{"id":150508,"date":"2026-05-06T15:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T23:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/05\/06\/newly-merged-top-20-biglaw-firms-growing-pains-include-layoffs\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T15:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T23:09:49","slug":"newly-merged-top-20-biglaw-firms-growing-pains-include-layoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/05\/06\/newly-merged-top-20-biglaw-firms-growing-pains-include-layoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly Merged Top 20 Biglaw Firm\u2019s Growing Pains Include Layoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

In July 2025, McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel joined forces<\/a> to become McDermott Will & Schulte. The newly combined firm rode a wave of growth, ushering in a massive new partnership class<\/a> last fall and debuting in the latest Am Law 100 ranking<\/a> as a top 20 firm. Now, it appears the firm is hitting some turbulence.<\/p>\n

Sources at McDermott tell Above the Law that conducted layoffs in its New York office across multiple practice areas. Tipsters say legacy Schulte associates were allegedly hit the hardest. Above the Law contacted the firm for comment, and it now seems that the layoffs extend far beyond just the New York office.<\/p>\n

McDermott Will & Schulte provided the following statement:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMcDermott Will & Schulte has made the difficult decision to separate from a small number of associates across the firm as we continue to align with shifting client needs.<\/p>\n

We are grateful to the associates who are departing; their work has made a meaningful impact on our clients and the firm.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The firm added, \u201cAs markets evolve, we remain focused on the areas where we lead, making disciplined decisions about how we invest and grow so we can stay at the forefront and help our clients do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Best of luck to all of the McDermott associates affected by this round of layoffs.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t hesitate to let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. You can\u00a0email us<\/a>\u00a0or text us (646-820-8477<\/a>). Thank you for your assistance.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to sign up for ATL\u2019s 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\u2019t need to do anything. You\u2019ll receive an email notification within minutes of each layoff announcement that we publish.<\/p>\n

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Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to\u00a0email<\/a>\u00a0her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Threads<\/a>,\u00a0or connect with her on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Newly Merged Top 20 Biglaw Firm\u2019s Growing Pains Include Layoffs<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

In July 2025, McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel joined forces<\/a> to become McDermott Will & Schulte. The newly combined firm rode a wave of growth, ushering in a massive new partnership class<\/a> last fall and debuting in the latest Am Law 100 ranking<\/a> as a top 20 firm. Now, it appears the firm is hitting some turbulence.<\/p>\n

Sources at McDermott tell Above the Law that conducted layoffs in its New York office across multiple practice areas. Tipsters say legacy Schulte associates were allegedly hit the hardest. Above the Law contacted the firm for comment, and it now seems that the layoffs extend far beyond just the New York office.<\/p>\n

McDermott Will & Schulte provided the following statement:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMcDermott Will & Schulte has made the difficult decision to separate from a small number of associates across the firm as we continue to align with shifting client needs.<\/p>\n

We are grateful to the associates who are departing; their work has made a meaningful impact on our clients and the firm.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The firm added, \u201cAs markets evolve, we remain focused on the areas where we lead, making disciplined decisions about how we invest and grow so we can stay at the forefront and help our clients do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Best of luck to all of the McDermott associates affected by this round of layoffs.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t hesitate to let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. You can\u00a0email us<\/a>\u00a0or text us (646-820-8477<\/a>). Thank you for your assistance.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to sign up for ATL\u2019s 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\u2019t need to do anything. You\u2019ll receive an email notification within minutes of each layoff announcement that we publish.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to\u00a0email<\/a>\u00a0her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Threads<\/a>,\u00a0or connect with her on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In July 2025, McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel joined forces to become McDermott Will & Schulte. The newly combined firm rode a wave of growth, ushering in a massive new partnership class last fall and debuting in the latest Am Law 100 ranking as a top 20 firm. Now, it appears […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":150509,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Staci-Zaretsky-wv6fzr.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}