Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian cut a group of associates in New York and Bay Area offices in September and this week due to a decline in billable work, according to four people with direct knowledge of the two rounds of cuts.

Coming on the heels of the firm’s deferral of associate start dates until January 2023, the layoffs at Gunderson affected about 10 associates in late September and about 20 more this week, according to sources in contact with affected individuals. Many of the associates recently let go were onboarded in recent years’ rush to hire corporate lawyers, only to be let go shortly after joining the firm.