken some of the most drastic measures yet: furloughing a quarter of its staff and parting ways with some of its nonpartner attorneys.
The firm last week furloughed about 25% of staff members, effective April 6, until further notice, according to an anonymous tip published by Above the Law, which broke the news. Days later, the blog reported the firm was also cutting 10% of its nonpartner attorneys, half through layoffs providing three months of health insurance, the other half via furloughs, presumably with full benefits.
According to ALM data, there were 289 nonpartner lawyers at the firm in 2019, meaning 28 or 29 Nixon Peabody attorneys will now be out of work.
Although Above the Law and other news outlets have been reporting for days about the layoffs and furloughs, Nixon Peabody has stayed quiet so far and has not confirmed it has taken these measures. The firm did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the cuts.
While many law firms by now have reduced partner compensation and furloughed some staff, the head count reductions at Nixon Peabody are among the most drastic measures a large law firm has taken to combat the negative effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on the economy. The firm's financials dipped in 2019, with gross revenue decreasing by nearly 5% and net income decreasing more than 11%. Firm chairman and CEO Andrew Glincher attributed the dip to a windfall contingency fee in 2018 that rocketed the firm to its best-ever financial year, but was an outlier that couldn't be matched the following year.
Nixon Peabody's head count also decreased in 2019, with big groups departing to Kilpatrick Townsend and DLA Piper.
Read More:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllJudge Approves Orrick's $8M Data Breach Settlement While Gunster Agrees to $8.5M
'Sharp and Profound' Policy Shifts Prompt DC Law Firms to Evaluate Opportunities, Challenges
5 minute readBaker McKenzie, Greenberg Traurig, Clyde & Co. Expand In Middle East
3 minute readLaw Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Trump's Return to the White House: The Legal Industry Reacts
- 2Judicial Face-Off: Navigating the Ethical and Efficient Use of AI in Legal Practice [CLE Pending]
- 3Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
- 4Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 5The Law Firm Disrupted: Big Law Profits Vs. Political Values
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.