White & Case to cut staff in US and London offices

White & Case to cut staff in US and London offices" />Ten jobs are on the line at White & Case’s London office as part of a global review that will also reduce the firm’s headcount in the US by 9 per cent.

The review will see 70 lawyers culled from the firm’s five US offices, together with 90 support staff.

“They’ve significantly reduced their workforce in the US,” a former White & Case partner told The Lawyer. “Considering that the new management team vowed to focus more on US capabilities, this is very interesting.”

The cuts in London come from the firm’s financial institutions business, which has been hit hard by the global financial crisis. The firm’s other offices have escaped this round of redundancies.

A White & Case statement read: ;“While ;the ;firm ­anticipates a strong 2008, with significant revenue growth across our globally diverse network, we are exercising prudent business judgement and taking ­several steps in advance
of what is likely to be a ­significantly weakened ­global economy in 2009.

These reductions are being driven in large part by a decline in attrition rates. Those who have been asked to leave will receive a ­competitive ;severance ­package.”

In a move the firm claimed was unrelated to the redundancies, White & Case also announced that it would ;be ;closing ;its 58-lawyer Bangkok office.

The Bangkok office will instead become a separate legal entity named Weerawong ;Chinnavat ;& ­Peangpanor and according to the firm will work
with White & Case on a ­“preferred provider” basis from January 2009.