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&lt;p&gt;In light of the Heller Ehrman and Thelen dissolutions, Tuesday?s across-the-board layoffs at White &amp; Case, and reports of surreptitious staff cuts at K&amp;L Gates, we think it?s high time to recognize the casualties BigLaw?s non-lawyers have suffered in recent months. The standard memoriam following a round of layoffs usually reads something to the effect of ?...FIRM X announced today that it has laid off 16 partners and 28 associates, with most cuts coming in its securities and M&amp;A practices. A majority of the affected attorneys have already accepted new positions at FIRMS A, B, C, Y AND Z, while the remainder are working with FIRM X?s outplacement services to pursue lateral opportunities. Oh, and the firm also cut 105 support staff.?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both mainstream and legal media are guilty of this chronic oversight; to be sure, Vault is complicit in this. There is, of course, a defense: It?s the responsibility of partners and experienced associates to bring in the bounties that keep a firm solvent. On the other hand, a firm simply couldn?t run without legions of secretaries, paralegals, reprographics and mailroom employees doing the dirty work so that the breadwinners can excel (for our football fans out there, think of a firm?s support staff as the defensive linemen who occupy blockers so that the linebackers?the lawyers?are free to make the game-saving tackle). Staff outnumber their JD-wielding brethren by significant margins in most offices, and mass layoffs typically reflect this disparity. White &amp; Case pink-slipped some 100 staffers along with 70 lawyers earlier this week, and with the combined lawyer ranks of Heller and Thelen topping 1,000, we can assume that thousands of support staff from these firms are now scouring Craigslist and filing for unemployment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Former Heller staffers are combating dissolution hangover by creating a website and blog that publicizes relevant job openings and updates on such pertinent issues as Heller?s payment of accrued vacation time (the firm reportedly has yet to deliver on this). The media attention immediately following Heller?s collapse centered on which partners were headed where, and which associates would be asked to tag along; the scrutiny of Heller castaways didn?t extend to those &lt;i&gt;below&lt;/i&gt; junior associates on the totem pole (some of whom had surely been with the firm for decades). While &lt;i&gt;Legal Week&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;The American Lawyer&lt;/i&gt; justifiably focus largely on legal cases and lawyer movement, they pay little heed to support staff beyond an obligatory mention come layoff season. Industry and mainstream publications consistently portray staff cuts as so much collateral damage; considering the vital roles these employees perform, this must change: Many paralegals do the same work as entry-level associates while collecting half the salary, and some rainmakers wouldn?t make it to court without a secretary present to tie their shoelaces. I?m not advocating for equal media coverage of the support staff industry?it is, after all, merely a cog, however essential, in a machine operated by lawyers?but rather that staffers simply deserve more attention than they?re currently afforded.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thoughts? If anyone knows of any other firms that have recently laid off support staff?or the actual number of staff layoffs at K&amp;L Gates?please let us know by commenting below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;right&quot;&gt;- posted by ben fuchs&lt;/p&gt;

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Support Staff: The Forgotten Unemployed

In light of the Heller Ehrman and Thelen dissolutions, Tuesday?s across-the-board layoffs at White & Case, and reports of surreptitious staff cuts at K&L Gates, we think it?s high time to recognize the casualties BigLaw?s non-lawyers have suffered in recent months. The standard memoriam following a round of layoffs usually reads something to the effect of ? ...FIRM X announced today that it has laid off 16 partners and 28 associates, with most cuts coming in its securities and M&A practices. A majority of the affected attorneys have already accepted new positions at FIRMS A, B, C, Y AND Z, while the remainder are working with FIRM X?s outplacement services to pursue lateral opportunities. Oh, and the firm also cut 105 support staff.?Both mainstream and legal media are guilty of this chronic oversight; to be sure, Vault is complicit in this. There is, of course, a defense: It?s the responsibility of partners and experienced associates to bring in the bounties that keep a firm solvent. On the other hand, a firm simply couldn?t run without legions of secretaries, paralegals, reprographics and mailroom employees doing the dirty work so that the breadwinners can excel (for our football fans out there, think of a firm?s support staff as the defensive linemen who occupy blockers so that the linebackers?the lawyers?are free to make the game-saving tackle). Staff outnumber their JD-wielding brethren by significant margins in most offices, and mass layoffs typically reflect this disparity. White & Case pink-slipped some 100 staffers along with 70 lawyers earlier this week, and with the combined lawyer ranks of Heller and Thelen topping 1,000, we can assume that thousands of support staff from these firms are now scouring Craigslist and filing for unemployment.Former Heller staffers are combating dissolution hangover by creating a website and blog that publicizes relevant job openings and updates on such pertinent issues as Heller?s payment of accrued vacation time (the firm reportedly has yet to deliver on this). The media attention immediately following Heller?s collapse centered on which partners were headed where, and which associates would be asked to tag along; the scrutiny of Heller castaways didn?t extend to those below junior associates on the totem pole (some of whom had surely been with the firm for decades). While Legal Week and The American Lawyer justifiably focus largely on legal cases and lawyer movement, they pay little heed to support staff beyond an obligatory mention come layoff season. Industry and mainstream publications consistently portray staff cuts as so much collateral damage; considering the vital roles these employees perform, this must change: Many paralegals do the same work as entry-level associates while collecting half the salary, and some rainmakers wouldn?t make it to court without a secretary present to tie their shoelaces. I?m not advocating for equal media coverage of the support staff industry?it is, after all, merely a cog, however essential, in a machine operated by lawyers?but rather that staffers simply deserve more attention than they?re currently afforded.Thoughts?

Support Staff: The Forgotten Unemployed | Career Advice - Vault

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