Slaughter and May has announced that 28 full-time secretarial roles are to go in a round of redundancies. And it emerges that the firm has also seconded a number of under-occupied corporate associates to other departments.
The firm put the 165 secretaries in its London office on notice this week that the equivalent of 28 full-time secretarial roles are for the chop. It insists that the move is not about penny pinching but reflects "the changing role of secretaries within a law firm". The firm goes on to say that technological advances mean that lawyers have become "more independent". Partners will now be typing with two fingers and learning how to use "electric mail".
Slaughters is aiming to complete the redundancy process by 31 December. Happy new year!
In other news it seems that even Slaughters' legendary corporate department has become so quiet that junior associates have been dispatched to other departments. Three went to competition for six months, two to finance and three slightly more senior corporate associates were sent to help the busy litigation department. The firm said all the associates were volunteers and junior associates who preferred tocarry on playing Angry Birds remain in corporate were allowed to do so.
Re-jigging quiet associates seems to have become something of a trend. Clifford Chance recently asked capital markets associates to take three month sabbaticals, whilst Herbert Smith has been seconding under-used Hong Kong associates to other departments and to clients.
Tip Off ROF
The firm put the 165 secretaries in its London office on notice this week that the equivalent of 28 full-time secretarial roles are for the chop. It insists that the move is not about penny pinching but reflects "the changing role of secretaries within a law firm". The firm goes on to say that technological advances mean that lawyers have become "more independent". Partners will now be typing with two fingers and learning how to use "electric mail".
Slaughters is aiming to complete the redundancy process by 31 December. Happy new year!
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An independent Slaughters partner mastering modern technology, yesteryear |
In other news it seems that even Slaughters' legendary corporate department has become so quiet that junior associates have been dispatched to other departments. Three went to competition for six months, two to finance and three slightly more senior corporate associates were sent to help the busy litigation department. The firm said all the associates were volunteers and junior associates who preferred to
Re-jigging quiet associates seems to have become something of a trend. Clifford Chance recently asked capital markets associates to take three month sabbaticals, whilst Herbert Smith has been seconding under-used Hong Kong associates to other departments and to clients.
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A firm making vast profits even during a deep recession has no economic justification for forcing out long serving staff who will struggle to find alternative work.
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If they operated like this they would not be successful for long.
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Jumping on the bandwagon springs to mind....
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A good friend of mine is a secretary in a very large law firm and often pulls all-nighters with her team...in fact she and a colleague recently clocked up over 200 hours between them in the space of a month. I find this shocking but when I asked her why she did it she said that yes the overtime money is good but she does it because she's part of the team and wants to see the deal through to the end with them. In many cases secretaries are overlooked for their skills, intelligence and commitment.
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It's natural progression as the computer-savvy younger generation come through. This isn't being harsh on secretaries it's reality.
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