Edwards Angell UK escapes layoffs

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge today (Thursday 13 March) become the latest US firm to lay off a group of associates.

The Boston-based firm’s co-managing partner Chip DeWitt confirmed that a group of ‘fewer than 10’ associates had been notified earlier today that they were being made redundant.

The firm, which merged with London-based Kendall Freeman on 1 January this year, officially informed the entire partnership of the redundancies at a meeting this afternoon at 5pm.

DeWitt said the layoffs were spread throughout the firm’s two largest groups, business services and litigation, as well as real estate.

“They are not concentrated in any one department,” DeWitt said. He confirmed there would be no redundancies in the firm’s new London office.

The layoffs are the result of a month-long analysis of Edwards Angell’s practice. This process involved examining Edwards Angell’s staffing requirements group by group.

“We looked at our manpower needs and our budget for the coming year,” said De Witt. “We are expecting it to be a fairly flat year in terms of work and realised we have an excess capacity of attorneys.”

DeWitt said the redundancies would have no impact on the firm’s summer or autumn programme and that all offers would be maintained.