Dundas & Wilson will not keep on any of its London trainees this year and has offered jobs to less than 60 per cent firmwide.
Two London trainees are affected, while a further eight trainees across Edinburgh and Glasgow will be let go when they qualify in September.
The two London trainees have had a tumultuous start to their legal careers. They began at Garretts, the English law firm of the Andersen Legal
network. When this collapsed following the demise of the accountancy practice over the Enron scandal, Dundas – Andersen Legal’s Scottish member – stepped in, taking on the trainees in addition to five partners and a number of assistants.
A spokesperson for Dundas said the decision not to keep the London trainees was based on the influx of assistants from Garretts and the firm’s high level of recruitment in London since then (there are now 33 lawyers based in the City), as well as the current economic climate.
Dundas has three first-year trainees in London, and will honour all three training contracts which are due to start this September.