Legal News

Sutherland Asbill Axes Associates After Mid-Year Reviews

By Dan Slater

We wonder: How important are mid-year reviews, or any kind of law firm review, for that matter? What if, say, they’re written in haste by busy partners and senior associates? To what extent do they determine your future (or lack of one) at the firm?

The question came to mind this morning as we read the news that Sutherland Asbill & Brennan is trimming its associate ranks. On Friday, Above the Law reported an item about unconfirmed “rumors” of layoffs at the firm, that a tipster had relayed news that the firm “had laid off a bunch of folks (expected to be between 32 and 40, when it’s all said and done) in the Atlanta and D.C. offices.”

But today The Fulton County Daily Report, which spoke with the firm’s managing partner, Mark D. Wasserman, is reporting that the 480-lawyer firm has asked “fewer than 15 associates to leave, with about eight associates affected in the Atlanta office.”

Wasserman said the cuts were across experience levels and groups. “We’re looking at how we’re best staffed in every practice area and location to make sure we have the right folks,” he said. The cuts were based on several factors, such as the slowing economy, and associate and practice group performance. The layoffs were an outgrowth of Sutherland’s mid-year associate review, which took place March 31, he said.

For summers heading to Sutherland Asbill in a matter of weeks, and for first-years starting in the fall, don’t fret, says Wasserman, at least for now. He said the firm’s summer associate class and 31 incoming first-years are “absolutely not” affected by the cuts, and that the firm is not shortening the summer program.

While Wasserman doubts the firm will cut back on associate salaries, he says increasing associate pay is making the economic slowdown tougher. “We’re seeing more push back from GC’s across the country on rates and what they should be paying and increases in those rates,” he added. “We have to be responsive to our clients and provide the service they demand at rates they think are fair and reasonable. It’s a constant discussion and not one that’s going to get any easier.”

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on April 30, 2008 (boomark / email).