Redundancy watch 2014: Ince & Co announces consultation over 16 jobs

While the last few months have not brought with them the level of job cuts first feared at the start of 2013, when the rash of City redundancies at one stage looked to approach 2009 levels, Ince & Co has today (13 February) confirmed that it has entered a redundancy consultation in respect of sixteen staff, with the firm blaming economic conditions in its shipping business. Continue reading “Redundancy watch 2014: Ince & Co announces consultation over 16 jobs”

41 jobs at risk at Keoghs as top 60 insurance firm blames legal services reforms

Legal services market reforms are being blamed for job losses at Bolton-based UK top 60 insurance firm Keoghs, which has put 41 people at risk of redundancy including fee earners and support staff.

The redundancies will mainly affect the firm’s Coventry office and particularly its counter-fraud services (CFS) division, as it looks to consolidate its offering for low-value fraud work in the North West.

Last year, the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act banished referral fees for personal injury claims and a spokesman for Keoghs said: ‘The post-reforms market environment has yet to stabilise but it is clear that insurers’ ongoing counter-fraud requirements are going to be significantly different to what they were 12 to 18 months ago. Continue reading “41 jobs at risk at Keoghs as top 60 insurance firm blames legal services reforms”

Redundancy watch: Pannone to make job cuts following Slater & Gordon takeover

Manchester’s Pannone is offering voluntary redundancies to around 100 staff as a result of its recently announced takeover by Slater & Gordon (S&G).

As reported by RollOnFriday today (9 December), there will be no compulsory redundancies but Pannone has informed around 100 individuals that it is unlikely that there will be positions waiting for them at S&G. Neither Pannone nor S&G would comment when contacted by Legal Business.

Continue reading “Redundancy watch: Pannone to make job cuts following Slater & Gordon takeover”

Redundancy watch: Norton Rose Fulbright reveals 30 job cuts in Australia

Norton Rose Fulbright has made 30 staff redundant throughout its Australian offices, including 12 fee-earners and 18 support staff. The firm stated this was ‘not a change that is happening in any other region than Australia – it is a local response to a local market.’

A spokesperson for the firm added: ‘This was a difficult decision and we are doing all that we can to support those affected. Like other professional services firms in Australia, we have responded to changes in the local market. We will continue to concentrate on our primary areas of growth: financial institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining and commodities; transport; technology and innovation; and life sciences and healthcare.’ Continue reading “Redundancy watch: Norton Rose Fulbright reveals 30 job cuts in Australia”

Redundancy watch: Lyons Davidson blames litigation market for letting go of 50 post AA and Admiral deals

Having secured not one but two successive major joint ventures with Admiral and then the AA, Lyons Davidson is undoubtedly the envy of many of its personal injury (PI) peers, but the South West firm has blamed the post-Jackson reforms litigation market for the latest news that it is having to make around 50 redundancies.

Just last week (5 November) the AA – touted as one of the potential game changers likely to enter the post Legal Services Act arena – announced it had secured alternative business structure (ABS) status and entered into a joint venture with Bristol-based Lyons Davidson. Continue reading “Redundancy watch: Lyons Davidson blames litigation market for letting go of 50 post AA and Admiral deals”

Staff cuts: Ashurst confirms 120 jobs to go in London

Ashurst is nearing the end of its London redundancy round as the firm confirms 120 of its support staff will be leaving its City base after 45 days of ongoing consultations.

The 120 employees – selected out of a possible 350 staff earmarked for redundancy – have been given the option to transfer to the firm’s new lower cost Glasgow site or take redundancy, while some effort has been made to find replacement positions in London. Continue reading “Staff cuts: Ashurst confirms 120 jobs to go in London”

Redundancy watch: MMS loses 28 staff and Shakespeares launches consultation as Ashurst’s Scottish fallout continues

Redundancy is a word that has been heard rather less over the quieter summer months but yesterday (9 September) Scottish firm Maclay Murray & Spens confirmed it has made a total of 28 staff redundant. Meanwhile, Midlands firm Shakespeares this week confirmed the launch of a consultation over 19 secretarial roles as Ashurst completes the first stage of a redundancy process affecting 350 roles.

Continue reading “Redundancy watch: MMS loses 28 staff and Shakespeares launches consultation as Ashurst’s Scottish fallout continues”

Redundancy woes: Bond Dickinson and Watson Farley are latest major law firms to review support staff roles

Redundancy consultations continue to dog the City’s top 100 firms as Bond Dickinson and Watson, Farley & Williams last month became the latest to reveal they have placed a number of support roles under review.

In August, Bond Dickinson began a consultation process that will see up to 7% of its support staff made redundant. The newly-merged 700-lawyer firm – a combination of Newcastle-based Dickinson Dees and Bristol-headquartered Bond Pearce that went live on 1 May – said it intends to ‘discuss a proposal to review the support teams and how they should be shaped to best support the needs of Bond Dickinson’.

It added that ‘the proposals, if accepted, would see approximately 7% of support staff roles being made redundant and voluntary redundancy enhancements have been offered to all affected staff’.

Continue reading “Redundancy woes: Bond Dickinson and Watson Farley are latest major law firms to review support staff roles”

BLP loses head of private equity Raymond McKeeve to Jones Day

With all eyes on Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) the news that corporate finance partner and global head of private equity Raymond McKeeve has left to join US firm Jones Day’s London office could, in many ways, not have come at a worse time.

Acknowledged by Legal 500 as ‘a leading private equity specialist’ McKeeve advises many of the leading private equity houses, including Blackstone Private Equity, Darwin Private Equity and KKR. Continue reading “BLP loses head of private equity Raymond McKeeve to Jones Day”