In the wake of Willkie Farr’s $100 pro bono payola deal with Donald Trump, lawyers have been fleeing the firm’s West Coast office in droves. Thus far, about 20 attorneys have decamped from the firm’s San Francisco office for Cooley. Faced with an exodus, Willkie is now sending pretty mixed messages to its employees. What do we mean by that? The firm has resorted to laying off staff members, while at the same time offering generous bonuses to summer associates and seasoned associates. These aren’t summer bonuses, mind you — these are more of a “please don’t leave us” payout.
The American Lawyer has additional details on Willkie’s bonuses for some, layoffs for others strategy:
A paralegal, a billing assistant, two secretaries and the San Francisco office manager were affected by staff cuts that went into effect last week, according to sources familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about conditions at Willkie. …
Even as Willkie cut into its staff in the office, the firm began offering “generous” retention bonuses to first-year and second-year summer associates, as well as associates in the Bay Area, sources said. Bonuses for summer associates—offered in a bid to bring them back for their 2L summer or to return to the firm after law school—fell around $35,000, according to sources with knowledge of the offers.
Despite the bonuses, sources said, at least two 2L summer associates in San Francisco have instead committed to join the litigation team at Cooley, while most of the 1L summer associates from that office have opted to not spend their 2L summer with Willkie and committed to work elsewhere, in a broad signal of disapproval of Willkie’s deal with the president.
Yikes! Even Willkie’s summer associates are turning down straight cash and heading to Cooley.
In a legal market where reputations can turn on a dime — especially when a firm makes a “grave mistake” like bending a knee to Trump — Willkie’s retention gambit may keep some lawyers from jumping ship, but it’s unlikely to quiet the whispers about what’s really going on behind closed doors.
We wish the best of luck to those at Willkie who recently lost their jobs.
If your firm or organization is reducing the ranks of its lawyers or staff, whether through deferrals, open layoffs, stealth layoffs, or voluntary buyouts, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477). Thank you for your assistance.
If you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Layoff Alerts, please scroll down and enter your email address in the box below this post. If you previously signed up for the layoff alerts, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll receive an email notification within minutes of each layoff announcement that we publish.
Willkie Cuts San Francisco Staff, Offers Retention Bonuses to Summers [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post Willkie Conducts Staff Layoffs While Dangling Retention Bonuses To Stem Lawyer Exodus appeared first on Above the Law.
In the wake of Willkie Farr’s $100 pro bono payola deal with Donald Trump, lawyers have been fleeing the firm’s West Coast office in droves. Thus far, about 20 attorneys have decamped from the firm’s San Francisco office for Cooley. Faced with an exodus, Willkie is now sending pretty mixed messages to its employees. What do we mean by that? The firm has resorted to laying off staff members, while at the same time offering generous bonuses to summer associates and seasoned associates. These aren’t summer bonuses, mind you — these are more of a “please don’t leave us” payout.
The American Lawyer has additional details on Willkie’s bonuses for some, layoffs for others strategy:
A paralegal, a billing assistant, two secretaries and the San Francisco office manager were affected by staff cuts that went into effect last week, according to sources familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about conditions at Willkie. …
Even as Willkie cut into its staff in the office, the firm began offering “generous” retention bonuses to first-year and second-year summer associates, as well as associates in the Bay Area, sources said. Bonuses for summer associates—offered in a bid to bring them back for their 2L summer or to return to the firm after law school—fell around $35,000, according to sources with knowledge of the offers.
Despite the bonuses, sources said, at least two 2L summer associates in San Francisco have instead committed to join the litigation team at Cooley, while most of the 1L summer associates from that office have opted to not spend their 2L summer with Willkie and committed to work elsewhere, in a broad signal of disapproval of Willkie’s deal with the president.
Yikes! Even Willkie’s summer associates are turning down straight cash and heading to Cooley.
In a legal market where reputations can turn on a dime — especially when a firm makes a “grave mistake” like bending a knee to Trump — Willkie’s retention gambit may keep some lawyers from jumping ship, but it’s unlikely to quiet the whispers about what’s really going on behind closed doors.
We wish the best of luck to those at Willkie who recently lost their jobs.
If your firm or organization is reducing the ranks of its lawyers or staff, whether through deferrals, open layoffs, stealth layoffs, or voluntary buyouts, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477). Thank you for your assistance.
If you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Layoff Alerts, please scroll down and enter your email address in the box below this post. If you previously signed up for the layoff alerts, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll receive an email notification within minutes of each layoff announcement that we publish.
Willkie Cuts San Francisco Staff, Offers Retention Bonuses to Summers [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
