The layoffs are forcing associates to take on more legal research and other tasks once handled by paralegals and law librarians.
David Sturgess, managing partner of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy in Hartford, said his firm has a ratio of one support staffer for every three lawyers after layoffs, but he knows of some firms with 1-4 ratios.
Law firm consultant Peter Giuliani said many of the staff cuts are being made in departments handling information technology, billing or other areas that can be outsourced. In New York, he said, many law firms made significant layoffs in their law libraries.
For the most part though, firms aren’t cutting secretaries. “In my experience, secretaries are usually a protected class,” Giuliani said.
I have been a legal staffer at a law firm in the Hartford area for 5 years now. Staffers come and go, but the number of staffers have steadily declined over the past 6 months.