Mayer Brown fires 33 lawyers, staff

Thirty-three lawyers and "some" support administrative staff at Mayer Brown, a Chicago-based law firm with 1,800 attorneys, were fired at its U.S. offices because of the slow economy, the firm said.

"Despite the current conditions in the worldwide financial markets, Mayer Brown is having a strong year, with an increase in gross revenues," the firm said yesterday in a statement. "However, as is the case in all other comparable law firms, some of our practice areas have been adversely affected by the slowdown in economic activity."

The firings don't include lawyers who were asked to leave through the firm's performance review process, according to the statement.

Mayer Brown is at least the fifth U.S. law firm to fire lawyers this month as the recession slows legal work. At some firms, practice areas that are traditionally busy in an economic decline, litigation and bankruptcy, haven't picked up enough to compensate.

At Mayer Brown, "most of our practice areas are performing well," the statement said. Spokesman Robert Harris declined to comment on which practice areas were affected.

New York-based White & Case this month fired 70 lawyers and 100 staff. San Francisco-based Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe dismissed about 40 lawyers and 35 staff. Cleveland-based Squire, Sanders & Dempsey cut about 30 associates and paralegals. And Boston-based Brown Rudnick fired 20 attorneys, three paralegals and 20 staff members.

Mayer Brown is one of several Chicago-based firms to cut lawyers in the past two months. Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal and Katten Muchin Rosenman have also trimmed their attorney ranks.

Two San Francisco-based law firms, Heller Ehrman and Thelen, collapsed in September and October from a lack of business.