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What IS going on at Maclay Murray & Spens?
Maclay Murray & Spens is making around 30 staff redundant, just two weeks after losing its HR Director.

Frankly it seems that the firm has had a bit of a nightmare recently. Partners have been fleeing in droves (eight have jumped ship in the last few months, out of a partnership of around 60), and last year saw redundancies, a failed merger with Bond Pearce and targets being increased while pay was frozen. And sources are now saying that around 20 fee earners and ten secretaries are for the chop.

Not that it's clear who will be wielding the axe, as the firm has also lost its HR Director. Apparently she left with no notice two weeks ago, with her departure announced by an email at 5pm on Friday. As one insider says, "dire times and woeful morale levels".

    MMS yesterday

As ever the firm calmly defused the situation by refusing to comment.
 
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Comments

Anonymous 07 June 13 07:31

MMS has now lost virtually everyone from its merger with Neil Smith & Co in Aberdeen and Fenners and City Law Partnership in London.One failed merger is unfortunate but three failed mergers is very careless on the part of management. Combined with other key partners making their excuses and heading for the exit, MMS is left with major liabilities such as substantial empty office space. Time for new management to arrive and get a grip on a fast sinking firm.

Anonymous 07 June 13 11:09

We all know things are bad. But why should partners change course? Sack a few seccies and associates to buy more time and push up pep. Go to the wire. Try to pull capital out before the ponzi scheme collapses. Do over your staff. Pretty clear this is the strategy. I'll give the firm till Christmas before melt down.

Anonymous 07 June 13 12:45

And wish the chairman would stop swanning around Glasgow Office with a chesire grin. People are losing their jobs with mortgages and families. Show some respect.

Anonymous 07 June 13 23:29

As usual big Chris is no where to be seen. The shop floor doesn't want you Chris as you'll see by how many likes this post gets....

Anonymous 08 June 13 15:20

Carnage. Maybe if the partners spent less time being smug gits (WTF is the Very Smart People mince all about?) and just got on with running a law firm instead of pretending they are a hip marketing agency things might be a bit better.

Anonymous 08 June 13 22:39

Hmmmm ... All comments critical of MMS's management have had high approval rates except for the comment specifically aimed at the CEO. The CEO must be loved after all, mustn't he?

Anonymous 10 June 13 14:15

I don't think the partners are behind "very smart people" that would be the bright sparks in marketing, I would be worried if I was in charge of that lot, bet they'll all be updating their linkedin profiles and CVs!

Anonymous 13 June 13 13:03

Morale now is the worst I've ever seen. Secretaries huddle around in fearful packs; any fee earner below partner looks terrified; management invisible and out of touch, briefing news websites an hour after selected staff had been told. Enough. If only lawyers would fight back like some other professions. Fear has produced a bend over breed.

Anonymous 13 June 13 20:12

Sorry to see that, as usual, the blameless fee earners and non-fee earners bear the pain of weak performance. I guess when your turnover is in free fall all you can do to maintain Partner earnings is to cut costs. Unfortunately that is only a quick fix - a sticking plaster on a festering wound, but MMS do have "previous" in that regard. I wonder when MMS will release its numbers for the year ended 31 May 13 . Not anytime soon, I would guess.