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Law360 (April 7, 2020, 6:02 PM EDT ) At least three more law firms have made adjustments to attorney pay because of the coronavirus pandemic, with reports Tuesday of Blank Rome LLP, Winston & Strawn LLP and Brown Rudnick LLP implementing cost-cutting measures.
Emergency medical technicians wheel a patient into Elmhurst Hospital Center's emergency room in Queens, New York, on Tuesday. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, law firms are cutting pay. (AP)
"We have implemented certain measures across our firm to take a cautious and financially disciplined approach to the Covid-19 pandemic," according to the statement. "As always, our priority remains supporting our clients, colleagues and communities in which we live and work."
Winston & Strawn notified its attorneys Monday that its partner pay distributions are being reduced by 50% for the next three months, according to a report by legal blog Above the Law. Profits per partner at Winston & Strawn were $2.16 million in 2018, according to data collected by ALM.
At Brown Rudnick, cuts are affecting more than just partners. Above the Law reports that the firm is implementing furloughs and pay cuts among associates and staff.
"The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has impacted law firms like many other businesses," a statement released by the firm Tuesday said. "Brown Rudnick has taken expense management steps during these uncertain times. The firm is dedicated to its lawyers and staff and has implemented a proactive plan to maintain the strong financial standing of the firm that does not involve layoffs."
The cost-cutting measures are the latest in what's becoming a steady drumbeat of staffing reductions and pay cuts at law firms as the legal industry struggles to adapt to the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on business.
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC confirmed on Friday that it was furloughing a portion of its administrative and support staff without pay as the Pittsburgh-based firm faces down the economic uncertainties of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 1, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC announced that it was planning to impose a salary reduction for shareholders and other staff and that it would also be furloughing an untold number of employees.
Pryor Cashman LLP confirmed on March 31, meanwhile, that it was furloughing some associates, and Womble Bond Dickinson said it would be implementing both layoffs and furloughs for some of its employees. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP said it was pausing partner compensation distributions and reducing associate and senior administrative staff pay by 25%.
--Additional reporting by Matt Fair. Editing by Amy Rowe.
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