Follow RoF

For all the breaking news, follow RoF on Twitter and Facebook

Asia-Pacific

Check out this week's top Asia-Pacific news on the Asia Pacific Headline page.

Law Firm News Stories

Charles Russell launches redundancy consultation
15 June 2012

Rate it

Charles Russell is the latest firm to enter a redundancy consultation, with several positions at risk.

The private client firm - which has offices in London, Guildford and Cheltenham (as well as Switzerland and Bahrain) - confirmed to RollOnFriday that nine staff have been told their jobs are at risk as part of the consultation. A spokesman said that the process was underway and would not confirm whether the redundancies would hit support staff, lawyers or both. Nor is it yet clear which offices will be affected.

Staff will be hoping for better treatment than was meted out during Charles Russell's last redundancy programme back in 2009, when the firm was accused of delaying the consultation process until the end of the year to allow for maximum billing. And then informing those elbowed out that they needed to work out their notice and would only receive statutory minimum redundancy pay. Charming.

A sad-looking Russell yesterday

In other unhappy law firm news, Shillings caps off an unhappy month by confirming that it has made two lawyers redundant. That's a serious decision for a firm that's only 16 lawyers strong, especially when coupled with the departure of star partner Gideon Benaim and the firm's decision to drop all its future trainees,

Previous Story Next Story

Comments

Feel free to enter your comments on the news story below, subject to our terms and conditions. Please note that comments are subject to moderation and so will not appear immediately.

Please keep it nice. Thanks.

Order By:

anonymous user 15/06/2012 12:04 Rate it 0 Report as offensive This looks very par for the course these days. The senior partner Patrick Russell has been quoted as saying "none of our eggs are ever in one basket." That logic might have applied more post 2008, but now it seems his chickens are coming home to roost. Maybe niche firms, with easily defined trump cards, are becoming more attractive to certain clients than mid-sized generic firms, regardless of cost?
anonymous user 15/06/2012 18:59 Rate it 0 Report as offensive Well another Friday, off home, no drinks this evening as office in depression as we all wait. No word yet from Head of Hatchet (aka Mrs Doubtfire) – lets hope she does not make a dogs meal of this one as she did with the Busty Blonde saga (http://www.out-law.com/page-3937). Switzerland!! Ha! not that international lark again - really wish the Firm would stop pretending to have Offices all over the world and just concentrate on sorting out our London Offices. Bad enough we leased our London building at a premium rent just before the bottom fell out of commercial property rents – but this service offices pretence – ha!
anonymous user 18/06/2012 10:11 Rate it 0 Report as offensive Not sure what the problem is with their admitting that they have offices abroad? Admittedly most staff in London act like London is the only office that matters, but perhaps you should check the billing figures before mouthing off about their importance?
anonymous user 29/06/2012 15:40 Rate it 0 Report as offensive I think our colleague was alluding to the difference between a service office and a well established business.

anonymous user
15/06/2012 12:04

Rate it

Report as offensive

This looks very par for the course these days.

The senior partner Patrick Russell has been quoted as saying "none of our eggs are ever in one basket." That logic might have applied more post 2008, but now it seems his chickens are coming home to roost. Maybe niche firms, with easily defined trump cards, are becoming more attractive to certain clients than mid-sized generic firms, regardless of cost?

anonymous user
15/06/2012 18:59

Rate it

Report as offensive

Well another Friday, off home, no drinks this evening as office in depression as we all wait. No word yet from Head of Hatchet (aka Mrs Doubtfire) – lets hope she does not make a dogs meal of this one as she did with the Busty Blonde saga (http://www.out-law.com/page-3937).

Switzerland!! Ha! not that international lark again - really wish the Firm would stop pretending to have Offices all over the world and just concentrate on sorting out our London Offices. Bad enough we leased our London building at a premium rent just before the bottom fell out of commercial property rents – but this service offices pretence – ha!

anonymous user
18/06/2012 10:11

Rate it

Report as offensive

Not sure what the problem is with their admitting that they have offices abroad? Admittedly most staff in London act like London is the only office that matters, but perhaps you should check the billing figures before mouthing off about their importance?

anonymous user
29/06/2012 15:40

Rate it

Report as offensive

I think our colleague was alluding to the difference between a service office and a well established business.