Watson Farley Latest to Cut London Positions
The firm is set to cut some legal PA roles in its base in the city, citing "diminished requirement" for their services because of COVID-19.
July 09, 2020 at 11:34 AM
2 minute read
London
Watson Farley & Williams has begun a consultation round to cut legal PA roles in its London office, the firm said in a statement on Thursday.
The firm cited "diminished requirement" for PA services arising from the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the majority of the industry to work remotely since March.
The firm would not specify how many roles would be affected.
Watson Farley operates a mid-sized offering in the city, with its office comprising 65 partners, according to its website.
A spokesperson at the firm said in a statement: "We have commenced a redundancy consultation with legal PAs in the London office. This was not an easy decision to make. It is a consequence of the diminished requirement for these services arising from a switch to remote working due to the COVID pandemic and our expectation that agile working will continue in the future.
The statement added: "We are working closely with the affected individuals to provide support as this is obviously a challenging and emotional time for them. We cannot provide further details as we wish to ensure that we conduct a fair process."
The firm is the latest to undertake a consultation process to cut roles in its London base.
Reed Smith is currently underway with a process that is set to affect up to 20 lawyers and 10 staff members. Meanwhile Dorsey & Whitney cut four associate positions in June while national U.K. outfit BLM kicked off another consultation process to cut positions earlier in July. It will be the second such process in nine months at the firm.
Meanwhile earlier on Thursday, struggling U.K. listed law firm DWF announced it is set to cut up to 18 roles across its U.K. bases, as it grapples with the impact of COVID-19 as well as other underlying issues.
Read More:
UK Firm Begins Redundancy Round Following Thomas Cook Collapse
Reed Smith to Lay Off London Lawyers, Extend Salary Cuts and Trim Workweeks
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