DLA Piper cuts 124 jobs at end of consultation

The total redundancies, which included 24 lawyers, were fewer than the expected 140 as a number of employees volunteered for reduced working or pay cuts to save jobs.

The measures were mostly taken up by support staff, although some lawyers are understood to have put themselves forward for reduced hours.

DLA Piper UK regional managing partner David Bradley said: “The saving comes out of the consultation. Groups made suggestions about reduced working and in some cases reduced levels of remuneration.”

The job losses were mainly in real estate, corporate and finance, and included 45 staff who took voluntary redundancy.

It is understood that the firm has also trimmed its partner headcount, with the total number of partners reduced by 10 compared to last year.

Despite the controversy surround the firm’s statutory minimum compensation package for redundant staff, one of the smallest packages of any large UK firm, Bradley said he was pleased with the way the consultation was carried out.

Staff had clashed with senior management over the size of the redundancy package at an employee meeting in March (11 March).

He added: “I thought the process was open, robust and inclusive. It was done really professionally.”