The blog LawShucks says that 2009 saw 12,196 people (lawyers and staff) laid off at 138 large law firms. The layoffs included some of the nation’s most prestigious firms. We can’t confirm those figures but personally know many lawyers whose fortunes fell last year, not just from big law firms. Although it isn’t easily measurable, the assessment of last year as a terrible year for lawyers looks to be right on, with the trouble reverberating throughout the profession and only small pockets of practice area prosperity (think bankruptcy and collections). Layoffs, rescinded and delayed job offers, fewer engagements, decreased fees, trouble collecting what was owed – a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. Here's to a new and much more prosperous one.
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